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Affordable Men's Style

4 of the most confounding men’s style trends of fall 2013

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There is no evolution in style without risk. If it wasn’t for someone taking a chance at looking goofy, we’d still be walking around in tri-corner hats. But there’s a fine line between style evolution, and a trend for trend’s sake. Here are four from this season that could very well qualify as the latter. Of course, just about anything can be pulled off by the right person. Leave your additions and thoughts on these four in the comments section.

 

#1. Furry or fuzzy Collars on Outerwear

fuzzy collars with topman

Claiborne Faux Fur Collar Peacoat – $79.99 ($100) , Topman – $400.00

What level of pimposity does one need to naturally project in order to pull off a fuzzy or furry collar? The Claiborne is a pure embodiment of the Ron Johnson too-much-too-soon misstep that helped lead to his ouster. Stumbled across it in person the other day at a brick & mortar. There was a 70-something, weathered, farmer type digging around for a new winter jacket. We were in the same general vicinity and just having that jacket there made me want to apologize to him for our generation.

 

#2. Camouflage everything

camo time

Banana Republic Silk Tie – $69.50, Macy’s M151 Jacket – $139.50, Suitsupply Monk – $259

We in the rank and file don’t express our gratitude to those serving in the military nearly enough. Now we dopes in civilian life have to go and suck the life out of something as basic and utilitarian as camouflage? Was it because the military went digital? Do we blame Wooster?

 

#3. Mixed Media Garments

mixed media

Mixed Media Blazer – not yet released (drat) | Phillip Lim for Target Button Down – $29.99

Franken blazers. Shirts that look like they’ve gone through back alley sleeve transplants. Bonus points if you actually work another trend, like camo, into this one.

 

#4. Denim Blazers

denim blazers

Claiborne – $59.99 ($80), Lands’ End Canvas – $139.00

Most of us have been waiting all summer to get back to wearing jeans. So wearing another piece of denim up top is most likely a no-go. There’s the Canadian Tuxedo, so would jeans and a denim blazer equal the Canadian smart-casual? (With all apologies to the Canadian readership…) A lighterweight chambray might be one thing, but a thicker denim seems odd.

Feel free to explain/defend the above four in the comments. Also, what else have you been seeing in stores that you just don’t quite… get? Varsity Jackets? Waistcoats? Piped blazers? Kiltie loafers? Leave it all below. Top Photo Credit: Here and Here

Comments

  1. Does adding a ushanka with the fur collar make it better or worse?

    I might also nudge you in a different direction re: camoflage. Rather than the military, think on how rural america proudly wears a whole pile of it every day.

  2. I think fashion is like crop rotation. Some years, you just have to let the landscape lie fallow as a barren wasteland of ugly pointlessness so you can squeeze more out of the productive years.

  5. Why do any of things exist? The world would be better off without all of the above. Also, agree that camo probably stems from the infatuation with duck dynasty and the like; but if you’re not hunting, and you’re not serving – you don’t need it.

  6. I like camo in small doses thanks to Wooster and I’ve seen some mixed media pieces I don’t think are hideous but probably wouldn’t wear, but the camo blazer and the posted mixed media shirt/blazer are pretty gross. The others are a strict no for me.

  7. ive seen the taylor stitch version of the denim blazer and it looks the most sleek, paired with some chinos it works pretty well.

  8. Dunno, I kinda like the denim blazer idea – especially with cords/moleskin trousers/other truly FW-only pants, it’s a direct inversion of the corduroy jacket & jeans look. Maybe it fails in person, but conceptually not insane.

    Also allows for a truer manifestation of the Canadian Tuxedo, a la an actual denim suit (Dan here: http://tsbmen.com/29609/wiwt-what-i-wore-today-50/). LEC could at least give people the option, with pants in the matching fabric (although the blazer is a little too obviously designed as a separate for it to work well).

  10. I actually really like the (faux) fur on the collar trend, it adds a little fabulousness to an otherwise ordinary coat or jacket, but it can easily be too much. And I agree wholeheartedly with not liking the other three trends, unless the mixed media is something like a leather or fur trimmed collar, cuffs, etc.

  11. I actually want the LEC bike jacket. The rest of that stuff is just as confounding to me as it is to you. OK, not entirely, I know things have a way of coming around, and those fuzzy collars were all the rage in the late 60s-early 70s. Not that they were any less fugg then, but if it was in style at one point it will be again. Oh and camo has just jumped the shark. That’s one of those things that was popular last year, so everyone who missed the boat then is doing it this year. I guess the good news is if you like camo it will all be on sale soon because they made WAY too much of it.

  12. I agree with 2, 3, and 4, but judging by the number of compliments I received when I wore my faux fur collar jacket last year, I disagree with 1. For the record, my pimposity level is almost nil.

  13. My dad once cut up an old fur coat and sewed a huge fur collar onto his Carhartt jacket. He wore it when the temps were -20°F and worse. Who knew he was such a style innovator.

  14. Don’t knock ’em til you’ve tried ’em. I scoffed at them myself until I found a pair at Target on clearance for $7 that happened to fit me perfectly. They are great for cold weather casual wear with work boots and a chunky sweater.

