Currently, tailored jacket and trouser styles, such as suits and matching sets, are gaining popularity as office casual wear becomes more widespread. Many people are seen wearing shirts without ties as innerwear, or simply polo shirts, cut-and-sew tops, or T-shirts, paired with sneakers.

One reason for the boom is the trend of "suits" being tailored in a way that allows them to be worn without a tie, with lighter jackets that omit interlining, and the abundance of "set-up suits" where the jacket and trousers can be worn separately. Using stretchy and water-repellent fabrics, the suits look like tailored suits at first glance, but the tailoring is different from classic suits, making them light and comfortable to wear. Yet, the style is elegant and mature, so they are becoming popular among younger generations as casual wear on weekends.

This time, we organized a roundtable discussion where female employees from Mitsukoshi Isetan checked out casual suit styling. What do women actually think about men wearing tailored suits on their days off? To give you the answer upfront, the comments from the attendees focused on the subtle nuances of how to wear a suit. For those who regularly wear casual suits both on and off duty, we encourage you to listen carefully to these opinions, which will be helpful for your own styling.

• Four Mitsukoshi Isetan employees participated in the roundtable discussion.

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  Yui Sakitani
  MD Management Department, Cross-MD Sales Department (TOKYO Closet Buyer)

  
  A young buyer in her seventh year with the company, in charge of "Re-Style TOKYO," a sales floor targeting fashion-conscious millennials. "I want to propose styles that allow everyone who enjoys fashion while cherishing their own core values and beliefs to express their 'individuality' through diverse values and sensibilities."

  
  

  
  

  Minami Yamauchi
  Digital Business Group, Cosmetics E-commerce Department
• For the past seven years since joining the company, I have gained experience in sales, product planning, and purchasing at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1st Floor, in the dress shirt and tie department. Since April 2020, I have been working hard as the web marketing manager for meeco, Mitsukoshi Isetan's cosmetics e-commerce site.
  
  

  

  
  Airika Kojima
  Marketing Group, MD Planning Department
• After working in women's clothing and bridal goods, she joined her current department in 2019. She is in charge of planning international exhibitions, live commerce, and planning and producing video advertisements. Her hobbies include watching movies, TV dramas, anime, and YouTube, so her personal life is also surrounded by videos.
  
  

  

  
  Asako Yoshikawa
  General Affairs and Human Resources Group, Human Resources Department
• After joining the company, she worked in the women's accessories department for four years, followed by a two-year training program in Shanghai, China. Currently, she is involved in recruitment and training young employees. "I want many people to experience the joy of shopping at department stores and the fun of how much their mood can change depending on their attire."
  

Suit casual is becoming increasingly popular both at work and in the workplace.

—Currently, the style of wearing suits casually is gaining attention in men's fashion .

More and more companies are encouraging employees to go without ties, aren't they?
Kojima: In my department, there are some people whose work style is hard to tell whether they're at work or not.
Sakiya: Among the friends I meet on my days off, there are some men who dress in a suit, T-shirt, and sneakers.
Yamauchi: The recent suit sets are quite different from classic suits in terms of materials and design, aren't they?

──That's right. Originally, "setup" referred to a suit where the top and bottom could be purchased separately, even if they were made of the same fabric. However, recently, setup suits combining a tailored jacket and slacks made of polyester techno fabric have become popular. They're easy to pair with T-shirts and sneakers, so they can be worn casually as well.


I've noticed that the style of wearing a polyester set-up with a T-shirt or knitwear has become quite common among my friends lately.
Yamauchi: In the coming seasons, you can pair shirts made of cool materials like jersey or linen, and add some accents with accessories.

--Today we'll be looking at suit sets and styles of wearing suits on weekends. We'd love to hear your candid opinions on how these styles look from a woman's perspective.

1. A jacket and pants set that can be easily worn like a T-shirt.

T-JACKET, a casual line from the popular Italian classic fashion house TONELLO, is a collection featuring a wide variety of jackets that can be worn as casually as a T-shirt. The suit sets, which include matching trousers, aim for a modern, urban design, while their minimalist design, such as the elimination of chest pockets and decorative buttons on the sleeves, is iconic. This time, the look is styled casually by wearing a casual shirt untucked. A scarf is wrapped around the neck to add a touch of sophistication to the accessories. Double monk strap shoes are worn barefoot to maintain a dressy feel to the outfit.

