Where did three-piece suits go?

A three-piece suit was the ultimate symbol of good grooming, a sign of power, wealth and elegance. It did not matter that we live in the hot tropics astride the equator. Old photos after independence show Kenya’s who is who wearing three-piece suits. Now it is an object of curiosity, much like suspenders. What happened to the three-piece suit?

Some could comically argue that the three-piece suit is the first casualty of global warming; it became too hot to wear. Others argue the unpopularity of this attire is the best indicator of the decline of British influence and mannerism and the rise of American casualism. Americans, through CNN, movies and internet have displaced the British in the Kenyan psyche. It is also possible that poverty has left the three-piece out of reach of most Kenyans. Why go for three pieces when you can’t afford one piece?