What will I wear? It seems like a simple question and, to an extent, it is. However, the clothes we choose and wear out into the world are part of the masks and costumes that represent who we are on the inside, or at least, they should be.
In the world of fashion women are given carte blanche to experiment and embrace trends as they’re presented at the fall and spring fashion shows. Men are encouraged to be prudent in embracing styles, at least adult men are.
As teenagers, you can see men playing with fashion and their identities but it is strictly within the rigid confines of already established trends. Jean skinny styles encasing the small legs of emo-boys or the oversized slouchy styles of the hip hop genre. Emulating your favorite musician should be the pastime of children and teens. What about adulthood?
Pushing most trends aside, men can look to the past for inspiration on their today styles. Over the 20th century, men’s fashion streamlined to a number of pieces that look on point after decades. A well-cut suit, navy cashmere sweaters, dark wash jeans, straight-legged slacks, dress shirts, and vests are all part of a timeless retinue of fashion. The underlying element to using these pieces effectively is in their fit. Tailoring pieces of the body in use is the greatest way of making something relatively inexpensive look incredibly rich.
The simple style of Steve McQueen with his jeans, lumberjack shirts and leather brown boots added to his coolness which translates as easy in the 21st century as it did in the 1970’s. A stylish man owns who he is, much like the dark suit and skinny black ties of champion Muhammad Ali or white button down oxford shirts of actor Paul Newman. Silhouettes that are more than 40 years old still looks as sharp today- dismissing something that works is counter-intuitive to creating your fashion identity.
Allow your clothes to speak with you and your personality, rather than broadcasting messages that don’t apply to who you are. A man who knows himself and doesn’t fawn over being fashion forward is extremely attractive.
The fashion upside for men is an insistence on simplicity. Accessories are sparse at best from a knotted scarf, to a streamlined men’s sport watch, to a wedding ring. Finding the silhouette that works for your body shape without straining to make your shape work for the clothing is a fashion rule that crossed both genders. Clothes do make the man if they are picked with simplicity and elegance.
Tags: men's clothing, men's fashion