Why so many men’s suits for the communists?

David Stearns asks:

I was looking at Kim Jonh-Il looking at things, and it struck me how many of his hangers on were wearing suits.  It seems odd given that this is probably the most anti-western country around.  Do you have any ideas on why this style of formalwear basically became the world standard?

Of course the Chinese communists experimented with other styles. Yet pushback came; in 2008, one part of the Chinese Communist Party began an anti-pajamas campaign, on the grounds they looked “uncivilized.”

Here is a rather frank web site on etiquette campaigns in China.  Recently, Chinese leaders seem to prefer red ties.

I would stress that non-free states tend to encourage conformity along many dimensions, and what better code of dress to match conformity into than men’s suits?