Is Men’s Fashion Boring?
May 7, 2011 by Arash Mazinani
Filed under All Content, Gentlemen, Reader Questions
I was sat deliberating what to write for my weekly post for the men’s side of the blog when I asked my girlfriend for some inspiration. The thing is I told her that I generally have no problems thinking up new articles for the ladies side of the blog but tend to struggle sometimes when it comes to the men. She replied with the statement ” that’s because men’s fashion is boring”. The thing is that’s not the first time I’ve heard that statement and I doubt it will be the last. So now I’m pondering whether or not men’s fashion is boring?
I asked her what made it boring compared to women’s fashion and she couldn’t really put her finger on it. So that didn’t really help me in my quest to get to the bottom of the matter. The obvious difference between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is choice. One thing women’s fashion certainly doesn’t lack is choice and that choice comes in many forms; choice of retailers, choice of styles, even choice of trends. But too much choice is not necessarily a good thing in my eyes.
Lack of creativity is another thing often cited, but lack of creativity in what way? The number of designer’s and fashion house’s that put out collections for women surpasses that of those for men, so you get wider a variety of collections each season, more trends and styles. It also means you get avant garde collections that are more like pieces of art than items of clothing. Which is fantastic to look at but when it comes down to it we’re talking about clothes you can actually wear everyday, not something that only looks good on a catwalk. Maybe men’s fashion understands this better?
Rick Owens - Louisaviaroma
I also think it may come from how society perceives male fashion and how men react to it. Anything that’s produced on the catwalk is filtered down to the high street for your ‘average joe’ to buy and wear. Women, generally, grow up with the notion that liking fashion is acceptable. On the other hand men aren’t really encouraged to like fashion when they’re younger it’s still not really perceived as a ‘manly’ thing. Because of this I’d say that men are less likely to experiment than women when it comes to clothes. Designers can afford to be more experimental with women’s fashion because it is more likely to be accepted, tried and bought by women. Being more experimental with men’s fashion, therefore is more likely to end up with the clothes gathering dust on the store hangers.
That’s just a theory to a statement that has often puzzled me. I don’t claim I know the answer to why some people think men’s fashion is boring, that is why I’m opening up to you guys.
So…
Is Men’s Fashion Boring?
I’d love to hear your answers.
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I definitely don’t find men’s fashion boring at all. I didn’t pay it all that much attention until just this past Fashion Week when I happened to catch the…Perry Ellis livestream, I think. I guess I always assumed men’s fashion was just for men, but when you’re dealing with such finite choices you find there’s a special attention to detail that can be very interesting. I love seeing how fashion is shaped and just how it’s used within that sphere.
Thanks for commenting Casee Marie you have some good points I guess you just appreciate the aesthetic of fashion.
I am guilty of saying ‘men’s fashion is boring’ many times over – but only because I find the selection in men’s stores so uninspiring. It’s when I see catwalk collections that I’m in awe, often because of the cut of a suit or the strength of a silhouette. But I suppose I imagine that as a man I would struggle to emulate this on a high street budget…and I think that’s why Mr B sticks to a good pair of jeans and a vast and colourful array of vintage t-shirts (and occasionally a Harris tweed jacket). Having said that, I always envy men’s ability to look so good in something so simple!
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Yeah we do look good in simple things
. I think also like you said the things on the catwalk might not always make it down to the high street because some guys just won’t push the envelope that far in terms of trying on new things.
This is a topic I have had several online discussions on and blogged about myself.
I agree with your suggestion that currently, in British culture, men are not encouraged to dress up unless as a uniform to denote their ‘tribe’ (e.g. punk, vintage, emo) and even within those groups – to some extent- experimentation seems to be frowned upon. There could be several reasons for this- latent sexism/attitudes linking ‘flamboyant’ clothing to sexuality (interestingly, a troll posted on my piece that I could not be a heterosexual woman AND like ‘dandy’ type men like Prince, Russel Brand etc’ because they were covering up what makes men and women different- is there a misplaced fear of becoming unattractive to women?), the natural desire of men to establish a pecking order within a tribe (for which you need rules unspoken or otherwise) and of course media/retail inspirations and offering…rarely inspirational at high street level. Indeed even within scenes (vintage for example) I find that men fall into two categories: some dress that way to experiment and express themselves and are open to new ideas, some seem as obsessed with ‘their’ rules as a man who won’t wear anything bar jeans, hoodie and reeboks- i.e. it’s just shirt, waistcoat, brogues or you’re ‘weird’. There often seems to be tension between the two groups in a way I have NEVER experienced as a woman with other women, mainstream or alternative dressers regardless.
A male (mainstream dresser) friend of ours, after a few drinks, once ranted that he could ‘never trust’ my husband because he ‘dresses like … like… different’- this was a widely travelled man from the SE of the UK, articulate and professional: when sober he knew his reaction to a flamboyantly dressed man was illogical. OK, he was drunk, but I think he was being truthful. He felt that my husband’s clothing meant he was lying or in disguise (‘other lawyers don’t dress like that…are you sure he IS one?’) or dishonest/spivvy in personality, and once again latent homophobia was hinted at- how could he br straight and spend as much of clothes as me. Although an upsetting experience, it was an eye opener.
First of all welcome to the blog and wow what a first comment, thank you. Yeah you raise some valid points I have experienced the ‘are you gay’ thing from girls when I’ve been dressed flamboyantly. I think as well if you’re not used to such comments and say you were trying that ‘look’ for the first time, getting those sorts of comments could really knock your confidence and force you to stick to ‘safe’ clothes so you don’t get similar remarks again.
