The shallow-wrap jacket is here

The recently held SAG awards saw Messrs Mahershala Ali and Sterling K Brown donning one-and-a-half-breasted jackets from Ermenegildo Zegna. American actor Rami Malek, who transformed himself into Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody, cut a fine figure in a noir wraparound-style tux by Dior Men.

Kim Jones, the menswear artistic director of the label has been at the forefront of this emphasis on off-kilter tailoring, sending out his models arriving on a conveyor belt. Strong shouldered jackets with power-peak lapels were styled with sashes that were wrapped around the body like cummerbunds. At Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller showcased a tailored eveningwear line she called “perverse posh” which saw codes of formal and informal clashed together. 

NO RULE TO MENSWEAR

What makes shallow-wrap style unique is the fact it straddles between formal and casual sartorial codes. Designer Gaurav Khanijo observes, “The sleeves are getting looser and this style is not too fitted. Some of these jackets are reversible and could be worn inside out which is a major trend now. Today there’s no rule to menswear and one sees classic tailoring mixed with street style.”

UTILITARIAN ALLURE 

Designer Sahil Aneja quips, “Personally, the most fascinating things in a garment detail is its utility to me. And the shallow-wrap style is convenient for the user. This suit creates the opulence of the double breast and ease of a single breast.”