derek guy Profile picture
Menswear writer. Editor at @putthison. Creator of @RLGoesHard. Bylines at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, Esquire, and Mr. Porter
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Nov 16 19 tweets 8 min read
Let's talk about this suit. 🧵 First, which do you like better? Jake Paul's suit above or Stephen A Smith's lilac suit below?
Nov 15 8 tweets 4 min read
Fashion—or style, if you prefer—is not always about looking attractive. It's about expression. The single most powerful thing you can do to improve your style is giving up on the idea that dressing well is just about looking attractive, rich, or successful. 🧵 Once you give up on the idea that style is just about looking attractive, you'll feel freer to explore other aesthetics. For instance, the Japanese brand Kapital riffs on workwear, militaria, and folk clothing. Image
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Nov 14 19 tweets 6 min read
At the moment, we don't know how much prices will go up as a result of tariffs. There are a lot of conditionals. But if the goal is raise the cost of imports so that people are encouraged to buy American-made goods, I want to tell you a story. 🧵 Some of you may remember American Apparel. They were huge with young, urban consumers (often called hipsters) in the early 2000s. The company was popular for their US-made basics, such as t-shirts and sweats, which they marketed through sexualized advertisements. Image
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Nov 14 20 tweets 12 min read
I get this sort of comment a lot and it seems to stem from the presupposition that fashion images should be dominated by white men, and any deviation from this is some sort of woke DEI project. 🧵 With rare exceptions, I've never considered someone's ethnicity when posting a photo of a good or bad outfit. One exception that comes to mind is when I was critiquing Steve Harvey's suggestion that you can wear suit jackets as sport coats.
Nov 13 18 tweets 6 min read
This is incorrect and shows how little the average person knows about garment manufacturing. 🧵 Image First, some context. This person imagines that Bad Clothing is made in low-cost countries like China and Mexico; Good Clothing is made in the US. So by putting up tariffs, we simply eliminate "cheap treats and slop."

Cheap t-shirts are already available in the US, they say. Image
Nov 13 17 tweets 8 min read
Let's talk about this. 🧵 Image The question is in response to a tweet where I said I think Chris Evans would look better in a larger and longer overcoat. This person is wondering whether a larger overcoat would work for their shorter frame. Good question! Image
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Nov 12 15 tweets 9 min read
IMO, most men shouldn't pair a sport coat with jeans because they probably don't have an eye for it. However, the good news is that it's pretty easy to develop this eye. 🧵 First, which of these two outfits look better to you? Would you say that one is bad? And another is good? Or would you say they're both the same?

Please decide before reading on. Image
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Nov 11 15 tweets 8 min read
In 1942, at the height of the Second World War, Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed sweethearts bidding each other farewell before the men depart for war, not knowin if the'd ever return.

Look at their clothes. 🧵 Image We can safely assume that most of these people were of average socio-economic class. So, not extravagantly rich. Yet, look at these details.