• Items worn
  

  T-shirt jacket: ¥53,900 / Pants: ¥29,700

  ■ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 5th Floor = Men's Tailored Clothing Sonrisa Shirt ¥26,400

  Altea Scarf ¥9,680 ■ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1F = Seasonal Goods & Hats

The key to a casual set-up is the use of accessories.

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── This is a tailored suit, but the lightweight construction and slim silhouette make it suitable for both formal and casual occasions. I tried wearing the shirt untucked and adding a scarf around the neck.

Yamauchi 's suit is a nice, casual look. The fabric is 100% wool, so it doesn't look particularly functional at first glance...

-- It's 100% wool, but it has natural stretch, making it elastic and water-repellent.

Kojima , I see. So, you mean it's casual because he's not wearing a tie? To me, it looked quite dressy.
I get the feeling that people who wear Sakitani scarves have a high sense of fashion.


Yamauchi certainly has a keen sense of style. At Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building this is a standard style among fashionable buyers and stylists (sales staff) during the spring/summer season.
I think Kojima's style is fashionable, but it's quite difficult to pull off, isn't it?
I wonder if a scarf with a very distinct color and pattern would be difficult to pull off. It seems like it would suit a mature man who has aged gracefully.
I think women in their 40s who can pull off a flashy scarf are wonderful.
For younger people, it might be easier to use if it's just peeking out from inside the collar, rather than being displayed prominently.

Looking at it in more detail, you'll see that casual design elements are incorporated throughout, making it suitable for both formal and casual occasions. For example, the tailoring is soft, so it doesn't look stiff, and the patch pockets at the waist give it a sporty look .


Yamauchi's design doesn't have a chest pocket. By stripping away the design elements, it creates a simple and modern impression.
Kojima: I think simple designs are nice, but I also think people who wear no tie and just a pocket square look very stylish.
It would be lovely if Yoshikawa showed off some cute colors and patterns. I like how she seems to enjoy fashion with accessories.

2. Transforming Italian classic style into a modern style.

THE GIGI, a brand that leads men's style every season with its unique use of materials and modern style using classic tailoring techniques, proposes a casual style this time with a linen and cotton blend suit paired with a knit polo shirt. Following the example above, a scarf is worn to add a touch of adult accessory style. For footwear, popular Baudoin & Lange Belgian shoes are paired as dress slip-ons, creating a luxurious casual look.

• Items worn
  

  The Gigi Suit: 148,500 yen

  Settefili Cashmere Knit Polo Shirt: ¥36,300
  SEVEN FOLD Neck Scarf ¥9,900

  Boardin & Lunge Shoes: ¥159,500

  ■ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 5th Floor = Men's Tailored Clothing

Polo shirts and scarves: Pay attention to the "triangle area"!

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Next, we'll be looking at a popular Italian brand. In terms of silhouette, it gives off a very classic Italian impression. Because it's made of linen and cotton, it has a slightly more casual feel than the previous item.

Kojima linen has a refreshing, seasonal feel to it, so people who wear it well look wonderful.

-- The pants in the set-up we just saw were slim tapered slacks. These are easy pants with a shirred waist. Just the difference in the silhouette of the pants makes a big difference in how the outfit looks.



Kojima Easy Pants - they must be comfortable around the stomach area.
Sakiya's outfit looks surprisingly neat and tidy, not at all casual. Those loafers on his feet? They look slim and elegant.
Yamauchi : Belgian shoes are really in style right now, aren't they? They make your feet look neat and tidy, which makes you look fashionable.
Seeing Kojima dressed like this on her day off is quite a surprise, isn't it?
It's nice that Yoshikawa is wearing a jacket even though it's his day off (laughs).
Kojima suits give off an even higher-class feel.

-- Earlier I was wearing a shirt, but this time I've paired it with a knit polo shirt.

