Last year I translated an interesting survey on kimono, so as perhaps a followup, DIMSDRIVE Research recently took a look at the other Japanese national dress, the suit.
Demographics
Between the 22nd and 31st of August 2007 6,366 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.9% of the sample was female, 1.0% in their teens, 15.3% in their twenties, 35.8% in their thirties, 27.6% in their forties, 14.2% in their fifties, and 6.1% aged sixty or older. In addition, 39.0% of the sample were company employees (including contract employees), 1.6% were executive or board level, 4.2% worked in the public sector, 9.2% were self-employed, 12.9% were part-time or caqsual, and 33.1% were others, which included housewives, students and retired people.
In Q7A, the “aging playboy” option is my translation of a phrase that has been in vogue recently, ちょいワル, choi waru, a shortened form of ちょい悪オヤジ, choi waru oyaji, literally “slightly bad old guy”, an aspirational phrase that is meant to appeal to the middle-aged men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine reading segment of the population. Thinking about western role models, George Cluney and Sean Connery in Italian tailored suits would perhaps be typical choi warui oyaji gaijins.
One suspects that in some of the answers in Q9, the male respondents may have been thinking more about birthday suits. Indeed, I couldn’t find images of many of them in said formal dress, so instead here’s a couple of other Japanese women in suits:
Research results
Q5: When choosing a suit, what points are important? (Sample size=3,807, multiple answer)
The TPO above seems to be “Time Place Occasion”, a Japanese-English term coined, it seems, by Kensuke Ishizu, a fashion designer and founder of VAN Jacket, Inc.
Q5SQ1: When choosing a suit, which aspects of design are important? (Sample size=2,924, multiple answer)
Shape, silhouette
84.1%
Colour
68.4%
Material
52.1%
Pattern
45.3%
Single or double-breasted
34.1%
Tailoring
31.3%
Collar
21.4%
Buttons
19.5%
Lining
19.3%
Pockets
13.7%
Cuffs, hems
13.3%
Tack
10.8%
Stitching
10.1%
Slits, vents
8.9%
Shoulder pads
6.6%
Adjusters
3.6%
Frills
3.2%
Other
1.0%
Nothing in particular
0.9%
Q5SQ2: When choosing a suit, which features are important? (Sample size=642, multiple answer)
Feel when wearing
84.1%
Airflow
68.5%
Lightness
43.3%
Elasticity
42.7%
Wrinkle-free
42.1%
Toughness
41.3%
Anti-bacterial, anti-odour
25.7%
Permanent crease
24.1%
Water resistant
22.6%
Washable
19.2%
Other
1.2%
Nothing in particular
0.8%
Men found both the feel when wearing and the airflow equally important, but for women, almost 90% held the fit important, but just 55% the airflow.
Q6: When choosing a suit, what are you dissatisfied with? (Sample size=3,807, multiple answer)
Too many to choose from
35.6%
Not right size
33.1%
Expensive
33.1%
None, few in the colours I like
21.4%
Few items on display
20.2%
None, few in the shape I like
18.6%
Difficult to find what I’m after
16.9%
Cannot make detailed order
15.8%
Overbearing customer service
14.8%
Difficult to try on
14.6%
Few shops to buy at
5.4%
Other
1.2%
Nothing in particular
12.1%
Q7A: What image do you hope to project when wearing a suit? (Sample size=2,800, males, multiple answer)
Cleanliness
42.6%
Calming
33.5%
Invigorating
31.5%
Cool
23.8%
Can do work
23.5%
Stylish
21.4%
Masculine
20.5%
Earnest
14.5%
Tasteful
13.7%
Dignified
10.5%
Youthful
8.2%
Aging playboy
3.3%
Other
2.3%
Nothing in particular, don’t wear them
14.7%
Q7B: What image do you hope to project when wearing a suit? (Sample size=3,240, males, multiple answer)
Calming
51.4%
Cleanliness
43.6%
Cool
38.0%
Adult
30.4%
Stylish
28.7%
Invigorating
28.2%
Can do work
25.8%
Feminine
23.4%
Earnest
14.3%
Showy
9.8%
Youthful
8.5%
Dignified
7.1%
Cute
6.8%
Sexy
4.0%
Other
2.2%
Nothing in particular, don’t wear them
6.5%
Q8: Which famous male most suits a suit? (Sample size=6,366, free answer)
Rank
Person
Votes
1
Tetsuya Watari
340
2
Hiroshi Tachi
247
2
Takuya Kimura
247
4
Koichi Sato
219
5
Hitoshi Matsumoto
172
6
Hiroshi Abe
146
7
Tomokazu Miura
130
8
Tamori
127
9
Ken Watanabe
121
10
Shosuke Tanihara
84
Q9: Which famous female most suits a suit? (Sample size=6,366, free answer)
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