This woman's overcoat has flapped envelope pockets, a ticket pocket, and four rows of stitching at the hem. Image
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Nov 9 25 tweets 11 min read
This sort of comment fundamentally misunderstands my view of aesthetics. I've laid this out before but will do so once again. 🧵 What is meant by traditional or conservative? What is meant by postmodern? To have a meaningful discussion of this, we must first go back, once again, to the turn of the 20th century. Image
Nov 9 14 tweets 5 min read
Very fair critique. I shouldn't be comparing the dress of different social classes. I should also note that I don't actually think the suit's rise is purely about British imperialism (that's too simple), but rather forces later described as liberalism. 🧵 The elaborate dress you see on monarchs in portraits was a talisman for power. The point was to create an otherworldly image and convey a powerful, imposing presence, which helped legitimize both their role on the throne and the institution of monarchy itself. Image
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Nov 8 11 tweets 7 min read
No one said anything about racism or "noble savages." But it's undeniable to me that the suit rose as a result of the Second British Empire. And as a result of its hegemony, it washed away a lot of vibrancy in men's dress around the world. 🧵 Let's look at just one example. We can take Western European dress habits since talking about "brown" countries is apparently triggering. Prior to the rise of the Anglo suit, members of the French court wore their own version of the suit (called habit à la française) Image
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Nov 8 18 tweets 9 min read
A short, incomplete list of menswear "trends" that originated with imperialism and war. 🧵 The most obvious example is the suit. Prior to the end of the 19th century, men in high positions wore elaborate forms of dress, often made from sumptuous materials in vibrant colors. The clothing was worn to both signal and justify their position in society. Image
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Nov 5 25 tweets 11 min read
Clothes have long been political. 🧵 In late 19th cent, Victorian feminists started wearing a long one-piece form of underwear known as the union suit. This was part of a dress reform movement, where women wanted to be more comfy. Men later adopted this type of women's underwear & turned the top half into t-shirts Image
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Nov 4 19 tweets 11 min read
How to dress for the civil war (aka how to style cool military items). 🧵 The first and most obvious is a field jacket. Every armed force around the world has their own designs. Since I'm based in the US, I will only talk about the ones issued by the Quartermaster General of the US Army. Image
Nov 3 20 tweets 14 min read
I agree. I mostly think the difference is generational. Although I wasn't alive in the 1950s, I admit that my taste runs "old." 🧵 When I was on a menswear forum, I once debated the same four guys for like eight months straight, arguing every day online, about how oxfords should be worn. In the end, one conceded that the only people he sees doing what I recommend are old guys at his church.
Nov 3 25 tweets 13 min read
This is a good opportunity to mention two people who I think are among the best-dressed men in the United States. At least in terms of wearing tailored clothing. 🧵 I agree with Kenasha that dress is cultural; what we deem as "good" is often about cultural language. If you don't find my examples compelling, there's of course no reason to consider my suggestions. But I disagree my advice leads to drab outfits.
Nov 3 22 tweets 12 min read
Here's my suggestion for a "Steve Harvey wardrobe." That is, a minimal number of purchases but with the highest impact and most versatility. Like Harvey, I'm only talking about tailored clothing. 🧵 First, most men could use a dark worsted suit because this is still the expected uniform for weddings, funerals, court appearances, and some religious services. Get a single breasted, notch lapel suit in dark grey or navy. And the things you need to wear with it (shirt, tie, etc) Image
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Nov 2 25 tweets 11 min read
I've addressed this many times and have been reluctant to use people's videos, as they're often made by regular people who are just trying to have fun. But this is a famous content creator with 1M followers, so I feel better about showing why this doesn't work. 🧵 There are two keys to understanding why this doesn't work. The first is knowing the difference between a suit and a sport coat. A suit is a garment where the jacket and pants are cut from the same cloth, and they're meant to be worn together. Image
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Oct 31 12 tweets 6 min read
Most fabrics are plain weaves or twills. A plain weave is when the yarns criss cross each other like a tic tac toe pattern. A twill forms diagonal ribs, like what you see on your jeans. 🧵 If you find that you wear through fabrics quickly, try to wear heavier fabrics, and switch from plain weaves to twills. Generally speaking, twills are more durable. There are many types of twills. In men's tailoring, I particularly like cavalry twill and whipcord. Image
Oct 29 23 tweets 13 min read
Let's talk about what makes some of these looks great, and how some of these ideas or themes can be applied to your own dress habits. 🧵 First, some caveats. This is lookbook from a menswear store called No Man Walks Alone, but the clothes are styled on a woman. I have no opinion on how women should dress; the clothes styled here to appeal to menswear nerds like me. So I am speaking from that perspective.
Oct 28 17 tweets 8 min read
IMO, people should learn how to separate their judgements about fashion from other things. 🧵 Our judgements of aesthetics can be affected by many things. Fashion brands and marketers know this, which is why they present clothes on models staged in settings like this. Image