Once every month, I despise being a woman. Despite becoming like clockwork, my period always manages to turn me into the most moody and frightful person no matter how hard I try to manage my emotions. One can argue that men have a better life: no baby weight during pregnancy, no periods and life-altering body changes during birthing, it seems like women were given the shorter end of the stick during creation. But then Men’s Fashion Week comes around and I reminded how interesting it is to experience, experiment and mediate on all the phases that women go through that men don’t.
It may seem absurd, but Men’s Fashion Week is an annual reminder that without us there would never be any spice or flavour in the world. I still can’t believe that an entire week is set aside to show mundane and reshuffled ideas of masculine ‘style’ that never changes nor elaboratse on the full spectrum of manhood.
Here are four trends that are supposedly ground breaking from Men’s Fashion Wweek that is now taking place.
The tie returns
To be honest I didn’t really realize it had disappeared in the first place. I guess we could thank Donald Trump for popularizing it a bit more; that thick red one he wears seems to have become part of him. On the Giorgio Armani runway, the tie is being offered up in a sleek, thin style. Meanwhile at Ermenegildo Zegna, models came out wearing two ties each. I really wish a new accessory could be invented, or an old one like the handkerchief could be popularized. I hate ties they are always come off as standoffish and snooty. Besides that, they add no utilitarian value.
Your Grandpa’s corduroy
I actually really like this fabric, but as a trend for an entire season I don’t know. I think fashion is in this weird place where it is trying desperately to create the image of the perfect gentleman. It must be influenced by the disappointment in the amount of sexual assault stories that are coming to light these days. Corduroy is a fantastic material, it’s just incredibly thick and formal for everyday use.
Conspicuous consumption fashion
It wouldn’t have been a fashion week if brands did attempt to teach their consumer base the alphabet. I suppose the stale surge in heavily-branded items is because we live in a digital world. Pictures introduce long before words do and so designers might as well ensure they tell 1,000 words, as the saying goes. I find it repetitive and ridiculous, but I suppose where there is demand, brands must supply
Oversized dad boots
Fashion for men this season, seems to be really fond of the idea fitting them into one masculine stereotype. Chunky white short sneakers and oversized hiking boots have apparently made a comeback. See why I feel bad for men? They don’t like to experiment with mules and even different materials like PVC for footwear on a large scale and get to call it a trend.
Periods may be bad but at least we are not always feeding the idea of a single identity for women’s fashion. We could be sexy, yet serious and playful yet grown. This year’s Men’s Fashion Week wasn’t inclusive of all men, yet the repetition and blandness continue. A sarcastic signal of the times: men are always trying to be overly masculine, perhaps.
