Marc Beaugé "The jeans-sneakers become a new uniform"<

Media Swiss army knife, pillar of the So Press group, editor-in-chief of the magazines Society, Etiquette and Holiday, freelancer for M le Magazine du Monde, columnist for the Quotidien program, Marc Beaugé is among other experts in men's fashion. And costume supporter.

What do you think of the decline of the male suit, certified by the numbers?

Even at Goldman Sachs, it is no longer mandatory... The start-up culture is gaining territory, even beyond start-ups. You have to give the impression of having fun at work. We put a ping-pong table in the open space, we come to work in hoodies and jeans. And everything is fine… Well, apparently.

Is the phenomenon anecdotal or important?

Quite major, I believe. In any case, one can wonder about its meaning. Does the weakening of the suit, often considered the symbol of power and money (just look at Gordon Gekko's power suit on Wall Street), reveal a form of weakening of capitalist culture? I am not sure. Even in a hoodie, you can do business… On the other hand, I note that the weakening of the costume corresponds precisely to that of the patriarchy. But the costume has never been gender fluid. It has been worn by all men, the rich, the proles, the young, the old, the dominant, the dominated (a few decades ago we spoke of "grey" to designate the austere costume of modest workers), but it has never been massively recovered by women. It is therefore associated with masculinity. Maybe it hurts today...

Given its coercive echo, can we speak of liberation?

It's tempting. But where does the incentive to no longer wear suits in companies come from? Often from above, bosses. It's marketing: “Look how cool my company is, people are wearing jeans-sneakers…” In a perverse way, jeans-sneakers therefore become a new uniform. The real freedom would be for employees to be able to dress as they wish. Even in a suit. Because you can really enjoy wearing it.

Who wears it now?

In people under 40, it has become very rare. We wear it for a job interview, for a wedding. Look at Zuckerberg. He only puts on his costume when he goes before judges, or when he goes to negotiate with a president. Overall, when he is in a weak position. In reaction to this fundamental movement, I see little young people who like to wear a costume, to understand it. Because there is a culture behind it, like behind cinema, rock, football or wine. An Italian suit is not an English suit. A Neapolitan shoulder [without padding therefore natural, drooping, editor's note] is not a pagoda-shaped shoulder [which flares out from the armpit to the wrist]. There is exciting lore behind the costume. That's why I think he's coming back.

What would you say in his defence?

Since its appearance around 1855, the costume, that is to say a suit consisting of trousers and a jacket cut in the same fabric, has changed very little. Because it's the ultimate men's garment. It makes it more beautiful. I would even say that when you put it on for the first time, you reveal yourself, you get out of “adultness”… And then you break with this childish tyranny of logos, brands, fashion. There is no logo on a costume. It's more subtle. A quality suit is not obvious. So it doesn't go out of style...

A good suit, navy or gray, in reasonable proportions, will last a very long time. And you don't have to go to Cifonelli or Arnys and pay 7,000 euros to find it... From 400 euros - which is obviously still a sum - there are things that hold up, with a semi-canvas jacket (1). Macron's Jonas suits cost 380 euros and they serve their purpose. They give him confidence, without making him look like a hot guy. It's smart. Although, well, maybe it would be better for Macron to wear an 8,000 euro suit and do leftist politics, huh.

(1) The classic men's jacket is canvas: a canvas is stitched in a flexible way between the lining and the outer fabric. When a jacket is heat sealed, the canvas is bonded to the lining and the outer fabric. This process is less expensive but ages less well. The concept of interfacing-thermobonding is the primary criterion for the quality of a jacket.