Faggoting

Discard any conception you have of old world charm; bicycling through Paris with a bottle of wine and crusty bread in your basket, a gondola ride through venetian canals, slurping that last string of pasta with your lover ending in an unexpected kiss. There’s a kind of romance that can only be had this side of the Atlantic. You’ll find it in the literature of Cooper, Emerson, and Twain, in the fantastic and wildly lush landscapes of the Hudson River School, or maybe hear it in the triumphant yet melancholy music of Philip Glass. It’s a romance that springs from a uniquely American perspective.

And this kind of romance can inform your style and even, if you let it, transform you. You don’t need a French label with a name you can’t pronounce sewn in under your jacket’s breast to feel fancy. Why, instead you can throw on a simple tweed jacket, classic, understated, the kind that Polo does so well. Wear it casually with raw dark jeans or perhaps matching trousers, a crisp oxford, chili brown Allen Edmonds, and an eccentric tie - Ivy League style of course with an animal jacquard motif. The American way is not sultry and lacks the sophistication a Euro accent provides (no rolled r’s, froggish throat speaking, or mispronouncing s-h-e-d-u-l-e here). Instead it’s rugged, it’s slouchy, and it’s got all the bravado and swagger than can inspire the most insatiable libido.

What is it about the American look that makes it so appealing at this moment? Perhaps we’re sick of Tom Ford (ironically enough from Texas) and his Europeanisms. Or maybe the Slimane slim attitude, in a petit noir suit, has become a bit drab. Maybe as the U.S. takes a step down from the world stage there’s some new found nobility in our humility. Fashion swings as does our idea of romanticism, dress accordingly.

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 FAGGOTING — A couple of months ago the proprietor of this blog made a comment regarding Kris Van Assche’s debut effort for Dior Homme. The cause for this post was his dismay over the large, roomy, and heavily pleated trousers; not-too-scandalous show pieces for what was a relatively quiet presentation. Van Assche’s pants, with literal references to Monsieur Dior’s initial fondness for voluminous pleating, were reprised for the fall 08 collection. And it was only the beginning.

The key idea here is volume and its novel return to men’s trousers. Besides pleating there’s the dropped crotch, the jodhpur, the skinny slouch, the harem pant, so on and so forth. They’ve all reared their heads across the globe in fashion hubs such as Milan and Paris but also in rural image conscious worlds like Stockholm and Antwerp. And as you are reading this, I am sure you are shaking your head in what could be annoyance, disbelief, maybe even anger. Perhaps you think this is just another absurd fashion farce that will pop up and just as easily be dismissed, but I’m telling you now it’s a genuine force.

Specifically the general look involves any trousers or pants with a voluminous crotch and thigh that at some point and to some degree tapers towards the leg opening. Besides being extremely comfortable and relaxed it gives an air of non-chalance, a bit of masculinity, and an absolutely refreshing silhouette, a nice diversion from all the boys walking around on their pair of twigs. Skinny pants, the kind with stretch and that pull over all your curves, are the male equivalent to 5% spandex jersey dresses. The kind that girls wear for the sake of eroticism but only manage to arouse doubt in whether or not her lipid folds and bulges are in fact voluptuous and not actually repulsive. The great appeal of volume is that it connotes mystery; anything that is hidden leaves such banal devices like desire and sex to the imagination. This is called seduction. What lies beneath those soft wool folds resting on what should be your penis and scrotum? You very well know how one has to find out, and I’m sure you’re more then willing to humor their curiosity.

The elegance of draped fabric swishing around your waist and falling to your feet, the tapered leg defining a relaxed but attenuated silhouette, I find this terribly more interesting then sprayed on jeans that only bring to mind the fungal growth developing in the wearer’s crotch. It may be awhile before everyone throws away their denim leggings, especially the shameless homosexuals; but they’ll be ready and present before you know it. In fact, they’re already here. — JEREMY L.

Faggoting*: Weekly observations on fashion from someone who knows better.

ELEGANCE IS A WORD used all too often and has overextended it’s potency into something banal and boring. People cite elegant Hollywood glamor, but when was the last time any celebrity looked truly elegant? Not in any candid tabloid photo and certainly not with a bronze tan and a over designed red carpet gown dripping with Harry Winston bling. When I hear someone or something described as being elegant I cringe as I see the cited example reeking of desperation clinging on to the last drop of subversion and poetry that still exists in our popular culture. This is when you hear people talk about Audrey, or Natalie Portman, or whatever thin brunette who hasn’t made totally awful movies. I’m almost ready to declare elegance dead. More… »

Introducing Faggoting*: Weekly observations on fashion from someone who knows better. (Photos from frillr.com)

LANVIN HOMME is a brand that actually gets you excited about growing older. Alber Elbaz and Lucas Ossendrijver, the house’s creative director and menswear director respectively, have done much since the inception of their partnership to discredit the youth cult and add some esteem in becoming a little older, a little wiser, and consequently a little more secure in one’s own personal style.

Slowly, season by season Lucas has added luxurious and largely feminine fabrics to the Lanvin Homme DNA giving it the subversive femininity we love More… »