Men’s fashion often consists of boring garments that are limited to T-shirt and V-neck designs in earth tones (as pictured above). If men demand more eye-catching garments, then clothing stores will create more options and broaden men’s fashion (zkuws/creative commons).
Men’s fashion is somewhat of an oxymoron, considering the options are usually neutral-toned basic T-shirts and pants, with the occasional long sleeve or thin V-neck sweater thrown into the mix. There’s nothing “fashionable” about it.
When it comes to runway and red carpet looks, men like Harry Styles and Timothee Chalamet have been killing it with androgynous and colorful looks that push the boundaries. While I understand this type of fashion feels a bit “out there” for most men, there’s no reason they can’t mix it up with a bright color or a nice thick sweater.
I work at a clothing store and 80 percent of the time a man picks up any item of clothing they ask for it in black, blue or grey, maybe green if they’re feeling spicy. This is just ridiculous to me. Try a bright purple or an orange; get out of your comfort zone.
Now I do think this is somewhat the cause of societal conditioning and all that no good stuff, but I think it’s also the fault of the clothing stores. Clothing stores just tend to not offer many options to men.
I think this is best explained in Alice O’Keeffe’s article for The Guardian, “Why do we dress boys in clothes that are grey, joyless and dull?”, in which Keeffe explains the experience of trying to bring her eight-year old son shopping for a colorful outfit.
Keefe details them going from store to store with nothing but dull and drab options. If this is the reality for eight-year old boys, imagine trying to find a colorful ensemble as an adult male. It seems ridiculous that clothing stores carry so little options for men when it comes to colors and androgynous styles.
Another facet of the article brings up psychologist and fashion historian, JC Flugel and his book, “The Psychology of Clothes,” which was published in 1930. Flugel explains that men’s fashion took a turn for boring at the end of the 18th century, or at least that’s how I interpreted it. The shift, which Flugel called the “great masculine renunciation,” resulted in men moving towards more practical wear from the original flamboyant clothing that showed off their wealth.
Given that men are increasingly being encouraged to express themselves in the 21st century, it only seems fair that clothing companies give them the option to do so. What would really push these stores to stock these items would be if men started asking for brighter colors and more style options in things like sweaters and pants, showing that there is a market for more adventurous clothing in men’s fashion.
Men, I beg you, please break the ho hum pattern of the last 200 years and scour the internet for a sweater in any color of the rainbow (just make it bright). I guarantee you can find one and you’ll not only look great but probably feel a lot more confident with all eyes on you. And hey, if you’re hesitant, just remember Chris Evans broke the internet by wearing a white cable knit sweater in “Knives Out,” so imagine what you could do in a purple one.