Early & Late: A Philosophy on Trends

As a classic menswear enjoyer, it’s very tempting for me to assume that I’m above trends. Much of that tends to operate on an outdated notion of trends, relegating it to only be reflected in the mainstream or overly hyped stuff. But as I’ve begun to introspect and critically think about menswear, it’s clear that we aren’t immune to trends. While we all know that menswear has been subject to trends and social preferences during every decade, but the fact that we’ve seen a rise of sportswear/preppy mixtures and menswear-adjacent aesthetics (loafers, high waisted wide-legged pants) rise in the public consciousness means that menswear has a potential to invoke trends. Overall, to wear menswear means something that is quite different than how it was perceived a decade ago.

That’s because all clothing as we know it is built on a mountain of connotations and status signals. Everything we wear communicates something, whether it’s intentional or not. It also communicates something simple (like when you wear merch) or something a bit more complicated (like wearing classic menswear for fun). All of this is exacerbated in the algorithm and engagement loving internet world as well as the fact that determining “proper” context is now in the hands of the public (for the most part)

As I’ve accepted the idea that clothing is about communicating (Derek Guy has always referred to it as a language), I’ve begun to see trends as something akin to slang. Slang (or whatever way you decide to talk) reveals a lot about you; it’s more than just the fact that you can speak. It plays with your context, using natural affinity, adherence, or even subversion to reveal what your social priorities are. And when we have access to all sorts of silly and absurd slang, it really is up to us to decide what we want to say. In that same way, how we utilize clothing trends reflect how we participate in culture. The decision to invoke,reference, or subvert trends is directly related to our social priorities as well as our personal taste. And if we dive deep into our own preferences and shed then feed for pragmatism, I believe that we can leverage trends positively in order to further our expressive goals within classic menswear and get the most out of our wardrobe.

Trends are everywhere, whether they’re across big fashion groups formed from the internet…

..groups made from a love of a more singualr thing (trad menswear?)…

…or among the friends you actually see often. Trends show a mood, a preference. They are one of the manifestations of taste and our social priorities.

I realize that this is a very broad way to look at the concept trends, but it is required to use this mindset, especially when discussing trends within classic menswear.

This is mainly because trends do not work in the same way they used to a few years ago. In the past, trends were disseminated top down from publications, designers, and celebrities (usually actors). Trends were quick but at least were able to rise, mature, and fade in clear ways that can be seen as movements in mainstream culture. But the internet changed all that. We now have niche trends existing simultaneously as mainstream ones thanks to individual algorithms as well as the media itself giving attention to everything at once.

It is honestly hard to pin down nowadays what exactly the difference between niche and mainstream is. Blackbird Spyplane, the insightful fashion newsletter by Jonah Weiner, has a great post on trends where he differentiates between the different types of trends and what groups might be concerned with them. Macrotrends tend to involve regular non fashion) people with their broad strokes; there is a reason why macro trends tend to coincide with bigger cultural movements. Microtrends and nano trends aren’t as wild and involve those who are more actually initiated in the space; to me they tend to encapsulate moves within an existing system, functioning almost as a mood or emotion.

It can be tempting to see these as distinct activities but Weiner actually states that these trends and subgroups are all interlinked. I definitely agree. With the internet age, a macrotrend can come about due to a mix of micro/nano trends. To me, the rise of wide fit in the mainstream streams from 90s skate revival, 80s yuppie attire, 1950s sportswear, and heritage/milsurp/workwear all coming to a head. In the same way, micro and nano trends tend to reflect a subgroup’s attitude toward the mainstream. Menswear’s adoption of slouchy fits and sportswear/ivy-prep/skater skew in the Post Pandemic world is clearly an echo of the greater fashion world, just done in a classic menswear-friendly way.

Classic menswear is not an island; it is clearly willingly participating in a trend world, just now in a way that is more than just changing a lapel’s width. It has always needed to do this in order to survive and remain relevant as a style people may consider when they want to get dressed. The wide fit, 90s lean is not the first time it’s happened. When you look at mall brands, Pitti, and even old Armoury photos, it’s clear that the slimmer fit, electric blue suit with tan monk straps was a trend…for both adherents and the mainstream world. Fashion and classic menswear also had a similar moment with the 70s that seems to already be on the way out). The internet accelerates the life cycle of trends by facilitating conversation between the niche and the mainstream. With a broad view, anything can be a trend, whether it’s an entire genre (like 70s or full workwear) to small moves, like getting specific items like Salomon shoes or a cream western shirt.

