Hi, okay, I'm reunited with my precious Macbook and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming now. I'll skip the excuses because the excuses are laughable so let's hop to it.
So, menswear. Menswear, menswear, menswear.
Oh Milan, you have rekindled my love for menswear.
Definitely one of those words that looks ridiculous if you type it five or six times.
As I think I tend to repeat ad nauseum, I actually got into fashion through menswear (I am going to have to find another word for this soon). I used to be really obsessed with the idea that you could have a strict, prescriptive set of Things Required to Be Stylish - obviously completely misguided, but it was hella appealing. I promise, that's the last time I'm going to tell that story in this space.
At the time I got into it, circa 2010, it wasn't merely men's clothing that was having a moment, but Menswear. #Menswear. The internet was at the forefront of this massive awakening in men's fashion - it was the birth of a sort of nouveau dandyism, a sort of very radical traditionalism, marked by a sudden interest in details.
Mainstream American men's fashion, prior to about 2008 in major cities and 2011 everywhere else, was shaped by what I like to consider to be a very deeply rooted cultural emphasis on functionality and conservatism. People joke about cargo shorts now like they were some ridiculous collective nightmare we all faced, but it's misleading to pretend that any widespread stylistic choice isn't the expression of a social value. Cargo shorts weren't "ugly because no one cared" - they were stylish because they were functional, because early 2000's fashion in general was having a sort of pseudo-preppy, staid moment.
Things were weirdly conservative, man. It seems so far away now, but there was a time less than ten years ago when a straight man that was interested in fashion was labeled a metrosexual - because there were "straight male" norms and there were "gay male" norms and if you stepped outside of those gender boxes even a little bit, say, to express preference for cashmere, we needed a separate word for you.
Things were weirdly conservative, man. It seems so far away now, but there was a time less than ten years ago when a straight man that was interested in fashion was labeled a metrosexual - because there were "straight male" norms and there were "gay male" norms and if you stepped outside of those gender boxes even a little bit, say, to express preference for cashmere, we needed a separate word for you.
And then, I don't even know what happened to be honest, but something actually quite radical - suddenly people stopped caring about stepping outside of that gender box. Suddenly it was cool to be interested in fashion, and not just fashion, but suiting in particular. It wasn't just men's clothing, it was #menswear - an entire Internet Thing marked by an emphasis on traditional tailoring, on details, on like, cashmere socks in contrasting colors. And that's why I'm calling it a nouveau-dandyism - because it was a rejection of these bougie ideals and these deep-seated gender roles. It was traditionalism, and it was super radical.
But things reach saturation, you know? There were always be people interested in traditional suiting and I don't intend to suggest that the fashion world has forgotten all about it, but the mega-popularity - the hashtag menswear - has kind of died down a bit. People are equating dressing up with dressing well less and less. There's almost a sense that suiting is an entry point into fashion, that the avant-garde stuff is where the real fashion is, and all that other stuff is just basics.
Man, I forgot, too. I forgot how cool and radical the whole thing actually was.
Milan, though.
I'm going to be honest, I've always been vaguely aware of the history of suiting and menswear in Milan - like, I was enough of a menswear nerd that you couldn't not be aware of it. I knew it was a part of the sartorial tradition of the city, and before I left, I did a little research into the history. But like I said, I've distanced myself a lot from that particular corner of fashion history, so I'm far from an expert on what the scene is like there now. I did keep my eyes open though.
I don't know that you can actually refer to it as #menswear, because as far as I know it exists far outside the whole Internet phenomenon, but that's essentially what it resembles. Or what #menswear resembled. You get what I mean.
I was coming to Milan from Stockholm, the land of minimalism and monochrome and simplicity. It's quiet and calm but never boring or conservative - just perfectly balanced. And I'd really, really loved it. So I was sort of taken back when I arrived in Milan and saw bold color, and texture, and a little flamboyant detail everywhere and found myself remembering what drew me to menswear in the first place.
Windowpane blazers? Yes please. Patent loafers, sans chaussettes? Oui, s'il vous plait. Goddamn ascots? Sign me the fuck up.
To put into words what I love so much about it - there's something so charming about having fun with your clothing. It's taking this very conservative, formal clothing piece and enjoying it. It's a reflection of tradition, no doubt. And yet it's also very individual and free, very unabashed. There's something so refreshing and almost bold, these days, about getting dressed and being a little over the top. No need for pretensions of minimalism and simplicity, no need to tell ourselves that we shouldn't take clothing seriously, or that we're moving towards some future fashion utopia in which everything will be better. "You're damn right, these shoes are alligator."
I think my interest in menswear for women was always a little different - like I said in my tomboy post, there's something a little rebellious and rakish about a women in men's clothing - but I don't know, maybe that's changed now too. My style is also a lot more feminine now than it ever used to be, but I can see myself incorporating some of those ideas into my everyday wear.
I think it kind of hits on something else I've been really feeling lately (which will probably become its own post eventually) - essentially what it boils down to is "fuck trying to be cool." You know? Like as much as I'm always drawn to new and interesting silhouettes, to experimenting with my clothing, to being on the forefront of things - I don't know. I'm also really over trying to keep up with things. "Cool" is still rules, just different rules. So yeah, I'm still gonna lust after Nike high tops, but I'm also going to wear my patent brogues, and I'm going to enjoy it, damn it.
Milan, though.
I'm going to be honest, I've always been vaguely aware of the history of suiting and menswear in Milan - like, I was enough of a menswear nerd that you couldn't not be aware of it. I knew it was a part of the sartorial tradition of the city, and before I left, I did a little research into the history. But like I said, I've distanced myself a lot from that particular corner of fashion history, so I'm far from an expert on what the scene is like there now. I did keep my eyes open though.
I don't know that you can actually refer to it as #menswear, because as far as I know it exists far outside the whole Internet phenomenon, but that's essentially what it resembles. Or what #menswear resembled. You get what I mean.
I was coming to Milan from Stockholm, the land of minimalism and monochrome and simplicity. It's quiet and calm but never boring or conservative - just perfectly balanced. And I'd really, really loved it. So I was sort of taken back when I arrived in Milan and saw bold color, and texture, and a little flamboyant detail everywhere and found myself remembering what drew me to menswear in the first place.
Windowpane blazers? Yes please. Patent loafers, sans chaussettes? Oui, s'il vous plait. Goddamn ascots? Sign me the fuck up.
To put into words what I love so much about it - there's something so charming about having fun with your clothing. It's taking this very conservative, formal clothing piece and enjoying it. It's a reflection of tradition, no doubt. And yet it's also very individual and free, very unabashed. There's something so refreshing and almost bold, these days, about getting dressed and being a little over the top. No need for pretensions of minimalism and simplicity, no need to tell ourselves that we shouldn't take clothing seriously, or that we're moving towards some future fashion utopia in which everything will be better. "You're damn right, these shoes are alligator."
I think my interest in menswear for women was always a little different - like I said in my tomboy post, there's something a little rebellious and rakish about a women in men's clothing - but I don't know, maybe that's changed now too. My style is also a lot more feminine now than it ever used to be, but I can see myself incorporating some of those ideas into my everyday wear.
I think it kind of hits on something else I've been really feeling lately (which will probably become its own post eventually) - essentially what it boils down to is "fuck trying to be cool." You know? Like as much as I'm always drawn to new and interesting silhouettes, to experimenting with my clothing, to being on the forefront of things - I don't know. I'm also really over trying to keep up with things. "Cool" is still rules, just different rules. So yeah, I'm still gonna lust after Nike high tops, but I'm also going to wear my patent brogues, and I'm going to enjoy it, damn it.
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