Pairing a Sakiya jacket with a polo shirt might be a fresh look.


Yoshikawa 's polo shirts seem comfortable, but I feel that's why they don't easily evoke a sense of sexiness. He's well-bred, intelligent, and refined, but personally, I think a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up looks more stylish and mature for a man.
Just throwing on a jacket over a Kojima polo shirt gives off a stylish and sophisticated vibe, doesn't it? It also makes a great impression!

──So, how about using a scarf around your neck as an accessory?

Sakiya: Instead of leaving the knot on the outside like this, wouldn't it be better to show it just a little bit inside, like before?
Kojima: I'm curious about the triangular area between the scarf and the knit polo shirt.
With a Yamauchi crew neck cut-and-sew top, you probably won't have to worry about the triangular area.

3. Performance wear for modern people, covering everything from the outdoors to the city.

MONOBI is an apparel brand from the Italian fabric manufacturer BESTE. Backed by its material development capabilities, it specializes in performance wear that combines functional materials suitable for everything from outdoor activities to urban life with sophisticated designs. The suit set lineup includes not only tailored jackets but also collections that combine parkas and blousons. Here, a polyester-blend suit set is paired with a simple white knit top and slip-on sneakers. In the latter half, we will also introduce a cross-coordinated look that alters the silhouette by changing the size of the jacket and pants.

• Items worn
  

  Monobi Jacket ¥63,800

  Monobi Pants ¥35,200

  La Favola cut and sew top: 17,600 yen

  ■ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 5th Floor = Men's Tailored Clothing

A set-up made of crinkly material makes a great impression both on and off duty!

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── Finally, we have a set-up suit made of a polyester blend material. This is the type of suit made of the so-called "rustling material" that is said to be becoming a uniform in IT companies and advertising agencies.

I often see them in Yoshikawa town.
I think Yamauchi looks great both at work and on his days off.
Sakitani: The white innerwear is casual, but it's also neat and gives a clean impression. I think it's good that it's not too casual.

──The footwear is a slip-on type sneaker. Compared to the previous two styles, it gives a more relaxed impression, but I think it has a refined finish.


Kojima , this is a pretty good casual outfit for your day off! If someone showed up to our date meeting place dressed like this, I'd fall in love with them all over again (lol).
Yoshikawa: It seems like you could easily create outfits for both casual and formal occasions just by changing the inner layer.
Yamauchi : That's right. I think it's good to have days once in a while where you can tie up your tie and get yourself in the right mindset.

──With this suit set, we tried combining a jacket and trousers in both a fitted and loose style.


I think people who pay attention to their silhouette when choosing clothes are stylish.
Yamauchi: When it comes to men's clothing, design and brand selection are important, but first and foremost, I want them to focus on choosing the right size and fitting.
Sakitani Women's wear also features a lot of relaxed silhouettes right now, and the same trend is happening with men's wear as well. Wide-leg pants are also in vogue.
Even when watching Kojima TV, young actors look 20% more attractive when they wear wide-leg pants, don't they? (laughs)
Yoshikawa is certainly cool (laughs). But I get nervous around stylish people who wear wide-leg pants (laughs).


I think what's important is that Yamauchi has a discerning eye when it comes to choosing items. If someone pays attention to things like the length of their pants, how they combine them with their shoes, and how much of their ankles they show, I think they're a stylish person. Even a difference of just 1cm can make a huge difference.
It's like how there's a big difference between women's underwear that's three -quarter length and those that are eight-tenths length, isn't it?
For a neat and tidy style, like the Yamauchi suit, fitting is especially important. For casual wear, a slightly looser fit might be acceptable, but for work, a just-right fit is best.
Kojima 's casual style seems to prefer something a little loose and relaxed. She also likes pants that are a bit more roomy than too slim.
I think it's best for Yamauchi to have a relaxed silhouette for his off -duty look and a more classic silhouette for his on-duty look.
Yoshikawa: That's right. Having a gap between your on-duty and off-duty persona might make you more appealing to women, as they get a glimpse of an unexpected side of you.

Photo: Natsuko Okada
Text: Yasuyuki Ikeda

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