We can’t forget the fact that guards are also changing. People bring the niche into jobs with more reach, like a few of the NYC menswear guys working at Todd Snyder, turning it from a dad brand into something that reflects the taste of the niche (though obviously diluted into something that is a tad more accessible). I’m sure that brands know this, as keeping up with trends (both macro and niche) are the only way that they can ensure steady profits and survive with the added bonus appearing relevant (at the very least). It works the other way around too as fashion enthusiasts aspiring to make it in the industry know that in order to gain ubiquity (a portfolio of sorts), they need to participate and reference trends whether they are macro or micro.

That is why my approach has shifted over the years so that I don’t spend too much time differentiating on the different types of trends in order to put them into some kind of hierarchy where one is better than the other. At least that’s what I’m trying to come to. It’s just a moot point, especially now with everything being in conversation and up for grabs. Whether it’s something newly invented or a revival of some element from the past, classic menswear will be affected by it. It typically picks the latter, but whatever it is is still referential in some way to the current zeitgeist (whatever that means anymore). They need to do this to maintain their status and continue enjoying traditional status benefits.

You can see the current state of men’s fashion (that for the first time in a while, leans slightly toward elements of classic menswear) through newsletter and moodboard accounts like those above. And as you can expect, most influencer accounts both reflect and inform them. You are never obligated to participate in the trends they report, but its quite interesting to dip into them. I find that they occasionally work to provide new context for your ideas, whether its a new or old move.

Edgy Albert’s “midboard“. It really is interesting to show “new” trends against the old. It’s all about communication and context!

Edgy Albert himself echoes his own midboard, which makes sense!

It is clear that we need to reframe how we look at trends, at least in a way that deprioritizes their control over us. BBSP alludes to agency in his article. If there is no escape from trends, we might as well use it to find a way to be “ingenious and alive” and find items that “drip harder” than everything else. This might still be a rough game to play as what is “cool” and has “more drip” can require serious navigation of the social/internet/cultural zeitgeist. That is why I have always wanted to reframe cool as something we find aesthetic expressive kinship with. Whether other people like it already or have a propensity to like it should simply be an after-the-fact bonus instead of the metric of our gauging our participation.

I realize that reframing our mindset on trends in this way can be difficult especially considering the dystopian and exhausting never-ending presence of trends. Macro and micro/nano trends are in constant communication and flux within their own groups and with each other due to the internet simultaneously keeping cultures separate (as echo chambers) but raising their ubiquity in the general consciousness. The internet has also given us “non-traditional” tastemakers like influencers, who are quite distinct from the celebrities and designers who came before simply in that they are able to monetize directly from simply having fame and not from what they actually contribute. This is a relatively new phenomenon and turns trends into a meta-commodity rather than simply emanating from them.

By leveraging the correlation between an audiences’ engagement, their own ubiquity, and the desire for traditional status benefits (money), influencers both inform/create trends and are beholden to participate in them if they are to maintain (or raise) their status (and therefore their benefits). The fact that influencing has become something to aspire to means that everyone is more than happy to let this positive feedback loop continue. Temporarily embarrassed millionaires indeed!

This is why participating in trends can reveal more about our social aspirations than our actual aesthetic taste. As a result, a garment can be discarded simply for its connotations rather than its aesthetic merits. I find that very disappointing! I can’t even begin to fathom the thought of not wearing something simply because it’s been “overplayed” or “uncool people are wearing it”. I’ve never felt threatened by other people’s participation, but that’s probably due to seeing myself as “low status” where I have nothing to lose if other people start wearing the things I like. If I like something, I like it because it’s good for me, independent of other people. In fact, I’d love it if more people appreciated what I like! Maybe other people should be concerned if I start liking what they like because that will ruin their status. 😉

NOTE: I tend to only give up things when I can’t fit into them. If I could fit into everything I’ve ever owned (and have unlimited storage space for seasonal items), I would most likely still wear them today.

