"I barely wear suits anymore"
"There's no one ever at the office"
"People work from home now so no one dresses up"
"Everything is casual now. I have a few sports jackets but I rarely wear them"
"No one is in suits anymore"
When I hear these statements from men, they inevitably tell me that they like menswear. They just do not have the opportunity to wear it, so why invest in it.
When they mention how everything is casual, they do so with a somber cadence, a yearning and longing to purchase something beautiful and bold.
I occasionally have conversations with men whom are the leading faces of casual: scoffing at me in belittlement as I am a relic of pre-stretchy pant times.
Oddly, men from both spectrums seem to be making a very obvious effort to dress
old money or a bastardized business casual concept.
When precarious men take a chance on me, they often desire to be swept off their feet with the ultimate sports jacket. Something that will elevate their professional identity, reflect status and proficiency and a steadfast standing in their communities. They also want it not to shine too bright, in fear of the mockery and whispers in dark and sinister coffee corners. They want to be able to dress it up and wear it casually. They want a silhouette but not structured shoulders. The truth is, they want to show prestige and status, but are afraid of what that might entail them wearing.
Is it fear of their coworkers? Is it modern fashion advertisements? Are they afraid to look too good? I often halt them right there and ask them why that is? Do you only dress for other people? The yearning and longing is there, the courage is not. Before you flagellate me for my attack on people's courage, I want to make the disclaimer that I am aware there are those that simply do not value this on a point of principle.
These half measured approaches to styling simply end up with professionals wearing poorly fitted chinos or jeans, an off the rack or made to measure blue blazer, and whatever they decide is a shirt that day. The jacket is usually out of place: It's too short because they don't want a traditional length, too tight because they don't want to be passe or old, the aesthetic balance is heavy on the top with tapered pants on the bottom. This makes them look like Johnny Bravo or Popeye with these large volumes of structured mass up top with not much to be seen below. They look like they're going to tip over. For the men who get jackets and pants fitted, the pain is less, but there is no cohesion. The garments clash with each other, they don't look casual, and they don't look business. So why would anyone think they look both business and casual? It looks like half the outfit is at the dry cleaner. Just because one garment is called a business style and the other a casual style, does not mean when you combine the two, you get a baby business casual style. It's like a fashion eugenics fallacy.
I don't blame any of you. I am confused half the time as to what I'm seeing from fashion lines trying to cater to you and this fallacy. Not to mention there seems to be a focus on comfort, which is ironic as everyone's clothes are generally so tight and tapered that no amount of elastane can give you the the mobility your poor crevices require to breath.
So Andrew, you berate us, but what's the solution? I'm will not insult my reader with another vacuous click bait of "FOLLOW HERE FOR SALLSTROMS' TOP FIVE OUTFITS FOR BUSINESS CASUAL" . I do not dress men as either business or casual. I find out the vision that man wants to present to the world, then I build that vision while including their authentic likes and dislikes. There are some guidelines, but the key to dressing business casual requires men to look deep within themselves and decide whether they want to risk having their own sense of style or continue down the path of mimicry.
This vision may end up being high waisted flannel pants with a gansey, or a navy pinstripe suits with white sneakers, and occasionally it's bright lime green stretch pants with a linen Cuban style camp collar shirt. This is when you truly feel casual, when you are wearing the best fitted garments, with your style and coloring, and are comfortable to show it to the world. That is your professional and casual identity, because it's you, not a billboard.
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