Suits And Streetwear (4/10)

Fashion Expert: Joseph Pastrana | Instagram | Twitter

About: Joseph Pastrana is editor-at-large at New York Style Guide who covers fashion, interior design, art and culture. A former fashion director and current fashion publicist as well, Joseph has been actively involved in the industry for twenty years in many capacities from helping designers develop their brands to reviewing the world’s leading collections at runway shows in New York, Milan and Paris. 

Predictions: 

Two categories within modern men’s wear have become the go-to looks in recent seasons and growing ever more important as trends – suits and streetwear. Men have finally become more conscious of updating their suits for several reasons. First, because brands have taken to finally cutting its suits slimmer. Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all apparel or baggy/boxy silhouettes. With continued interest in fitness and the range of body types, many labels are realizing that suits that provide more appropriate fits encourage men to invest more in their suits. Secondly, the variety of fabric choices and yes even color allow men the confidence to explore their sartorial inclinations. Finally, the growing number of affordable made-to-measure lines makes it all the more appealing to upgrade their wardrobes. 

Streetwear, on the other hand, has become more important and appealing across a wider range of age groups. Witness the recent appointment of edgy streetwear designer Virgil Abloh as creative director at the venerable house of Louis Vuitton as perhaps the most obvious sign of what’s to come. Many fashion insiders agree that “sweatpants” have already evolved to a point of becoming the millennial’s version of the previous generation’s jeans. The modern iteration with broader choices of colors, textures and stylistic touches make them not just an acceptable but fashionable alternative to denim. And many streetwear fashions from T’s, hoodies and other informal pieces are equally popular among men from a range of creative careers. 

Then we also see a blending of both – which isn’t as strange as it initially seems. Many men are realizing they can reach a happy medium of looking dapper without seeming stuffy in well-coordinated combinations of a sophisticated suit jacket with less formal pieces or conversely dressier trousers with more casual tops and jackets.