Whether outstanding and attractive or professional and important, the suit can be a powerful form of dress.
When it comes to being suited up, these men in black say they experi
ence a range of emotions. When asked how he feels in a suit, Kevin Stewart, president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, wittily responded, “For sure hot and sexy.”
Who doesn’t want to feel handsome? But what other emotions hide behind the tie?
Keven Silva, a fourth-year apparel design and finance double major, says, “When I wear suits, I feel important. Wearing a suit makes me feel like I have high status.”
“I feel sexy, I feel awesome,” says Julian Terran, president of Theta Kappa Epsilon, “but I also feel more careful.”
Suits can also rack up quite a price. Terran says the only suit he currently wears is from prom, which cost him $600 in tailoring. “Because of [my] skinny waist, they had to cut the back and sew it back together.”
Due to how expensive suits can be and how infrequently they are worn, it is important to find one that fits exactly how the wearer intends. According to Brian Gibbons, assistant professor of finance in the College of Business, “I think fit matters more than anything else. The shoulders and chest need to fit off the rack, since those are difficult and expensive to alter.”
With a nicely tailored fit, a suit can stun across an array of occasions. When asked where he most commonly finds himself wearing suits, Gibbons responded, “These days it’s mostly when I’m visiting businesses where there might be a more formal dress standard, going to a wedding, or attending a funeral.”
However, the versatility and impact of this polished attire do not end there.
Fraternities represent a large male community on campus where suits are often a required wardrobe staple. Seth Cory, Oregon State’s Interfraternity Council president, says suits are worn to represent unity, accountability, and community within each chapter.
“It’s part of our history,” Stewart says.
Terran explains that fraternity members wear suits during formal chapter meetings, rituals, initiations, and other serious events. “The suits make that shift for it to be more professional and mo
re important,” he says.
At the end of the day, suits may be just another outfit, but they certainly carry an attitude. To suit and tie it all together, Terran leaves us with one final remark:
“Suits are sexy. Wear them more.”
