The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Strikes Again, 1973

(click each to enlarge)

For (Ralph) Lauren, "today's gray flannel suit isn't the old sack, three-button, uptight uniform. There's more individuality in accessories. Today you can wear a striped shirt with gray flannel. We're not bringing back the button-down. And hats are dead except for fun."

Source:

New York Magazine - 9/17/73

Goodbye to Wing Tips

In 1972 the corporation-lawyer look—three-piece Yale-gray suits, white shirts and club ties—got a credibility rating of 81%; this year the figure plummeted to 57%. Meanwhile, the mod suit with wide lapels and nipped waist worn over a pastel-patterned shirt zoomed upward in credibility from 28% to 63%.

Goodbye to Wing Tips - Time Magazine - 11/19/73