The State of #menswear.
NYFW is finishing (or finished? I don’t really know) and the S/S lookbooks have just been released. How do I know this? Simple, it’s 90% of my feed. This is the state of #menswear.
When I started blogging (mid 2010), there was no hash tag for menswear, just bloggers who, over the last couple years, had developed an interest in looking better. ”Damn the magazines!” went the cry “we want to talk about style on our own terms!” At first it was the trads vs. the neophytes, modern suits vs. “heritage” Americana, ASW vs. AAW. But along the way something changed.
Now every list of “best #menswear blogs” includes Valet, the GQ eye, Kempt, and a bevy of other online outlets that have good, high quality content, but aren’t blogs. They’re magazines. They have sponsored content, must produce “X” amount per day, and don’t have a strong personal voice. However, the more vexing problem is that it’s starting to be difficult to discern where personal blogs end and product blogs begin.
#menswear bloggers (at least the ones I follow) started off largely cataloging their style, and writing about aspects of style that appealed to them. But somewhere along the line the idea of “blogs” got co-opted by the fashion industry. Suddenly the people initially viewed with suspicion by the blogosphere are essentially running the show. Now, everyone is covering NYFW, there’s endless reblogging of lookbooks with little to no commentary, and every company starts a tumblr to hawk their products (or rather to get their products hawked by a marginally suspecting public).
Now, I’m not decrying the idea of bloggers supporting products or companies they truly believe in. I love seeing reviews of MTM or new product lines because when bloggers with little industry affiliation get things for free and then hold them to a standard (whatever that particular blogs standard is) it keeps companies honest. And to be sure there are many great blogs producing original, personal content with a clear focus and meaningful images and commentary.
I also don’t have a problem with brand blogs that post their own products and inspirations. I’m all for cutting out the middle man and being directly in touch with the people who make the things I want to buy. How great is it to be able to directly communicate with a small brand and develop a personal relationship?
But many personal blogs are becoming indistinct from company blogs. #menswear is becoming a shadow industry where the personal falls away and companies, both large and small, once again rule the roost dictating what we buy and what is cool and telling us how to dress. What’d problematic now is that it’s done under the guise of a blogger. Of a well known personality with cred who (supposedly) is doing it out of sheer love of the brand. Even more problematic is that what passes for commentary now is “Blogger’s name in #menswear approved brand S/S 2013” or even just a picture with a single name (and linked blog/online magazine) or brand with shopstyle link. It’s not terse prose, it’s laziness and product shilling without being identified with either.
We’ve drifted away from a collective of independents trying to sort out what is their personal ideal of style and moved back toward the internet version of only the major mens magazines and it leaves us all the worse off.
We can do better. And we should.
A Study in Contrast.
If you bust out your trusty color wheel (you do have a trusty color wheel, right?) you’ll note there are colors that compliment (blue and green) and colors that contrast (blue and orange)..
Complimentary colors are generally, to cop a word from #menswear, [ed. note: “cop” is clearly stolen from #menswear already and down the parenthetical rabbit hole we go] “harmonious”. The go together in a very natural way and look pleasant together. Contrasting colors (and believe me I I never thought I’d be writing something this cliche) “pop”.
{Speaking of parenthetical thoughts, if there’s ever been anything ever that’s been overused more than the “pop of color”, both in practice and in linguistic usage, I don’t know what it is. Especially because the “pop of color” is usually totally arbitrary.
It’s “OH SHIT HE’S WEARING A BLAZE ORANGE SCARF DOGG!” rather than “OH SHIT, THAT IS A WELL CONSIDERED AND BALANCED OUTFIT WITH ONE STANDOUT PIECE THAT MAKES YOU LOOK STYLISH DOGG!”
I mean sheesh, be more creative #menswear, get it together! But I digress}
I like to think about the “pop” as more of a “boop” (you know, like you’d do to a baby’s nose). It’s less shooting out and more about tapping lightly. Using elements of contrast in a cohesive whole to produce dynamism, instead of neutrality.
For instance, I could have worn dark brown loafers with this, but the orangey tone to the brown in the leather compliments the tie and contrasts the pants. Or I could have worn a plain white pocket square, but the burnt orange and olive provide some dynamic balance instead of just a neutral space. The shirt and sport coat are the frame for the tie and pocket square, think “italian foreground” (or something like that).
Plus, I think contrasts are bold and I prefer a bold look to a staid one. But hey, that’s just me.
Oh, and one last bit of orange under the collar and a black watch scarf, because I don’t know when to let well enough alone.
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Thrifted:
Sport Coat: No Brand (custom ?) $2.50
Shirt: Vtg. Jordan Marsh $2.50
Tie: Drake’s $2
Shoes: Cole Haan $31.20
Moleskin Overcoat: B Republic $32
Scarf: No Brand $2
Reader Response
Unless I’m mistaken it this post is somehow claiming Boglioli/Piombo/Boggi/Isaia = the Italian Old Navy
This is a fair point, I wasn’t quite saying that, even though it sounded kind of like I did (it was late).
What I am saying is that #menswear does the consumerist shuffle with its constant stream of high end Italian jackets and English shoes. They say “I got a killer deal on this Boggi DB quilted blazer!” As if because it’s high quality it’s not a trendy, flash in the pan item.
There’s no doubt that a Boglioli/etc… jacket is much higher quality than Old Navy, but I don’t believe that 95% of #menswear is truly buying into that quality. They’re buying a name, a high quality name to be sure, but it’s still about the name, same as if you’re buying H(&M)aute Couture or Old Navy’s latest trendiest item.
The amount of people selling off high end Italian things at the end of each season should clue you in.
We say “buy less buy better” not to emphasize that you shouldn’t buy junk, but to convince ourselves that we’re better consumers than the world at large.
