Vintage British-Made Men's Suits and Formal Wear — Voted by the Community

The modern suit grew out of the lounge suit, which appeared in Britain in the nineteenth century as informal country and leisure wear. Its jacket and trousers were cut from the same cloth, unlike the frock coat and morning coat, which were worn with contrasting trousers. The lounge suit became popular from the 1860s for its comfort, and in the early twentieth century it replaced the frock coat and morning coat as everyday wear for business and social life, in Britain and abroad. London tailoring built a strong reputation for precise cutting and finishing. Tailors were working on Savile Row by the early nineteenth century, and bespoke houses there set high standards of measuring, pattern cutting and hand finishing. The English cut is known for its structured shoulders and shaped waist. British mills supplied the cloth. Huddersfield and other West Yorkshire towns became known for fine worsted suiting, the Scottish Borders, around Galashiels and Hawick, became known for tweed, and Rochdale and mid-Wales were centres of flannel making. British-made suits today still draw on this mix of tailoring skill and home-grown cloth.