Upcoming Style Trends For 2022

In the last couple of years, it's been a bit of a challenge to navigate many aspects of the New Normal, including the perks and pitfalls of remote work, proper videoconference etiquette, and significant adjustments to in-office dress codes that have trended more casual as of late.  But of course, as with most things fashion-related, trends tend to ebb and flow, and the uncertainty lies not in whether they change or stay the course, but when they do or do not.  As more offices across the globe are reopening and slowly getting back into the normal swing of things, it's very likely that we'll see a resurgence of interest in formal wear that has tapered off noticeably up to this point in time.

            While it might be difficult for some professionals to put aside many of the comforts they've grown accustomed to as a result of the explosion of remote work opportunities, many others are welcoming the potential return to more formal dress codes in professional spheres.  The caveat going forward, however, is that overall we will see more emphasis placed on comfort and functionality above other, more aesthetic considerations.

            Although no one has a crystal ball that allows us to see into the future with absolute certainty, tipping the scales toward comfort and utility does fall in line with the long-term trends toward minimalism in lieu of the overly elaborate.  In the realm of black-tie affairs that require a tuxedo, it's much more common these days to see classic or standard collars more often than the traditional wingtip style than it was 20 or even 10 years ago.  It's a subtle change, but it's definitely one that stands out.  Also more common is the absence of the once-ubiquitous cummerbund.  Not long ago, wearing a tuxedo bare was unthinkable, until of course the trend gained some steam behind it.

            What we do know with absolute certainty is that fashion trends are constantly evolving, and what we hope to do in this article is give you at least a glimpse of what might be in store for the upcoming year.

--The Emerging Global Suit Style--

            In one of our previous installments, we covered the basics of the most common suit styles available within the realm of gentlemen's formal wear.  In general, most suits offered on the market today will fall into three distinct categories, those being British, American, and Italian.  However, there is a fourth type that is emerging—sometimes referred to as a Global suit style—that blends elements commonly found in British and Italian styles while omitting many features of their American counterparts.  While the details of this new Global style are not yet well defined, given its novelty and resulting uncharted territory, it certainly has the potential to match or even surpass its parent British and Italian fashion sensibilities at some point in the future.

            As cultures across the world now have the ability to communicate information with each other at extraordinarily rapid levels not seen in the previous century, one of the unintended positive consequences of this near-instantaneous communication is the exchange of mores and ideas related to fashion.  While this information exchange first began with the increase in business travel among professional spheres, improvements in Internet bandwidth and the resulting superior communication quality greatly accelerated the speed at which ideas—about fashion or otherwise—could be shared.  While some trends in the previous century could have taken years or even decades to gain traction, trends in the new era sometimes seem to evolve faster than they can spread; hence the emerging Global suit style, as everyone is able to more easily connect with the world at large in spite of physical and geographic limitations.

            In contrast to British, Italian, and American suits, all of which have relatively clear defining features, the finer points surrounding the emerging Global suit style are a little foggy, since we're still in the midst of this particular style's infancy.  What we do know about this emerging style, given the limited amount of information at our disposal, is that it tends to favor the contoured appearance of the Italian-style suit while still preserving the more practical concerns normally found in suits made with the British style in mind.  Think extra pocket space for all those electronic devices we carry around with us, without extra or unnecessary padding in the suit's overall structure or detracting from a very refined, tailored appearance.  As more people gravitate toward custom tailors and shy away from off-the-rack suit options, many suits worn today don't always exactly fit into the neat little boxes that the three main suit styles provide thanks to the plethora of customization options available.  By the same token, the increased emphasis on custom tailoring is the driving force behind the Global suit style, as customers can now much more easily obtain what they want out of their formal wear without having to settle or compromise on features that they don't want or need.  It just so happens that many gentlemen seek to balance comfort with style as best they can, and going forward the emerging Global suit style will likely fulfill that happy medium.

--Tuxedos and Black-Tie--

            If there's one side of formal wear that hasn't changed much, it's definitely the black-tie dress code and its associated classic tuxedo, and we don't really anticipate black-tie affairs undergoing any drastic changes in the near or distant future.  We have noticed, however, some deviations from the subtler style considerations that were once taken for granted.

            In previous years, many gentlemen preferred to opt for a vest in lieu of a cummerbund (since both should never be worn together), as the former provided a more slimming look and many swore by the waistcoat's superiority in comfort.  More recently, there's been a trend to wear tuxedos bare, which refers to the practice of foregoing cummerbunds and waistcoats altogether.  While this particular style is gaining more acceptance and will likely continue to do so in the coming years, its adoption is far from universal.  Sporting a tuxedo in this way tends to work best when your tuxedo has no fitting problems, as a jacket that's too small for your current dimensions could expose the bottom part of your shirt placket, thereby defeating the purpose of wearing a tuxedo in the first place.  By far, the greatest benefit to wearing a tuxedo bare is the added comfort and movement that is less constrained.  If you go this route, just be sure that your tuxedo is properly tailored to your dimensions, otherwise any style benefits of doing this will evaporate.

            In any case, we would recommend that you wear suspenders with a bare tuxedo, since it's always a good idea to have that extra trouser support when a cummerbund isn't there to pick up the slack.

            In traditional black-tie attire, a shirt with a wingtip collar was generally preferred.  Lately, this is becoming less common, as more tuxedo shirts are offered with a standard collar.  The benefit to a standard collar is that you'll probably have a greater margin of error with your bow tie, since the back of it will remain out of sight and protected from any potential snags.  You could even get away with wearing a necktie with a standard collar (never do this with a wingtip collar), but we would only suggest doing this for black-tie optional events.  For strictly black-tie engagements, the bow tie is preferred, and we would recommend that you always tie it yourself.  Expectedly, trends in black-tie dress codes tend to change the slowest, and for 2022 along with the years following it, we can safely say that the tuxedo will remain the same; the exception of course being the way in which some gentlemen prefer to wear it.

--Neckties--

            Getting away from the realm of black-tie dress codes, neckties may see a welcome resurgence in 2022 when more people start heading back into the office as the world recovers from the Coronavirus pandemic.  When it comes to neckties, trends tend to ebb and flow every decade or so, with skinny ties and wider ties alternating in popularity.  Whether you want to emulate a look that's in vogue or more traditional doesn't matter so much as the way in which you can successfully pull it off from a style standpoint.  Neckties tend to be most effective when they're proportional to the lapel sizes on your jacket, so if you're the type of person who likes to keep a variety of suits on hand at any given time, it's best to keep a variety of ties of different widths in your wardrobe as well.  Regardless of tie width, there seems to be greater emphasis on tie symmetry these days, so in lieu of a traditional four-in-hand knot (which also happens to be the easiest to tie), go with a Half Windsor, Full Windsor, or St. Andrew knot if you want to establish a sleeker, more uniform appearance.

            While we don't always know with absolute certainty what the future holds when it comes to burgeoning fashion trends or ones that might wane unexpectedly, our expert clothiers at Enzo Custom can help you stay ahead of the curve going into 2022.  Our combined decades of experience and limitless options for customization will allow you to select a suit for your wardrobe that you can truly call your own.  When you're ready to make that leap into the New Year with us, don't hesitate to call and schedule an appointment at one of our showrooms.  If you feel more comfortable at home, our clothiers will be more than happy to get you started via videoconference.