Another quote I left out of my assessment was
We’ve lost sight of clothes as material goods — as things that are made. They’re now symbolic
This is what I was trying to get at. There’s plenty of high end stuff out there that doesn’t have the same #menswear cache as the Italian big boys (nobody talks about stuntin’ Pringle of Scotland cashmere, they talk about stuntin’ Cucci cashmere.)
It’s fine to obsess over quality if you’re obsessing over quality. But it’s all too common to obsess over names and then use them as a signal for quality to show you’re on point with your trends, but also down with the “buy less buy better #menswearmantra.
I don’t think that Boglioli/Isaia/etc… are the Italian Old Navy, I’m saying that in the #menswear world they’re two heads of the same beast. One eating the finest caviar and one eating Fritos, but all sending it the same place.
A Fistful of Style’s Complete Guide to Not Looking Like an Idiot as a Groomsman
I was recently the best man and “wardrobe guy” for the groomsmen at my cousin’s wedding. Of course being a #menswear blogger I had numerous opinions on the subject. The following is my complete guide to making sure you don’t make the groomsmen look like schlubs on a very important day.
I think there’s 3 main points to dressing a wedding party with a couple caveats.
1: Formality.
The wedding was non-traditional. It featured a reading from Substitute Senate Bill No. 899. The first dance was a rick-roll where the wedding party rushed the dance floor.
All of which is to say a wedding is an important day, but how formal a day it is depends on the people involved. Tuxedos or morning dress can be wildly out of place at a wedding, remember that.
2: Setting.
The wedding was outdoors at a campground on a lake. We were camping prior to, the outfit had to travel with us and then not look silly outdoors. It also had to jibe with the bridesmaids, who were wearing simple dresses in blue and orange, not bridesmaids gowns.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a row of guys in tuxes standing on grass in bright sunlight with trees all around, it looks… incongruous. Think about where the wedding is happening, it matters.
3: Simplicity.
It might be strange for the flag barer for maximilism to advise keeping it simple, but it’s a wedding. There aren’t many opportunities left in the modern age to “dress up” as it were. The beauty of formal wear is its simplicity, and even if you aren’t wearing traditionally “formal” attire, that same simplicity should be what you aim for.
Caveats:
It’s not your day. Nobody really cares about what the groomsmen wear as long as they look similar and don’t outdress the bridal party. If the bride insists on something, and the groom agrees? You do that.
Don’t sweat it too much. One of the groomsmen showed up in a silver/black repp striped tie. Know who noticed? Me and him, nobody else gave it a second thought.
Don’t rent (if you can avoid it). Seriously, it’s a big day, wear big boy clothes that you own. It’s always baffled me that on one of the most important days of their lives men choose (or are forced) to wear someone else’s clothes, what more important time is there to look like yourself?
In practice:
The groom wore navy suit with a wedding tie*, white french cuff shirt and black captoe oxfords (bought second hand). This had the advantage of leaving him with a basic navy suit and black captoe shoes he can wear the rest of his life instead of flushing $150+ on a rental tux and crap shoes. Total outlay, with tailoring was less than $400.
The groomsmen wore navy blazers (single or double breasted) and gray trousers (any shade) with black lace up shoes (not wingtips), white shirts and wedding ties (except for the one groomsman who didn’t wear one). This had the advantage of everyone owning their clothes. If they didn’t have something? I feel absolutely no shame making a man in his late 20’s buy a navy blazer or gray trousers if he didn’t own them already, I mean, how much more basic can you get?
The wedding colors were blue and orange, we were wearing blue blazers so an orange boutonniere gave the final touch. We didn’t have to match perfectly, we all looked comfortable, and everyone left with all their clothes instead of having to coordinate returning them to the nearest Mens Warehouse (which was probably 30 or 40 miles away).
All in all? A beautiful, highly successful day from all angles.
*Ed Note: The tie, though very skinny was inherited from his younger brother who was taken from us a few years back, we don’t get to choose what people leave us and wearing that tie meant more than “looking better” with a gorgeously knotted and draped Kent Wang, just before anyone feels the need to comment.
The grown up continuum.
A false dichotomy is running rampant in #menswear. The idea of what I’ll call “the grown up continuum”. This pseudo theory posits that one can dress like an “adolescent” or a “grown ass man” with little space between the two, and less regard for what they actually mean.
Tremendous amounts of advice ignores what actually developing a personal style requires in favoring of pedantically detailing what “grown ups” wear and how to “look like an adult”. How you too can develop the style of a “grown ass man”.
The problem is that style isn’t just what you’re wearing, it’s also how you carry yourself. I hate to break it to the internet, but a douchebag wearing an immaculately fitted 3 piece suit is still a douchebag. No amount of “grown man style” can change that.
What’s been glossed over is the idea of style as personal expression. If we’re speaking stylistically, I’m more offended by the content of people who barely dress themselves than the form (ed note: I am still offended by the form). But the larger problem with modern standards for dress is that by wearing what is “comfortable/adolescent” (e.g. crocs, hoodie and pajama pants) or “adult/self-important” we ignore that once we leave the house we’re no longer just dressing for ourselves.
Your style, above all else, should tell others who you are.
I dress the way I dress because I have the freedom to. I work at a consignment store where being eye catching isn’t a failure of style, it’s an asset. If I was a lawyer, I’d dress differently. If I was a carpenter, I’d dress differently. If I was a a cop, I’d dress differently. But I’d carry myself the way I’ve always carried myself, my “style” wouldn’t change significantly.
