Moodboard - Topic of the day 5/27/24
What do your inspirations look like? What kind of recurring element (motif, color, silhouette) do you notice? How does your outfits reflect — or doesn't reflect — in your outfits?
7 Replies
A lot of my inspiration draws from either westernwear, navy milsurp (well, Im trying to get more into that part) or generally 70s stuff.
I think to me Cowboys and Sailors (I just read Moby dick and it is very gay) just feel like queer icons and I want to reference that. How successful I am with that? who the fuck knows, I feel like I am still starting out on this journey, this is my first summer really being into fashion and there is still so much to figure out...
Always a bit concerned that it ends up being corny
one of my main sources of inspiration is swiss/german functionalist design and the execution thereof. think akzidenz-grotesk/helvetica, wassily chairs, or anything dieter rams
this shows up either blatantly in the form of a Braun watch or a sweater with a massive wraparound A.P.C. print or subtly in the form of clean undistressed fabrics or a somewhat timeless vibe
i came to realize and appreciate the fact i have several forms of inspiration - other fits/lookbooks for sure, but also other forms of media (tv, movie, art, music, advertising, anime, even literature) and even some historic cultural context
the most obvious in my fits are 60s-era ivy and to a lesser extent, 70s westernwear and 90s armani, which share some attributes - high rise pants, button down shirts, layering, leather accessories, mostly muted colors
if there's a unifying theme beyond those elements it's a degree of subversion - ties that are too big or long, pants that are super high rise, flouncy neckerchiefs, baseball caps - things which take it away from direct recreation of looks and into a personal style
i've noticed that when i turn to look at what inspires and feeds my taste, especially currently, the fictional people that come to mind are jim hawkins and ellen ripley, and eddie riggs, and riku (more specifically, from kingdom hearts 2 and 3, where his look is a bit more...street friendly). less specifically, i always look to henson studio designs as guidance for a level of detail and focus. favorite henson choices that come to mind are aughra (the dark crystal) and the ensemble dressings from labyrinth and a muppet christmas carol.
i look a lot for a retro-futurist vibe when i'm not just diving head-first into edge (or going for a prim and proper feminine look), hence why i snapped up that kitchen sink when i found it, and why i'm still looking for a nice pair of oakley sunglasses to go with it and a digital casio. no matter what, though, i always seem to favor a level of sharpness and weight and oomph, and i build a look more like a character design than an outfit, focusing on constraining colors because 18-color sprites traumatized me. (yeah, i know, ellen ripley is a weird choice when you remember i'm typically allergic to jumpsuits and dresses and similar pieces-that-are-difficult-to-get-off-in-the-restroom.)
but then when we get a bit more...well, vague, there's almost always a slightly disheveled look to what i'm going for, even if i do my best to care for everything in my wardrobe. it feels more authentic to me than carefully constraining absolutely everything about my look - hence the usually somewhat messy hair. yeah, i clean up nice, but i'm not a sterile, perfect person and i try to reflect that even when i do dress formally.
i feel like i'm more eloquent with my wordings than i am with how carefully i curate my look, even though i do my best to make what i wear cohesive and interesting.I think that's the result of a gap between ideation and execution--which is no judgement, just a Thing That Happens. I relate to that as well I think what you imagine and how you pull if off will get more and more clearer and more cohesive the more you put shit on and edit a wardrobe
My inspiration mostly came from the guys that inspired me to dress well. From Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt (Tweed jacket, rollneck, and a raincoat? Fuck yeah!) to the menswear writers whose content I drank up like a thirsty dog (One of which is in this server btw so that's great!). I was simply fascinated by the elegance and slouchiness of classic menswear even when the climate here only permits layering when it's raining outside! Life was simply less shitty when you wear the clothes you love the most and I try to catch that feeling whenever I put on an outfit or add pieces to my wardrobe.
Films also affect my wardrobe in huge way, for example: there's this scene in Oppenheimer where Lewis Strauss is wearing a Balmacaan for a total of around 2-3 seconds. That short amount of screentime led me into a hyperfixation frenzy, scouring resources from PTO to thrifting in the local version of Ebay until I landed with my beloved J.Press Raincoat.
TLDR: I love classic menswear, I love classic menswear writers, and I love wearing jackets, no matter how hot it may be.
