I'm bored with men's fashion

[altlover85]

I'd love to be more daring with my fashion choices, but I don't even know where to start. I usually just where colorful tees and jeans.

Women get all the cool looking outfits, especially when they go to work and get dressed up and men are stuck in tuxes.

I guess I'm looking for some tips on cultivating a more androgynous look, as well as where I could look to find some more daring (and relatively affordable) looks. I've googled avant-garde men's fashion and not come up with much.

I would love if men could wear something like this (see link below) when they go out to parties or a concert or something. I don't know if I'd like it to be as boxy in the legs. This is more on the extreme of where my dream outfit lies.

http://wmuphoto.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/avedon_leap-web.jpg

Anyway, I hope this post made sense. I'm excited about fashion because my boyfriend and I just got back from an awesome show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, showcasing Richard Avedon's photography.

 

[Royal Heart]

You and me both, buddy.

Ever considered incorporating some of the hipster style into your wardrobe? I got nothing against the hipster fashion style, and I like a lot of the elements of it with vintage clothing. It's more subdued but not necessarily boring. I think Coco would've approved. Just a thought.

 

[Fucker29]

I 3rd this. Women's clothing is much more diverse and versatile than men's. Women got a lot more to choose from than we do.

 

[altlover85]

I'm glad I'm not alone and yes, I have thought about the hipster look, but haven't gotten around to shopping for vintage clothing (or any clothing) lately. I guess maybe that's partly why I asked the question so that the next time I go shopping for clothes I'll have some ideas. Thanks!

 

[c750dt]

The high end items of men's fashion expire quicker than the gaudiest of women's apparel (or the stuff grows into a convulted bastard child of existing items that don't belong with one another). Grow some big hair, wear an expensive suit and tell yourself you're awesome and you'll get by. That's how I roll!

 

[Royal Heart]

Sometimes a female friend of mine will say something, "I bought some new tops, they were $3 each brand new."

I'll glare with envy. That kinda shit never happens for men's fashion. Cheapest new shirt I ever found was $10. And, every where I go, there's fuckin' plaid. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind plaid, but I also like, you know, diversity. Racks upon racks of plaid shirts and plaid shorts for guys. Are you a guy? Wear the fucking plaid!

 

[fetaby]

And as if the limited range of garments wasn't enough.

The lack of color is a damn shame. 87 million colors on my computer screen and 4 on the clothes rack.


So here it's either 47 yr old golfer, or 15 yr old skate punk. Or one just reverts to the standard uniform, blue jeans/t-shirt.

I give up....

 

[Royal Heart]

More than once I seriously considered learning how to sew so I can just make my own shit. Damn, if I find the time, so help me Science I'll fuckin' do it.

 

[giftart]

Sometimes a female friend of mine will say something, "I bought some new tops, they were $3 each brand new."

I'll glare with envy. That kinda shit never happens for men's fashion. Cheapest new shirt I ever found was $10. And, every where I go, there's fuckin' plaid. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind plaid, but I also like, you know, diversity. Racks upon racks of plaid shirts and plaid shorts for guys. Are you a guy? Wear the fucking plaid!

I know, I get that envy feeling. They spent so little to get something nice I have to spent 3x more to get something decent.

 

[Fucker29]

More than once I seriously considered learning how to sew so I can just make my own shit. Damn, if I find the time, so help me Science I'll fuckin' do it.

YES! That would be the end of all this anguish and walletache we go through.
Maybe we could start our own business.

"Royal Fucker, Inc." has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

 

[altlover85]

I may have to go looking in the women's section. I think that shirt is pretty cool.

It really is a shame that more designer's don't design men's clothes and decide to be daring with their designs. If I had any talent with drawing and sewing, I'd try and design my own line, like others have suggested.

 

[AngelFromAbove]

Same here. I like very funky, fashion forward clothing, but the ideas towards the clothing that I like are geared and created for women.

 

[no4321]

I went through a unique clothing phase. I racked up so many pairs of multicolored jeans and suspenders. I found that thrift stores had the best variety because retail stores had all the same styles and were predictable. John Galliano and Jeremy Scott make some rather unique clothing. K-pop artist G-dragon is someone who i got lots of inspiration from. His clothes are so different from western styles. Nowadays I'm more in to flip flops and plaid shirts haha. But yeah, men do have to get more creative when it comes to clothing, but I guess its fun if you're into it.

 

[hotb0d]

You can create a new trend by wearing a dress.

oh wait....that is already taken.

Think of something.

 

[fluxxx]

yes, women have more variety for clothes than us, but if you take a look for women' section sometimes you could find something that looks so unisex. so you can wear it too..

well if you have a big confidences, it's ok to dressed up 'theatrically' to public place. well, nowadays you also could see menskirts in the various designer runway such as Givenchy (but I would never wear any skirts lol).

 

[Yooper]

I'll bite. It's my job (at least for the next two weeks) to market this stuff that the buyers send me that passes for fashion these days.

Menswear doesn't change all that much from season to season or year to year. Its all about marketing and what sells in the mainstream.