The problem with sweatpants and flip flops and ratty emblazoned t-shirts is when you wear them outside and say ‘who has time to look nice/looking nice is for the rich/effeminate/douchy’ what you’re actually communicating to the rest of the world is
a) I wish I was still in bed
b) I carry myself in such low regard that I do not warrant 5 minutes to put on real clothes to do anything
c) I hold you in such low regard that you are not worth putting on a shirt with buttons.
Likewise, if you run around in a bespoke suit on your blackberry, taking phone calls while you order/pay for things, and generally acting like you can’t be bothered with anyone elses existence, you communicate
a) I believe I’m the center of the universe
b) I literally can’t take 45 seconds away from my schedule to interact with the people around me
c) My business is more important than acknowledging the real world.
Most of #menswear could benefit from perspective. For instance, many consider stylish dress to be sober, professional, and businesslike. This is absolutely fine, if it is your desire to be perceived as sober, professional and businesslike. However, if it’s not your desire, if you dress that way it’s not truly your style. I like to look good, but my standard of what looks good does not follow classic CBD (conservative business dress) guidelines, so I choose a different angle to approach things.
The real issue is that style isn’t a single continuum. It means different things to different people. You probably shouldn’t look to blow peoples minds with your trendy forward thinking if you work in a conservative business environment, likewise you’ll probably look silly if you make sandwiches and show up every day in a bespoke navy pinstripe suit under your apron.
You need to dress for your life, and do it in clothes that fit that lifestyle. That’s (for lack of a better term) “grown man” style to me. As long as you’ve spent your time thinking about it, wear it. As long as I get a sense of who you are, you’re on the right track. The problem with much of what’s on the internet these days is that people don’t think getting dressed should be enjoyable. Instead it’s either an exercise in memorizing a litany of tailoring details or a scramble to be up on the newest brand to stay ahead of the curve.
Style and dressing well should be embraced because it helps you express yourself. Not because it gives you a chance to feel superior to people who you don’t think look as good as you. And if you think that your clothes and the way you dress actually make you superior to other people, you’re probably a dick and a shitty person and most definitely not a “grown ass man”, and no amount of style will change that.
(Ed Note: This post adapted from an earlier version posted on my old blog)
Blue/Tan.
I often find myself about to write the same things here. This is partially because I blog often (pretty much every day) and there’s only so many original thoughts you can have on the same subject. But the other part is that my style is largely cohesive and follows similar sets of references both subconsciously and consciously.
For instance, I could write about this from the perspective of my 70’s leanings (wide lapel, deep point collar), or my more tradly/preppy nature (ticket pocket, saddle shoes, clubmasters), or even my bloggy worstbest (hard matching scf/hat/PS, color contrast/story, camel jkt/tie, saddle shoes), and of course it’s cobbled together from innumerable trips thrifting over the years.
Usually I just pick a perspective and note it, then finish up.
But it’s worth noting that a large percentage of my looks can be approached from certain angles but not others (when was the last time I had a business ready look? Unless you’re head of color development for Crayola, I don’t have much “dress for the office” insight). My cobbled together aesthetic may not be the most “elegant” or “steezy” (or whatever other word Tumblr has chosen this week to denote the maximum level of awesome-ness that can be achieved stylistically), but it’s mine. It’s my style, for better or worse and I go with it.
The things that have really helped me hone in on my personal style are asking questions beyond “how should my clothes fit?” and “how should I arrange colors/patterns?”, getting into why I gravitate toward certain looks and away from others. Much is made of “the basics” and not moving on from them until you’ve “mastered” them, but the next step is ignored, how do the basics factor into my style.
“The basics” can lead you to a classic, conservative jacket/tie mode of dress, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted that it will. The basics also form the foundation of styles from 70’s cops to #menswear bloggers to Italian auto magnates, and you need to decide which of those you like for yourself.
The basics don’t define your style, they give you a set of tools and a working vocabulary. The way you use those tools, how you utilize that vocabulary those are things that you should spend some time thinking about, because that ultimately makes your style personal.
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Thrifted:
Joseph’s of Portland ME Jacket - $3
Merona Gingham Shirt - $5
Pendleton Tie - $2
Penguin Selvage Denim - $5
LLBean Saddle Shoes - $10
Hat - $2
LLBean 70/30 Wool/Cashmere Scarf - Final Clearance $9.99
Getting back to basics.
My love of brashly using color and patterns is fairly well known. However, once and a while I’m struck by the urge to just bring it back to square one. Here we have gray trousers and a navy blazer, a navy tie with just enough gingham and blue in the pocket square to give the outfit some personality, my personality.
Because the basics are my bane in #menswear. And as always I think common wisdom is the enemy.
It’s true that neutral, well fitting items will look good in nearly any configuration. I could have swapped out any single item for almost anything you can imagine and the outfit would have held together (any color shirt, any color pants, any color any non-gray jacket, etc… would look good with this). ”The basics” are great for being well dressed because they’re easy. They look “right” in almost any scenario, you don’t need to “worry” about what to wear, and you’ll always be well dressed.
But, and this is a huge but(… wait… nope, nothing wrong with that sentence), being well dressed and being stylish are not synonymous.
The typical arguments for well-fitting basics as style in their own right are about blunt force, about containing onto something as nebulous as “style” into a rigid, rules-based structure that can be critiqued “objectively”.
How many times have you seen, “it isn’t hard to be well-dressed/stylish, just wear gray pants, a navy blazer, a blue shirt and a navy tie!” or
Choosing a shirt, jacket and necktie from each color and limiting the combination to no more than two patterns produces consistently excellent looks with a minimum of fuss while spreading wear across the entire rotation.”
Does that sound stylish? Because to me it sounds at best like cold, bloodless analysis of how everyone should build their wardrobe and at worst, like the advice of someone who thinks everyone should dress exactly like his model of a “stylish” man.
