Function vs Form - Topic of the day 9/26/25
The age old debate - how much does the functionality of a garment matter vs it's form (aesthetics)? Are there clothes worth wearing despite being impractical? Is "aesthetics" a function unto itself? You may have argued about this before and if so feel free to share your wisdom for the benefit of those that haven't.
14 Replies
anyone who argues function over form atp is coping about their mid ass fit
How am I supposed to think when he’s looking at me like this
function is cool when it modifies the form
he's demurely covering hole for your benefit ian can u try to fucking lock in please
It’s the little bit of mystery that keeps me intrigued
this line would kill the average man today (ignore the tasteful hole tease)
when the totd is derailed before it even starts
All my shit serves the function of making me look cool as hell
You can look good doing just about anything these days. Whatever the fuck you're at there's a *core that covers it.
To say what may be obvious, the conversation between function and form is really at the core of menswear
So many things that started out as functional have become aestheticized (?) as they became divorced from their original function
But also, even without thinking about like the history of lapels or whatever, function is often form. For example, y’all’s obsession with pockets (happy for you)
But it also works the other way. Form can be function: aesthetics communicate, for example cultural belonging. Or a better example may be the suit at the workplace.
There are contexts where function rules. I will happily wear the ugliest ass sneakers you can possibly imagine for a run if they make my knees feel 5% less shitty. For daily wear though? Form within reason. I refuse to wear things that are legitimately uncomfortable, but I'm pretty tolerant to these things so it rarely comes up.
To me, one of the coolest things about this is finding that balance. Wildly impractical outfits don't excite me no matter what they look like. Cool-looking ones that feel good to wear do. Though I realize others here may feel differently.
A lot of the better avant-garde designs actually function well for the form/medium its designed for, vs the billions that aren't and just have random appellations for the hell of it, or where it's basically falling apart construction-wise (if that's not the intent)
Vs the usual form function arguments
i wear functional clothes for activities that demand it and otherwise clothes whose function is to be swaggy
I don't really like the form vs function argument bc imo its a false dichotomy
That being said, I think its important to develop a feeling for the kind of clothes that "fit" into ones life. If I percieve a garment as a hindrance in my daily activities im not gonna wear/enjoy it.