  15. I feel like camo has been a recurring theme in men’s fashion well before Duck Dynasty came onto the scene.

  16. Agreed, I like camo in small doses and in the right context. Something like a NATO watch strap or a fitted thermal henley would look completely fine in woodland camo. Ties, blazers, and monkstraps? Not so much….

    Of course, I also live in the rural Rocky Mountain West where head-to-toe camo would barely merit a second glance, so.

  19. i actually quite like the claiborne peacoat. ever since tom hardy rocked something similar in “tinker, tailor, soldier, spy” i’ve been considering getting one and i am not pimp at all. i don’t get kilties or drop crotch pants. i wonder if this post was inspired by the awful phillip lim/target collaboration. i do like how companies aren’t trying to hide their denim offerings with the word “chambray” anymore, call it what it is.

  20. I had a suede fronted jacket with knit sleeves and back that I liked, but that probably says more bad things about my taste than good things about the mixed media thing. Though it was a similar texture, so it wasn’t as obnoxious as it could be.

    And at least the faux-military styling from last year hasn’t showed up, where it seemed like everyone had a coat with stand collar, epaulets, and bellows chest pockets.

  21. Does anyone make a camo print, denim blazer with fur collar and leather sleeves? If so, I want one of those.

  22. Tried that Claiborne denim SC on at JCP a little while back. It was actually kinda nice. If I were to wear one, it would most likely be paired-up with some sort of earth-tone cords. I don’t think it would work at all in a blue-on-blue getup.

  23. Re: #4, I don’t see how this is much worse than chambray – and by that I mean chambray blazers also belong on this list

  24. I have seen a lot of each of these and I just can’t get behind any of the EXCEPT denim blazers and other outerwear.

    There is no reason why trucker jackets need to be the only chunk of denim that you wear on your upper body. Denim can be pretty versatile. I got a denim peacoat, last year, and you wouldn’t even be able to tell. It has become my favorite piece of winter clothing.

    So yay on the denim, just don’t pair it up with jeans of the same fabric. Heck, stick to chinos, it’ll look great.

  25. They’ve been around a while and Joe pointed out more recent things. I’m not a huge fan of double monks, though I own a pair I grabbed on sale for $30 at Zara, but I think they’re going to stick around much longer than the stuff in the post.

  26. Cheap shot. I’ve lived in rural America my whole life, and other than hunters, there’s probably a lot more camo on the streets of urban areas these days than there are in our “backwoods” communities. And yes, that last bit was sarcasm; we have that here too.

  28. Yeah, I was looking for the plain cotton one, but found that, as such things go, it’s a nice blazer. But I wouldn’t want to try to mix and match my denims. Maybe some grey dress pants though.

  30. the denim blazer I can see, and I would wear on casual Friday or maybe to a casual affair. The fur collar reminds me a bit of Al Pacino’s character in Donnie Brasco. A bit too mobbish. Camouflage is passe (in my opinion) Great for hunters, not so much for execs. Nothing to say about mixed media clothing. Last thing I wore that was mixed media was a letterman’s jacket 30+ years ago

  32. I think if someone managed to find one, it would be the ultimate grand champion of ‘offered without comment.’

  33. I saw the same Claiborne jacket in the store a week or two ago, and had almost exactly the same reaction — I was embarrassed for my generation. I’m choosing to blame Macklemore for this one, though.

  34. I generally agree that furry collars are a no go, with one exception: shearling. I have a shearling bomber jacket that looks pretty sweet, and is really, really warm. The collar is furry and I’m OK with it. But, if the coat wouldn’t naturally have a furry collar then it just doesn’t look right.
    I don’t own a single piece of camo and unless I get drafted I never plan to. And I’m too old to get drafted.
    The Canadian tuxedo was celebrated today by the guys at Kempt, and they have pretty impressive photographic evidence to back it up.
    Contrasting sleeves only work on varsity jackets.

  39. I don’t think much partying happened during The American Revolution. Or maybe it did. What do I know?

  42. Shearling as in sheepskin that’s been turned leather-side out so the wool is on the inside. Except at the collar. But, I actually don’t mind the fur on a corduroy or jean jacket for some reason.

  43. I’m not wearing camo unless I’m actually trying to hide in the forrest. Whenever I see it on the street (except for actual military/hunters of course) it just looks affected – to me at least.

  47. i love the camo backpack that Lim did w/ target, the rest of the collection is really iffy though. the blazer above looks pretty icky to me

  48. What about a denim pea coat? I picked one up a while ago and have only worn it a few times. I love it. It is a bit difficult to wear it often though.Thats not me in the picture…in case you guys were wondering.

  51. I am really not a fan of the camo trend. Not only do I find it disrespectful, but from a style perspective it’s just downright obnoxious.

  53. There are attractive women on virtually every television show out there. That’s never been a particularly compelling argument for me, at least not in absence of at least one or two other solid reasons.

  57. I think the camouflage is in regards that last year, across the pond it was a “must have”. I know on Fashion Bean (a British Men’s Fashion blog) Camo was supposedly “in” last Fall/Winter.
    Coming from rural background and being a sucker for Army Surplus stores I am more than happy to wear camo and still dress nice.

  59. These are all dreadful I agree. Camo is so gross as fashion… unless you’re a hot girl, then whatever.