Or perhaps this gem from the original Coherent Combinations for Beginners thread on SF (ed. note: you might not believe it, but I think this is worth reading end to end, no matter your placement on the stylishness pyramid)
You are approaching this like a hobbyist. You needn’t. Ask Anna Matuozzo for a dozen identical white shirts and get six navy hopsack suits from Rubinacci. Keep your cream pocket squares and your repp ties. You will be done shopping or thinking about clothes, other than for black tie, for the rest of your life, and you will be as elegant as anyone on this board can hope to be.
Via dopey (ed note: that’s the users name, not commentary on his position)
I would argue he’s approaching this from the angle of a man who just doesn’t want to deal with his clothes. He needn’t. There’s more out there than just hopsack suits and white shirts, and simple/easy combinations can still be found outside of “navy suit/repp tie”. The more troubling part is that anyone who wants to dress differently is “a hobbyist” or “inelegant”.
Is a painter a hobbyist because he doesn’t simply want to paint landscapes with watercolor? Is a sculptor a hobbyist because he doesn’t want to simply chisel in marble? Then why is an (ostensibly stylish) man a “hobbyist” because he wants to wear something other than a navy hopsack suit, white shirt and repp tie?
Why is it that a typical argument references “never thinking about it”? Why is it such a vice in style to think about it? Would you trust an author who said “just learn proper punctuation, proper grammar and never worry about what you’re writing ever again.” Why then, would you trust someone who tells you that style is about buying whatever it is they think you should buy, and then never thinking about it again. Does “elegance” grow from indifference? Because I think that’s bullshit.
“Style” is not a bloodless recounting of tailoring details, it’s ephemeral and nearly impossible to put into words. If “style” were simply “the basics” then why even bother with a blog? or a forum? If it’s SO OBVIOUS, then why is there disagreement?
Because (and I swear to god I can hardly believe I’m typing this without a hint of irony) just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Even if that someone is stylish, or an exquisite tailor, or a #menswear icon, doesn’t mean they’re the last word. Even if that quote makes the rounds on Tumblr, doesn’t make it so. I remember watching a video a while back (help me if you remember it) where a perfectly turned out Italian gentleman was saying something to the effect of
“Tailoring has been perfected! The art of tailoring cannot be improved! It was perfected in the 60’s/70’s and will never be improved upon!”
How can you perfect art?
My point is that the basics are great. If you don’t want to move beyond them, that’s fine. If you choose to adopt them as a uniform, that’s fucking great because it means you took the time to think about it. If you think long and hard and say “blue blazer and navy tie speaks to me, it speaks of me, and I choose to wear it all the time” then you have mastered the basics and are probably quite stylish to boot.
If you say “stylish men dress in navy and gray, some bloggers and style forum told me so!” You’ve missed the point entirely.
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Thrifted:
Navy Blazer by Stanley Blacker - $4
Tie by Tattersal - $2
PS - $1.50
Shell Cordovan Wingtips by Bostonian - $8
Oatmeal Scarf - $2
Gingham Shirt - Gift
Hat - Gift
Banana Republic Pants - Bought at Renys (a Maine adventure) - $20
Why we do the things we do
The last few weeks I’ve noticed a downturn in the “notes” that most of my stuff is getting. At first I was all “awww man… the internet doesn’t think I’m cool!”, then I was kind of sad/obsessive (well… what if I wore this? people will totally like this! *reload* HOW DOES NOBODY LIKE THIS! IT’S BEEN NEARLY 3 MINUTES??!?!), then I was kind of sleepy, then I had to pee.
Then I stopped to think about it.
What is it that the internet/Tumblr doesn’t like this?
What does it mean about me?
I get reblogged therefore I blog, right? So if I get no love is this endeavor worth it? Why am I even doing this? Why do I care? Am I being stupid? Or do reactions count when you’re working on a nominally artistic thing?
Most importantly, should I buy some jawnz to make myself feel better?
I’ve talked before about how it can be hard to break out of the Tumblr echo-chamber. How it’s nice to be loved by the Tumbmasses, but in the end you have to listen to you and yours. But there’s still that sticky problem. How much do I really care what the internet thinks?
Obviously, as much as I’d like to be all “FUCK YOU INTERNET! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!!” the fact that I have a blog with nearly 1000 original content posts might make that statement more than a little ludicrous. But conversely, I don’t intend to start changing my core style because my following/followers ratio is out of whack.
I think the realization I’ve come to is that I’m not really a #menswear blogger. At least not in the ways some key ways.
For one, I don’t really care about “jawnz” and the people who make them. I appreciate a good spalla camicia as much as the next blogger, but I care far more about the way in which it’s worn and how it represents the wearer.
I see a picture like this
and I don’t see a fine shirtmaker and louche Italian playboy. I see a guy in too tight jacket and pinstripe leggings who kind of looks like he has to poop.
It’s important to realize that I don’t judge anyone poorly here (we all have to poop sometimes!). My taste isn’t everyone’s and how I perceive things is not going to be the same as how other people perceive things.
But I don’t care that he’s wearing an unstructured DB with patch pockets and has his classic sprezz down pat. That doesn’t matter to me because even if he perfectly played the Italian playboy, I’m not an Italian playboy.
For better or worse I dress like a colorblind trad when I’m dressed up, and a 70’s cop when I’m dressed down (with summers full of mustaches and floral ties)
Where some might see this guy
and see some eccentric old weirdo, I see my hero.
Because I aspire to be an eccentric old weirdo!
