The Stylist Suit #06.
Styling tips from the menswear shows, reaching a landmark and a poll.
There’s something about the way we style our clothes, about the clothes we wear too, that has nothing to do with fashion and all to do with the Zeitgeist. You, me and society at large wear our clothes in a certain way because the spirit of the times makes one or more silhouettes relevant.
One of the first things that you have to dive into when starting fashion school is understanding the silhouettes of each era. For instance, during the late 30s and early 40s -last century- women wore two-piece suits that emphasised the shoulders and gave them a martial, unfussy and practical look. Why? Because WW2 was right around the corner and the world was getting into a militarised mood, therefore clothing was one of the first things which adapted to the spirit of the times. There are countless examples of this throughout history, and all of them are probably well-known to you, so I’m not going to bore you there. You know where I’m getting at.
It is too early to put labels on the spirit of our times, being so immersed in them that we just don’t know yet, and that is fine. But one of the things that I find most interesting from the past 20 years is how the lines between men’s and womenswear have been blurred, especially during the last ten, when the gender barriers blended more and more and the male wardrobe expanded and exploded, allowing men to unleash their creativity with clothes and shatter previous preconceptions about how a man should look, behave and present himself. This is such a revolution, but we’re so immersed in it that we haven’t reflected much on this matter yet.
Today I’d like to go through my favourite styling ideas from the men’s Fall 24 shows. These tips can be applied by everyone, and will hopefully unleash new ways to style what we already have. The plan isn’t to buy stuff but to find a new take on ways of wearing our clothes. If you don’t have something of what I suggest here, but like the look, then you do as you see fit about it.
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First, unleashing the boxer brief of your tights via JW Anderson. After the viral but highly impractical knickers as bottoms trend, comes the sensible but still naughty visible boxer brief, paired with an oversized sweater for comfort and wearability and dark socks with brogues or ballerinas. If this hack is still too much, just go for knitted or sporty shorts.
Next comes a good one, long gloves over sleeves, be it a flowy blazer or shirt (Dries Van Noten), a three-quarter oversized sleeve (Zegna) or a coat (Givenchy). This is not the most practical hack in terms of keeping the look comfortable, because as my grandma would say: “A gloved cat can’t hunt”. Nevertheless, the look is quite cool and the other day I watched Demna Gvasalia sit down through a long interview with Cathy Horyn wearing a pair of long gloves under wide short sleeves. True, all he did was sit down and talk, it'd be interesting to see how this hack would fare on a visit to the bathroom, but it’s a showstopper nonetheless.
This is my winter silhouette through and through. I do love a blazer, as I previously mentioned here, those of you who know me know that if you’re meeting me, chances are I’m going to turn up with one on. I also own a very beloved oversized cropped puffer coat from when I was a teenager that I still use a lot, so the look is usually cropped and bulky over a longer piece. When I started wearing it people gave me strange looks, but not anymore, as it seems to have been finally accepted as a great and cool styling hack. Three options here, from a blazer (Zegna) to a midi jacket, or is it a dress? (Juun. J) to long coat (Balmain). The key for this styling tip lies in the volume, the piece on top must be bold, otherwise, it feels like you’re travelling on Ryanair to a cold fashion week destination without checked-in luggage.
Three favourites here, first the football jersey overshirt and tie via Botter, I have been thinking that since in the northern hemisphere, we’re hitting spring there might be too many layers here, so it can be substituted with a basketball oversized jersey instead and I’m hunting online for a second hand NBA version. I used to have many vintage football and baseball ones that I have no idea where they ended up, those are great options too if you happen to own one.
Then there is the home robe over whatever you happen to be wearing (in terms of silhouette I usually prefer to stick to trousers or a longer dress for this look, but you do you) as a textured and quirky overlayer. This is a sporty version via Namesake, I do it with kimonos because I’m still on the hunt for a cool vintage men’s robe. I saw some amazing ones in Suginami City in Tokyo, but since I hoarded on kimonos instead, what’s done is done and I’ll have to keep looking.
Finally, a utility waistcoat over bare skin (or a cool unwired bra). This look is sexy, interesting and comfortable. Perfect for late spring days. The example here comes courtesy of Rhude. If the utility waistcoat is too much or feels uncomfortable, you can also go for a knitted one.
Grace Wales Bonner is always spot-on with her silhouettes, this season, cargo pants were everywhere and so were high boots. I love both the idea of the football socks peeking from under a pair of longer shorts and over the boots or the cargo pants tucked in.
Ayayay, that feeling when you exit the airport wearing your holiday gear and the temperatures are freezing… Yes, seems like a trend too, and when done properly the look will not only feel adventurous but also fun. Here, GMBH layers a coat over high boots while Kenzo and Doublet taking it more literally go for the option of bare shins, socks and ankle boots.
Oh, the joy of sending mixed messages! A tracksuit with leopard slippers? Yes please and when I say leopard I say patent leather or any smart dressy kind of option, this example is from Wales Boner, Miami druglord vibes all over. Then there’s layering, this one sporting fur (fake or vintage please), a chequered blazer and a hoodie via Rhude has me thinking about giving a second life to some of the furs I’ve been gradually inheriting and don’t know what to do with. An evening jacket (this is by Rhude too) is always a playground, because it being a garment that is normally used in a very specific context, allows for subversion games. Mixing it with oversized side-striped tracksuit pants and pointy boots nods to the notion of a smoking suit, but a very funky one.
Last three for the road. The beauty of tonal styling with a clashing piece I’ve already talked about, but I thought this was a fantastic example via last year’s Wooyoungmi. The joy of mixing pink and red (Isabel Marant) I’ve talked about too, actually this collection made me think about how much I usually prefer her men’s to her women’s looks, the women always feel a bit dated to me, don’t kill me. A cinched waist is beautiful on everyone, tucking a top layered over a dash of colour inside elastic waistband trousers is the kind of look that feels contemporary and comfortable, because it is generally really flattering and the tucking helps create a beautiful shape on top.
That’s all from me this week, misfits. Well, nearly all. Last week Diary of a Fashion Misfit turned 6 months old!! I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, I am shocked at the fact that I’ve managed to write faithfully (nearly) every week and incredibly grateful that you guys read me throughout. As you have noticed, in the last two weeks I’ve sent both the Spanish and the English versions, it actually happened by mistake, nevertheless, I am curious as to whether you prefer receiving both versions or just the English one with the link to the Spanish one. I originally chose to do this to avoid littering your mailboxes and you finding me bothersome, but since it was pretty successful, I really would be very grateful if you could let me know what you prefer. The poll will not give me personalised results, so any comments on this matter will be very much appreciated too.
Now yes, happy weekend misfits!
Love,
Patty