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.
I've seen people here suggest Obama was a stylish president. I couldn't disagree more. Outfits like these read better in 2025, but during the slim-fit, Euro style craze of his presidency, Obama was routinely panned for his "frumpy dad style." See Vanity Fair.
His style transformation really came post-presidency. I suspect, but don't have proof, that this is partly the influence of his wife, who is quite stylish. Even his suits look better now. See clean shoulder line + shirt collar points reaching lapels + nice four-in-hand dimple.
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."
I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
In 1902, German sociologist Georg Simmel neatly summed up fashion in an essay titled "On Fashion." Fashion, he asserted was simply a game of imitation in which people copy their "social betters." This causes the upper classes to move on, so as to distinguish themselves.
He was right. And his theory explains why Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, was the most influential menswear figure in the early 20th century. By virtue of his position and taste, he popularized soft collars, belted trousers, cuffs, Fair Isle sweaters, and all sorts of things.
It's funny to see people imbue traditional men's tailoring with their own prejudices. They assume every man who wore a suit in the far past must be a staunch conservative like them. The truth is much more complicated. 🧵
This bias, of course, stems out of the 1960s and 70s, from which many of our contemporary politics also spring. I don't need to belabor this point because you already know it. The framing is neatly summed up in this Mad Men scene — the rag tag hippie vs man in a suit.
Thus, people assume that men in suits must always be part of the conservative establishment. But this was not always so. The suit was once a working man's garment. When Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, arrived for his first day in Parliament, he wore a suit.
There's no "right" or "wrong" answer here, so feel free to go with your gut. I will then give you my views below. 🧵
In men's tailoring, the area below the jacket's buttoning point is colloquially known as the "quarters" among menswear enthusiasts. Or the "front edge" by actual tailors. These terms refer to the edge of the coat, connecting to lapels.
Some suit jackets have very closed quarters, such as you see on the left. In this way, the jacket forms a Y-shaped silhouette.
Other suits have open quarters, such that the front edge sweeps back on the hips, as you see on the right. This forms an X-shaped silhouette.
We will start with the most formal and work our way down, so that you can adjust things in ways that make sense for you.
The first and most obvious choice is to wear a soft-shouldered suit rendered in a material such as linen or seersucker. Seersucker can even be tonal (pic 4)
However, when it comes to dressing for the heat, it's important to remember that the fabric's weight and weave are more important than fiber. A 10oz tropical wool — known for its open weave — will wear cooler than a densely woven 14 oz linen because it allows air to pass through
Let's first start with some terms. The term oxford refers to a footwear style where the facings have been sewn into the vamp. By contrast, the term derby refers to a style where the facings sit on top of the vamp.
On the left, we see an oxford. On the right, we see a derby.
I believe that men wore tailored clothing best from the 1930s through '80s. If you share this premise, there are certain ideas about how an outfit should be put together, such as how oxfords look best with suits, while derbies go with suits or sport coats