In any case, this is why I want to move the discussion of trends toward what makes us expressively happy (and accurate to our aesthetic vision) and away from the acquisition of social benefits like getting a bag (which comes from fame) or coitus (which I guess could also come from fame). Of course, this operates on the fact that something is good whether people like it or not, which I definitely believe in (like my spearpoint collars or wild foulard ties). In other words, we need to prioritize our own taste and not be afraid to Stand Out). Only then can we achieve true freedom (or at least agency) over trends. Trends will go from being a game we begrudgingly play to simply a vehicle for us to be introduced to things we may find expressive kinship with.

If it t wasn’t for trends, each of these items would have been stuck in their own lanes and I wouldn’t have thought to put them together into a fit that feels perfectly Ethan.

It is because of that view that I can openly admit that I appreciate trends (of all kinds)…as long as they serve my taste and expression. But seriously, they are quite helpful for me. When you spend your time looking at the same Apparel Arts illustrations or old 2015-2018 tumblr posts from Drake’s and The Armoury, things can get stale. It’s not that those things are bad or even played out, but it’s nice to have another player in the conversation, another context for me to frame my style. I don’t always want an echo chamber, you know?

In that way, trends have the benefit of providing something “new” in a medium that probably has more relevance to your everyday life than an old photo (or at least didn’t require a lot of work to find). In other words, trends provide context for me to dress after, either by subverting it or playing into. Trends even help me appreciate something new about the things I already liked, since they provide that additional context. For example, I’ve always liked opera pumps and seeing Tony Sylvester wear them in non-black tie ways is helpful for me to know that I would get a lot of use out of those dainty, low vamps beauties.

Granted, I have seen a lot of things thanks to how much menswear expression existed during the Golden Era. When classic menswear is concerned, I’ve already seen a lot of wacky things. But that just means I am much more careful in how I utilize the trends that I see. In most cases, it was about finding an appreciation of certain style moves or trying something new with what I have. I’ve dressed in severely unbuttoned shirts when the 70s revival was coming around; that also helped me revisit my workwear and milsurp roots. And with the slouchy, 80s/90s mood, I’ve started to appreciate dark and tonal shirt/tie pairings; while this didn’t result in a pure Armani redux, it did giveaway to Frasiercore.

Of course I have been inspired to buy things thanks to trends, though usually its singular items rather than changing up my entire aesthetic (which I would never do). I can think of my recent (it’s been almost a year now) purchase of cowboy boots, which came about from the 70s and western revival (that seems to already be on its way “out” in the zeitgeist). My side zip black boots came from Husbands (as well as general 60s-70s inspiration). And of course, the chore coat was a result of the late-heritage movement, the budding vintage workwear revival, and all the Drake’s overshirt content from back in 2017).

What I’ve noticed is that my use of trends requires some careful introspection, especially when it comes to buying something I have never owned before and isn’t just a style move I can do with what I already own). It always has to make sense for what I regularly wear; after all, whatever gets added needs to compliment or be an appropriate alternative to the things I’m already excited to wear (which is everything in my wardrobe). In most cases, the things that are new to me always end up being very versatile outside of the trend that introduced me to it. So while I am very aware of and are supportive of their analysis, actually utilizing them in my expression still requires them to pass muster.

This is all because I find trends and acting on inspiration as an additive phenomenon. Trends give me the ability to add to my existing expression, creating a fit that can be simultaneously fresh and still natural to me. This would make BBSP happy, to make something that has something for the niche and the mainstream to enjoy, though with the added bonus of not really changing much or buying something crazy. You might think that if I just introspective hard enough, I would’ve gotten into something trendy before it happened. That might be true, but I do like being lazy every once in a while. I want to simply let time (and trends) flow for me to opt into at my leisure.

So in reflecting on my own applications of trends (I’ll also count Spencer and MJ here), I see two main ways of leveraging trends: being Early and being Late. Both are great and should be used openly, provided that you prioritize your own taste above social benefits and use them as a guide. You definitely shouldn’t participate in every trend just for the sake of the trend. That’s not what taste is about!

