The death of the suit has been greatly exaggerated. The rise of working from home and deformalised dress codes have conspired against the traditional shirt-tie-and-blazer combo. The suit, however, hasn’t been killed off so much as it has been pushed to evolve in new ways.

Blame the internet: the TikTok trend #Gentleminions made headlines this month as legions of teenage boys in suits began descending on cinemas in well-dressed packs to watch Minions: The Rise Of Gru. And on this very site we recently ran a story about the Matrix’s besuited Agent Smith being the menswear style icon of the moment.

Still, the most exciting suits around are arguably not the buttoned-up ones that make us feel like a cog in the machine, but the ones that make us stand out. Generously cut, colourful or distinctly sexy suits were everywhere in the SS23 menswear shows, from the silk-shirted models at CELINE HOMME, to the no-shirted models at Dries Van Noten, where the designer took inspiration from the 1940s Zazous in Paris, and the Buffalo club scene in 1980s London; both times where loud, bodacious clothing dominated.

The shirtless suit especially has been trending for a couple of years now, and is the thing some of Hollywood’s most progressive dressers – Messrs Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet and Donald Glover to name a few – have taken to wearing to stand out on the red carpet. A casually cut shirtless suit gives off a kind of Malibu confidence, and if you’ve got the balls (and the chest) to pull it off, there are plenty of designers to get one from this season. Officine Générale – whose designer Mr Pierre Mahéo currently makes some of the best casual suiting in the world – is a safe bet for tailoring that feels both sophisticated and relaxed, in reliably brilliant fabrics (seersucker and linen for the summer; virgin wool for the winter).

“I think – and hope – there will always be times when a man wants to wear a suit, and I’m absolutely seeing that,” the British designer Sir Paul Smith told me recently. “I find that a suit fits my lifestyle; when it’s a good suit that fits it can be very flattering and help the wearer to look strong and well put-together.” His SS23 collection proved it. The subtly pastel tie-dye on the suits he showed were decidedly laid-back and louche, but also satisfyingly smart. It was breezy suiting for having a good time; maybe we will see some post-pandemic Roaring Twenties after all.

If investing in some head-turning tailoring sounds tempting, but you’re still feeling a little apprehensive, and you’re unsure whether you want to sex it up or not, perhaps the best answer is to just go for it. Sir Paul says: “The great thing with wearing a suit is it is surprisingly versatile without having to think about it too much.”