Level Unlocked: New Styles - Topic of the day 1/24/24
Have you ever made a look your own, something that was once outside of your norm but is now a style that you wear often? How did you finally make it make sense and work with your wardobe? Was there a particular garment, brand, or inspiration that opened the door? Is there a look that you’re still hoping to figure out how to incorporate?
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Growing up cargo pants were the stereotypical unfashionable pants. You know the types: poorly fitting cargo shorts, the pants with the zip off knees, always khaki!
Now here I am in 2024 wearing cargos lol
Literally wearing zip-off cargos rn (that fit is killer dude)
Haha thanks! Zip off cargos can be sick too, there's a really specific type that gives gross larpy/weekend militia vibes
graphic tees probably. Now a core thing i wear a lot, but i went through the cringe MFA "don't wear graphic tees" phase
Anything branded 5.11 fr
No
So many examples since joining MFA. Cardigans. Floral prints. Blazers with jeans. White sneakers. Wearing OCBDs casually. All pretty basic stuff, but it's been fun to experiment. I think the next frontier for me is non-gorp coats. Picking up my peacoat from the tailor today.
skirts and other woman’s clothing. Probably started with these Yohji hakama pants which are a nice in between and realized how much I like the look
I’ve had something of a throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach to fashion in that I previously would wear a ton of styles collided, so making something destinct work for me has mostly been an exercise in removal. I think I resisted more masculine clothes earlier in my transition until I found a proportion that had a cute tomboy sort of effect, high waisted big pants def were key.
it's wild that in 2014, i bought some leather jacket cause a fashion blog told me it would make me look cool. then i stopped wearing them until i bought my first motorcycle, and now i just have a bunch of motorcycles, leather jackets, and pants to show for
You look very different now! But, well dressed then and now.
yea i think that was 2 or 3 yrs ago now
Goated style evolution
You look so much more comfortable in your clothes in the second picture.
Boots, at all. I was obsessed with trainers since forever, especially basketball shoes (Playing for my university and could still only afford Chuck taylors fml). But boots are just more practical AND look better for the way I dress now.
Forgive me father, for I am about to sin (buy more grails)
Work from home shifted my styles massively. Less and less I'm thinking of dressing to impress and more frequently thinking about how can I look relaxed and put together. And since when I leave the house I'm going to be out and about versus going to an office and sitting, I've invested more in clothes that feel comfortable to exist in and have practical functions (i.e. gorpy shit)
Just being open to multiple styles tbh. Spent a lot of young adult life trying to get x look or y look and I think now I’m comfortable enough to know if I like a piece, and I get it, I’ll find a way to wear it that feels authentic to me instead of being stressed that it’s not presenting a certain pre-described style (and oftentimes it might, and that’s fun too!)
Wide leg pants, especially jeans. I first got into denim during the APC era so wearing jeans (all pants really) that were skintight was the norm for me for about a decade. Even when I stopped wearing skinny pants I still wore pretty slim and strongly tapered stuff until about 3 years ago. Big pant convert now.
Around 2020 I was starting to get really interested in femme clothing, specifically skirts, because I loved the idea of wearing something more elegant.
My first skirt was this navy pleated one that I thrifted for a couple dollars.
I had a very hard time finding one that fit me in the waist, was long enough, and also looked good.
At the time it felt quite daring to wear an outfit like this but now I’m in some sort of skirt or hakama at least 2-3 times a week and I consider the blazer + skirt staple look for me.
Ya if I u were to ask me to picture a fit of yours off the dome it’s this combo
Usually I wear tailored suits, and I just bought my first 2 pairs of big pants- 90’s jeans and officers corduroy pants from banana republic. It feels super weird wearing them at first, but I’m just owning that every status quo was a movement at some point.
Yeah it’s an adjustment for sure but after a few days you feel so free and cool that you’ll embrace it
In a week you won’t wanna go back. It happens quickly.
Hope so! First person in my immediate surroundings who is making the plunge.
Soooo much more comfortable than skinny jeans 😂
Yeah its been the same for me. I havent noticed anyone shifting from slim to straight/loose/wide in my sphere.
Have you moved in that direction?
Yeah but i was never really into slim stuff anyways. Tapered ya, probably around 7.5 inch hems. Low rise stuff out of Gap etc. But now im squarely into wider arena with high waist. Like ive dialed in 8.5/9 inch hems and are kinda my zone now