What is style?

[PolePosition]

Originally Posted by Bam!ChairDance

I'm interested in hearing what other n00b experiences have been like

Here's my n00b experiences. Joined a while back because I was on the quest to find better denim than what was available at my local Macy's or other mall boutiques. I live in a Southern state and in the city where I live, there is not much exposure to quality clothing. We have J.Crew and a couple of other boutiques that sell the types of clothing that the MC forum is probably interested in, but that is about it. If anything, the "in" denim here is 7FAM, TR, etc if you are in the well-off crowd, others with slightly more disposable income will buy A&F or Lucky jeans, while others don't want to spend more than $30 at whatever store has sales... so trying to look nice without sticking out like a sore thumb and looking like I'm elitist or try too hard is tough LOL.

Anyways through this forum I've learned alot about fit. Although the super-skinny look really isn't for me (and I don't know how the SuFu people walk around with jeans as tight as they wear them) but I've learned to be more conscious about what well fitting pants and tops look like. I've also learned alot about shoes here as well. I still don't think I have found my "style" yet though and thats just something that will take time as I try to find a balance between what is appropriate for my setting (even my doctor and young professional friends IMO dress really crappy) as well as what is considered stylish based on the things I see here and in magazines, etc.

The toughest thing for me though, is trying to discern if something is stylish because it is, or if its because of "herd" mentality. Hence my flannel thread I started a while back. But I'm still trying to learn.

+1 on GetSmart's style. I couldn't pull it off he makes it look so damn cool. And +1 on braidkid. The guy posts some nice photo's lol.

 

[Rye GB]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

might be the first time I cosigned to Chrono, but yea, what he said

+1, I found it an interesting read, well thought out for a forum piece. Certainly more enlightening than the back and forth bickering so prevalent in recent weeks. I wish I had the tenacity (Smarts) to put something like that the together.

 

[ataboada]

^^+1.

I really liked the original post. I'm a recent inductee of SF and hadn't thought of many things you guys mentioned. I started looking through people's profiles, and went into the WAYWT thread for the first time due to this. I also learned about many new terms, which I wouldn't have come across otherwise.

I do think that the definition of style has to be relaxed and not put much thought into. Forgot who mentioned it, but you really feel best when you forget about the outfit as soon as you leave the doorstep. If you are fishing for compliments, they better be due to attitude and energy and not because you want someone to confirm that you already look good. This is were you switch roles from actor to director, and possibly to producer; you will see that you cannot only have a performance, you need the setting, a mood and a lot of detailing to pull off the great movie.

 

[mkarim]

Very informative post, esp for newbies like me. Thanks!

 

[mkarim]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

+1, me too.

my theory:
I think the whole "clothes scene" (if I dare call it that) is like a music tribe. At some point everyone is green, then they learn a few things and it's all very exciting (which turns some into know it alls), once that luster has passed is where the real fork in the road occurs:

-person 1: looks back (at shock and horror) of how much he's spent on clothes the past 2 years and decides it's all too much for him and gets disinterested in clothes. but he still has some nice stuff and will only occasionally buy, perhaps at a 50% sale. Deep down he still has that SF foundation where he knows what looks good etc but it's become a distant footprint in his memory

-person 2: really gets hardcore into "clothes". spends nearly all his disposable income on it, and it will probably branch to other related areas of his life like furniture, art, etc. Maybe never really finds a consistent style and will always represent what current designers/brands have to offer rather than searching for a specific look/item. This person is dressed by whatever look is current.

-person 3: finds his own "style" and will seek out specific items that relate to it, regardless of brand/designer. Like person 2, his interest in this precise aesthetic will branch out as a lifestyle choice in furniture, art, etc.

I'm sure there is a person 4, just not sure who he is. Most will probably become #1 or 3, tho most probably are at #2 until they get to #1 or 3

I am #2 moving to #3.

 

[Lel]

Originally Posted by izlat

I am very surprised to see such positive feedback on this post. What's so great about it?

The post is not written well. Also - not "thought out" well. This is just my overall critical opinion of the piece, not of the person and responders, and should not be taken personally

Cheers

Originally Posted by jet

I was surprised myself, but the discussion it spawned is actually worth reading.

These are both true. I actually was going to post this topic several days ago but backed out due to laziness and during that time I have thought about certain subjects and members a lot more. I also intended to add in a few more members but I simply forgot. Either way I just hoped to spawn an interesting discussion and to be able to keep it civil.

I just tried to make the post coherent and readable.

Originally Posted by unrated

Lel, great post, now let me ask you, how does one go about acquiring their own style and personalizing it? Is it a cookie-cutter type of approach where you look through magazines and select certain looks then emulate them with your own pieces? This is something that I have been doing, although I have a sense of identity where I realize that certain outfits I can't pull off at all. I think my style may be a little bland, however I do ensure that everything fits and is proportional. I've made improvements ten fold just by doing this. On another note, isn't it paradoxical that an individual can have the "steeze" aura yet own pieces that are expensive? If they shelled out that much dough for clothing, then how can it be steeze? Because they obviously do care? I'm curious about your thoughts.

This is a tough question mainly because I don't know the answer and I hope no one thinks that I am pretending to know. It's also difficult because the answer is not the same. I, unfortunately, am in the same boat right now.

