as the kids on tiktok say, "no hate to this creator, but..."
i saw this video this morning and as a former Internet Fashion Guy i just was like... kind of pleasantly laughing at it the whole way through. It's not a bad video. It's perfectly reasonable. It's a good guide for anyone who last refreshed their wardrobe in the early-mid 2010s and would like another refresh for the early-mid 2020s. That's honestly fine.
but what's so funny about it is that we're still calling this sort of thing "timeless", which, as you might expect, sort of works against the stated goal of the video. If the clothes were truly timeless, the would not need a refresh! And the fact of the matter is: no fashion is timeless, not in the eyes of Mainstream Trends at least.
but I also got my Fashion Awakening in the early-mid 2010s, when the #menswear #trend was to be #timeless. And at the time, that meant a lot of slim fit, a lot of sorta bizcaz-to-workwear as the mainstays1. That was considered "timeless", and it's what this video creator is comparing against.
But of course, it wasn't timeless. Slim fit swung back toward loose fit. Mainstream silhouettes of the early 2020s began to adopt the slouched & draped forms that were considered the sole domain of #streetgoth in 2013. Slim, minimalist footwear was overtaken by chunky derbies or loud sneakers. Things changed, and the 60s Ivy pastiche of the 2010s was gradually replaced by whatever the fuck is happening now -- I guess it's sort of a 90s-early-00s thing.
And honestly the new trends are not my fave! I'm not a huge fan of loose fits, and I still cringe at the thought of returning to the extreme casual vibes of the late 90s to early 2000s. That's fine! It's not for me, which is normal since I'm not like, 16-24 years old anymore.
I'm older now, I've gained weight since a decade ago, I live in a different climate. I think I'd prefer to dress like a stuffy professor every day if I could. I still like the idea of "timeless", but I'm honestly much happier with admitting that, you know what, it wasn't timeless, I just liked it. That's ok.
1If you're curious, this is a really good writeup on r/malefashionadvice of how things have changed since 2013. I found it a very fun read.
