Language is funny. Some words are immortal (“the” is still going awfully strong. Like, Highlander strong. Pretty sure it’s going to come down to “the” and “and” at the quickening). Others most certainly have a shelf life. One minute, they’re barely used. The next they’re getting so much use they burn out so furiously that verbalizing their smoldering ashes in public can cause eye rolls.
Fair? Not always. But jargon/slang/descriptor fatigue happens. And the half-lives of verbiage in Men’s Style can get awfully short.
Do any of these need to be put on the shelf for awhile? (guessing it’ll be a resounding “yes” for at least a few). You decide. Cast your votes below. You can vote for as many as you’d like. Use the comments for further explanation and/or alternatives.
Loading ...Any more nominations? Totally guilty of over-using plenty of these here on this very website. Leave it all in the comments. Top Photo: Yale Law Library. Bottom Photo: Martha Soukup. *Gentleman Paradox here
Honestly, I think the most overused word is “dapper”.
I’ll throw in the suggestion that “classic” is overused on many style blogs/communities.
I’m going with #menswear
+1 for “sartorial”. Woof.
My thought exactly – it was a cool word when it was newly discovered and used judiciously and correctly to describe suiting only. Now we have sartorial underpants.
That’s why the site name is past-tense!
Is there an “all of the above” button?
Many of these don’t bother me, as they are simply the most accurate word to describe particular things. (Style, silhouette, handcrafted, menswear.)
Others do bother me, as they are just empty, slangy figures of speech without any precise meaning that people seem to use simply because they’ve run out of lexical creativity. (“Killing it,” “Stepping up your game.”)
Cop. As in, “I need to cop that.” You’re not Macklemore or DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Where’s the option for “spot on”?
HA!
Completely with you. Its been showing up in a lot of product descriptions as of late. And honestly, while I like the word itself, it can come off as stuffy pretty easily.
I’m gonna go with ‘classic’
What about “bespoke?”
I think “loud” is the most vague and consequently the most overused.
Bespoke. Measuring yourself and ordering a suit online from a small catalog (made to measure) is not the same thing. Bespoke is having a tailor/clothier measure you in a store, picking your own fabric/cut/details from the very start and continually adjust it until the fit is right, not just cutting something from a pattern.
Good lord, I’d say it’s “sprezzatura” (any spezz, etc).
I’ve studied painting (yeah, I know) but that word still confuses me when said in the context of #menswear. I always think, “well that didn’t look easy…” because the word is really to describe something that “looks easy” or “made look easy”.
Often dressing ‘up’ means ‘too much’, especially here in on the West Coast.
I think ‘bespoke’ has become tired…
“tailored”
manly…or wooster
Seconded…ESP from Glen at GQ
Killed it!
Swag. You are not Tom Haverford
http://pinterest.com/nbcparksandrec/rent-a-swag/
This article is on point.
classic, timeless, essential, etc.
They’re only overused if you read too many men’s style blogs. To a neophyte surely the language seems colorful and inventive and mysterious. Enough familiarity can drive anything into the ground. So you see, it’s really your own behavior at fault.
Agreed, was going to make a comment about this. In fact, the only terms I voted were those almost childish words which are better suited to a sports context.
+1000. Man, I hate that!
Yes to this. J Crew is an especially bad perpetrator; they somehow “discover” “classic/timeless” pieces … like preppy archaeologists.
Thanks for the Highlander intro. That was my show in the 90s
But, Greg, I aspire to be.
“Pulled the trigger” when describing making a purchase. “I pulled the trigger on that J. Crew blazer” or whatever. Can we not talk like douchebags and just say “decided to buy” instead?