Man Fashion: Mao Suit

Man Fashion designers are remodeling the traditional Mao suit in the hope that it will once again become a popular item of clothing.

The gray "Zhongshan", or Mao suit, that President Hu Jintao wore when he stood on the rostrum in Tian'anmen Square for the 60th anniversary celebration of New China, caused a stir both at home and abroad. It had a Western-style slim cut, but all the suit's characteristic elements, including pockets, buttons and color.

Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), first president of the Republic of China, introduced the Zhongshan suit.

It dominated local menswear for six decades - from 1920 to 1980 - during which time Western media portrayed China as a "gray society" as all the men wore them and looked the same. Chairman Mao Zedong popularized it and this is why it is known in the West as the "Mao suit".

When President Hu wore his Mao suit it signaled its rejuvenation and designers busied themselves creating new patterns for the new millennium. The modern Mao suit is an expression of one's personality.

According to Liu Yuanfeng, dean of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT), Mao suit firstly made an appearance when Western culture was brought into China in 1920. The Mao suit was a fusion of fashion and culture. It had the outline of a Western suit, but had Chinese elements.

There are redesigned Mao suits on the market now that have a casual look. Kevin Kelly, Eve and Notting Hill are three menswear brands that have produced new styles that are currently only available in Beijing and Shanghai.

The modern Mao suit has shiny copper buttons instead of gray plastic ones, and is slim-cut. The four pockets have been cut out. The suits are made from synthetic fibers and silk rather than just cotton. It can also be embroidered and accessorized with scarves, leather bags and boots.

With mixture of Chinese and Western culture, would you believe, Mao suits, inheriting both, will become popular again?

Man Fashion: 2 Button or 3 Button Men Suits

The most important thing which has to be considered while choosing a men's suit is that it fits you perfectly either be formal or casual occasion.


2 Button Men Suits
So if you just stepped into the world of the urban working class and struggling with your wardrobe essentials. It should be mentioned early on that the casual laid-back clothing style no longer applies to this decade. It is a must that you are well-dressed and primped for work. It must be mentioned that the 2 button men suits is the most popular choice for casual clothing these days.


Men’s fashion, for this year and the next, are all about classic styles and suits are moving back into the mainstream of men’s clothing. You have a lot of choices to pick from; the right style, design, color, and fabric.

To be perfectly suited up, find a suit that fits you, not too loose and not too fit as it can ruin the style that you’re aiming for. To be on the safe side, opt for 2 button men suits.


3 Button Men Suits
So if you're out for the weekend club scene and it takes a lot of time and effort to just blend in with the crowd yet stand out as well. The differences between casual jackets or blazers from 3 button suits in terms of occasions and places where you can wear them are fairly indistinguishable. Now that men are becoming dressier and acutely aware of their own personal style, casual dressing now involves suiting up.

Perfect for everyday wear, the 3 button suit is flexible for random mixing and matching that appeal to the wearer. Of course personal style is personal style, yet trying to come up with a fashion statement may not be a very good idea altogether. There are still rules to follow.

To blend in with the hip crowd on men’s fashion, take time to adapt the latest trends and the 3 button suits that is the current fashion necessity for men nowadays. Only the most confident fashion enthusiasts can carry on wearing 3 button suits in a fashion-forward sense. Although both 2 button and 3 button suits are glamorous and timeless, the 2 button has seen better times over the last decades, leaving the 3 button suits to be used sparingly. The 3 button adds balance to tall men who, by the way, are the most common users of this type of suit. The extra number of buttons allows a full button up without risking looking short.

Seriously, be it 2 button or 3 button men suits is very much depend on your height, 2-button suit adds length for your torso since the V-point is much lower. So any man with a short torso would benefit from 2 Button Men Suits, whereas 3 button men suits will end up having the V-point of your lapels to be higher part of your chest.

Man Fashion: Recession Suit?

While I was tried to look for some men fashion updates, this report attracted my attention. Yes, RECESSION SUIT. I was wondering what was this recession suit all about.

This was basically talked about what you dressed to work a couple of years ago compared to current economy situation. This thing came to my mind was shopping for budget suit and accessories of course! To my surprise, the story told the other way.

You might have come to work in khakis and a sports jacket. But today, in these uncertain economic times, you will taking no chances.


One of the commerce graduate, who recently landed his first full-time job as an account executive at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, promptly shelled out $1,500 for three suits, two shirts and two ties. (Wow! this is consider big bill to me)

The reason was with the economy, he doesn't feel as safe as it probably would have a couple of years ago. Equally, Mens stores are stocking up on tailored clothing, moving mens suits to the front of the shop and khakis to the back, and trimming prices as career apparel becomes a silver lining in the $5.2-billion men's wear sector – a tough segment at the best of times because men shop less than women. Despite their relatively high prices, men suits are again becoming something of a necessity, rather than just a discretionary purchase.


So have you rush out to get yourself a designer men suit, to look professional and to feel like you've got your act together, especially in a this downturn recession?

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Man Fashion Tips: Men Dress Suit Care

Decision in buying a dress suit for yourself is fairly simple, but there are other more critical consideration beside dollar and cents. Yes! How to take care of your dress suit. So dress suit care should be on the top of your to do list once you purchase your suit. Some of the suit care that you might want to consider: dry cleaning, tailoring, storage and moth protection.


Moth Protection - It would be a great tragedy if you wore a $1,000.00 dress suit once and then found it had been eaten by moths the second time you went to wear it. Moth protection is a must for anybody keeping suits in their house. These little insects can cause big problems in a matter of seconds. Unless you plan on keeping an eye on all your suits at all times you should take measures to protect them.

The biggest enemy to the moth besides your fly swatter and array of poisons is cedar. These bugs despise the pleasant smell of cedar and will not go near it. A cedar closet is the ideal body guard for your clothes. However, cedar hangers are much more affordable, portable, and financially viable.

Suit Storage - You'll want to have your suit ready to wear at all times which means curled up in a ball under your bed is not an option.

Suit storage is a necessary piece of the suit care puzzle. Storing your dress clothes in a haphazardly manner can cause you a lot of pain when you go to wear them.

Suits need to be properly cleaned and pressed after use. Hang them in a manner that keeps them from acquiring any new wrinkles in between uses.

Cedar closets are the ideal place to hang your suits but a normal closet out of direct sunlight is a fitting alternative.

Suit Alterations - Unless you plan on staying the exact same size all of your life you will probably need to find a good tailor.

Areas that can be tailored elegantly are:

1. Waist - The waist can be taken in aggressively to make the pants more snug. Expanding the waist is limited to how much excess material is in the pants. You can tell how much you have by looking inside the back of the pants.

2. Legs - The legs are like the waist in that they can be shortened by great lengths but are limited in the amount you can lengthen them.

Jackets can be let out at the waist and shortened at the sleeves but be careful to get a good tailor if you decide to do anything else.

Dry Cleaning - If you decide to just pop your suit in the washing machine you can probably forget about ever being able to wear it again.

Good dry cleaners can really make a mans life easy. Being able to toss your suit on without having to worry about whether or not it was done correctly takes some of the daily stress away. Besides, we have enough to worry about don't we?

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