Seasons greetings! Hope everyone's enjoying the holidays, and not too stressed out by the procession of parties and endless preparation (well under way here). No idea if there's space on the forum for a post that has nothing to do with celebrating the year's end, but I've been sitting on these looks for a week or so, and I wanted to know what you think about menswear styling.
I’m very attracted to the simplicity, practicality and classicism of menswear, and it features heavily in my style when I’m not wearing skirts and dresses. I think if I were ever to take the minimalist closet/signature stye route, this might be the way I would go. But I’m not a natural minimalist, and I think I’d miss the variety.
Being quite a pronounced inverted triangle, apparently I’m supposed to avoid high necklines and shoulder pads, but the extra definition on my strong shoulder line feels like a very powerful statement. As long as I remember to balance things out with a shaped waist and some fullness in the trouser department this usually works out pretty well.
So here are a few menswear-inspired looks from a couple of weeks ago, albeit with relatively little menswear. I like the combination of structure and slouch that I get with a tailored jacket and loose-fitting pants. And the look makes me feel some serious attitude, although looking through the pictures I want to yell at myself to stand up straight and get my hands out of my pockets.
1-2: The velvet blazer is another oldie from about 10 years ago. I love the tailoring and the piping details, and it fits just so like great tailoring should. But it’s quite hard to style because it resists dressing down, and it’s definitely not of this fashion cycle. Nonetheless I’m liking it a lot this year with these softly pleated tapered trousers I made myself and my beloved creepers.
3-5: Loose-fitting denim is fashion Marmite. I thrifted these oversized selvedge Levis BNWT with the idea that I’d - erm - deconstruct them into something else, but in the end all I did was put a couple of darts in the waistband and wear a belt. Katie Holmes got a lot of stick for doing something similar a couple of years ago but I like the look, this time with a sports jacket from Jil Sander for Uniqlo, and men’s boots. Sewists might be amused by the skinny jumper made out of socks, which I wrote about on my blog.
6-7: A black blazer by German brand Drykorn. I sized up for the fit on the shoulder and bust, and I’m always wondering if I should try taking it in a bit at the waistline. Paired with a very old pair of wide-legged trousers from Cacherel, which I love in the winter (luscious fabric, lined throughout!) but I fear they're beginning to show their age. I think I like the idea of this look more than the execution. I should probably wear the creepers instead of the boots.
Comments and thoughts are appreciated. Have you been rocking the mannish girl? Are you offended by loose-fitting denim? Have I hung on to the velvet jacket past its sell-by date? Should I ditch the wide pants and go looking for sleeker tailoring?
