I have been accused of writing a gender-biased column, which I have to admit, is completely true. My knowledge on men’s fashion is semi-limited. I used to think that they didn’t have as many options as women.
It appeared to me that males were confined to shirts and pants in varying degrees of dressy-ness. I always found this to be a little sad, since there wasn’t as much room for exploration except in accessories, until recently when I noticed a few variations to these staples. Ergo, here is a column aimed at the other half of the population—specifically those with Y chromosomes.
It would seem that a whole new world is opening up for men. For instance, lapels on suit coats are changing color. I don’t know why people haven’t thought about this before, but it looks fantastic. A gray suit coat with black lapels is so fresh and unassuming, and who doesn’t love clothing that assumes nothing? Another example: the “club” collar is making a comeback (“club” meaning rounded edges). This is a vintage throwback worthy of taking another look at. Even more profound: men’s necklines are changing.
Necklines don’t get enough credit. People don’t realize what showing some collarbone can do for them. I don’t mean that all men should get into the Fabio romance cover look, and I’m not advocating for pirate shirts—since I’ve only seen a pirate shirt done well once in my lifetime. What should be considered, if you haven’t considered it already, is a good V- or scoop neck. Unfortunately, anything but a crew-neck for men has been pigeon-holed as “indie” or pretentious. But don’t let that stop you.
Different necklines create different “lines” in general, which is the same thing for women. A V-neck lengthens you out, draws the eyes upward and can make you look leaner.
Another plus: changing your neckline could be seen as an act of social justice. I am myself, a social-feminist and all about equality, so I ask: why should women be the only ones who are able to wear V-necks? People are always bending social norms and re-defining “masculinity.” The male population should step up and break down gender biases and stereotypes. Plus I know a lot of women who think V-necks on men are sexy.
The last thing I would like to address is the odd phenomenon of men wearing clothes that don’t fit their bodies. It appears to me that some males think that baggier is better. Not always true. If you are a hardcore rapper I could let this slide, but since the average male is not, we should maybe look into this. Wearing clothes that are way too large for you make you look larger. Unless you really want to look abnormally disproportionate, don’t do this. The other thing is the length of T-shirts. A lot of you have really long legs, so if your T-shirt is showing off the top of your jeans, this can make you look like your legs are taking over the rest of your body.
Men, you should not discredit yourself from the fashion world. You are important, too. So to sum up this article for those of you who don’t get tickled pink by reading clothing advice, vintage looks are nice, pirate shirts are usually bad, wear clothes that fit your body, and to be honest, this is all just opinion anyway.
