Menswear may be cyclical, but not everything is to be revived from history. Perms, for instance. Or reckless financial deregulation. Granted, both are blights of the Eighties that are yet to be pardoned, but, it seems one trend is back to the future, and David Beckham is the latest time traveller to land back in 2019.
We mean the T-shirt-suit combo. The Duran Duran kind. The sort that sips a Babycham before stuffing its pockets with notes for a big night at Covent Garden's Blitz Club. It's a trend that returned to form via Dior, with creative director Kim Jones credited for reviving big, boxy tailoring and pastel shades from a powdery Vice City grave.
Of course, it's not just a simple fancy dress rehash, though. Where the Eighties looked to excess, Beckham's gone streamlined: two single buttons to a double-breasted jacket, a clean silhouette and a safe palette that always works. Which, in this instance, means a shade of Carolina blue atop a diamond white T-shirt. And if you're without a handful of the latter, stock up your rotation stat.
Know where this sort of suit works, too. It isn't office appropriate. That's precisely the point. Where conservative get-ups follow the rules at conservative events, dressing down a suit with a T-shirt is for the actually fun events: the weddings in which the bride and groom aren't at all prissy, and the parties that demand something above denim.
The big takeaway: just keep it simple. Like Beckham, stick to colours you feel comfortable with, and a loose shape that flatters as opposed to billows. Oh, and don't roll your sleeves up. That's still in storage too.
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