Fashion trends you don't buy into - Page 2

I was never a fan of boat shoes even before they weren't trendy.

Skinny ties
Skinny lapels
Tie bars
Trench coats when there is no chance of rain
Colored wayfarers
Pants hemmed at/above ankle

After going through the mid-70's wide lapel, big collar look and then the skinny ties of the early 80's, i realized that too much or too little is only fun for about 6 months. I don't buy into the super short inseam, the too short jacket either. I would rather buy higher quality clothing and stick to a cut that will look good for years.

The Ohio State University?




Jon.

So basically this? :

www.thombrowne.com/



Jon.

Sportcoats with hooded sweatshirts underneath

Just when you think they've gone away, they'll sadly return in the Fall.

Striped sportcoats, esp. of the dark navy w/ the bold contrast stripe in one color (white, silver). Here to stay? I can't buy into it myself, but I wonder if the casual, "let's go to the boat race" associations are not so ancient as to be forgotten. Broad horizontal stirpes, e.g., navy and white, were once associated strongly with prison clothing. I think people have forgotten all about that. That's a fashion trend that I've been seeing more and more since, at least, that Spiderman movie with the Sandman who wore that cool shirt. I see those broad horizontal stripes everywhere. I think they are here to stay. It's been decades since prisoners wore anything but orange jumpsuits. And people like stripes. I would buy into this but haven't yet.

+1

I agree on all of them except tie bars. They may have become somewhat trendy but they're still a classic item that look good when not worn with the rest of the downtown hipster uniform.

Boat shoes had a specific purpose, or specific application when they were popular in the Preppy hayday of the 1980s. Sailors and yachties needed non-marking rubber soles that had slits or channels in the soles that provided some traction on a wet surface. Thus, the white soled Sperry topsider.

In the last 20 years, new materials have been introduced into sailing shoes (and gear) so most sailors and yachties wear something that looks like an athletic shoe now. Or, they wear Keens, those ugly but functional sandals with the hard rubber toe covering that were designed by a sailor who was tired of jamming his toe on the rail of his sailboat.

If form follows function, there is no longer a need for boat shoes to look like the original Sperry topsider. I suppose some would buy them because they are nostalgic. Perhaps buying Sperry topsiders (or their look alikes) is similar to buying a Barbour waxed cotton jacket--it has a certain look, but it is heavier and less functional than a gore-tex jacket for rain protection.

To me, the boat shoes looked best when they were weathered: sun bleached and sewater stained. In that case, they looked like actual boat shoes rather than street shoes patterned after boat shoes.

Where I grew up, sailing was a summer sport. Therefore, boat shoes were a summer-only clothing item, like shorts and polo shirts. Also, I looked at boat shoes as being pertinent to sailing--an athletic shoe of sorts. Accordingly, I would not wear them in the colder months and I would not wear them when not on a boat or near water, just as I would not wear hiking boots or ski gear or tennis shoes in inappropriate situations.

In summary, boat shoes have their purpose and in the boating context, they are fine.

I`m open to just about anything except capri pants.

Boat shoes are great for sailing, but not as a fashion trend. I also don't buy into the cropped suit trend, skinny ties, faux-hawks, boot-cut jeans and overly embellished clothing.

Thoughts on shorts with a jacket, tie and wingtips? Not sure if this is one of the latest trends.

+1 on the Keenes or rubber seaboots for cruddy weather. If not for deck hardware, I'd just go barefoot.

+1 on square toed shoes.