Formalwear assessed as a tool
A Chilean software developer has made a functional case for the traditional suit, arguing that its adjustability, storage and repairability make it a more capable piece of everyday technology than much modern clothing. The essay, published on October 1, treats garments as designed objects rather than simply fashion statements.
The author’s argument begins with fit. Off-the-rack casual clothes are generally offered in fixed combinations of measurements, even though bodies vary in proportions as well as overall size. Suit trousers, jackets and shirts are commonly constructed with alterations in mind. Once the author began having formal clothes adjusted, he found them substantially more comfortable than earlier, poorly fitted examples.
That experience is personal, not a controlled comparison, and the essay does not claim to measure the clothing industry. It nevertheless highlights a concrete design difference: a garment that includes material and seams intended for alteration can accommodate a wearer more precisely than one whose dimensions are effectively locked at manufacture.
Pockets and maintainability
Storage is the second part of the case. The author describes a suit jacket with exterior and interior pockets capable of carrying a phone, notebook, writing tools, tissues and a charger. That distribution can remove the need for a separate bag for a modest set of daily items. He contrasts it with clothing that provides small or absent pockets, a particularly familiar limitation in many garments marketed to women.
The essay also compares failure modes. A lost button is usually a localized repair requiring simple tools and a replacement button. A broken zipper can demand removal and replacement of the complete fastener. The author pairs that observation with his own experience of older traditional outerwear lasting longer than newer casual jackets, while acknowledging that these are individual examples rather than broad durability data.
The suit is not presented as universally practical. Formalwear carries social expectations, and the author says he does not wear it for casual visits even when he prefers its function. Ties receive little endorsement, while tailoring can introduce cost and inconvenience. Climate, occupation and cleaning requirements also sit outside the essay’s comparison.
Still, the piece offers a useful way to evaluate clothing: fit, carrying capacity, component repair and service life are technical characteristics. Newer labels such as techwear may foreground utility, but traditional tailoring already incorporates a long-developed system for adapting a standardized garment to an individual body. The author’s conclusion is deliberately provocative, yet the design criteria behind it are concrete.
