Confidently Colourful

BENJAMIN SACCAGGI explores how colour and confidence are redefining modern men's style, proving that suits can be both classic and adventurous.

- BENJAMIN SACCAGGI

EVER WONDER WHY MEN have been reinventing the suit for over two centuries? Why does menswear feel so limited? One theory, from psychologist JC Flügel, is that men gradually gave up their right to be beautiful, choosing instead to be merely useful. He called this shift the Great Male Renunciation – a sartorial turning point rooted in Enlightenment thinking and the political revolutions of Europe.

There's no doubt that men's dress has become less flamboyant over time. The evolution of professional military forces sped this along, as uniforms became standardised, easy to produce and colour-coded. Blue was a battlefield favourite since antiquity, partly because the dye had mild disinfectant properties.