Mad Men’s greatest influence? Menswear

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

The social impact of Mad Men is remarkable. A show that on the surface is about the cut-throat world of Madison Avenue advertising in the 60s got us all talking about gender roles. For many men, it was a somewhat unsettling reminder that their roles are very unclear right now. For women, the sad realization that, in many ways, things haven’t changed that much in 50 years. (After all, McMaster University decided only a few weeks ago to raise the pay of female faculty to that of their male counterparts.) Beyond social issues, the show has fuelled a resurgence in classic cocktails and influenced a boom in mid-century modern interior design. But it’s the clothes on Mad Men, the men’s clothes specifically, that I think have been its greatest impact. Mad Men caused a huge shift in the way men think of and present themselves, inspiring a whole generation of guys to start dressing well again.

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

Before you accuse me  of wishing we could return to a time of such blatant male privilege, I don’t think dressing well and the patriarchy are one in the same. Just because guys are dressing in suits doesn’t mean they are regressive thinkers. In fact, many young men today grew up without the association of the suit with “The Man” at all. Instead, inspired by Mad Men, they realized that they feel and look better in suits, or just simply well dressed. Most importantly, many men – myself included – wear suits because we want to, not because we have to. While much of what was depicted on this show was negative, that doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons for us to learn. In this case, the importance of putting effort into our appearance which I believe can help us feel better about ourselves and each other.

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

You may be surprised to find out, however, that I’m not a fan of Mad Men. Believe me, I get it: the show is extremely well written, well paced, well acted. It just didn’t work for me. And as much as I love the fact that Mad Men inspired men to dress well again, I don’t like the fashions on the show. It’s a shame, really, that it’s 1960s fashion the show celebrates because it was a terrible time for traditional men’s style: conformity ruled the suit world and the slim fit of the time has only encouraged the absurd super-slim fit of today. Yes, the Ivy League look (which I admire) struggled along until its demise in the late 60s, amidst abominations like pre-folded pocket squares, often glued to cardboard, producing lifeless straight lines or formulaic folds. I see a huge resurgence in pocket squares thanks to the show but sadly, many men emulate the Mad Men look instead of harnessing the creative possibilities of the puff. If the 1930s were the golden age of men’s style, then the 60s and 70s were the cliff over which we fell into casualness and sloppiness. After all, this was the era when many men started dressing like boys (instead of the reverse which had been true since, well, forever).

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

Regardless, the show did bring the suit back. But is it fair to give Mad Men all the credit for this change? In truth, the show was part of a movement that was reacting to the ultra-casual “cargo pants and tshirts” look that came out of the 90s (which has sadly persevered). When the show started in 2007, men had already dabbled with metrosexualism, a trend that didn’t die out but was actually absorbed into the mainstream. That set the stage for Mad Men to remind us that until the 70s, men cared about grooming, dressing well and how they presented themselves to world.

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

[Image courtesy AMC/Facebook]

Now that the show has wrapped up its final season, where do guys look for inspiration to dress well? I’d suggest it’s time to move on from trends like skinny suits and straight-fold pocket squares and start investing in personal style. After all, we have the freedom that no other generation of men have ever had when it comes to our dress. So cultivate and innovate. Search the web, tumblr, pinterest, instagram, there are plenty of directions you can go in your quest to dress well. And I hope we can take this all a step further. Let’s redefine what it means to wear a suit: instead of a symbol of power to lord over others, dress well as a show of respect for ourselves and those around us.