Men’s Suits: modern suit styles for 2012

Men’s fashion trends are greatly different to women’s. They exist, yes. But their cycle moves much slower. Nowhere is that truer then of men's suit trends. While there are distinct styles of suits that feature amongst 2011′s fashion trends I should note from the get-go that they’re not unique to the year – in fact, many of the key looks you’ll find in this guide will still be in-fashion come 2012 and beyond. Which is a great thing – it means you can afford to spend more on a suit thus buying a quality piece of workmanship that you’ll still be able to wear for many a year to come. The same can’t be said of most fashion trends.
But what styles, cuts and cloths should you be looking for? Read on to find out.

While suiting and formal-wear trends for men aren’t seasonal (unless, of course, you’re talking about the weight of the cloth) and play out over several years, 2011 and 2012 continue the dominance of two qualities that any modern suit you invest in should aspire to have:

1. classicism
2. masculinity

Let’s deal with them both.
The classic part is the easy part. A good tailored suit for this decade will take the best elements from the peak eras of men’s suiting (think the formality of the Victorian era, the savoir faire of the 1930s and, for some cuts, the skinny detailing of the 1960s) and apply them to a modern silhouette.
The masculinity of a suit is less easy to define; one can’t simply enter a tailors and say you want a suit infused with masculinity. Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. Instead, suits for 2011 and 2012 are all about a cut that compliments the male physique, a suit that broadens the shoulders and trims the waist highlighting (or at least implying) an exercised body. In short, it’s about a cut of a suit that makes you, the wearer, feel more masculine and more confident. And feeling really is key. To some the masculine element will be a suit that is clean cut, with few flourishes, to others it’s means a suit full of extra details that it takes a certain attitude to pull off well (I’d say that Tom Ford’s suits fall into the latter camp – they’re highly masculine, but are made for a gent with a certain kind of attitude to life).
So knowing the fact that you’re looking for something both masculine and classic, what are the technical elements you’re looking for?