What I find the most fascinating about menswear is the subtlety and the attention to details. Menswear tends to less colorful or flamboyant than women’s, and what truly differentiates a well-dressed man from a not-so-well-dressed man is the little secret touches that, at times, can be so inconspicuous that only the wearer is aware of.
Throughout history of menswear, there have been many times when men attempted to differentiate from others by showing a bit of character in their wardrobe. For example, a decade or two ago, as young and college-educated men entered the job market, many of them had to wear conservative-colored suits to work. Then gradually a small group of Englishmen decided to break out of the box a bit, and started wearing jacket with a bright lining, or socks that are of different color than their pants:
Then recently we have all seen the trend for men to not wear socks entirely in many fashion magazines, or have tiny shirt collar, or most recently, the popularity of the so-called midnight blue tuxedo (instead of the traditional and classic black tux) – all of which are details that make the wearer a little different, and stand out a bit from their peers.
To a greater extend, there are other more subtle details that are even harder for others to notice. For example, some men like to unbutton the first button of their jacket sleeve, to show that jacket is bespoke and made-to-order. Some ask their tailor to sew the buttonhole of the lapel with stitching of different color, such as a burgundy or gold buttonhole on the lapel of a navy jacket. To an extreme, recently Prince Harry was found to have put his initial “H” on the sole of his shoes (which, if you ask me, I might be hesitant to be stepping on my name every day :))
To end, I would like to share a video from MrPorter in which Sir Paul Smith shares his thoughts on the subtlety of menswear. As he puts very cleverly and appropriately, it should be a nudge rather than a push:
The first man who wears something different is the pioneer. The second is the endorser. The third is merely a follower. So to conclude this post, I would like to ask: what’s your dirty little secret?
2andhalfmen 