The rise of the deconstructed suit: Bollywood actors embrace the trend of broken suits

Athleisure and street style herald a wave of broken tailoring in menswear.

Teaming a suit blazer with an athleisure sweatshirt would have been unheard of a few years ago. Also, menswear purists would have scoffed at the idea of a suit being paired with a pair of sneakers. However, today thanks to the all-pervading sportified tailoring and street influences seeping into menswear, a suited ensemble is no longer coordinated for the red carpet. Ayushmann Khurrana recently teamed an Amit Aggarwal blazer with another parka at a recent event. The likes of Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Kartik Aaryan are known to shake things up while putting together their menswear ensembles for their B-Town outings. Throw in a long-line T-shirt, layer a suit with a hoodie or team a sharp blazer with a pair of gym track-pants - the modern-day menswear is all about rewriting the rigid codes of menswear tailoring. Thing languidly tailored separates mixed and matches with knee-length waistcoats or a kurta shirt. International labels like Dior Men, Haider Ackermann and Gucci have been pushing the envelope when it came to contemporary tailoring presentations. Today it’s not unusual to see a head-to-toe print ensemble clubbed with an embellished blazer or a printed T-shirt thrown under a pin-striped suit.

Rajkummar Rao nails the broken suit silhouette.

However, the question remains - is the formal classic suit synonymous with the traditional Savile Row tailoring dead? Stylist Akshay Tyagi disagrees. “Old school tailoring will always be relevant because one has to know the rules in order to break them. Present day icons like the young Maharaja of Jaipur (who walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana last year) are still rooting for the tailoring of old Italian fashion houses.

Having said that, there’s a lot of individuality and personality when one sees designers putting together their runway shows or brand campaigns. It’s all about mixing and matching the separates together - for instance, a sweater worn with a pair of suit trousers or a trench teamed with a blazer and a pair of denims. Also, this mixology adds to the longevity of a garment,” says Akshay.

Ranveer Singh proves that he’s a pro at mixology.

Season after season, menswear tailoring keeps getting a new makeover and deconstructed tailoring is having a moment of sorts in fashion, of late. “I’d say that it’s a phenomenon and not just a trend. Globally, most pop icons wear their suits with sneakers. American rapping sensations like Kanye West have inspired an entire generation of designers like Virgil Abloh to have fun with new ways to play with menswear,” observes stylist Mohit Rai.

A timeless three-piece suit may still a great one time investment for many of us, but the modern-day dandy is itching to inculcate a slew of cool separates to have fun with. Designer Aniket Satam says, “That one sliver of an off-the-wall separate instantly spikes up the look, which could have been considered ordinary. Today it’s all about statement-making bold prints, shine-on textures.”

Author tweets @dandydujour

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