A beret in 2018. Early for #menswear or Late for vintage menswear? Doesn’t matter!

Relatively early to pumps outside evening wear (though Tony was there first), but hopefully not for long. It’s fun and people should do it!

Being Early doesn’t exactly mean to “hop on every bandwagon” but rather, it is an invitation to wear things because you like it. Sometimes other people may be there too maybe you got inspired by a few cool cats who are always trying things), but the garment or move is definitely not mainstream or even common in your niche. And no, this isn’t about trying to get some clout or recognition for being a forerunner. If that’s the only (or main) draw to doing a clothing move, then you have a different approach than I do. To me, this is just about happening to be early. It’s just a bonus!

I realize that this is easier said than done. Some people are not able to think if they can wear something unless they see some other examples of it being done (which is why they are not early). However, I do think that it is possible, if we just like things enough or aren’t afraid to Stand Out. This is the basis of personal taste, especially if you’re a quirky, cringy little weirdo. And remember, you’re supposed to do this whether or not it becomes big; you’ll still do it even if no one else does.

For me, this would describe some of my abstract foulards, spearpoint collars, sport-vests and honestly most of the “core” things that I wear. I’d say that I liked them as I saw them (and was able to find them). Yes, these were worn by a few niche people (like vintage enthusiasts or figures like Ethan Newton or Tony Sylvester), but it certainly didn’t describe the whole of the men’s fashion space when I first started (though these things are more popular now). There is something different about seeing something in an illustration or photo and then seeing it executed IRL. With that perspective of looking through the storied history of menswear, my core looks are actually late. I’m just wearing things people liked decades ago (though I was one of the few, at least within the contemporary menswear community (I am just normal in the vintage scene, but I largely left it due to unsavory people lol).

In this world, no one is truly the first, but it’s clear that you can be Early. And if things don’t catch on, you can just be Perpetually Early. That’s because Being Early is about diving deep in your appreciation for a garment’s expressive properties rather than trying to glean some of its social cachet. It’s about not being afraid to Stand Out and to simply dive deep into what you like! In that way, being Early is key in expressing your personal taste both in the garments you like and where you like to get your inspiration.

I realize that this whole thing may be hard to classify as a trend (in the pod, Spencer continually says that it just sounds like this is about liking something that exists), but I’d say it does because this is about capturing and executing on when something trends for you. But sometimes that’s not easy or instinctual. Most people require evidence before acting.

Decidedly late to Barbours with tailoring (as in within #menswear lol) , but that’s okay. I wanted to make sure it fit me (no pun intended).

I feel like I was also late to tied sweaters, fatigues and tailoring (to. an extent), and Belgian-esque loafers.

Obviously seeing something trend among the Early Birds or in our own niche sources (photos, illustrations) aren’t always enough for us to unlock potential. Not everyone can be convinced of a spearpoint collar or camp collar shirt when it’s only worn with period accurate styling. People need some more examples for us to get fully sold on something. Additional testing free from our own biases, if you will. That’s where being intentionally Late comes in.

When you’re late, you’re letting the trend reach its apex on purpose. This is to allow yourself the ability to see multiple forms of this trend, not just the one that is the most common or most popular on the algorithm (which is often very same-y). A trend with “staying power” (or max aesthetic versatility) will always be echoed through different subcultures, providing you with different examples to glean from or subvert.

When you’re late, it would be impossible not to find some form of a trend that you find kinship with, provided that you were at least interested in the trend to begin with. Derek’s “things I’m excited to wear” series tends to always skew a bit later than the current zeitgeist (Ribbed tanks were at their height last year), but he knows that at this point, these are things that will stick with him and most likely the average classic menswear enjoyer. For some of my menswear friends, they needed more than just me (and 1960s photographs) wearing white socks and loafers in order to try it for themselves (and see how easy it was).

Hell, to that point you might not even feel ready to participate until it’s already out of the zeitgeist. Of course this means that “cool” people have taken all the social profit from the trend, but that’s a good thing! If you’re still interested in it at this point, that means that you’ve gotten confident enough in your expressive kinship with the trend that you can do it yourself safely. It’s good to make sure that you want something, even if other people are tired of it. Though to be clear, you shouldn’t do something just because other people don’t like it; you should always like a garment or a style move for its own expressive merit.

