Manifesto for the Fashionisto

Lately I've been feeling like experimenting with fabrics, finding new cuts to traditional clothes, tracking down a pair of equestrian boots and continuing the whirling color dervish of my wardrobe. But looking online, to some established clothing labels (H&M, Club Monaco, J. Crew, Banana Republic), I feel anything but inspired.

Women have tons of choice simply in the variety that one label offers, but also in the proliferation of sites that have popped up all over the web marketing affordable designerware. Men don't have this outlet, men have polos, jeans, and t-shirts. If we want to be casual and fashionable in terms of the accepted tradition, forget it. Men are relegated to the sartorial sphere.

I am not complaining completely, I love suits and I love the variety that comes within this form and the multiplicity of possibilities matching tie to shirts to pants to shoes to vests to socks and so on.

What I desire is that men have an outlet to express their rebellious fashionisto. Maybe spruce things up with accessories, dip back in the past and revived those traditions that could work today. But all the fashion world seems to encourage is: slap on a pair of jeans and find the one t-shirt that will fit. There is no emphasis on the variety of male silouettes, no attention to detail. If a guy wants to accessorize, get a different belt, wear a few chains, put on a sweatshirt.

I am urging for more. Think outside the box, see what the women are doing, take off gender labels on acceptability of what you wear (from color to fit...). Bring dandy to a new level, think outside the seam.