Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

Boston Style with Kristy

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Paul usually writes about technology, but he writes about travel too.  And he’s gearing up for a year-long ramble around the states.  How then, could he write about both men’s style and travel when he’s going to be living out of a van and skipping showers?  By interviewing people in the places he visits and getting their take on the local look.  This is a test run, so let us know what you think in the comments.

Kristy is one of the entrepreneurs behind Quinn Popcorn, an all-natural microwave popcorn start-up that only uses pure ingredients, and she’s a New England native currently living in Boston.  Learn more about her and her business at quinnpopcorn.com or by following @quinnpopcorn on Twitter.
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How would you describe men’s style in Boston?

Boston has a ton of colleges and start-ups in the area and the music scene in and around Boston is unreal.  Given this, the city is casual, but in a very hipster kind of way … and then there is Cambridge.

Cambridge and Boston are two totally different fashion worlds in my opinion.  You have old school Burberry, boot cut jeans, and L.L. Bean duck boots on Charles Street in Boston that collide with skinny jeans, Converse or Campers, and Hickoree’s Hard Goods button down shirts on Mass Ave in Cambridge.  Facial hair is also big.  It all comes to a head in Harvard Square where anyone can pretty much fit in.  Take your pick, you can’t go wrong.

What’s a popular look in Boston right now?

I have been seeing a lot of awesome, light-weight, military-inspiredicon jackets these days.  They’re either total prep or total indie.  Being that it’s summer now, and it’s still only about 60 degrees, people have been slowly breaking into their jean cut offs … especially over in Cambridge and especially if you ride a bike.

What’s a Boston fashion don’t — what do people wear that’s terrible?

I see too many Birkenstocks around … and Tevas!  AND people wearing boots with their shorts … Let’s agree not to do any of that.

What’s the best look for a guy?

A neat beard, leather flip flops, and a linen button down shirt tucked into light weight navy Bermuda shorts.

Got another take on Boston style?  Let us know in the comments.   And if you want to keep track of Paul’s other travel adventures, check out drivinginertia.com or follow @drivinginertia on Twitter.

Comments

  1. Ah, Boston style:
    http://gqm.ag/qIFna4

    Not saying the article linked above is scientific nor am I defending it, I just thought it was funny that this article goes up after this GQ article caused such a stir last week. Or was this no coincidence?

  4. As a Bostonian, I can agree to some degree that the people here are not all sartorially inclined, but that’s not to say that everyone is that way. I know tons of people male and female who look great. I don’t like when we are compared to the “cambridge” crowd. Let them express themselves. And being a traveler, I can say that people in NY FL IL are not all that better, and if we take out our intellectuals, we could even cOmpete.

  5. Huh.  I actually didn’t catch that one.  But didn’t GQ just do a “douchiest” colleges list?  Worst dressed, douchiest, man… must be the heat that has GQ getting up on the wrong side of the bed.

  8. Boston idiot here. Our rich culture in no way permeates into city dress.  One time at South Station, I noticed literally every person was wearing either boring black or a hideous colorful Northface jacket.  In the summer, it’s horrendous striped polo shirts and basketball jerseys.  College kids on partially explain it – sports mania is a factor too.  It’s a shame, because Boston is a great city save for the people and the weather.

  9. I never really thought of you as a “chip on shoulder” type of douche.  Wait.  That didn’t sound right.

  10. I love reading Dappered, but there has to be a first for everything – and this is the first bad article. It just seems to gloss over a few neighborhood stereotypes with a few bits of supporting detail tossed in. Long-form tweet.

    I don’t think you can do the topic justice without a lengthy piece, but I’ll add a bit of my own observations:

    Financial district is pretty stylish – seems to be enough young blood walking around to shake up the staid.

    Back Bay as well: old money, meet new. Underpinned by understated Prep.

    Alston/Brighton is a stylistic zygote – the inhabitants wont find style for a while. Northface/leggings/etc. 

    Charlestown – at least the yuppies who are 80% of the place now – do the J. Crew thing well.

  12. I’ve been to Boston a lot, and I never really got that impression.  Must depend on the neighborhood. I did find the North End to turn very Jersey Shore as soon as the sun started to set.

  13. Good insight on the different neighborhoods, SL.  Thanks.

    However, the first bad article on Dappered was actually this piece I did about a weird iPod internet gizmo: http://dappered.com/2011/05/the-cheap-20-per-month-almost-iphone/ 

  15. Yeah, I definitely agree, though as a Cantabrigian-Bostonian (born in Boston, grew up in Cambridge, going to school in Boston) I definitely think Cambridge has its own style outside of the all the “intellectual” stereotypes. I also agree that a lot of people here are not sartorially inclined at all, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, like GQ seems to.

  17. See, I like the people and the weather — I just don’t like how small your restaurants are.  Seriously, there are maybe 3 tables at Neptune Oyster and about 6 at B & G.   

  19. The majority of Americans just don’t have style. Function seems to come on the top of the priority when they are clothes shopping. I am thoroughly disappointed. If anyone wants to contest what I say, I would suggest you to just stand at the international arrivals at any major airport. You will see the difference of sartorialistic Eauropeans & Asians, compared to Americans covered by Columbia, the North Face, and Nike.