For me, everything that isn’t Golden Era/Esquire Man are trends that I’d consider myself trying. For example, I got further into heyday-1980s ivy-prep in 2016-2018 as a way to reconcile my love of vintage with being contemporary. I’m aware that this was when Drake’s was in full swing and trending, and so if you compare me to all the NYC guys who were wearing paraboots and wallabees with corduroy suits or wearing a turtleneck base layer, I am very, very late.

This is because all of these “trends” other trends like mixing milsurp, the use of sneakers in not exercise attire, going sleazy with the 60s-70s, and other various non-1930s things did not exist for me in my narrow source of inspo. A lot of this stuff has vintage connotations (“these are just things that exist”, as Spencer says in the podcast), but I needed the zeitgeist to inspire me to look in the first place. That’s why every article that isn’t expressly about suit-and-tie tailoring tends to include inspo from a variety of sources. I need to be late to know if this was something that was applicable to me, even if it was something that initially piqued my interest a while ago.

If it sounds like all of this pertains mostly to casual clothing, you are correct. Casual attire, when compared to conservative (or vintage tailoring) participates more directly in your everyday communication with the world, which is why it is the most affected by trends. I know that’s why I struggled with my casual style for a long time simply because it was the mode I seldom wore (and still don’t). Even though I’ve gotten more confident in wearing my tailoring (with a tie) out and about, I still see the merit in dressing down and participating more directly in the non-Ethan world.

That’s why I did the MFA basic bastard and mediocre shades of SLP which honestly felt out of place with my tailored look (which hasn’t broadly changed). After introspecting, I settled o on what I do now, which tends to be a mix of rugged Ivy, workwear/milsurp, and Safincore. What changed was that my casual style echoes what I like from suits, which only happened because I started to be late. I needed to make sure that what I did made sense for me. I didn’t want to change out my casual attire every year nor have too disparate of a wardrobe; I still like being able to mix at will.

That being said, I’ve still utilized trends to give my casual attire new life without buying new things, like doing the school boy look to reference the ivy-prep skater trend though this is mainly because what I like (kinda) is currently trending in the zeitgeist. That worked out quite well for me! Perhaps all of the current trends prove that classic menswear is quite versatile…at least when you keep it broad and widen it to encompass all aspects of vintage rather than just what you should wear to the office (though I’d argue you could wear all of this to most jobs).

Trends helped me appreciate 80s/90s styling and find a way to express that directly in the clothes I already owned! It’s vintage, contemporary, and authentic to my taste all at the same time. Thank you, trends!

Overall, it seems that a discussion about trends is ultimately how we recognize something we may potentially like and our methods in implementing or referencing it on ourselves. It is about inspiration and participation. Whether we are Early or Late, trends can be our introduction for appreciating garments and moves we have not tried before. Trends are a vehicle for the New (to us). It will always be up to us to evaluate their staying power as well as the risk for attempting them.

Again, the most interesting thing I learned while writing this is how trends (the ones I participate in and reference) are always an additive thing to my style expression. Like I said before, I don’t like to buy garments or do moves that don’t have staying power within my wardrobe. While I go back and forth between using my gut and being late and safe, I always end up sticking with it. It may not be exactly as the trend prescribed, but I’ll always know that I was inspired by it. To that point, I’m always inspired, but I only act on a few things (though I’ll always prefer the trends I can do with my existing wardrobe).

That’s why if we can introspect on trends (at least the ones we find kinship with) we can then evaluate what exactly it is we like about them and suss our motivations for how we participate in culture. Personally, I find it best when we do things because of a trends’ expressive merit rather than simply trying to gain some type of social clout. It may assist us with relevancy in some way (like how my casual style shows that I still do “participate” in my own way), but it shouldn’t be the primary motivator.

I am not the first person to do western wear in tailoring but that’s okay. I do it because I like it!

