i'll never get over how skinny jeans have become so normalized, they're now worn by conservatives lamenting the decline of traditional masculinity.
you don't even have to go as far back as the early 2000s to see how this used to be taboo for men
in 2011, Levi's released their "ex-girlfriend jeans," which caused an uproar. many said the reference to women and skinny fit rendered men feminine/gay. this was part of a long convo about the "decline of masculinity."
Michele White dedicated a chapter on these jeans in her book
now one of the main voices around this political war is wearing jeans so skinny, his leg opening doesn't even cover the opening of his shoes. this would have been unthinkable 15 years ago, let alone around the turn of the 2000s.
should add: it's easier to feel comfy in skinny jeans now bc of synthetics. in 2011, guys wore this fit in pure cotton, and they were unforgiving. but even the use of synthetics was once taboo for men! stretch jeans were for women. now lots of guys wear stretch skinny jeans
the most amazing thing about this thread is that it has now attracted normal, non-fashion dudes and social conservatives who are now defending their skinny jeans. pretty amazing!!
conservatives in skinny jeans coming up to the mic to disagree
trying to be nice and assume that people either have not read this thread and/or perhaps are reading too quickly. nothing in this thread suggests that I'm against skinny jeans. i think they can be stylish if they fit your body type and style
i'm only pointing out the irony. 10 yrs ago, social conservatives hated skinny jeans as a sign of "low t, beta male hipsters" and a decline in traditional masculinity. now they wear the style while still lamenting the supposed decline in traditional masculinity.
When British economist Alfred Marshall looked out of his window in the late-19th century, he saw a country full of clothing and textile production. In the Scottish Border towns up north, weavers and knitters were making tweeds and cashmere out of local and native wools.
In the London district known as Spitalfields, the descendants of French refugees toiled over looms to make some of the world’s finest silks. Once woven, these materials were often sent to Macclesfield, where they were printed by hand.
Style becomes a lot more interesting when you stop thinking of clothes as a way to look younger, hotter, or richer. Or as a way to gain status and advance your career.
Let me show you. 🧵
The internet is full of people who post photos like these and tell you where you can buy the clothes shown. Often, this requires subscribing to their Substack or clicking their affiliate link, so they earn some money on the backend.
This can be fine, but sometimes there's a not-so-subtle suggestion that you can transform your life by purchasing something. You can be happier, younger, richer, and more handsome by wearing a polo. In reality, you will continue being who you are and living your regular life.
For the purposes of this thread, I will assume you mean an alterations tailor, which is someone who alters clothes you bought from a store. I will not cover bespoke tailors, who are people that make clothes from scratch. That kind of discussion goes beyond what I can cover here.
Like any trade, the clothing business can involve a bit of insider baseball. To find a good tailor, call a few stores that sell high-end clothes. For men, these will be suits that retail for $3,000 and up. For women, it will be things like suits, eveningwear, and bridal gowns.
I should first emphasize this thread is not meant to body shame. I mean that sincerely. Few men are built like Adonis, so when shopping for clothes, most will have their own fit challenges, including muscular figures. This thread is only meant to highlight a tailoring issue.
Let's first do an experiment. Which suit do you think looks better?
But first, let's play a game. Here are two men wearing gray tailored jackets with blue pants. Which outfit looks better to you? Ignore physical attributes of the people underneath and focus on the outfits. Then reply with your answer.
If you said the right looks better, then we have the same taste. In this case, we can again go back to history to understand our views.
As I've said before, our notions in traditional men's tailoring largely derive from Britain, where suits and sport coats were invented.
If you're looking for fabrics that you can wear in the summer, it's useful to consider three things: weight, weave, and fiber. If you only pay attention to one of these dimensions (say, linen), you will miss the bigger picture.
If you're shopping for shirts, then some of the better summer materials include linen, seersucker, madras, and very lightweight, open weave cottons. In the photo below, you can see a swatch of voile, which is a featherweight 2/3oz cotton that's so open, it's almost sheer.
You can see here why most men don't wear it. Without a jacket, the material can almost be indecent (although it's more forgiving in non-white colors like light blue). For this reason, some tailors double up the front, like you see on the right, but this limits the breathability.