There is nothing wrong with trying to emulate certain looks. And I think this is one area that I left out.

Inspiration
I would argue that this falls underneath context. For some people, the inspiration comes directly from their lifestyle. I would say that once again, Get Smart is an excellent example of someone who not only dresses a certain way, but has also lived out a certain lifestyle. In a way, it adds a sort of credibility to how Get Smart dresses because he wasn't just some whiney suburban kid who wanted to attach himself to a scene.

And as much as I find the entire "fashion" industry ridiculous, I do draw some inspiration from there too. I think that, in an artistic way, we tend to draw inspiration from extremes. The true test is to emulate it and moderate it so that even in daily situations it can look good (as Chris does with gothninja). When I see prevalent trends that initially confuse me I try to understand it and approach it with an open mind. Unfortunately even then there are still some things that I cannot understand (for instance, frop crotch pants).

I personally try to draw inspiration from anything and everything I see, from real life contexts to internet resources such as SF/Sufu/Sartorialist/Runway shows/Etc. Sometimes it's not always about even liking the look or understanding it, but drawing inspiration from it anyway you can. For instance the Sartorialist is often laughed at here because some of the outfits are so ridiculous. But if it became the same thing every day , good fitting clothes that aren't too shocking, I feel that it would become boring. Even if I see an outlandish and completely unwearable outfit, I can still draw something from it that I appreciate.

One example would a Thom Brown runway look (can't find it now, sorry) but it was essentially a person in a suit that was entirely covered with flowers. The entire look was crazy and in all honesty, stupid, but it did remind me of a member on SF who I assume makes suits and just for fun, he used some left over wool fabric to construct a flower and placed it within his lapel pin. That struck me as a fantastic idea that I would love to try someday.

Originally Posted by chronoaug

I did actually read all that lel. Hard to respond since there are a lot of points.

Chrono was a member that I forget to include. I thought it was really interesting because not too long ago all I would see in Chrono's WAYWT posts are the same Raw Jeans/AA shirt over and over again. And now each time he posts it's sort of a surprise to see what he's wearing. It's refreshing and it's fun because we, as SF, get to see him experiment with different looks to see what he does and doesn't like. I can only assume that I will follow a similar path.


All in all, the "themes" of style are mine only and I'm not trying to make it official. That's simply how I see it. For me, consistency and fit are some of the most important mainly because of my size and how most OTR brands will never fit me.

 

[erbs]

The real question for me is how people found inspiration/created their style before the internet age. How did icons like Brando and McQueen stumble upon their unique style? Perhaps it was easier when there were fewer options available, and people were forced to dress according to their lifestyle/circumstances when they didn't have a host of other styles one click away.

 

[chronoaug]

Because they mostly didn't have style. They were really handsome, in great physical shape, and had people dressing them in movies all the time, where most the pics of them came from. Probably got to keep things from movies too. That's the myth of many classic sartorial icons. Most of the "style" was from them being really handsome. A lot of average joe's wear the exact outfit and proportions that mcqueen, brando, and james dean wore and they'll look really boring and plain.

 

[erbs]

Do you think that the knowledge that they were good looking/famous influenced the way they carried themselves, thus adding that attitude or "sprezzatura" element that can really make or break a fit?

 

[chronoaug]

Yes. They're handsome movie stars. How can you not have confidence when you're good looking, really popular, rich, etc....

 

[Crane's]

Style is all about wearing whatever well. If I dressed in a nice bespoke suit I might look good but my composure would throw it off and the look would not be balanced. I wear workwear and outdoorsy stuff all the time. I work in construction and I am an avid outdoorsman so it's a natural choice for me. So now my composure and clothes work together to make my style and that style fits me. Get what I'm saying?

 

[Robert]

Feeling self-confident has a lot to do with "style." That can come from being well-dressed, but not necessarily.

 

[unrated]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

That's the myth of many classic sartorial icons. Most of the "style" was from them being really handsome. A lot of average joe's wear the exact outfit and proportions that mcqueen, brando, and james dean wore and they'll look really boring and plain.

Going off this same point, I think there is another factor that can be make an individual have style: Congruency.

If I tried to copy GS style, it would not look right on me. It would be incongruous with my personality and even my physical looks. I obviously don't know GS IRL, but I'm willing to bet that part of his persona is reflected in the clothes he wears. I remember another guy posting an outfit which is comparable in aesthetic to GS, but somehow it just didn't have the same effect. He didn't have the right kind of face and posture to pull it off in the same manner. Similarly, I can't really see GS pulling off a bobo effectively. Its almost like you have to posses the right physical look for certain things to "pop" more. What I mean by that is, if you took two individuals and styled them alike, one person who has the right look or vibe will make that outfit work better than the other. BUT, you can take inspiration (as lel described) from a certain look and make it into your own and develop congruency.

 

[wmmk]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

Yes. They're handsome movie stars. How can you not have confidence when you're good looking, really popular, rich, etc....

Dunno if you were being facetious, but I can think of plenty good looking/rich/brilliant folks who have next to no confidence. Just look at how try-hard Brad Pitt looks in his terribly pattern-matched Tom Ford.

 

[Robert]

Again, true confidence does not necessarily come from appearance, clothes, etc. We're talking about an inner quality.