You may have noticed that I didn’t reflect much on copying aspect of trends or even the social value of being the progenitor of a trend. That’s because that’s not my priority. I really don’t care if I am Early or Late, because that doesn’t affect why I enjoy things! I’d actually prefer it if I wasn’t the only one doing something because I like the idea that anyone can find value in what I like. In the reverse, this is why I’m plenty fine with my taste and expression being influenced to some extent by others because I know that my own research is quite narrow and insular. I don’t mind being exposed to things and I know that it still takes a lot to fully impress me.

It’s also worth noting that I’ve never felt inauthentic or felt like I was losing something in regards to leveraging trends in my attire. I think one major element in this is that I always say I am a fan of slouchy classic (and vintage) menswear, which is intentionally broad and therefore encompasses a lot of things. I am not defined by just specific genre like being just milsurp, ivy-trad, or Bryceland’s, etc. I just like what I like and I like a lot of things. Granted, classic/vintage menswear is still niche compared to the wider world of men’s fashion, but this of vaguely narrow-yet-broad mindset provides me with so much freedom and inspiration to wear and referencing things old and new.

And that’s why it’s really hard to do something that no one does. At the very least, you might be the only one who does it in your immediate physical context, which honestly doesn’t mean jack shit in the internet world. You can always find existing examples of something, whether it’s historical or contemporary. It’s important to keep in mind that individuality is relative to your contexts and should certainly not be conflated with authenticity.

I am perfectly okay with what is essentially “copying and doing variations” because that’s what this whole blog has been about: appreciating what I like across a variety of mediums and finding aesthetic kinship within it. It’s almost like a film score, where the whole name of the game is leveraging ideas from across the musical landscape to express emotions that an audience can glean. Ideas may not be original, but they are still authentic to the composer and their own way of combining what they like and feel works for what they want. That’s why Cinematic Dressing relies on recognizing and referencing existing things (like trends) to make an outfit you want. But I am also clear that what I want wasn’t always about diving into my own self-expression. Or at least, I wanted to express that I wasn’t trying to be too different.

The effect of motivations on my style is very clear to me as I look back on my style journey. If you look at old photos, I used to dress in “on trend” tailoring back in the 2010s in order to communicate that I was more than just a period dresser. My use of those trends wasn’t about an expressive appreciation of items, but to simply show that I wasn’t just a fogey. This came at the cost of feeling like I was a shell of myself, as well as a wardrobe I didn’t actually enjoy having. Diving deeper into my personal taste (as well as a healthy dose of confidence and maturity) was what got me out of it and on to the real journey of dressing as the “True Ethan”. Even if I was simply being inspired by other things and not 2015 #menswear, it was still based on an aesthetic appreciation.

Maybe this whole thing would be different if I wasn’t specifically into tailoring or if elemetns of menswear weren’t currently enjoying a renewed time in the limelight. But what’s done is done and it’s definitely had an interesting (and largely) positive effect on my style!

@tanner_dean
Just the reminder that personal style isn’t just an internal search that exists within a vacuum #personalstyle #fashion #authenthicity
♬ original sound – Tanner Dean

It’s important to keep this in mind when talking about trends!

Trends, like everything else I’ve talked about on this blog, are about utilizing our taste (also known as curation) and the introspection we must undertake in regard to expressing our Authenticity. Taste should always rule all, leaving trends to be not an obligation but a fun plaything for us to enjoy.

I apologize for this being long, but if you want an equally long discussion, be sure to listen to the latest podcast episode of Style & Direction! You won’t have to just listen to me because Spencer and MJ share their own insights into trends/culture, how they navigate utilizing them, and which ones they’ve tried for themselves. In the episode, you’ll definitely hear Spencer’s exasperation with my broad philosophy on trends, since it its clear that the things we do are just..things that have always existed in some way. But the point is that I discovered and appreciated it through a trend of some kind, be it macro or micro/nano.

I firmly believe that no one is immune to trends. As BBSP suggests, we can’t escape them because everything we do is a bit of a trend or at least becomes in communication with it. Again, this isn’t cause to be nihilistic. This whole thing is positive, provided that you have strong taste (and don’t mind being Early or Late) to help guide you. Taste is always what matters most!