American Prestige Bonus - The Men’s Suit and the Aesthetics of Power w/ Derek Guy (Preview)
Nov 2, 2025
Derek Guy, a writer and menswear critic known for his insights on fashion and political aesthetics, joins to discuss the intricate relationship between clothing and power. He delves into how personal style has evolved into a marker of moral worth influenced by neoliberalism. The conversation touches on the historical journey of men's fashion from the Glorious Revolution to contemporary politics, highlighting the suit's transformation into a symbol of order in the 1970s. They also explore how different suit styles communicate social and political messages.
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War Surplus Made Heroic Casualwear
- Military surplus after WWII democratized heroic garments and gave them cultural meaning beyond utility.
- Veterans' clothing became aspirational for underclasses and signaled new working-class identities.
Taste Shifted From Money To Cultural Capital
- The suit and military garments both became aspirational but signaled different class and cultural identities.
- Liberal celebration of the everyday helped elevate working-class styles into cultural capital.
Veterans, Punk, And Militarized Style
- Daniel Bessner links post-Vietnam veterans' reuse of military gear to protest and subculture aesthetics like punk and the Panthers.
- He notes surplus access made militarized style available to many movements.