It must have been the recession. The recession forced us all to hunker down, simplify, and do less with more. In a style sense, maybe the return to focusing on fit and cut while leaning on traditional patterns and colors was caused by the global financial white-knuckling of the past couple years. It was a minimalist’s preffered environment. Y’know, as long as you could ignore that whole teetering on the edge of world wide economic meltdown thing.
But now that things seem to be doing a little better… here come the cargo pants? People are taking risks again, and it’s showing up in clothes. Check out Esquire’s picks for the upcoming season’s trends, then c’mon back for our take and to leave your reaction.
1. Bold Checked Everything – MAYBE. Small stuff only. How about bold stripes instead?
2. Nautical Sweaters – SURE. If you want to branch out. LEC has one for $50, but note the shoulder buttons. Not everyone will dig those.
3. Double Breasted Suits – NO. Guys finally started wearing well cut two buttons. Easy.
4. “Colorful” Leather Jackets – NO. C’mon. The reference pic is Michael Jackson.
5. Denim Western Shirts – NO. If you wear jeans a lot, it’s tough to do denim on denim.
6. Trimmed Tennis Sweater – NO. Unless you use “Muffy” as a sincere pet name.
7. Three Piece Suit – YES. Nice to know you can now get an affordable one.
8. Club Collar Shirt – NAH. Seems like change for the sake of change?
9. Slim Cargo Pants – NO. See #8. Multiply by a million. This started in the fall.
10. Contrast Color Wingtips – NO. The contrasting colors and texture of the perforations make em’ a little too loud. A little too much. (which seems to be a theme) And are those lighter patches canvas? So leather, canvas, contrasting colors, wingtip perforations, and a blue heel? It’s a footwear casserole. Why not saddle shoes like these instead
As always, your turn. Agreements, disagreements, and additions go in the comments section below. And do yourself a favor, go out and get a subscription to Esquire. It’s as good as it gets. Tennis sweaters and all.
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