From elegance to nonchalance: the new men's fashion

Thoughts on men and fashion by Jeroen van Rooijen.

I'M ACTUALLY VERY DIFFERENT, I JUST COME TO IT TOO RARELY. YOU'RE SOON GOING TO MEET A SOMEONE I KNOW JUST AS LITTLE AS YOU. – Udo Lindenberg & Jan Delay

Zack, and everything was different. Thirty months were enough to completely turn the conventions of men's clothing on their head. Since the beginning of 2020, when most people retreated into their shell (mostly not entirely voluntarily) and only came out again months later, nothing has been the same in menswear. The disruption caused by the pandemic has shifted developments that were already becoming apparent into turbo mode. “Casualization”, i.e. the development of everyday wardrobe towards leisure looks, received a massive boost.

As fashion people, we are used to abrupt changes and surprises; in this field, such things happen all the time. But what has happened now is a quantum leap, a paradigm shift, a turning point. It's still about shirt, trousers and jacket, but completely different. The familiar has a new twist.

This leads to completely new terms that are important: elegance has been replaced by nonchalance. Instead of the fit fetish, it's now about comfort and casualness. Softness and suppleness are no longer unmasculine characteristics, on the contrary: classically masculine is old hat, the stereotypes are increasingly going out of fashion, the man is reinventing himself as a kaleidoscopic appearance between the clichés.

Pop idol Harry Styles set a tone that has swelled into a multi-voiced choir. The man is varied and negotiable. This can cause fear – or stimulate an appetite for new things. Let's assume that the man knows how to use his new freedoms. Most of the time he won't need a skirt or ruffles, but he will need new pants and a new shirt. Comfortable, easy, casual.

The feeling of well-being in clothing, which has been a central motif in the fashion industry in the last two and a half years of working from home, is something you don't want to miss in the future either. The feeling remains important, even if the look is of course no longer so strongly influenced by the tracksuit.

What counts today: Relaxation, effortlessness - fashion has found the elegant term “effortless” for this, i.e. without exertion. The effort (“effort”) for the outfit must not be visible. The appearance must always appear as if one had not given much thought or made any special investments.

Are you having a headache? Oh no. Feel free to contact an expert who knows exactly how to do it.