Mens Fashion

When meeting strangers people get judged and will judge based on the appearance. Research states that most people only take about 3 seconds to judge the person on the opposite side and spend the next 90 seconds trying in confirming the previous judgement. Only after this comes every other possibility of proving your intelligence. Therefore, it becomes imperative that everyone has to dress appropriately for any event you are attending so that you create a proper first impression. When it comes to men there aren't many choices to choose from when it comes to standard clothing. But there are still varieties enough to confuse a person. Thus knowing about the choices and then taking some time to figure out the ones that best match your taste is a good way in building your wardrobe.

Most mens fashion styles we have now at present is the product of history and tradition. Vintage clothes are a famous style but other new mens fashion garments take inspiration from the old styles now and then. You will be surprised at how we still carry on our tradition and how some old mens fashion still works for our generation. If you are a person who is interested in mens fashion and one who doesn't mind trying different styles then this article may help you. In this article we are going to take a quick look at the foundations of the mens fashion and how much it has changed over the time. This may help you understand the shifts involved which in turn can help you develop your own personal style and taste.

Before the 19th century mens fashion mostly consisted of them wearing expensive clothes with extravagant and minute embroideries and details. People were rich and didn't mind showing that off in their garments. Bright silks, jewelries and details ruled the market for a long time. But after the end of the century and start of the nineteenth century these expensive styles slowly dwindled off. The Victorian mens fashion like top hats and frock coats fell out of style and more simplistic styles started to come into trend. At that time this seemed to be a drastic step and a restrictive way of dressing. Still people tried incorporating some fancy styles into the clothing thus giving rise to an era that had them wearing panty hose, feathers and heeled shoes.

As people moved on, the start of the 19th century turned mens fashion into that was mostly for utilitarian purposes. Thus, the styles were largely kept at being simple and unimaginative. The outfits turned out to be lean, long and athletic designed as such so that they can aid greatly for the working class. Some of the characteristics of the clothing that define this period is the tall and stiff collars. Three piece suits became famous at this time and also came with sack coats that were worn with waistcoats and trousers that were matching with the suits.

After some time vests and trousers that were in contrasting colors to the coats or matching coats and trousers paired along with vests of contrasting colors came into style. The latter style is even now being followed by fashion forward people and is slowly infiltrating the standard norms. The trousers became shorter in length than the previous styles with the turn ups or cuffs at the end. They were also creased up in the front and back using the recent invention of trouser press.

This mens fashion prevailed for a long time until the war broke out. The war greatly changed the way that men dress in the garments leaning more towards mens fashion that aided the men during war. Some famous styles of mens clothing that are even prevalent now at this time like trench coats, bomber jackets and cargos came into existence at this time. These styles when designed originally for the military people soon became popular mens fashion that were easily adopted by the civilians. After the war the economy started again and Americans had more money at their disposal. This helped them travel around the world and many travelled far. This made them get more exposure both culturally and aesthetically and most of them came back with widened knowledge of mens fashion around the world and also latest mens fashions that were in trend at that time in various places.

All this overseas travel not only introduced new mens fashion into America but also carried the American mens fashion to other nations but not as much as that it received. England is one nation that greatly contributed to the American style we have now Oxford university was at that time the peak of popularity and the American college students added their own twist to the outfits that were worn in the university. This included button down shirts, regimental ties, natural shouldered jackets and colorful socks.

Also, it was the time of Prince of Wales who grew up to be the Duke of Windsor. The prince was an influential figure at that time when it came to mens fashion. He not only was famous at his nation but became known as a mens fashion icon all over the world through the newsreels and magazines which proudly displayed his fashion forward choices in the clothing area. His impeccable taste in mens fashion made him the trendsetter of his time and people irrespective of their class and status looked up to him and tried imitating his fashion. This made the mens fashion brands and clothing sellers to use him as the face of their clothing styles and trying to sell them out to people naming him as the model. Thus, the Prince himself in a sense involuntarily became the first model for the clothing industry.

By 1930s America came into the Great Depression. Funds started to dry up and average men did not have the time or resource to spare for thinking about anything let alone their fashion. But they still struck to just enjoying the style choices of the fortunate who afforded enough to partake in the world of mens fashion. This was the time when the Hollywood flourished like never before and became the only getaway for the struggling people. The well dressed stars of the silver screen were looked up with both admiration and aspiration by both men and women.

