Commentary on Modern Man’s Fashion

Am I alone in being woefully disappointed in the direction today’s fashion has taken for men? From over-designed Ed Hardy t-shirts (or the generic equivalent) to baseball caps with the sticker forever clinging to the brim, frat boy fashion has leaked into mainstream society, much to the detriment to those of us who have to look at them.

The bright colors and busy patterns of the Ed Hardy tee are our generation’s equivalent to the Hawaiian shirt, loud, obnoxious and never appropriate. I still see guys in pink polos with popped collars. Why hasn’t anyone told these individuals that this fad, which was never ok in the first place, has gone the way of Hypercolor shirts and acid wash jeans?

And this is from the guys who are actually trying, the rest are wearing stained t-shirts, basketball shorts and dirty Nikes.

It’s not only the farcical nature of the pieces of clothing themselves, it’s the fact that it’s all started to look alike as many boys blindly follow these lazy and uninspired fashion standards. When you throw in the ever-present goatee, there is no telling them apart (there are plenty of females who fall into this cookie cutter fashion wormhole too, but we aren’t talking about them right now).

Let me elaborate on the fashion failure that is the goatee. I love facial hair, when it’s done right. However, the goatee is most often facial hair gone wrong. It has become a symbol of skeeze especially when, in many cases, it is used to create a jaw line that doesn’t exist. There are some guys who can pull this off (you’ll note it’s paired with a tailored three-piece suit), but most end up looking like this guy. Also please note calling it a “circle beard” isn’t fooling anyone.

Once again, I find myself reminiscing about an era I never experienced. Men in the ’40s and ’50s knew how to dress. Fedoras, double breasted jackets, three-piece suits, straight edge shaves… *sigh* Now I’m not saying everyone needs to dress like a GQ cover model, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a cue or two from some of these men (there’s something on that list for everybody).

I’m calling for the resurrection of thoughtful fashion. It’s less about fashion and more about being an individual. Good fashion comes in many different forms. Find a style that reflects your personality and make it your own. Even if your style is a t-shirt and jeans, polish it and be able to effectively dress for the occasion no matter what it may be. It’s not that difficult, even those who struggle undoubtedly have a fashonista sister or friend in their lives who is more than willing to help them out, for the sake of all fashionkind.