I think it was Mark Twain who once said ‘Clothes make the man’? He had a point and we all love a sharp dressed man don’t we? It’s something of a turn on when a fella can wear threads with confidence and represent himself through colour and the cut of his cloth. Am I being fickle and blind to the fact that he might have a personality? Tell that to Tom Ford who knows exactly what a woman wants and a man needs.
If he gets it right, that says more about his personality and the man he knows he is. Fashion is frowned upon by so many but this inspired art form led by so many iconic material men and women, shouldn’t be undervalued or misunderstood. Of course it’s all a matter of personal taste but a man who chooses to take care of himself suggests that he is capable of looking after you…it’s not all about vanity.
When I watch movies such as Sex and The City, I always think wow, these women know who they are and the beautifully crafted clothes they wear really are an extension of them. Manolo Blahnik might be out of your price range but if you look hard enough there are some worthy alternatives.
Sadly, clothes are also used as a cover up, hiding a multitude of emotions and situations giving way to the real fashion victim. Your own personal identity can be hard to define at the best of times, finding it in your worst is like hitting the sales too late only to find that they have run out of the size that fits.
We all have very different tastes and perhaps base our fashion ideas on our youth and memories of how our parents would dress to go to a family wedding or works party. My dad was always well dressed, according to him he dressed like James Dean in his teens (I only had his word for that) very rebel without a cause, just like my dad. Later, I would see him in Pierre Balmain suits and I’m sure that’s where I get my views on how men should present themselves.
Men have so many more choices now and how they style themselves can be an impressive reflection of who they are. A suit isn’t a necessary every day requirement but having at least one in your wardrobe is. Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake and Tinie Tempah are in my opinion the ones who get it right both casually and formally. There is of course one more piece that I need to mention, denim! Blue, grey, black and dirty…I would be at a complete loss without it.
© Michelle Sotiriou 2014
“I have often said that I wish I had invented the blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity – all I hope for in my clothes”
Yves Saint Laurent
She Be Fierce 