When I first became interested in fashion (2-3 years ago now), I had this image that everyone has of it: a cold, closed environment, of people dressed in one way which borders on absolute ridiculousness.
You know what I'm talking about... If that's not the case, don't worry, I'll get there. These are all those photos that we see during fashion week periods and which don't make us want to make an effort to understand this environment, or even to dress better!
We have all already had this impression that men's fashion and style were made for a closed, elitist environment, which did not resemble us, and which had nothing to teach us. And yet, by digging a little, by looking more closely, there are also good things to be had.
(No one really wants to walk around like that, let's be real... It's conceptual! But don't worry, we won't talk about that in this article!)
Note from Benoit: and yet... I assure you that there will come a time when you will want to see (without necessarily wearing) clothes that do not seek consensus, and that explore other possibilities.
Through my interest in fashion, style, and masculine elegance , I discovered very interesting blogs which all conveyed a message: we talked about quality, cutting, sewing, etc. However, this whole blogosphere is a long way from Parisian or London fashion weeks .
However, there are very good things to be had on both sides. This is where we are entitled to ask ourselves this question: what can these fashion week peacocks teach us, men who want to dress well every day, without overdoing it?
Master the basic rules, then go beyond them
In any discipline, we go through several stages. We discover it, we learn the rules, we respect them, we forget them and finally we transgress them. Men's fashion and style are no exception to the rule.
Indeed, the first time you decide to pay attention to your style (even if, as an informed reader, this moment is far from you, try to remember it), you will first have to find information. You'll go to blogs and read a lot of good stuff, sometimes even a few bad ones. You will learn the rules (matching colors, choosing clothes in your size, choosing the right jeans...). Of course, you will try and make mistakes, just like everyone else.
Once you have mastered the basic rules (how to match pieces, colors, etc.), everything will be intuitive for you. You no longer need to think about it to do it.
Small clarification: we're going around in circles a bit, but it's to lay the foundations together, you'll quickly understand why 😉 .
Finally, by training your eye, you will find yourself one morning wearing purple shoes, beige chinos and a floral jacket, when they shouldn't go together. And yet, thanks to the transgression of the rules that you mastered so well, everything is harmonious.
Another example here. “Normally”, we avoid being all green, with birds, and a bag with flowers on it. And yet... By playing with the different shades, the outfit - although a little extravagant - remains just right.
Note that this print can also be worn with more basic pieces, such as a wool coat, a cardigan and a t-shirt... All with more sober colors, to "soften" the bird print and the green color .
Note from Benoit: for some reason, Europeans have a hard time accepting fancy pants in a look (me first). On the other hand, in Korea and Japan, men do not hesitate to make it a strong piece. It's very curious, this different point of view depending on cultures on the role of pants in an outfit. Likewise, I remain convinced that this type of outfit cannot be understood without knowing a minimum of the personality of the wearer, that plays a huge role (see Benoit Carpentier of Marchand Drapier, who wears gold bracelets very well, while it is a very cool and approachable guy). Finally, it is obvious that you must agree to polarize with this type of piece, and that many people will not understand your choice. It's up to you to see if that matters to you.
This is one of the things you learn from watching certain parades. And I totally agree that this style can be polarizing, but talking about tastes and colors is not the point of the article. Don't have fun following trends if they don't suit you, but learn to go beyond the rules that are imposed on you, by exercising your eye with the fashion shows. The fashion designers who make these shows are “artists”: they make and break fashion, trends; but that is not what interests us here.
Even if they decide that certain things are fashionable, it doesn't force you to wear them, fortunately.
Note from Benoit: we must understand that we are here in a totally artistic approach. Such a designer absolutely does not seek to enhance a silhouette, to instill virility or elegance. He seeks to play with shapes and colors, like what a painter would do with a canvas.
They too, at their beginnings, were obliged to learn the rules in order to better ignore them: that is what we must remember.
The art of thinking outside the box
We don't talk about it too often on men's fashion blogs or in magazines (I'm talking about magazines, not the hidden advertising catalogs that we all know) but we have to think outside the box and dare to think about elegance differently. You have to make style choices that will assert your personality, or simply help you feel better.
Streetstyle icon Nickelson Wooster draws strong inspiration from military wardrobe in his choice of suits and cuts.
I know for a fact that you should opt for a navy blue suit or a gray suit (and you know it too), because it's the norm and it helps avoid making mistakes. But is it really interesting?
Fashion and style should be funnier than that. It's one of those things I preach a little too often, but you can have fun getting dressed.
When I put on a pair of purple Oxfords with pink socks, I find it funny.
Camouflage desert boots give another aspect to an outfit, which would have been classic with a plain khaki color.
When the inside of my shoes - a shy detail that only I will appreciate - is green, I have fun. To get off the beaten track in terms of style, you have to dare to do what you are never advised to do.
You would never think of wearing leopard print, and yet do you really think there is anything wrong with this outfit? We may not like it visually, but we must recognize that it is well worn, well matched.