Secondly, I’m not looking to get into the “industry” (well… unless working in a consignment shop and potentially helping my jewelry designing girlfriend to start a men’s line counts). I’m a hobbyist in spirit. I love thrift shopping and getting dressed in the morning, so I have a blog about it. I doubt GQ is ever going to give a shit. (Though I did get picked up by Park & Bond, so I do have some street Tumblr #menswear cred)
If #menswear is devoted to the ideals of really developing personal style, and I am a #menswear blogger, doesn’t that obligate me to move in my own direction even if it’s unpopular?
And if it’s devoted to the idea that people should be buying better stuff or dress a certain “better” way, shouldn’t I be getting less votes since I don’t address the zeitgiest? Should that give and take be part of it? Most importantly, if I feel better about my own work doesn’t that equal half-a-dozen “likes” on Tumblr?
I say yes. To all points.
Lastly, my interest wasn’t born out of a sudden desire to dress differently (like a grown up, if you will). I decided to “grow up” a few years back after my life abruptly became very different. Faced with my past and present, I looked back at my “stand out loudly” days to inspire my new life as a guy who dressed nicely. So I started wearing ties as a way to tell people “I give a fuck about who I am”. Before I was a blogger, I was a guy wearing a tie for the purposes of punk rock.
So I’ma keep blogging #menswear. Because if my work is good and being ignored, it means there’s nothing I can do and need to keep at it or give up. And if my work is shitty and being ignored, I’m not satisfied with making shitty work, so I need to make it better.
And where else would I get to post low resolution pictures of my thrift hauls? NOWHERE! THAT’S WHERE!
Oh, and if anything here touched a nerve, know 2 things.
1. It was a personal slight directed exclusively at you and your values.
2. This guy thinks you’re an asshole. Chew on that for a second.
Making the hard choice.
So like any good blogger when I see a look I like I “like” it on Tumblr make a mental note to steal it so people will think I’m more stylish than I am try out something similar.
This one has been making the rounds.
and I liked it, more or less, so I put together something similar. Subbing in a jacket w. a similar (but lighter) coloration, dark brown trousers and penny loafers.
Now, after I initially re-created the look, it wasn’t working for me. The dark shirt was too severe and the monotone brown just wasn’t doing it for me.
So I changed the dark blue point collar shirt to a french blue OCBD and swapped the brown trousers for a very subtle green plaid. I ended up here.
Which, to be honest, I’m still not wild about. I don’t know what it was, but I started thinking about changing my jacket, or trying yet another shirt, or even a slightly different tie.
But I didn’t do any of those things, I just left well enough alone.
Because I have a rule. Once I’ve put an outfit on, I can change 2 things, max. (Occasional exception when I’m changing to go out at night and have unlimited time)
I changed my trousers and shirt. 2 things. Done. That’s my outfit.
Now, this isn’t a rule you have to follow. It isn’t set in stone. It could just as easily be 1 thing, or 3 things. But it serves an important function.
I usually avoid worrying too much about what I wear.
I put on my outfit, and if it doesn’t look right I either change 2 things and fix it, or change 2 things and don’t. Either way, my choice has been made.
This has the added effect of making me more confident. The longer you agonize over what to wear, the more opportunities you have to second guess yourself. ”Maybe I should have worn a navy blazer. Or gray pants. A different tie. A different square. Maybe I should have put a sweater on!” Maybe you should have, but you didn’t, and if there’s nothing you can do, worrying won’t help.
If you find yourself constantly paralyzed by choice when getting dressed, just make a decision, any decision. It may be “wrong”, you may get -3 to your swagger rating, and get a couple less reblogs. But at least you’ve been decisive.
There are plenty of decisions in your life that you should take as much time as you need. Buying a house? getting married? moving? take your time, mull.
What you wear when you leave the house?
Pick something. Anything. You’ll be amazed how rarely you’ll regret it.
Authentically Inauthentic.
Can I be real here for a minute?
#menswear has a real problem with internal logic.
We want it to be “classic” and “timeless”, but also modern, and with a twist (also we want it double, whether breasted or monked).
We give people shit when they aren’t dressed to our liking, but also keep close the places we shop and the tailors we use, lest the riff-raff begin copping our jawnz.
We lament the lack of “authenticity”, but then bemoan the bulky cut of traditional military/outdoor gear.
I (obviously) think the best way around this is the thrift shop. This outfit is 50% thrifted, 50% gifted. The workshirt, field jacket, and jeans (jawnz?) are all 100% “authentic”, vintage items purchased after someone no longer found them useful.
I have no problems with a vintage chamois work shirt that fits well, but more traditionally (i.e. slim, but with enough fabric to facilitate easy movement in every direction. Like you’d need to… you know… work) Except I’m just wearing this to knock around in the snow because it’s cold, and the shirt is warm. So am I authentic? or a poseur?
I also have no problem with a vintage army field coat, bulky? yeah, but also functional. It’s as authentic as it gets, except I’ve never been in the army. So is this authentic? or am I a poseur?
Then there’s the stuff I’ve inherited. The tweed tie and work boots are from my dad.
The tie he bought on my parent’s honeymoon in Ireland. (one of 3 he owned, the others are a whale motif and another tweed, both of which stay tied all the time in his top drawer for the 1 occasion every 2 years that require a tie). It’s now 30 years old, and made from Irish Tweed in Ireland. So is that more or less authentic than a tweed made by a blogger approved company last month? Should I bemoan that tweed ties are trending because I have a “real” one?
Same with the work boots. These are Wolverine’s from at least 30 years ago again. Also my dad’s. He worked in them for years, now I use them to tromp around in the snow. They’re more just for stylistic purposes now, but I have worked in them a few times. So what’s more valuable? The “authenticity” these have? Or the blogger cred that comes with a pair of fresh red wings with a crispy white sole? Or should I eschew work boots altogether because I don’t preform manual labor in them?
