beyond menswear - casual tops

Hey y'all! I'm looking to move from standard meta casual menswear towards something more androgynous/avant-garde. My style currently leans more 70s: wardrobe staples are flared pants, print shirts, mockneck sweaters, track/racing jackets, short shorts, thin-soled loafers/sneakers, heeled boots, bits of gold jewelry. I'm pretty happy with everything below the belt atm, but am looking for interesting tops that aren't just the standard t-shirt/button-up/polo/sweater. Ideally men's clothing, as I've tried messing around with women's tops and they just don't fit/flatter a male form for the most part. What are some places to start looking? Brands, designers, search terms, etc.
9 Replies
Spuck
Spuck2mo ago
crop tops?
kyn
kyn2mo ago
androgynous/avant garde is a really, really broad category. narrowing it down, it sounds like you want 'tops that work with flared pantsshort shorts, not-chunky loafers and sneakers, heeled boots' that aren't women's tops.' anecdotally, I've owned and worn 'women's' tops across the spectrum from mall brands to higher-end designers. clothing doesn't have a gender as long as it fits. I think crops and mesh are a good place to start. Cropped tops, shirts, blazers/jackets, etc. Asymmetrical, boxy, oversized, distressed stuff also reads less traditionally gendered. It is hard to give you better recommendations on brands/designers without a clearer idea of what you're looking for (ideally specific inspo pics)
zeometer
zeometer2mo ago
also were you striving to get a more androgynous/avant garde garment because of the silhouette/type of item? or is anything within bounds? when i think of the 70s there's an element of danydism and effete style to menswear that could read as androgynous or at least not specifically masculine presently - david bowie and prince come to mind
FalconSLAP
FalconSLAP2mo ago
per a quick pinterest search, smth like this could be cool
No description
FalconSLAP
FalconSLAP2mo ago
will def look into bowie/prince inspo, seems promising so far
kyn
kyn2mo ago
This is top from Saint Laurent… doesn’t really have a common name but given its from 2023 it might still be around. Rick Owens, Prada, Peter do, Ann demeulemeester, margiela (maybe), comme des garçons, Yohji yamamoto (maybe less so), Jordan Arthur smith, Simone rocha, ludovic de Saint sernin, jil sander, juntae Kim, jean Paul gaultier, Alexander McQueen, 4s designs, jacquemus, acne, song for the mute, hodakova, k.ngsley, Isabel marant, ganryu and the usual luxe brands all might have stuff if you dig for it Gonna restate that not looking at “women’s” tops while going for this might limit you
FalconSLAP
FalconSLAP2mo ago
hm ok thank u!! will look around common stockists/sample sales/secondhand sites. my issue w women's clothing much of the time is finding stuff that fits right - any thoughts on figuring out how to find clothing that works on a male body?
mattw282
mattw2822mo ago
try stuff on and pay close attention to size charts.
kyn
kyn2mo ago
measure clothes you own and like the fit of, compare those to provided measurements