Menswear tends to oppose social changes. That’s to say that designers tend to work in contrast to the uniforms we’re meant to wear. Take tailoring, for example: at the start of the decade, as office dress codes relaxed in reaction to the world’s wealthiest and most powerful men sporting hoodies to multi-billion dollar IPOs, razor-sharp tailoring and double-monks suddenly became the style-conscious gent’s preferred attire. It wasn’t what was necessary, or expected. But then fashion always seeks out difference.
Five years on, and the contestants on The Apprentice – men whose unofficial role is to mark when a trend has joined bootcut jeans in sartorial purgatory – turned up in Lord Alan Sugar’s office sporting pocket squares (matched to their neck wear, naturally), tie bars (unattached to their shirt plackets) and ankle-bearing suits. Meaning? It’s probably time to stow yours in the back of wardrobe.
Your replacement though, is equally contradictory. With most men chained to desks, designers are harking back to a more masculine era, when clothes were about protecting you from sparks and grease. Enter functional fabrics and heavy duty jackets that look like you could weld in them.
These days, your inspiration isn’t a man who knows fifteen different neck tie knots, but one who can fix a gearbox. Here’s how to evict Beau Brummell from your wardrobe to make way for James Dean.
The key to making this look work is opting for classic designs. “A timeless piece is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.”
“Simplicity is what has made that iconic style and shape endure” – so don’t be tempted by avant-garde silhouettes or patterns. Stick to the classics and you’ll be able to wear that bank balance-bruising purchase a decade from now, rather than regretfully trying to recoup your outlay on eBay when trends inevitably change.
- fashionbeans
- james
Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 9:54PM | 
