It’s a joke among menswear enthusiasts that being into this whole thing is a considered a “sickness”. Menswear poisons you with cursed knowledge with things like collar shapes, the scale or width of patterns, and a myriad of trouser and jacket details that only we will notice.
In the past, these were all just agnostic clothes, neutral and normal that we’d wear to look “nice” and at the very least, not be naked. But once you’ve taken the black pill, you’re bound to become an Obsessive, using your precious brain power to sort through a wide swath of classic and vintage menswear to express a POV as niche and nonsensical as “a cowboy in the 1930s got dressed for church”. It’s a dumb challenge that we actually think is fun!
Fun is the kicker here because despite menswear being quite a pernicious info and money pit, this little hobby has had such a profound effect on my life, “teaching” me things I may never have thought of— or at least not for a long time. And I’m talking about much more than just dressing like the “character” I see in my head.
The more I reflect on my time as a Menswear Obsessive, especially one that is dedicated to journaling all of my thoughts and experiences within it, is that it’s very clear that this pastime has profoundly affected how I think about everything. I find myself enjoying details in other things, which has lead to a new appreciation for what I’d argue are menswear-adjacent things like watches, furniture, and art. But of course, this lead me to go inward and simply get in tune with my own modes of expression. You all know how much kinship I find between music and menswear, but you’ve also scene me make strides in my pseudo photo-journalism as well as my sporadic forays into painting.
It sounds silly, but this whole thing has opened my eyes to so many things, including a higher appreciation of art with an empathic understanding of various modes of expression (and why everything is subjective). In the end, an intentional approach to Menswear has really helped me become a holistic and ultimately progressive minded person. It not that I wasn’t on this path before, but I think its clear that this absurd hobby of mine only exacerbated these thoughts (or helped push me over the edge). I just want to give it some credit!
On the most basic point, this hobby helped form my opinions on labor practices. The best menswear items (with all the details we love) are made with quality materials and proper construction (labor), which will obviously come with an appropriate price. Cheap clothing not only makes a customer lose out on quality, but someone in the supply chain is being taken advantage of (and MiUSA doesn’t always mitigate this). In that way, discussions on value and material become more about labor practices.
While this certainly also applies to other things (and hobbies) we consume on a daily basis (food, furniture, even music artists), it was menswear that helped me get a better understanding of it. The answer I’ve come to is not that garments should cost less but that we should be paid more.
In order to maintain that view of proper compensation, it’s important for me to be quite “disinterested” in profit. A dogged pursuit of profits creates an aggressive need to sell, which connects to advertising, a pragmatic use of social media, and participation in trends whether you sell apparel or you aim to make money by wearing apparel (influencers). In other words, I soon found myself very “anti hustle/grindset” (anti capitalist), which tends to describe my life’s purview in general. But if I’m being honest, that didn’t solely come from an awareness of labor practices. No, it all really came about from my pursuit and demystification of self-expression through menswear.
You guys know that my goal when wearing clothing has primarily been about self-expression and authenticity. This especially at the cost of “social benefits”, at least when optimization is concerned. In other words, while I know that other garments or styles may serve me “better” in various social interactions, my prerogative will always be to serve my POV and taste. The best way to do that is to separate from those social benefits, which naturally leads to separate from the pursuit of profits or traditional social benefits. In that way, it becomes closer to art (in a silly way of course).
Clothing becomes an intentional (and obviously limited) extension of the self, at least the parts of the self we feel like emphasizing that day. In that way, it’s lead me to be even more critical with elements of my expression as well as how I “participate and communicate” when I’m out in the world. While its easy to see this as potentially anxiety inducing, getting dressed everyday has helped me get even more confident and self-aware.
Menswear has helped me figure out what Authenticity means to me and why I’ve been okay with Standing Out. Not only am I more critical of trends and social media, but Status and Culture overall where I think about what “cool” really means as well as why I like being earnest over being ironic. It’s crazy that Menswear is what got me here. That’s probably what I get for not being able to take business classes (since I graduated in accounting in three years). Introspection and expression is a gift that the silly hobby of Menswear has given me later in life.
It’s easy to see how this happened. When one starts dressing in a context-less way (as in you determine your own dress code or sense of Occasion), it really makes dressing to be “closer” to art or a creative act. It’s not the exact same thing, but the idea of producing something to fit self-imposed parameters (like an outfit) encourages introspection on not just our taste but the semiotics of what we are utilizing or referencing. It’s not really about an objective good or bad but about what is most effective in expressing our intentions.
I like this aspect about clothing, which exacerbates not only my introspective tendencies but also my efforts in separating this whole thing from profit or status chasing priorities.
Delving into this aspect of clothing, especially through the lens of a historically rigid/ and traditional mode of dress, has not only helped me hone my specific style but also improved my appreciation of art and overall expression. In that way it becomes fascinating to find the merit in the different ways people choose to express themselves. It opens your mind to understanding and empathy. A walk through a museum doesn’t just have to be a beeline to your favorite artists; there is always something to learn from a work. You might even uncover a connection with the artist, even if their output is different than how you would do it. As a result, I’ve been able to find kinship with artists as well as designers and dressers that I used to feel quite distant from. Everything becomes inspirational, which is the benefit of trying to lead an Expressive Life.
