What Makes a Suit Look Contemporary?
Written by Kenji Tanaka
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When you hear the phrase “a contemporary suit,” what kind of silhouette comes to mind?
For many people, the first image is probably a relatively slim suit that follows the shape of the body.
From the 2000s through the 2010s, suit silhouettes became significantly slimmer. Jackets became shorter, shoulders more compact, and trousers narrower. This sharp, body-conscious silhouette became strongly associated with words such as “modern” and “contemporary.”
As a result, the idea that “a wide suit looks old-fashioned” remains deeply rooted.
However, things have changed somewhat in recent years.
Across fashion, wider trousers and more relaxed silhouettes have returned, and suits have once again embraced roomier jackets, wider trousers, and longer jacket lengths. At uniontailors, we are also making more suits with these kinds of relaxed, wider silhouettes.
So, does that mean a wide suit is contemporary?
Not necessarily.
The same wide suit can look contemporary on one man and old-fashioned on another
A wide suit can look extremely contemporary on one man and surprisingly old-fashioned on another.
The important question is not simply whether the silhouette is slim or wide.
What matters is style and proportion.
Shoulder width, jacket length, chest, waist suppression, lapel width, trouser width, rise, and, above all, the relationship between these elements all contribute to how a suit looks.
For example, simply making the trousers wider does not automatically create a contemporary suit. If the shoulders are oversized, the jacket is too long, and the trousers are simply made wider, the overall silhouette can easily evoke a previous era.
On the other hand, when the proportions are deliberately designed and a certain amount of ease is introduced throughout the suit, a wider silhouette can look distinctly contemporary.
The same is true of slim suits.
A slim suit is not automatically outdated. If the fit, jacket length, trouser width, and overall proportions work with today's sensibility, a slim suit can still look highly contemporary.
Contemporary does not have one fixed silhouette
The word “contemporary” does not refer to one specific silhouette.
A suit that looked modern in the 1960s was obviously different from one that looked modern in the 1980s or the 2010s.
In other words, a contemporary suit is not defined by a particular silhouette. It is a suit whose style and proportions feel natural within the sensibility of its time.
Today, there are more choices than there were before. There are slim silhouettes, relaxed silhouettes, wider trousers, structured shoulders, and softer shoulders.
The range of contemporary tailoring has become much broader.
That does not mean everyone needs to go wider
Wider silhouettes have returned to tailoring in recent years.
That does not mean every man needs to start wearing a wide suit.
The silhouette that is fashionable is not necessarily the silhouette that feels natural to you.
I have personally worn relatively clean, slim silhouettes for many years. Over more than two decades, I have gradually developed a sense of proportion and style that feels comfortable to me.
So when trends change, I find it difficult to suddenly change everything about the way I dress.
I have tried wider trousers several times myself. They simply never felt quite right.
It is not because the fit was wrong.
The silhouette itself did not feel natural as part of my personal style.
This is not simply a question of age.
A personal style that has developed over many years includes more than just preferences. It is also reflected in the way a person stands and walks, the shoes they choose, the way they wear a shirt, and even how natural or comfortable they feel when they see themselves in a particular silhouette.
That is why a change in trends does not necessarily mean abandoning everything you have developed over the years.
Instead, you can build on your existing style and gradually incorporate elements of the current fashion landscape.
That, too, can be a contemporary way of dressing.
A contemporary suit is ultimately about balance
In the end, there is no absolute definition of how slim or wide a contemporary suit should be.
It can be slim.
It can be wide.
What matters is whether the silhouette works as an intentional style.
Is the jacket too large? Are the trousers too wide? Does the jacket length work with the trouser length? Is the lapel width balanced with the shoulders?
And perhaps more importantly, does the garment connect naturally with the wearer's own style?
When choosing a contemporary suit, the question should not simply be:
“What is fashionable right now?”
It should be:
“Which silhouette feels natural within my style today?”
This is also where the value of made-to-measure tailoring lies.
Rather than simply copying a fashionable silhouette, the goal is to understand the individual—their body, personal style, and personality—and create proportions that reflect the current sensibility while still feeling like them.
Being contemporary does not mean being slim.
But it does not mean being oversized either.
A contemporary suit is not simply a reflection of whatever shape happens to be fashionable at the moment.
It is a suit in which the sensibility of the present and the individual's own style come together in a natural balance