I don’t say this to fire shots (though if any of my numerous beefs want to take offense, remember, I am directing this at you and only you). Only to remind people that “authenticity” and “timelessness” are nebulous concepts at best and outright intellectual dishonesty at worst.
Are you inauthentic for wearing an unstructured DB, cropped super tapered trousers and dub monks? I mean… odds are good that you’re not an Italian playboy. So either authenticity only applies to Americana (workwear and “trad”wear), or it’s just used to marginalize one set of stylistic choices while inflating another.
So next time you’re worried about whether something is “classic” or “authentic”, don’t. Just get what you like and wear it how you like it. Life’s too short to sweat made up rules about who you are and how you can dress because of it.
————————————————————————-
Thrifted:
Army Field Coat - $10
Orange Chamois Work Shirt - $5
Penguin Japanese Selvage Denim - $5
Wool D-Ring Belt - $1
Navy Wool Hat - $2
Style Tips for Budding Maximalists
I’ve been thinking about this since the comment I got last night. I’m glad to know there’s people out there who get inspired by my tendency to go all out with what I’m wearing. But while I’ve been writing periodic commentary about my outfits, I know there’s people out there who aren’t at that point yet. People who don’t own my slightly ridiculous collection of… everything… and who don’t think that leopard print and florals are appropriate in every situation.
And, seeing as I’m the originator of the term I offer this listicle.
1. Be fearless.
If you’re putting it on going “can I pull this off?” you’ve already lost. Maybe you can, maybe you can’t, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Don’t get caught up in “can” or “should”, just “do”. You’ll get attention (good and bad), so you’ve got to have the confidence to know you’re pulling it off. It also helps to be a loud, obnoxious, hipster type (like me). I know people will remember me for me, not my clothes (or for me and my clothes), so I don’t have to worry about peoples perceptions of me.
2. Pick a point of entry.
Got a favorite color you don’t wear that often? Get a great sweater in that color. Got a bold pattern you like? Get a blazer in that pattern. Pick one thing that you consider “maximal” and wear it, just to get a feel for how it plays in your wardrobe.
Color Ideas?
Turquoise pairs with brown and charcoal.
Orange pairs with navy and gray.
Royal/Electric Blue pairs with just about anything.
Kelly and Lime Green pair with white, cream and tan.
3. Fail, but don’t give up.
Maximalism is inherently “risky” (I’ve mentioned how I think safety and risk are bizarre terms to use in regards to #menswear, but stay with me). You’re not going to always stick the landing. But persevere, there’s enough pleated khakis and camo shorts suits out there that you’ll probably never look that ridiculous.
4. Don’t lose the forest for the trees.
Spending so much time in thrift shops has taught me to shop with a blind eye to labels. Not that I ignore them, per se, but I’m far more focused on what I like and what I’m looking for in general. If you decide that you want this specific something, you close out the other (potentially more awesome) items that are around. Keep an open eye and a loose grip on your style and maximalism will come much easier.
5. Keep an anchor.
While I wear some outlandish stuff occasionally, it’s all pretty much a standard #menswear base. I have sport coats, jeans, trousers, ties, etc… I’m not rocking asymmetric cashmere motorcycle jackets over mesh tanks and leather chaps with shutter shades. That’s my anchor, I wear regular guy clothes in bold colors, patterns, and with striking formality contrasts. But they’re still identifiable as #menswear. Your anchor might be different, but if you become unmoored you’ll just be wearing a bunch of stuff, not a maximal outfit.
6. Know your limits.
Quick! How many times have I worn leather jackets on the blog?!
Trick question.
I love leather jackets, I desperately want many of them. I even own 3 or 4 that I never wear. I’ve tried so fucking hard to rock them. Styled a bunch of different ways, with different things, different themes, and alas… I’ve had to admit I’m just not cool enough. My maximalism peters out before it reaches leather jacket nirvana. And I’m okay with that.
7. Maximalism isn’t one thing.
This is most important. Maximalism is just the word I throw around to define my style. I love bright colors, bold patterns, unusual combinations of formality, and pushing against the grain. But that’s not all maximalism is! It can be different things to different people. The most important part of maximalism, to me, is boldness and being dressed to stand out loudly. For me it’s a dive in head first thing, maybe it won’t be for you. But even if you go all in, do you, above all else, or it won’t look right.
So get out there and maximilize something.
10 Brands?
This is something I’ve alluded to before but never expounded on. This seems like the right time.
Menswear bloggers live in abject fear of being branded as blogging about “fashion” instead of “style.” Blogging about “Style” has tremendous currency in the menswear blogosphere while blogging about “fashion” is one step above being beaten with a sack of doorknobs (though if they were doorknobs that had hand painted details and classic wrought iron work, the beating might be more acceptable than Fashion blogging).
The argument goes that fashion is based in consumerism, style is based in lasting construction and traditional aesthetics. Fashion comes and goes, style is permanent. Fashion is built in cheap factories in the Third World, style is handcrafted in the good ol’ US of A (or the UK or Italy, etc…).
But all these arguments are misleading and this proves it. If 10 brands can define your style, how is that not consumerism? Those brands release new collections every season or two, how is that not temporal? My LEC shirts are made in Malaysia, my PRL madras shirt in India, my Levi’s in Mexico. What makes my PRL shirt (this one made in China) a conveyor of “style”, while my H&M jacket made in China a heinous amalgamation of “fashion” that never should have existed?
I’m being hyperbolic, but you see my point.
The line between these things is real (sort of), but closer than most bloggers would like to admit. And every time you talk about how “steez-y” your new Isaia jacket is, or how the new Alden line is a “must cop”, you’re buying into the new consumerism. Were you thinking about extreme cutaway collars 2 years ago? Camo? Floral Ties? Turtlenecks? DB Jackets? Don’t tell me these are permanent fixtures in style because it’s just not true. They ebb and flow just like anything else in the world of clothing aesthetics. ”Fashion” by a different name.
