How the American Revolution Changed the Way Men Dress | Chloe Chapin

Sitting In Podcast | Ep. 032 - Dr. Chloe Chapin is a costume designer, PhD, fashion enthusiast, and an author.

The black suit is a staple in all professional settings, but why did men across the globe adopt it? How did a dark-colored suit come to represent modernity, democracy, and neutral ground in politics? What role did the American founders play in defining this "rule", and did they even know they were doing it?

In today's episode, you can expect to learn:

- What actually defines a "suit"

- Why the American Revolution was a turning point in men's fashion

- How mass production and innovations effected clothing

- Ben Franklin and George Washington's roles in what "serious people" wear

and much more!

Check out Chloe's work on her website and in her book!

Website - https://www.chloechapin.com/

Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/suitable-9780197842485?cc=us&lang=en&

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00:00 Intro

00:43 What would congressmen have been wearing in 1790?

02:12 Why did "flamboyant" suits go out of style?

03:39 How accurate are our ideas of what the founding fathers wore?

09:24 How aware were the founding fathers of what their clothing meant?

15:02 Was Washington's mourning a pivotal turning point for men's clothes?

17:50 What actually defines a "suit"?

22:11 Different types of pants? (Breeches vs Trousers)

24:47 How did modern "tailoring" start?

28:28 Did the tailor dictate what society liked, or did society like what tailors made?

29:32 How does mass production of textiles impact our clothes?

30:28 Independence, manufacturing, and innovation

35:30 Do simpler suits help resist a "class" based society?

40:52 Ben Franklin's influence on ambassador's clothes

42:29 James Buchanan resisting the British standards

45:34 Foreign courts recognized the truth behind American ideology (by allowing them to wear what they wanted)

46:34 Does clothing create societal divisions or simply reflect existing divisions?

47:12 (Chloe's response)

48:09 Japan case study

49:49 The suit acting as a "doubling down" and combination of modernity and democracy!

50:28 The Pants metaphor

53:31 The Japan Case Study (part 2)

55:42 The way people think about equality might change, but the suit remains... Why??

58:10 The suit as a neutral sign of seriousness

59:47 Why did the suit fall off so hard?

1:02:20 What will be seen as "weird" 200 years from now?

1:04:36 The strangeness of 'plainness'

1:06:21 The effect of clothing on masculine expression

1:07:12 A modern way the suit is evolving

1:07:46 Jerry West example

1:08:49 What would Chloe beg a young person to do (or learn) sooner than she did?