Has the suit and tie had its day?

Maybe, says M&S

Level 2 l Upper intermediate
1 Warmer
a. In pairs, match the clothing items and descriptions from the article with the definitions, without using a
dictionary. Try to be the first pair to complete the task.

1. outfit a. the name for a kind of short jacket that fits tightly at your waist

2. tweed b. a jumper knitted from wool, that you fasten at the front with buttons or a zip

3. overalls c. sports shoes

4. roll neck d. a type of light jacket that is often worn as part of a uniform, for example by
schoolchildren or members of a sports club
5. tracksuit e. a set of clothes that are worn together
6. blazer f. a long narrow piece of cloth worn around the neck under the collar of a shirt
7. tailored g. clothes that have been made from wool
8. bomber h. a type of thick rough cloth made from wool of different colours
9. knitwear i. a single piece of clothing with trousers and long sleeves, worn over your clothes to
protect them when you are working

10. cardigan j. loose trousers and a loose top that you wear especially before or after exercising

11. tie k. clothes that are shaped in a way that matches the shape of a person’s body
12. trainers l. a pullover or jumper with a high loosely turned-over collar

b. Find and underline the words in the article.

2 Key words
Match the key words with the definitions. Then find them in the article to read them in context. The paragraph
numbers are given to help you.

wannabe devoted to white-collar mark range

reliant inspiration attire splash out budget

1. a number of different things that are of the same general type _______________________ (para 1)
2. for or containing one particular thing _______________________ (para 1)
3. clothes _______________________ (para 3)
4. something that shows that a person or thing has a particular quality _______________________ (para 3)
5. depending on something _______________________ (para 7)
6. something that gives you new ideas and the enthusiasm to create something with them
_______________________ (para 8)
7. the amount of money a person has to spend on something _______________________ (para 10)
8. _______________________ workers work in offices (para 13)
9. someone who wants to be famous or successful _______________________ (para 15)
10. buy something expensive _______________________ (para 16)
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NEWS LESSONS / Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S / Upper intermediate
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Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
Has the suit and tie had its day?
Maybe, says M&S
Sarah Butler
5 October, 2019
1 Marks & Spencer, the UK’s biggest seller of
menswear, said it was reducing its range of
formal men’s clothes and the space devoted to
selling suits. It said this was because of a 7% fall
in suit sales.
2 Sales of ties are down by nearly 6% while blazers
and formal jackets fell by 10% year on year. The
typical British man is not only unlikely to have
to wear a jacket, tie and tailored trousers to the
office but also doesn’t necessarily wear a suit for
formal occasions.
3 City banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP
Morgan have relaxed their dress code to be more
like tech giants Facebook and Apple, where the
founders’ famously casual attire has become the
mark of a modern workplace.
4 More than £100m has been lost from annual suit
sales since 2015. British men spent £393m on
suits in 2019 to the end of August, and they paid
an average of just £102 for each suit.
5 Even James Bond doesn’t always wear a suit
these days. Daniel Craig wore a cardigan and a
bomber jacket in the last two Bond films.
6 “It’s a generational trend,” says Chloe Collins, an
analyst at GlobalData. “Offices tend to be more
relaxed, and in general, men have got more
options. They want to be more fashionable and
have the opportunity to update their look, which is
easier with casual wear.”
7 She says younger men are more interested
in fashion and more confident about choosing
outfits, so less reliant on a suit for work or special
occasions. Young fashion stores are also helping
men put together more interesting outfits for
formal occasions.
8 “There’s more inspiration out there – celebrities
going to an event are wearing something
fashionable rather than just a suit and tie, and
that gives men more confidence to try things out,”
she says.
9 From the rise of working from home to the decline
of the kind of nightclubs that demand smart attire,
changing habits mean spending on workwear and
© Springer Nature Limited 2019. Macmillan Education is part of the Springer Nature Group.
NEWS LESSONS / Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S / Upper intermediate
clothes for a big night out is down. Men
spend a fifth more on gym and fitness kit and
smart daywear.
10 Tighter budgets also mean people have less
money to spend on suits. Men might buy a blazer,
some smart shirts and a pair of tailored trousers
and then combine them with jeans or knitwear to
give a variety of looks suitable for both home
and office.
11 “There are things you still need to wear a suit for,
but those events are becoming fewer and farther
between,” says analyst Glen Tooke.
12 To get more in tune with those trends, Marks
& Spencer’s menswear boss, Wes Taylor, told
analysts that the shop, which sells one in seven
suits in the UK, would reduce the number of suits
and formal options on sale by 14% and increase
leisurewear by 12%.
13 By the 1950s and early 60s, men in white-collar
jobs, such as banking, insurance or the legal
profession, were expected to wear a suit to work,
and even men who wore overalls or a uniform
to work were likely to change into a suit to go
out for the evening. The suit has been in decline
since then, according to Eric Musgrave, author of
Sharp Suits, a history of men’s’ tailoring.
14 But Musgrave says the suit still has a place, as
shown by the presence of suits in politics and
when world leaders meet. “The suit is still a
signal you are respectable and powerful. It is the
uniform of people who run the world.”
15 Thanks to wannabe world leaders, and many
others who want to look smart, the UK suit market
is still worth nearly £400m a year while sales of
smart shirts and trousers are still on the rise.
16 Brian Brick, chief executive of Moss Bros, one of
the UK’s top formal menswear shops, says suit
sales are up despite the overall fall in the market.
Younger people still splash out on a special suit
for a special occasion; it’s the everyday suit that
has become less popular.
17 When they do buy for a big day, Brick says they
are being more adventurous – looking for tweed
or other interesting fabrics or a light coloured suit
for a wedding.
18 “The younger generation want something more
fashionable. We are talking about a new formal –
a suit but worn differently.”
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Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
19 Taylor agrees, saying that M&S isn’t getting rid a comeback, pointing to the menswear catwalks
of the suit but making changes. “Men now wear at Balenciaga and Gucci and the fashion choices
elements of a suit with more casual items such of young actors such as Timothée Chalamet and
as roll necks and trainers, and we need to be the influential older men such as David Beckham.
place where men buy these casual items that
21 “A suit is much better on a date or a job interview
work together with great blazers and trousers,”
than a tracksuit. No man over 18 looks good in
he says.
that at any time,” says van den Broeke.
20 Teo van den Broeke, style and grooming director
© Guardian News and Media 2019
of menswear magazine British GQ, thinks suits
First published in The Guardian, 05/10/19
are not dead and might even be about to make

