The last two to three years seemed pretty much out of the picture after living in the "pandemic and comfort-tioned" lounge-looks period, and suddenly we got all the focus on extremely studly, sleek, and logo-less presentation cuts, with the best fabrics surrounding those aesthetics having it written into pop culture through TV shows like Succession.
These types of seasons have always seemed a touch off post-pandemic to make up for what should be consumer happiness. Even the dozy little microtrends inundating the feeds during that first awakening time in the world at thumping dissonant synchronization were jumping right into that stylistic void. Without any soul, it felt much more fake and false.
Recently, menswear designer Aaron Levine had his say to Sharp magazine when he stated, "I am just really fed up with fashion just shoved down my throat." That's wearing thin. The nonstop deluge of microtrends as created at TikTok does not get hailed as authentic, besides plenty of being forged in the ways. Modern men really get thrown by all those contradictions every day—high-low lifestyle influences, comfort, confidence, and flashy sophistication all in the mix—but switch in and out as easily with mood.
With funtastic features, such a thing could be foundational when it comes to fashion. Nowadays, workday basics certainly seem out of place with daily lives, but they are also really trendsetting. From there, he breathes two new subversive styles into classic menswear with sloped proportions, exaggerated silhouettes, dropped shoulders, high waists, and cranked patterns.
Going by the latest reports, Colman Domingo is one among those actors who can be counted as more likely to be crowned as the best-dressed red carpet dude or one out of the best. He wears things that would totally fly over the heads of most people, but he keeps it classy and perhaps must really learn to be true to himself at all times. One among those that looked superb last year was that mustard yellow Haute Couture suit, made by Valentino, through a gold tweed overcoat worn to the Critics' Choice Awards.
This new maximism does not have to be very spectacular. Rather, there is a more subdued tier that is coming over menswear, but just huge enough to stand out, enjoy some fun, and be comfy without having to be really big or unnecessary. Most of the time, that's just a little something added here and there—a shape or color on an otherwise classic canvas—and out pops an outfit in the next echelon.
Lescostumes and formal dressing to achieve maximum effect include all of that and love to have a softer, if much gutsier, touch, fun about it. The draped tailoring and such otherwise shine-heavy surfaces made possible by layering take you to places quite easily while feeling all extra special and decadent. This design shift very conveniently puts power dressing front and center while showcasing what is sweet and interesting in the historical romance of men's wear.
Personality is much more than that: it means the evolution of color, pattern, and silhouette. True fashion is all personality; it has its own voice and can show it in very dynamic, bold manners. Today, in this mundane, chaotic, once-in-a-while life, there is at least some hope one might have something every day to look toward, even if it were small propulsions of artfulness and daily energy.
Stealth wealth is dead; fun fashion rules the day.