Thought provoking article on men’s fashion. Personally I think men’s fashion in the designer/casual department geered towards T-shirts is quite diverse. There is a tendency for men to dress casually, but they have quite a lot of choice from with brands/designers and they can add variety into their wardrobe just by choosing different styles of T’s (roundneck vs v-neck); so even if a man wants to stick with dressing casually, it can be varied.
That’s a great way of looking at it, thanks for commenting
I don’t really agree with the statement that Men’s Fashion is boring. I happen to be an engineer by profession, so all the time while growing up i had the mentality that what you wear doesn’t really matter. Having said that, my best friend is in Milan and is heads down into the whole Fashion thing.
Over the years, I have gone from just throwing on the first thing that comes in my hand in the morning to running exactly what I want to wear the next morning while brushing my teeth at night.
I think you can really experiment so much in Men’s fashion depending on what you are going to be spending your day doing. You can be wearing an elegant shirt with straight cut, single coloured jeans and sport it with a casual Jacket… or be wearing a full business suit and be setting yourself apart with a distinctly colored Pocket Square. And then the shoes with the matching colored belt. These small things are quite simple to carry out, but can really set you apart in the crowd.
Another thing i like sporting is the Shirt , jeans and Gilet look. And ofcourse, in autumn you can always be experimenting with different pullovers, Scarves and the like.
So, no I don;t think that Men’s Fashion is boring. But it is true that the line betweeen experimenting and being acceptably dressed is much finer for Men than for women.
I understand what you’re saying completely and I do agree. When it comes to men’s fashion it is the smaller simple things that can spice up an outfit rather than anything over the top and elaborate. Great comment by the way hope to see you around more.
Oops, I think I’m also a bit guilty here. I can’t help it, but men’s fashion is a bit boring to me. However, to be honest I think that comes from pure selfishness, because I can’t wear it and therefore am not interested in it. I just have to admit that I never pay that much attention to men’s fashion..
Men’s fashion can be boring, yes, but as you noted, too many choices or too much embellishment is NOT a good thing in terms of men’s fashion. Let’s face it: there are only so many ways to rework tees, shirts, pants, jackets, shorts, and shoes. Women wear so many more pieces and there is much, much more room for creativity.
That said, I do think men get stuck in a style rut very quickly, and most hetero men are reluctant to take risks with what they wear. I’d love to see men try some new looks every once in a while…wear a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up when you normally wear a tee, or a polo shirt with shorts, even when not trying to “dress up.” Try some boots with your jeans instead of trainers. Overall, men make their fashion more boring than it actually is by living in tees and jeans 95% of the time.
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Yeah, I would have to agree with some of the comments above. I do think men’s fashion tends to be boring but really because of the reasons you site above. There’s not so much fantasy in men’s fashion which I suppose a gift and a curse to your gender because men probably have a more succinct selection of clothes off the runway you can actually wear, but none of the ooohing and ahhing of inspiring fashion that I love to see.
I was actually going to post a response much the same as V’s above.
I think a key difference between men’s and women’s fashions is the sheer quantity of items we wear. There are so many more pieces for women to experiment with, it is only natural that it seems less boring because of that. Men’s wardrobes are limited in that they there are a fewer number of key pieces… and fewer accessories… to choose from.
That being said, I also think V hit the nail on the head when she said men do get stuck in a rut quickly. Most tend to go for a particular look that works for them, and it can be near impossible to get them to move away from that. In my experience they gravitate towards low maintenance looks, and once they find one, they stick with it. Sometimes a small change is enough to make a difference, but they hesitate to make it because change is uncomfortable!
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First off, I love that your posts become discussions! So great.
I don’t think men’s fashion is boring, but there is definitely a more limited selection. Men, for example, don’t (normally) wear skirts, dresses and heels. I think it’s more difficult to come up with new ideas for men’s fashion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s boring. I think it’s all about personal style… more women than men are enthusiastic about fashion, and therefore, more men may dress more boring-ly than women — if that makes sense!
I don’t find men’s fashion boring at all. In my case as a street fashion photographer I find very hard to find guys on the streets. A lot of them don’t feel inspired for nothing that’s why they look like everybody else.
lee x
yeah that’s true… I guess when everyone is trying to look like everyone else, it could be hard to feel inspired.
Yes, I think that men’s fashion can be boring at times, however I do not that it’s boring overall. Perhaps, because I know many independent designers and come across folks who style themselves quite well in men’s fashion.
I can see how men’s fashion can be boring, especially in the mainstream market. I think that it takes an effort for a guy to want to stand out, but he does not have to be eccentric to make these changes… For women it may be bold colour, but for men’s wear it might just be a unique trimmed button or a simple lining in his tailored jacket. I love men’s wear and like seeing when a guy has thought about his ensemble, even in the simplest of ways.
Yeah I think others have commented with men’s fashion it tends to be the simpler things that make the difference.
Japan has really interesting male-fashion. In most parts of the world though, the males freedom of self-expression through fashion are severely restricted by the violent and aggressive conservative-machismo culture; where males who dares to deviate from the male-gender expectation risks getting ridiculed or even severely bashed.
Thanks for commenting, I love some of the looks you see in Japane, they really do put a lot of effort into what they wear.
Men’s fashion isn’t boring, in fact men have some guts when it comes to fashion. They’re personality is easily shown by what they wear. Although there are some who don’t really care about what they wear, there are men who are more sensitive than women when it comes to fashion.