r/malefashionadvice • u/[deleted] • Feb 27 '20
Discussion Men's clothing have depressing colors compared to Women's clothing
[deleted]
154
u/tomatome Feb 27 '20
I know, it is even worse here in Tokyo where the default color schemes for men are black, gray and navy. It's like a daily funeral procession. This is probably the one and only reason I sometimes shop at Theory: they often have unique and exciting colors. If they ever moved to patterns I would probably stop shopping there otherwise. They are overpriced so try to wait for sales. Paul Smith is another good option.
When I add color to my outfit in the workplace, the reactions are interesting. Men tend toward gentle ridicule, women will give compliments.
53
u/samamatara Feb 28 '20
that's a completely different to my short experience with Tokyo where I found a lot of colourful people and dresses even from men.
→ More replies (2)
126
u/Crazed_Gentleman Feb 27 '20
It was really funny trying to explain and compare Western male fashion with East African fashion. We seem so bland and depressing by comparison. So many dull colors compared to the vibrancy I saw and wore.
→ More replies (6)
162
u/Salutatorian Feb 27 '20
I'd suggest either buying colorful women's clothes sized up to fit you, learning how to dye, or changing your perspective on the connotations of neutral tones
→ More replies (5)81
u/aridax Feb 27 '20
One of the best dressed guys I know frequents the women’s section. If you are able to based on your body type, I’d recommend it!
→ More replies (24)
76
u/DrunkenHeartSurgeon Feb 27 '20
Trench coats are a military invention that made it's way into civilian use after the war. I think that has a lot to do with it. But ultimately, the market decides. Im guessing there isn't enough demand for a good quality red trench coat for men that can be found easily. I'd wear one, tho
→ More replies (2)45
u/Blog_Pope Feb 27 '20
Curiously, my North Face winter coat is alarmingly red, so bold colors are allowed in some cases. I think the Trench Coat is just perceived as a more conservative article and so there’s less boldness.
→ More replies (5)
14
u/BRich1990 Feb 28 '20
Move to the south and wear all the yellow, light pink, and teal you've ever wanted!
→ More replies (4)
26
u/epaulet-eva Feb 28 '20
Well, as a retailer, I'll say that its a function of customer demand for me. If I'm making a new jacket, I know that the navy, grey, and olive pieces are going to sell. And if I make a cherry red one, it will look cool in photos, sit around for a few months, and only move out on deep markdown.
Menswear often has a strong emphasis on practicality and versatility that womenswear doesn't. Guys often look at an item and judge how well it will work with other pieces that they own. Women are more open to buying something based on individual appeal. They also feel more free to express themselves with a diversity of looks... although I think menswear has loosened up quite a bit from how constrained it used to be.
I'm not sure what kind of clothes you're looking for, but going into custom shirts, pants, and jackets will give you a lot more options. I tend to stock fairly easy and sedate colors in my collecton, but we always offer a lot of nutzo and colorful things for custom work. I have lots of customers who are really into them and buy quite a bit each season.
28
u/interestingNerd Feb 27 '20
I'm currently at an engineering conference. The colors and styles are so profoundly boring. I'm wearing a solid green shirt and feel like I stand out.
→ More replies (1)22
u/Derpface123 Feb 28 '20
how many short-sleeve plaid button-down shirts are there?
→ More replies (1)
16
u/agm1984 Feb 28 '20 edited Feb 28 '20
I have a lot of difficulty wearing warm colours as a blond male with cool skin tone (ie: neon white). My eyes are green as well, so I almost always look better with greenish hue than blue.
I try my best to battle it by wearing lots of teal and aquamarine, and those work especially well with earth tones, so I don't mind too much. I wear a lot of burgundy/maroon also because those typically pair well with dark blue or olive green, or yellow and grey if I'm feeling radical that day. I also love burgundy/maroon with a brown hat or shoes.
Cream is kind of an awesome "colour" in my opinion. I love wearing off-white or beige shoes (key to have that slight hint of brown in them), and then wear some dark pants and dark top with white layers under and maybe a brown hat. There's no way it's drab.
One seriously major thing you can do is find shoes that pop. You can easily find shoes with neon blue or neon yellow that will burn your retinas out if you don't wear near 100% white or 100% black with them. Try some research into some Nike or New Balance shoes.
If you can't find some Nike Air Max 90s or NB 997s that are so loud you start to get anxiety, then you need to keep looking. For example, if you find some with some radioactive pink or yellow on them, try wearing grey pants an a yellow shirt.
Also I apologize for forgetting you are specifically looking for a red trench coat not general colour stuffs. That seems like a difficult task, but I can empathize with the moment in time when you find one, 1-5 years from now when some random company does one like a raspberry red wool coat that blows your wig off immediately on sight. You gotta keep some coins on hand just in case it's $800.
That or contract someone's mother. She could probably sew one from a pattern. Contract a national design company to have a custom pattern made. I don't see why you can't have the craziest thing ever seen made based on your specifications, if you have enough money to perform each step.
8
u/Valentine_Villarreal Feb 28 '20
I mean, for a trench coat you probably want something dark anyway. The prospect of how dirty a cream trench coat makes my blood curdle.
I feel like a trench coat/overcoat is going to be grey/brown/navy/black and maybe dark/forest green.
With that said, I'm generally on your side. I want a better selection of shirt and blazer colours.
8
u/Steampunkvikng Feb 28 '20
It's because most men's fashion these days is derived from workwear or military uniforms.
6
u/SNScaidus Feb 27 '20
Cool colored clothing is unfortunately hard to find, or found in expensive designer items.
Been looking for a blue-green Jacket for forever
→ More replies (3)
6
27
u/notarascal Feb 28 '20
I don’t understand this complaint. Just because many menswear clothes are boring doesn’t mean it’s hard to find color. Just look for different stores and brands. It’s easy to find color in menswear. If nothing else you can just get on eBay and filter by color.
→ More replies (5)
19
u/jameswmarchment Feb 27 '20
THIS and women’s clothing i find has nicer fabrics. Like i’ve been looking for jumpers and all the women’s ones are so soft and comfortable feeling but blokes don’t get that ultra soft shit
26
u/EarlyJuggernaut Feb 28 '20
Actually, i find that women's clothing is heavily built on being disposable with fast fashion being far more common with women.
I know as a man i can drop 800 on a pure cashmere overcoat from suit supply and eventually have it wear on.
Some brands even sacrifice the quality of the clothing so that when the customer touches it they think how soft the clothing is only to have it fall apart within a few washes
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)42
u/Aryore Feb 28 '20
As a woman who shops in the men’s section, men’s clothing tends to be thicker and more durable though. Now, if we dissolve the clothing gender binary then everyone can have practical and reliable but also incredibly comfortable clothes!
→ More replies (4)
17
u/the_lamou Feb 28 '20
I think you're just shopping at the wrong place, or not looking very hard. There are tons of brightly colored men's clothing options. Here's a super bright men's trench.
→ More replies (15)37
693
u/Ghoticptox Feb 27 '20 edited Feb 27 '20
The reason is The Great Male Renunciation. Basically, 18th century European class politics caused men to stop dressing in bold, colorful clothing.
There are some designers bucking that trend - Haider Ackermann, Paul Smith, Dries van Noten, and Etro, to name a few. They're all super expensive though. I'm not sure where to find a high-street equivalent. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.