Soon people started to concentrate on their clothing like never before and took pride in how they dressed. This accelerated the American style thus raising it to a level that matched any European countries. Many dress codes and etiquette were introduced and people were interested enough to follow it through. These codes were called the menswear rules, and we still use it for many etiquette that we follow now.

Till that time men were wearing clothes so that they can hide the natural lines of their body and thus the styles that prevailed were mostly loose and saggy. After all the outwards styles started to pour in they realized that they can wear clothes that conform with the body lines and hence accentuate them. While this came as a revelation they still struck with not exposing too much and were kept simple so that everyone can blend in. This was totally opposed to the belief they had before where people dressed according to their social status that easily making them distinguished from the civilian crowd. As time went on by these conspicuous styles were ditched in mens fashion and Americans started dressing to flatter.

Again the war returned and with the end of it most of the rules and standards established at the previous decade were strayed from. The people were again out of funds and custom made tailored clothing was the last thing on their mind. The price range of the tailored clothing too jumped which gave rise to increase in mass production. Some famous brands still in business now took over mass producing ready to wear clothing. This while made the mens fashion cheap and easily accessible by all classes of people put a great blow on the variety of the mens fashion available. The manufacturers aided by the media and magazines began introducing the trend cycle in which they made simple styles in everyday wear and sold them in par with the season and event thus making more money.

This mass producing and trend cycle of mens fashion pushed the customers away from inventing their own style and having a taste of their own instead chasing after the mens fashion that were deemed new and in trend.

By the mid 20th century came the Age of Conformity in mens fashion. The men who returned from military wanted to fit in and thus were soon to adopt the mens fashion that were in trend at that time. Individuality in clothing took the back seat with blending in becoming the major part. This meant taking on the Ivy League look with every men wearing an ill fitting jackets that made them look smart and employable.

Also, this was the time which saw the invention of man made synthetic fabric like rayon and nylon. This boosted the already booming mass production industry. The manufacturers greatly saved money on the fabrics and sold this new found invention as easy to wash and more durable though we now know that it is not the case.

Subtle styles like gray suits and minimalist accessories dominated the period until the rebellion broke out in the next decade. Unrest and rebellion against conservatism reflected in the clothing fashion too especially among the younger generation who turned to self expression and individuality, and they were keen to overthrow anything that had a rule book. Clothing industry soon hopped on this youth train and started offering more varieties than ever before. This was a time when youth were given great importance and as for clothing anything that was decent worked with none to nitpick on the details.

The start of the 1970s saw the continuation of the rebelling in mens fashion. Men wore bell bottoms, military surplus clothing and tie dye shirts. Homemade accessories like headbands, bracelets and necklaces made of natural materials like wood and leather became famous. As time went by three piece suits again returned in mens fashion though in eye catching bright colors. Zoot suits had wide lapels, high rise vests and flared trousers. If you see any disco themed film or music probability is that you will definitely see people wearing this style.

The next decade thankfully mens fashion turned more serious with power ties and suspenders coming into full force. As the businessmen took the front seat expensive styles and gaudy accessories of bold colors saw the increase in popularity.

The mens fashion in the 1990s though not long ago is still considered to be one of the worst dressed decades in the mens fashion. The western styles were adopted left and right with youth turning towards tattoos and body piercings. This obviously was very bad for formal clothing with people shifting more towards the chick look and hence leaning more towards t-shirts, jeans, trainers and oversized hoodies. The workplaces also accepted less formal styles causing the suits to get uglier and ill fitting.

With the advent of new millennium hip hop started to rule the mens fashion industry. While youth turned towards this style the elders moved toward the European slim fit. This helped the suits turn out to be fitting and this new European cut took the American clothing industry by storm. This was also the time when internet made it easy to learn about different styles and also get opinions from people you don't even know. This was the decade which saw the origin of menswear blogs.

By 2010s the blogging has become mainstream. The reviews and opinions by mens fashion enthusiasts were followed with great interest. This was also the time which saw the major breakthrough of online shopping. It is unbelievable how much the online marketing has grown over the very few years from which it was introduced. The easy availability and the varieties that are in stock has made it a prominent part of clothing industry and is only set to grow in the coming years.