current candidates for male style icons:
brandon flowers [the killers]
andre three thousand
mr. pharrell williams [n.e.r.d.]
essentials of a current male style icon:
- know what garments give you power. whether it be a bowtie, a interesting suit jacket, or a casual flair to a formal outfit...men should realize that certain clothes give you a persona.....a certain je ne sais quoi. for example, a simple bowtie can add quirkiness and character to a simple plain suit. (dotted black pattern bowtie, today's gentleman $16.95)
- fit, fit, fit. the biggest hurdle that young men face when attempting to reach a certain level of fly.....is FIT. clothes come in different sizes for a reason: people are shaped and proportioned differently. this means...if you are 5'10 and a buck 35 PLEASE don't wear the same xxl shirt that your big cousin jayjay is wearing. on the flip side, my skinny jeans wearing males, PLEASE dont squeeze all you have in those miniscule jeans....there is something called SLIMFIT. google it. male style has a lot to do w/ tailoring clothes to fit your stature...and learning what clothes [ESPECIALLY DENIM] are made for your physique. a well-tailored suit takes the regular joe [non-plumber] to james [bond-esque]. know your measurements and follow them religiously. (richard chai, fall 09)
- don't limit yourself to the basics. i always hear guys complaining about how guys have no choices. newsflash: there can be more to a guys wardrobe than t-shirts, jeans, shoes, and a nice button-down shirt. designers are realizing different realms of fashion that can be explored in a man's wardrobe....from accessories [ex.a stand alone timepiece] to high-quality outerwear [understated yet dashing coats]. so stop whining about how you don't want to look like everyone else....and start letting your appearance reflect your individualistic attitude. (watch, aldo $35, leather jacket, william rast $765)
til we blog again,
bo$$lady.
bo$$lady.
p.s. i am not a man....so if i am totally off base....let me know.
3 comments:
You are on point with your style... I would like to only add to that. This is a guy that I think is a leader in male style (this is the guy specificall, he owns the bkcircus)
http://www.thebkcircus.com/blog/?p=4773
check out the other postings on the blog too. Incredible style
You know I always value your opinion deeply when it comes to style. The thing about males that somewhat cripples, if not limits them when it comes to a sense of style (and I mean real style, not your jays or forces etc) is the fear of taking risks. Another thing is how easy it is to come out looking like a walking fiasco, I find myself screaming out simplify, simplify, simplify! whenever I see a mistake somewhere. However, there are so many genres of what men consider to be "stylish," and these genres are mostly deviated by race and activity. I'll give an example; take the style totally dominated by so called "hipster rap" or "back packers." The style of dress that includes dressing like the "cool
kids," lots of kids, mainly black, dress like this and accumulate
that genre. Personally I think it is just a group of prepubescent
garbage. Then there's the skater style which involves the skinny jeans, this is where fit comes in, personally this is how I justify
the jeans, women wear skinny jeans to show off their curves,
men wear skinny jeans to show off their shoes. However, fit in
other areas such as sportcoats or peacoats, as well as button
down shirts to an all out suit is definitely important. I recall being
a young boy in nigeria, about 6 or 7, and having to wear suits
whenever my mother flew in for a visit, both my brother and my
father, would have to wear suits as well just so we could all take a smashing family portrait. Call me a girl or a homo, but I loved every second of it, partly because it was one of the few times I got to see my mom, but also because my father went through hell trying to get those suits tailor made to the most miniscule detail. The bottom line is this, even as a child, I understood that at the end of the day, the man with the
golden fit wins. Oh and I love the killers.
I would put Kanye up there in terms of male style icons too, as well as Farnzworth Bentley (who I credit with bringing back "brothers in bow-ties" as a legitimate image)...
Peter above me hit the nail on the head, though - "The thing about males that somewhat cripples, if not limits them when it comes to a sense of style (and I mean real style, not your jays or forces etc) is the fear of taking risks." True style for men is defined by confidence, testing what you look good in and even MAKING yourself look good in the ordinary. I'm a point right now where I'm trying to redefine my own style (I've been on a professional tip since starting college, straight polos and button downs for the most part), so this was really helpful in terms of giving me a starting point.
But yeah, style begins with confidence - trusting what you wear. And wearing it (the clothing and the confidence) with flair. In my opinion, a man is capable of pulling off even the Quailman look (http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2007/09/Quail%20Man.JPG) if he's confident enough. lol
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