A.K.A Not streetwear. /sFirst, I think this album needs some background.Formality in streetwear has been growing in recent years, especially with "influencers" such as Rocky and Kanye wearing more formal outfits.Streetwear's links with high fashion have grown. Adidas, a common sportswear brand known to even those who wouldn't have a second thought (or much of a first) on what their outfits look like, has had collaborations with Rick Owens, Raf Simons and Yohji Yamamoto. Supreme has worked with Comme des Garçons, and Comme des Garçons also has a more accessible line focused on the younger target market that's prevalent in streetwear.With these links to high fashion established, trends and styles trickled down into the more specific community of streetwear. They got posted on Instagram and fashion forums until they became a part of streetwear. Some people here disagree, but consensus among white-listed posters is clearly for this integration, and considering the upvotes on those posts a lot of the community is backing it too. I'm all for it, and those reasons have a lot to do with what moulded my personal style.Why do I love this formal, sophisticated and in my opinion, powerful look?It has a lot to do with my schooling, actually. Most English schools have uniforms, and even the public schools that I attended had pretty strict dress codes. Secondary school was some of the strictest dress codes I'd ever seen. If your tie was just too short, your blazer not on during non-summer months, wearing any jumper other than a black V-Neck under your blazer, that was all grounds for a strike, putting you halfway towards a detention. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it, the blazers were practical and it meant I didn't have to care much about appearance (although I currently do in my last years here). Yet a strict uniform policy made everyone look the same. We had diversity in other ways, but never in clothes. Even on mufti-days (where we could get to wear our own clothes) most people wouldn't wear anything that stands out or does anything interesting.Aesthetically a structured, plain look appeals to me through being used it. It was basically all I knew for clothing before finding fashion, and the comfort I find in it continues no matter how much I try to branch out.There's a deeper meaning too though. Structure and the colour black conveys power. Power is desired among a lot of people, so it's not surprising that I gravitate towards it. Being told that you need these qualifications to do well puts a lot of emphasis on the power of those qualifications; once you get those you feel powerful. Replicating that feeling is comfortable, you aren't worried about anything because you're in control, you have the power. You want to feel comfortable in what you're wearing. Fashion is a tool to both express yourself and better yourself.Black also conveys the formality that my schools had. We wore black uniforms, so the two are associated with each other in my mind. When you grow up being told that you should look formal because it makes your school look good, and so you do spend a lot of time looking formal, you can't help but feel that formality has become part of you. That's why it's a huge part of my style.Martin Margiela said something interesting about the colour black. Black is "an absence, a presence, a mood, a mantle". I think that explains what else I like about the colour. The absence is the cold personality that I had for a lot of my time at school. Anyone who I didn't knew well wasn't aware of anything I liked, or the case of one french lesson, aware that I existed. The presence, the personality that I had for people I knew well. I was open, confident and again, comfortable. I'm still unsure about what kind of mood black conveys for me, because it conveys a huge amount about me, or at least I can apply it to that. The mantle relates back to the cold personality and the conformity of uniforms. Uniforms when left unaltered were are a mantle that covered someone's personality, and the cold personality covered my actual one. It's an interesting dynamic that relates to a lot of my upbringing.The AlbumThat was a lot of buildup for one link. Don't worry though, I still have some people to credit. This shit's getting more like an essay now. I used some Reddit users posts here so I thought I'd link their accounts (and instas if they have linked it). If your fit is on here please DM me with a link to what one it is and your Instagram if you want to and I'll add you in:Looste- Reddit, Instaanguyen_boi- Reddit, InstaLimmy- Reddit, Insta He's currently not posting right now, but follow up and hope he comes back.Beanzzzzz- Reddit, InstaHanyiu- Reddit, InstaArmordildo- Reddit, InstaSirGrapes- Reddit, InstaImranthehanafi- Reddit No insta I could find :(Some other people:Midnighttt (who inspired me to do a write up with his Zoot Suit™ Special)- Reddit, InstaHit up the discord because everyone there is nice and knowledgeable. If that link doesn't work for whatever reason there's a link in the sidebar.Thank you all for reading if you managed to make it this far :). via /r/streetwear http://ift.tt/2njKy3z
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