Monday, July 21, 2014

Moving Onward

    Its an interesting, but not surprising thing, that as the restrictions that have confined men with regard to their ability to express their emotions freely without fear of social reprisal are falling away, and the feelings about sexual diversity are broadening, the place where the Attire language is developing the most new words the most rapidly, is menswear.
    Where the apparel options for men have been extremely limited for a long time, not only in cut and materials but with a narrow color palette, those boundaries are being chipped away daily.  Now, a man can walk down a city street in brilliant green pants, carrying an over-scaled clutch bag, and not instantly be tagged as anything other than stylish.
    And more things than color and accessories are being effected.  Tunics and robes, skirts, kilts and wraps, leggings and tights are all making their way into the fullness of the subset language that is men's attire.
    What is intriguing to me is how this is all playing out on runways so far.  The majority of designers who are playing with these notions have not yet found a clear voice with which to express these changes.  So, what ends up happening a good deal of the time, is that the message gets muddied, as new concepts get grafted onto existing ones without much real consideration of line and proportion.  The results are often a bit clumsy, which means that the potential to really affect change is diminished.  A potential customer is less likely to try a new idea out themselves if they cannot "read" the message clearly from the runway or in print.
    With all that in mind I am going to give you here a series of images of edgier men's fashions, without comment on my part.  Take a good look at them and assess yourself, whether you think they succeed or fail, and why.  Then let me hear from you.
  And don't be afraid to disapprove, dissent is important in any discussion.

8 comments:

  1. The message I'm getting here is that the "men's fashion" envelope needs to be pushed REALLY hard in order to get anything to change at all, which is interesting considering the flamboyance with which men of means dressed in ages past.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It does rather seem like men need to be dragged forcibly away from their addiction to beige and gray. And as you say, so very odd considering men's sartorial past is replete with fantasy, color and outrageous style.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The body suit is cool, and has its time and place. For me, it would be bedtime, when no one would see it!
    I don't get the leopard mini-poncho. Looks like the model should be wearing a plastic cat-nose.
    The silver-haired gent is blazing, and so is his suit. I could visualize myself in it.
    Love to see the chunky boots - naturally - and trenchcoat as skirt is, well, handy. I love the coat on the far right - and this coming from someone who recently had all that angst over a jacket with a slightly unusual cut.
    Yay! accessories.
    The B&W intriques me. Beautiful photo, but the darkness hides a lot of detail. Jacket looks beautifully cut, but I'd like to know more about the skirt or kilt or whatever it is.
    Not wild about what appears to be culottes.
    Too much Italian table cloth.
    The Mad Hatter is downright scary. Is that a giant red bow on his back?
    The Asian-inspired piece is pretty. Again for the right time and place. Unfortunately I never have that kind of time or go to that kind of place.
    Thanks, Mr. Ellis. Really enjoyed today's sampling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for weighing in on all this. I find people's reaction really interesting and informative.

      And, you're welcome.
      (grin)

      Delete
  4. Daring, provocative and not always on "the mark" with execution. Looking at these, one might see them as ridiculous. There is no doubt that the inspiration and influence are taken from every day channels of society. Eventually, the design will take on a more pared down silhouette for the wearer. Once again, a fascinating entry, Paul.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks very much, Charles. Its my hope that some of this at least will trickle down and be adopted by the everyday wearer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like some of these very much, particularly 3, 4(a,c,d), 7, & 8. I would like 9 (sans bow) better if the coat were not in the same fabric as the pants - perhaps a solid.

    The body suit (1) is not bad - it looks like a biking outfit and has a time and place - not daily wear to me. But the face makeup is overkill/ridiculous. The leopard outfit (2) screams Katherine Hepburn. I like edgy but pushing too far to the feminine loses it for me - like the flowers on the cuffs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for weighing in, Michael. it means a lot to me.

      Delete