I’ll admit the new consumerism is better than the old consumerism (Dockers for one has mostly stopped being a triple-pleated-middle-management-mall-brand in favor of a #menswear-approved-alpha-fit-winner), but it’s still consumerism. It still bears all the hallmarks of “fashion” (except the blind apoplectic rage that bloggers throw at anyone who accuses them of doing anything with Fash-un). They’re 2 sides of the same coin.
Then again, I might just be bitter that most #menswear bloggers wouldn’t have the slightest clue what most the brands I’m wearing are (seriously, Benoits? Jordan Marsh? Dexter? LL Bean regular line?? Who the fuck am I?) Not to mention I think defining your style by brands is limiting, though an interesting thought experiment.
Now everybody flies into a blind rage and tells me I’m wrong in 5…4…3…2…1
OH! And my 10 brands (by how much I own) would probably be LL Bean, Liberty of London, Levi’s (new & vintage), Old Navy, Polo, Banana Republic, Jordan Marsh, Target, Rooster (defunct vintage tie makers), and… dunno… AJ Morgan? (makes cheap sunglasses).
Make of that what you will.
What 10 brands do you think could define your style?
If we want to have grown man style, we need to stop acting like Mean Girls
The other day before I went to work, this post (by a not-insignificant blogger about another not-insignificant blogger) hit my dash (tagged #Full Retarded). Then the esteemed Nice Try Bro chimed in with the thoughtful comment,
If I met someone and it came out that he was friends with Mr. Dan, I’d immediately know we ourselves could not be friends.
And the entire blogosphere wept. Or at least they should have. Because this is it guys, this is the level of discourse we’ve been reduced to.
And it’s just terrible, especially because “Grown Man Style” seems to be the buzzword of late. Leaving aside whether or not the outfit is good, which is immaterial here, this is not the kind of “critique” (which I use in the loosest possible terms) that should be coming from grown men.
“Grown man style” doesn’t start by getting rid of your boot cut jeans and buying OCBD’s and Desert Boots. And it doesn’t start when you start a blog to catalog and share your inspiration for dressing like a grown up. It starts with a desire to be a grown up. And you know what? Grown men are better than this.
Grown men don’t take catty shots at other grown men, even if they don’t like their style.
Grown men are fully capable of being friends with other grown men who have different style, or no style at all.
Most importantly grown men have more important things to say about style than “LOL” or “Full Retarded” or “He’s dressed so far out of my imagined appropriateness of male style that I can’t be friends with his friends.”
Grown men have more tact than that. Grown men don’t “LOLOLOLOL” at other grown men. You know who does?
High school girls.
This bullshit is straight out of Mean Girls. It’s asinine “burn-bookery” that has no business on any blog that professes to believe in “Grown Man Style.” You may like my style, you may not. You may think Dan T is an idiot who wears a 3-piece with a henley (which, in all honesty, would probably look better than what 95% of guys are wearing to expensive clubs) or you may not. But unless you have some actual critique beyond “LOL” and “I couldn’t be friends with his friends”, leave the style blogging to the grown men, and go back to your catty friends in high school.
*Drops mic, walks out this bitch*
#Menswear is not the sole arbiter of style: or, don’t be a dick
I had a minor revelation at work today. Minor because it’s not going to blow anybody’s fucking mind. A revelation, because it finally helped an idea I’d been having for a while now “click”.
So this guy comes in (calls himself Picasso) in super baggy, slightly sagged gray nylon cargo pants and a wife-lover, tattoos all over, small Nike drawstring bag, etc… (you can imagine the type). He’s raving to his lady friend how much he loves this store, how awesome all our stuff is, etc…
Now this strikes me as odd. We have some awesome stuff for #menswear types, for Mainer types and for vintage-y hipster types, but not much in the way of serious white boy street wear.
Still, he comes from the back of the store with a pair of seriously distressed (super-baggy) jeans and a t-shirt with a graphic of a bunch of skulls and shit, angels & demons fighting, in the super-busy ‘Ed Hardy’ style. He holds them up to the mirror and says,
“This look’ll be awesome. Can you hold this stuff for me?”
I say yeah. He holds the stuff up again.
“You think this looks good?”
And I sort of nod my head.
I put them on hold, for “Picasso” and chuckle. I chuckle because I realized something.
I don’t have anything to say as to whether or not that’s a “good look.”
Seriously.
Think about it? What would I say? I’m standing there in red suede wingtips and a vest/tie combo. I’m supposed to tell him “oh no, go with some wool trousers and a blue OCBD (never mind explaining what an OCBD is, or how trousers should fit).
I mean, I’m in the perfect position to do that! He’s literally asking me “do you think this looks good?” I think,
“Of course I don’t! Look at me! You think that the guy in a tie and straight fitting dark selvage denim is gonna rock your look? Get real! Get your shit together man!”
But then I think again. What would that accomplish? He’s really going to go out and toss all his distressed jeans and ed hardy type shirts on my say so? Of course not. You think if he shows up looking like #menswear all his friends are going to dap him up and go “yo son, you looking fresh!” Fuck no!
Now before you get all #menswear on me, I think this guy should dress better. I wish everyone did! But that’s a pipe dream, people have to come to it themselves. And this is where the revelation comes in.
#Menswear should make dressing better easy, but often it makes dressing better really. fucking. hard.
Because we’re a group who have started to consider ourselves the sole arbiters of taste. We have “style”, we’re “stunting” guys, “styling” on them. It’s easy to say “#menswear is a circle jerk and I’m sick of it!” (as has been the prevailing attitude for the last week or so). It’s much harder to really think of how to develop your personal style.
