What is the Big Suit and why do we see it everywhere?

“Stop Making Sense,” the rock documentary directed by Jonathan Demme, debuted forty years ago and it is still remembered as the quintessential concert film. Featuring 90 minutes of live performances by Talking Heads, the pioneering new wave and post-punk band led by David Byrne, the film left an indelible mark on pop culture. Its influence continues to resonate as it became a reference on many occasions: just last year, A24’s Dream Scenario dressed lead actor Nicolas Cage in unmistakable David Byrne-inspired fashion and concluded with the band's song “2City of Dreams.” To celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary, “Stop Making Sense” was brought back to the theaters in 4K, with screenings at the Rome Film Festival and across Italy on November 11, 12, and 13, transforming cinemas into timeless concert venues.
 

One scene, in particular, has made “Stop Making Sense” an enduring source of inspiration and countless cultural references. It happens as Byrne re-enters the stage after a costume change, mid-performance, to the upbeat strains of “Girlfriend Is Better,” in an atmosphere of celebration, playfulness, and surreal theatricality. On Byrne's feet are comfortable white sneakers, and he’s cladded in an oversized, gray, extremely puffy and disproportionate, comically exaggerated suit, dubbed the “Big Suit.”

It makes Byrne’s head look small, almost floating, perched atop a soft, cartoonish body – a literal “Talking Head.” The suit, which immediately became one of the defining elements of the film, the band, and the singer himself, was designed by costume maker Gail Blacker at Byrne’s request, drawing inspiration from his trip to Japan and his exposure to Noh theater.

 “Everything is bigger on stage,” remarked his friend and fashion designer Jurgen Lehl, referring to the amplified gestures and costumes of traditional theater. Byrne took that grandeur – or rather, grandiosity – and injected it in his costume, merging the 1980s corporate archetype with the distinctive imagination of Eastern theatrical traditions.
 

The Big Suit quickly became a distinctive and timeless symbol, and over the past four decades, its cultural relevance has never waned. Today, the oversized silhouette remains a dominant trend in fashion, seen not only in everyday wear but also on the most acclaimed runways of the moment, such as Balenciaga’s bold, boxy and monumental designs – just as captivating today as they were forty years ago. 

This exaggeration of form serves an effective and original tool, where clothing becomes a “second skin” capable of reshaping the human figure. It’s a triumph of playfulness, theatricality and disguise, just as in a Talking Heads performance or a Noh theater production.

Opening image: Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense, 1984