Here, we feel all the military inspiration of Nickelson Wooster, with this print that has been popular for several seasons. However, he has always adapted it and integrated it into his wardrobe, year after year. The camouflage print goes particularly well with sand colors, browns...
You have to try it to form a judgement.
By trying, you will enjoy playing with colors, and breaking away from the traditional basic colors of the men's wardrobe. They are of course necessary, and you need basics representing them. But once you have this, go beyond the basics! Stand out from the crowd! Become a master of colors, shapes, cuts and your style! It's possible, without necessarily looking like a peacock or a post fashion week clown.
Very loose thigh-length pants with a straight cut, which would normally make you look like a shopping bag, become a very interesting piece once "broken up" by a very well fitted double breasted pair.
Same thing here with an added difficulty: the loose pants are white and blue striped. But here too, coupled with a fitted jacket, the outfit finds its full interest.
What doesn't look good on paper can have a very interesting visual result.
As I told you above, when we go beyond the basic rules, we can no longer trust anything we have learned. Two pieces that absolutely do not go together “on paper”, or in your mind, can have a very interesting visual result. When we talk about clothing size, quality, cut, we always encourage you to try it on to see for yourself.
If we are talking here about colors and trying new things, the advice is no less valid.
Would you have thought, if I had simply described it to you, that this print could go with a stricter, dressier outfit?
Note from Benoit: once again, this is a person who does not seek to blend in with the crowd, and who even less wishes to have the validation of his peers. More than wanting to be "well dressed", he wants to express something else. And he certainly must operate in an environment where this kind of eccentricity is accepted, if not encouraged.
Be careful, however, if this type of outfit will go very well in big cities, in creative environments, and why not even in an open student environment, it is clear that it will not be suitable for strict environments. Plus, let’s face it: you have to love! Although I think this print is great, I would find it completely normal if someone saw this as a style aberration.
So remember, try new things yes, even if they don't normally go together, but look at yourself, and check the harmony of your essay!
Trends come, go, then come back again and again
Another interesting thing about trends: they are very often cyclical. We can see it on several levels; whether at the level of major trends (men's interest in men's fashion, return of the double-breasted suit, etc.) or for more discreet trends (brown shoes taking over black shoes, the return of bright colors in the man).
Men's jackets are becoming less and less plain in favor of stripes, checks, and other basic patterns of the men's wardrobe.
What you can learn from it
By understanding and observing this, you will be able to make purchases following trends, without actually losing money. Let me explain: if you buy a piece simply because it fits with a specific trend, you are not going to wear it for long. So it's probably a bad buy. But if you opt for a piece following a more global trend, a trend that is part of the long term, there is a good chance that this purchase will serve you for many more months, even years!
Finally, if you know full well that trends come and go, take the opportunity to buy pieces that will cost less. Here again it's an idea, no one is forcing you to do it, but it gives you some ideas on the usefulness of observing (even from a distance) men's fashion trends.
For a few years, we saw buckle shoes disappear, or rather hide, for men. While I personally love it, some of my acquaintances find it in bad taste. But it is clear that if the “big” designers of fashion week have left this piece aside, you find it occasionally and very interesting among smaller designers. Not riding the trend, having no marketing or advertising interest, you therefore find this product at its true price, and by looking a little, at a very interesting quality/price ratio! We could research details like this for hours, but let's move on.
Between fashion weeks and ready-to-wear shows, we find the best dressed people on the planet (in theory)
If like me you love fashion as much as style and elegance, you like watching the famous “streetstyles” that we find during fashion weeks or trade shows (Pitti uomo, Tranoï or Who's Next shows, for example). ).
Unexpected combination of pink/fuchsia which brightens up this whole outfit .
Note from Geoffrey: Of course, there is no need to collect everything from the outfit, but see it as extreme things that you can simplify (1 single loud item) or tone down (an easier color like beige).
During these periods, people come to these shows or parades who are in theory the best dressed on the planet. Not because they are trending, but because they are informed at a level to which we have difficulty accessing. In fact, they have access to brands that we don't know (because they are hidden in a small workshop in the depths of Italy for example), they have access to products that are too expensive for most people (but these figures of masculine style have the advantage of “testing” certain products before everyone else), and so on.
Note from Benoit: more than that, they are simply people who “are in the business”. Imagine how your style would be impacted if you did several world trade shows per year, and for several years... In addition, they have access to wholesale prices, which allows them to dress in very high-end clothing at affordable prices. decent prices.
Even if some will find these “streetstyles” a little frustrating, they are nonetheless an extreme source of inspiration regarding what can be done in men's fashion with colors, with cuts, and with daring; while maintaining style and elegance.
The floral print can sometimes be a good idea if combined with a sober and well-cut outfit!
What should we remember?
To conclude , a little reminder of everything you can learn from Haute-Couture, fashion weeks and streetstyles:
- Master the rules to better break them.
- Think outside the box and have fun.
- Two pieces that shouldn't go together can have a very interesting visual result.
- Trends are cyclical and you can use them.
- Get inspired by these streetstyle characters.
Now that we've covered the subject, do you see these very cutting-edge looks "that you wouldn't wear" differently? Better yet, have they given you some ideas?
