When Guel suggested starting a blog together with Alex and me, he proposed that we each contribute to a particular subject or two: he would write about technology and start-ups; Alex would be responsible for writing about grooming and food; and I was assigned to write about menswear.
As the very first post I think it is necessary to define the subject and the scope of my writing. Menswear, to me, can be looked at from at least two angles. The first is called fashion – essentially something that is about now, and the current trend.
When one talks about fashion, one tends to immediately associate flashy and flamboyant models walking down a runway, in a pink fur jacket and pants that are too tight. But more generally, to me fashion refers to something that generally comes and goes, and something that puts much focus on expression and beauty and trend.
For example, baseball jacket and sneakers have regained much popularity in menswear recently amid the focus on athleticism – if you take a look at fashion magazines (or style magazines, which is essentially the same thing but with a different word since people tend to associate the word “fashion” with femininity), you can easily spot male models with rolled up selvedge jeans and a pair of Nike or New Balance sneakers:
But wait a second. New Balance? A few years ago, it was the ugly shoes that no one wanted to wear! At school the cool kids never wore New Balance. Back then, wearing loafers with no socks was the way to go. I mean, hell, in the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, Cal (played by Steve Carell) was wearing New Balance 407 on the night his wife decided to divorce him. The film later then went on with another rant on this brand, when Jacob (played by Ryan Gosling) asked Cal:
“Jacob: “What happened to your feet?”
Cal: “What do you mean? These are my 407s.”
Jacob: “Oh, they’re 407s.”
*Jacob threw away the shoes*
Jacob: “Are you Steve Jobs?”
Cal: “What?”
Jacob: “Hold on a second. Are you the billionaire owner of Apple Computers?”
Cal: “No.”
Jacob: “Oh. Okay. Well, in that case, you got no right to wear New Balance sneakers ever.”
Well, guess Ryan Gosling was wrong. New Balance did see a big resurgence – thanks to very successful marketing campaign – and now major menswear sites like Mr Porter are endorsing it.
***
And then, there is the second way of looking at menswear, which I call the academic way. For example, what is the difference between a full canvassed English jacket and a Neapolitan soft shoulder jacket? Why do people claim that goodyear welted shoes tend to last longer? And what is the difference between a split-yoke and single-yoke shirt?
The academic way is timeless. It is about terminology, construction and proportion. It can be practical too – if we think about how colors, textures and patterns work together, we could probably create a better ensemble out of our wardrobe. If we think about how our silhouette is affected by things like whether we tuck in or out our shirts (90% of the time, shirts are better tucked), or the armhold of a bespoke jacket (e.g. having a higher armhole and narrower sleeve actually makes you look slimmer), your look will enhance.
And by dressing better, well, you are making the world a better place.
***
If you know me in person, you probably don’t see me as a particular well-dressed guy. Sometimes I go out in hoodie and jeans, or an oversized shirt hidden underneath an old v-neck. But to me, one doesn’t need to look like a model from GQ to be interested in menswear. One can be wearing a super slim fitted shirt with small collar and skinny tie, and people could call him fasionable, or stylish. But to me, menswear is more so about the details, the subtlety.
Sometimes, it is about the wearer feeling good about himself by wearing something that is so subtle that only he is aware of it. This is why I think menswear could be fascinating.
Finally, I must say that I owe most of my knowledge from other sources, primarily the internet. I never learned anything about menswear from what I do for a living or from school (perhaps what not to wear from looking at old pictures of my school days, but that’s another story). Everything you read from my posts is from my research online. And of course, everything I write is just from my perspective, and there is no right or wrong for sure.
To end, I wanted to thank you for visiting this blog, and please stay tune for more writings on the details & subtlety of menswear. I promise the next blog will be more informative and with fewer texts 🙂
J
2andhalfmen 