#Menswear, a world of “essentials” that the bloggerati can’t agree on, the NTB signal and Nick Wooster confusing everyone into matching their shirt to their tie to their pocket square to their custom made mismatched brogues, is a vast and scary place for people who haven’t quite yet made the sartorial commitment to dressing like a grown up (or like however I dress).
So what’s a blogger to do? Well, first I’d say be nice. Sure there’s people out there that hit “reblog” without thinking. But who are they? They’re not the tastemakers, they’re not “important”, they’re trying! By trying to “stunt” them and show them what’s up, show them how smart we are, show them how many obscure tailoring terms we know, show them how long our lapel rolls are, and generally taking every opportunity to shit on people who would like to dress better, but haven’t quite figured out their thing yet, we drive them away.
Second, I’d say to remember that #menswear is only one stylistic option. The best one to be sure (I mean… I’m here right? I obviously support this community’s ideals); but still just one of many. If people at a turning point come here (to the blogosphere) and find a bunch of shitheads, smarmily telling them their lapels are too narrow/wide and that they don’t have a fully canvassed jacket or whatever, we scare them away. And if they aren’t coming here, if they’re still off in their business casual world and don’t care to change, we’re not going to change any minds by trying to show them that we dress better than you man, and you should know that I’m styling on you!
I certainly don’t want this to come across as a blanket screed. There’s plenty of #menswear bloggers that are super-nice, super-helpful, and just want to see a better dressed world. But there’s also plenty just driving a new form of consumerism, one based in nicer stuff for sure, but still based in the idea that to bring yourself up, someone else must be brought down.
And it’s a shame that people so concerned with presenting themselves on the outside spend so little time truly considering how they come across.
EDIT: I have added quotation marks to ‘important’ in paragraph “So what’s a blogger to do?”
Formality and Style in an Informal, Unstylish world
If you’re like me you’ve probably noticed a subtle shift in the blogosphere lately. As more and more people begin to develop their own style, they begin to feel more comfortable dressing “like themselves.” However, something has been nagging at me. A thought that something is not quite right. I haven’t been able to articulate it thus far as the proper wording (and perhaps even the fully formed idea) itself has been escaping me. However it finally clicked this weekend.
I was back home (Wilmington VT, pop. 2,225) for the Farmer’s Day fair. Now, as you might imagine, a country fair for farmers is not the most formal of occasions, however I noticed something that even I found surprising.
I was wearing a gray henley, dark selvage denim and boat shoes. In this stylish, but very casual combination, I was the most formally dressed person at the fair (perhaps edged out by the gentleman wearing a flannel shirt, braces, jeans and black sneakers, depending on how your viewing of formality rules skews). This is when I realized what’s been bothering me.
A couple weeks ago Derek blogged on PTO,
What I love about what I wear is that it’s appropriate and sharp for nearly all situations. Take, for example, the fact that I’m in Moscow right now. As I’m typing this, I’m wearing grey tropical wool trousers, a light blue spread collar shirt, navy fresco wool blazer, navy socks, and brown loafers. It’s not unlike what I would wear to dinner in San Francisco, where I’m from. Whether in Moscow or San Francisco, however, I’m appropriately dressed for nearly any function (at least any function that a 32-year old man would attend). It’s an international uniform that will probably serve me well for the rest of my life, and since the fit is good, I look sharp in it. That’s the value of classic men’s style.
(via Put This On)
Most menswear bloggers are urban. Further, most live in larger, more metropolitan areas (Quick! Name a style blogger from a city smaller than 100,000 people! There’s me and DO repping Portland ME, but I can’t come up with any others off the top of my head). This skews the appropri-omoter towards what to wear in a chic, metropolitan city.
However, if you’re in a smaller city, or a small town, that same meter would be flashing warnings that you’ve gone too far, and risk looking foolish. If you’ve seen a tie after spending a week in Wilmington VT you’ve been to court (or a funeral). There are no boardrooms within 100 miles. The baseline of #menswear, Derek’s international uniform, would be absolutely inappropriate there. People would assume you’re trying to sell them bibles.
I think what bothered me about that was that it makes a common assumption that doesn’t sit squarely with me. That you can find one outfit that is universal, that is always in style and can take you anywhere and be appropriate.
Is that really what we should be striving for as men? To all look “appropriate” to each other (I mean this in a classic menswear model, not a “we should all look ‘appropriate’ i.e. wearing pants outside” model) at all times? I think that Derek’s described outfit, while appropriate, and perhaps perfect for him, is not ideal. Not for Wilmington. It’s even a bit too much for most people in Portland ME (though I guess my general style would belie that statement).
Recently Ethan Desu had this to say about appropriateness
So to make it simple, how you dress depends on you. Grown men style is literally that - the style of a confident, self aware man. Dictated only by where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with. A dinner suit is a tool, perfectly adapted for the formality of a black tie event. As inappropriate at a breakfast as jeans in a board room. To respect the occasion and the people you are with by the formality, or lack of, in your appearance is truly grown man style.
By Ethan Amos Newton
(via Most ExeRent)
I think we, as men and menswear bloggers should be searching not for the perfect outfit, but for one main thing. Our personal style.
What we like, what looks good on us, and what communicates our personality, values and lifestyle to others.
I don’t put as high a premium on “appropriateness” and “sobriety” (ed. note: in clothes, not in booze) as many and I think it shows. I live a life that features far more dive bars and thrift stores than Michelin Star restaurants and airports, and you know what? I’m okay with that.
I think in the end
style 
#menswear
style exquisite tailoring
style streetwear, workwear, or any other type of “wear”
style only exists when you can take those elements, mix in your surroundings and then grab yourself a fistful.
Best,
Alex
