CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The history of men’s fashion, from the flamboyant silks of the 18th century to the modern uniform of dark suits, is the subject of a new book that traces the transformation to Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality.
Chloe Chapin, Ph.D. ’23, spent over two decades as a costume designer before writing “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men.” The book examines a 75-year period between the 18th and 19th centuries, during which Enlightenment ideas helped give rise to the American and French revolutions — and, Chapin argues, fundamentally changed how men dressed. As a designer, she developed a mental database of images across centuries.
Scrolling back in her mind, she noticed something odd: men in the 18th century had not worn black and white at all for formal occasions. Yet within half a century, they had adopted a plain uniform of black and white that persists to this day. “Why did they suddenly adopt this plain uniform?” Chapin asks in an edited interview published by Harvard.
The idea for the book was sparked during a conversation with actor Daniel Radcliffe in 2008, when Radcliffe was starring in the Broadway play “Equus,” for which Chapin designed the costumes. When she complimented the midnight blue tuxedo he wore to the opening night party, Radcliffe told her about the history of British royalty wearing midnight blue for formalwear.
Chapin found the story glamorous and fascinating. Her interest was reignited years later while doing research for the opera “La Traviata,” set in the 1860s. Chapin’s answer points to the American and French revolutions.
The adoption of plain and dark suits came to symbolize American republican ideals of democracy and equality. For readers who have ever wondered why Dad’s uniform looks so boring, Chapin offers an explanation rooted in the history of liberty itself. The book is now available.