As a result, I’ve definitely increased my consumption of various mediums of art. This is most apparent in my taste in music, which has expanded to include a deeper appreciation of classical music. But of course I’ve found myself enjoying all wings of a museum and have pushed myself to attend zine fests, poetry readings, and concerts, all in order to enjoy (and celebrate) people’s expressive forms. These are things I never did before but currently serve a big part in my life now.
I’ve also found myself incredibly deeply connected to my hobbies of writing music and photography, with a new push to have my output be more overtly artful. I’d say that my Menswear Experience has helped me consider new mediums like painting and poetry myself which historically felt quite foreign to me. Who would’ve known that menswear would have helped me be a Creative, even if I may not be good at it?
I’ve found that the human camaraderie that came from an Expression-first mindset has given way to an empathic understanding behind people’s desired expression, as well as what those desires and references are rooted from. Getting into this more has certainly helped me discuss menswear and even find a deeper way to “evangelize” people to the gospel; it does help that most of them are already into some sort of creative expression in the first place. But as I dig deeper, it’s also become clear to me that Expression is more than just about producing art. I am specifically referring to those in marginalized communities, where Menswear certainly is about much more than business or occasion attire.
Wearing specific items and styling them in a way that is empowering indeed a statement ultimately becomes more than creating an art-object. It can be about reclaiming attire from the WASPs who historically wouldn’t have let you into the country club. Maybe it’s about dressing in a way that helps emphasize your gender expression. My interactions with various figures, enthusiasts, and friends in the space have shown me this positive, empowering facet of menswear and fashion at large. I’ve learned so much from them! In the end, its clear that pursuit of expression in clothing is an extension of the human drive to celebrate who you are.
Being a proponent of expression naturally comes with a critical awareness of why things are the way they are. This comes with the territory of menswear where so much of these coded connotations and overfal themes are rooted in classism or at the very least, rigid tradition. But that isn’t the end of the story. So many aspects of great style or even the status of iconic menswear pieces comes directly from progressives and counterculture. Appreciating the power of Black Ivy or being inspired by the history of Asian Americans wearing tailoring comes with unfortunate history lessons. And while we have certainly progressed in society, it’s also clear that many of these oppressive systems (and people) are still in power.
In order to achieve an Expressive and ultimately Equitable society, progressive and radical change must be made! Tearing down old policies, community organizing, all of it. Again, I realize how ludicrous it is that Menswear of all things has lead me here, but I’m happy it did.
This experience was abound to happen with any “art”-adjacent medium, especially when it has an approach that prioritizes personal expression over a pursuit of social benefits. Menswear isn’t inherently unique in that regard , but I’ve always found kinship with it and compared it to my other hobbies of photography and composing music. All three of my passions are certainly inspired by “what came before” and are about projecting a POV, but menswear is special in that it is regularly in conversation with the world. In other words, I could have gotten here with other hobbies but I think that aspect of Menswear helped exacerbate it!
This whole topic is definitely a response to the years of conservative and oppressive rhetoric that continues to plague a lot of menswear media. This makes sense considering the classist and imperialist roots of Menswear. Therefore it’s not surprising that “traditional” dress only emboldens such people in their repressive actions toward progressivism and marginalized communities. I find that incredibly frustrating. But thankfully this doesn’t have to be the case.
Menswear can be a positive and progressive force. I don’t mean in terms of simply wearing the clothes, but the philosophy behind it. While I was never an overtly conservative person, it is quite obvious to me that my passion for menswear has opened my mind to become a more critical and empathic person. Yes, Menswear did teach me dress codes and the soft guidelines for cosplaying an era or an ivy league student. But the biggest thing that Menswear has given me is the importance of Expression and the awareness that it is inherently tied to Equity.
Many of you know that these themes have been present through my output (especially from the past four years) but I felt like I needed to state it plainly on my blog because it is so important. I’m sure that most of you feel the same way (how else would you be reading this blog?) but I encourage you to introspect during your journeys in menswear and become more critical of all the facets at play that come with getting dressed. This was always meant to be a holistic experience!
– end of blog post –
Spencer, MJ, and I also discuss this topic on the podcast, where we go into all the little things that Menswear has “taught us” or at least helped us appreciate. It starts off with the typical things like craft or appreciating menswear-adjacent things that we weren’t necessarily into before (such as watches and furniture) but like this blog post, it gets much deeper than that. This includes acknowledging how we’ve become more critical of our expression, aware of how we participate in the world, as well as how Menswear bolstered our focus on Community and Hanging Out! Who would’ve thought?
In short, it is clear that Being Into Menswear has helped us become much more rounded and empathic people who like to celebrate Expression of all kinds. Again, we hope that this is the same for you!
Podcast Outline
- 6:52 – Topic Start
- 12:13 – Buy Things Better/Buy Better Things
- 26:05 – Expression
- 32:24 – Allyship
- 40:17 – Community
- 46:16 – Participation in Society
- 55:25 – Self-Critique
- 1:01:00 – Wrap-up
Thanks for listening and reading along! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord.
The Podcast is produced by MJ.
Always a pleasure,
Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)
Big thank you to our top tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics), Philip, Shane, Henrik, Alexander, Mason, and Alec.