You'll see color stories changing, you'll see different details changing, but for the most part, very little changes because anything radical just doesn't sell. For anything radical, you have to hit the limited boutiques for Men in the fashion centers of the world and be prepared to pay $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the experience.

The basic silhouette for menswear hasn't changed for nearly a century or more. Some years you'll see tighter, more body contoured styles (which is currently 'in', btw), other times you'll see the looser fits ('relaxed', 'oversized'). Lapels on shirts and jackets grow and shrink; ties get wider or narrower.

Mens fashion also follows the economy, believe it or not. When the economy is roaring, you'll see some more daring styles; when it sucks, you see the 'traditional' look coming back. Case in point: 5-10 years ago it was looking like neckties for business were on the way out, 'business casual' was the norm. Since the economy tanked, many businesses have dumped the 'business casual' look entirely; my men's neckwear sales are up almost 50% over last year.

Fact is, I've got very little on my floor that is very 'fashion forward' today because it isn't selling. I've got about 12 racks of clearance that rotted over the summer because most of my customers bought the more traditional stuff. Employers aren't hiring guys that dress funky. I couldn't unload designer flip flops promo priced at $8 because guys aren't wearing that this year.

On the other hand, colors DO change and it is market dependent, too. I couldn't keep pink in stock all summer. I'd fill two racks of pink casual shirts (NOT t-shirts) out on Friday and they'd be mostly be gone Monday morning.

Bottom line, for young guys, your choices in the mainstream ARE pretty limited, basically because you are such a small part of the marketing demographic. And it is getting even more limited, too, as more and more schools are going back to dress codes and uniforms. My Back to School theme (although not blatantly marketed this way) is to 'Make your Uniform your own' through accessories and footwear. Polos and Khakis. For the College Student, it's Denim with details and button down shirts with epaulets and subtle patterns and embroidery. For the older bunch, it's the same silhouette it's always been, but with a VERY subtle pattern in the shirt ('microstripes' are the big news for Fall) or a solid color shirt (earth tones!) with an interesting tie. And that's about it for mainstream fashion choices for guys.

 

[Royal Heart]

YES! That would be the end of all this anguish and walletache we go through.
Maybe we could start our own business.

"Royal Fucker, Inc." has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Let's do it! I really like that name, too. Brilliant!

I've had the same problem. If I can't find an article of clothing I like from the men's section, I do look in the women's section for clothing that can be unisex.

I have this photo of David Beckham wearing this green shirt with his white hair and I spent ages trying to find that shirt online but eventually gave up. One day I'm walking through a department store and I see the same shirt, only in blue, in the women's section. Unfortunately, at the time, I was cash-strapped, but dang! There it was!

Menswear doesn't change all that much from season to season or year to year. Its all about marketing and what sells in the mainstream.

I suppose this is one of those gaps that online retailers can fill. A boutique or a ready-to-wear chain may not carry interesting and new menswear, but an independent online store could possibly make some dough doing it.

The basic silhouette for menswear hasn't changed for nearly a century or more.

Damn right. I look back at what dudes were wearing in the 17th Century and going, "Shit. That'd never fly today, we're too boring."

Employers aren't hiring guys that dress funky.

This may change as the older generations move up and out. I know that, for me, I'm more attracted to a store if the people I see working there are dressed interestingly. Sometimes I'll see employees who have interesting hair, tattoos or piercings and they're wearing drab, boring "business casual" garbage and I wonder what they look like when they're allowed to dress themselves.

Bottom line, for young guys, your choices in the mainstream ARE pretty limited, basically because you are such a small part of the marketing demographic.

You're telling me. I'm headed into work today, a Saturday and I can already predict what I'm going to be seeing: Plaid board shorts, printed t-shirts, ballcaps and sunglasses. It is the uniform of this summer, and the summer before this, and before that ...

And it is getting even more limited, too, as more and more schools are going back to dress codes and uniforms. My Back to School theme (although not blatantly marketed this way) is to 'Make your Uniform your own' through accessories and footwear. Polos and Khakis. For the College Student, it's Denim with details and button down shirts with epaulets and subtle patterns and embroidery. For the older bunch, it's the same silhouette it's always been, but with a VERY subtle pattern in the shirt ('microstripes' are the big news for Fall) or a solid color shirt (earth tones!) with an interesting tie. And that's about it for mainstream fashion choices for guys.

Thank you for posting, Yooper! Your post was really interesting and insightful. It's really nice to hear from someone in the industry who knows this stuff. I apologize for bitching more than I need to. Cheers!

 

[Fucker29]

Let's do it! I really like that name, too. Brilliant!

Perfect! We should meet to discuss the details of our business and take off our clothes so we can take each other's measurements. No funny business though...I think.

 

[CudDULL]

I guess your right if you mean formal avant garde but I usually can do daring/adventurous casual wear without looking ridiculous.

 

[Royal Heart]

Perfect! We should meet to discuss the details of our business and take off our clothes so we can take each other's measurements. No funny business though...I think.

I agree. It's very important that we know each other's measurements and silhouettes and, uh, you know, fashion stuff like that.