3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the article? Correct any that are false.

1. Marks & Spencer are going to stop selling suits.

2. Large tech companies such as Apple are relaxing their dress codes to bring them more in line with large
financial institutions like Goldman Sachs.
3. These days, men have more options for what they can wear to work and no longer have to wear a suit.
4. British men pay an average of £400 for a suit.
5. These days, men expect their clothes to be more adaptable and give them more value for money.
6. Sales of suits are down in general as young men are no longer buying suits for special occasions.
7. Men’s fashion experts say that the suit is likely to become popular and fashionable again.

4 Expressions
a. Find the following expressions in the article.

1. no longer popular (three words, title)

2. happening less frequently (four words, para 11)
3. understanding the feelings, opinions or needs of someone or a group of people (three words, para 12)
4. increasing (three words, para 15)

b. Use the expressions in sentences of your own.

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NEWS LESSONS / Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S / Upper intermediate
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Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
5 Expectations and opinions
a. Decide whether you agree or disagree and add the relevant number next to each statement to show
your opinion.

1 = disagree 2 = mostly disagree 3 = no opinion 4 = mostly agree 5 = agree

A man should wear a suit on a first romantic
date.
Even young men should wear a suit to a job
interview.
I expect my male bank manager to wear a suit.
I expect my male doctor to wear a suit.
Male politicians should wear a suit to an
international conference.
A young man should wear a suit to his
graduation ceremony.
A man should wear a suit to the funeral of a
family member.
A man should wear a suit to a colleague’s funeral.

The groom should wear a suit to his wedding. A teacher should wear a suit to class.

Male wedding guests should come dressed in A head teacher should wear a suit to a
a suit. parent–teacher meeting.
Lawyers should wear a suit to court. I expect James Bond to wear a suit.

b. Compare your answers with a partner. Are your expectations very different?

6 Discussion
a. Answer these questions and discuss your answers.

• To what kind of occasions do you think someone should wear a suit?

• When did you or your partner last buy a suit?
• How much money would you or your partner spend on a suit?
• Do you think that people respect someone more when they wear a suit?
• Do people regularly wear a suit to your place of work?
• What do you usually wear to work?
• Does your workplace have a dress code?

b. The article mentions some fashion role models. In your opinion, which celebrity is currently the
best-dressed man and the best-dressed woman?
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NEWS LESSONS / Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S / Upper intermediate
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Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
KEY

1 Warmer 3 Comprehension check

1. e 1. F – Marks & Spencer are going to reduce the range

2. h of suits they offer.
3. i 2. F – Large financial institutions like Goldman Sachs
4. l are relaxing their dress codes to bring them more in
5. j line with large tech companies such as Apple.
6. d 3. T
7. k 4. F – British men pay an average of £102 for a suit.
8. a 5. T
9. g 6. F – Sales of suits are up for Moss Bros, despite
10. b an overall fall in the market, as young men are still
11. f buying suits for special occasions.
12. c 7. T

2 Key words 4 Expressions

1. range 1. had its day
2. devoted to 2. fewer and farther between
3. attire 3. in tune with
4. mark 4. on the rise
5. reliant
6. inspiration
7. budget
8. white-collar
9. wannabe
10. splash out
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NEWS LESSONS / Has the suit and tie had its day? Maybe, says M&S / Upper intermediate
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