tmos' fit doctor - knocking down the brick wall
here goes nothing!
Inspo:
Album 1 (outfits)
Album 2 (pieces)
Album 3 (objects/graphics)
Objective: Receive general advice, nail down what exactly my style is, broaden my fashion horizons within said style, and find the ambition, depth, and spark that I feel that I am missing from my outfits.
Motive: Lately, my outfits have been feeling rather boring and uncreative in comparison to others I see both in the real world and in #waywt. I see lots of outfits with more detailed pieces, more layering, stronger context etc. that I find to be nice and visually pleasing, but unfortunately I don’t really feel a true connection to their aesthetics, i.e. they don’t really feel like me. I do know what feels like me in the worlds of graphic/industrial design, and I've included examples in Album 3. My current style is an attempt to channel that aesthetic, my interests and hobbies, my career, and who I am into a sense of dress, but in its current state, it falls flat and doesn’t quite live up to the underlying goal of its development. I see the concept’s potential, and I want to realize that potential and push it even further into something more thorough and aesthetically pleasing. Sadly I am limited by my surface-level knowledge of the fashion world and the analysis paralysis I am experiencing about how exactly to advance my style.
Motifs:
Workwear
Modernism
Natural fibers & materials
Functionalism
Army/forest green
Grayscale incl. white and black
Pops of red
Modernist graphics/typography (esp. Helvetica)
Icons & pictograms (warning signs, arrows etc.)
Custom / DIY work
Silver/gray metal accents
Clear-anodized aluminum/matte silver
Architecture
Photography
Industry
52 Replies
"good" fits
"meh" fits
bricks
1: doesn't nearly look as good irl but I like the colors, the silhouette, the graphics and the way the sharp angles are offset by the roundness of the shoes
3: reminiscent of my earlier efforts to work technical clothes into the style i'm after
1: draws too much from skate clothing for my liking, between a civilist tee (which I didn't know was a skate brand when I thrifted it years ago) and SB blazers (the regular 77 mids were never made in this colorway)
4: also feels somewhat skate-adjacent but in a more organic and indirect way. the small skatewear cues throughout my style stem from my past interest in BMX which i'll probably touch on later
6: seems like it would be massively improved by a pair of green double-fronts and maybe steel toe solovairs
7: nice fall colors, though the tuck of the shirt looks way too high just bc that pair of pants is so high waisted
1: pretty basic and boring especially on camera. the texture of the cotton/linen tee played well with the duck canvas of the shorts irl but if your fit can be bricked by squinting there's probably work to do
3: same as meh #4, but tucked (again too high) with different shoes. looks weird
4: colors are too dark and muted, the red toolbox prop throws off how the shoes look
5: shirt combo fucking sucked. i'm embarassed that i thought that looked good in any way shape or form
6: the fade of the pants doesn't complement the cleanliness of the rest of the pieces tbh, plus the silhouette looked weird
I like the clarity of your vision, and will be responding in-depth soon. But for now, do you have any non-sneakers?
not yet, i've been looking at non-sneaker shoes and so far solovair's steel toe gibsons have caught my fancy
esp in matte black leather
actually i have a pair of target brand dress shoes(see meh #3) but that's it
For me, fits 2, 4 in "good" and fit 1 in "meh" actually look to be the best, or outfits that most cohere for me. I find a lot of your elements to be kind of classically formal in a way that doesn't necessarily complement your vision (mainly the grey button up and the coat in fit 1). I think some of these pieces don't have the very saturated colour palette you're going for as well, which may be an exercise in finding shirts with fabrics that really pop or really give a technical feel without looking cheap.
I'm gonna circle in @cirque because he's in your main inspo folder for fits and I feel like the vibes are adjacent in what you want and what he consistently posts
I also think another pair of black derbies or engineer boots may help here? I want to see the ones you mentioned here up close
fwiw - most of these aren’t far off from being more than “just clothes”
1 - reads as “just clothes” - crew socks, different necklace and maybe different shoes would do work here
2 - also fine, maybe diff shoes + roll down sleeves a bit
3 - unbutton 2-3 buttons, roll down sleeves somewhat at least, maybe add belt, swap shoes and it’s fixed
4 - unbutton or and/or add a chain under collar, swap shoes
6 - fine
Echoing Isaac, a good pair of derbies will take you places
i'm not explicitly going for a saturated color palette, per se
What I mean by that is
When you posted the pictures in the inspo folders
There was presence within the colouration of those garments
Fit 1 in similarly colored trousers or slacks with more structure would also go nuts btw
i see
for the record i like the color scheme of good #1 and meh #1 & #2 but mostly due to the bright red pops throughout
i'll give that a try
fun fact that coat is actually some weird hybrid between a sweatshirt and a lab coat. its made of french terry fabric hence the pairing with sweatpants
its more obv here
1 - a camp collar, crop or button shirt would give a little more texture + diff shoes (lighter color) would be less visually jarring, maybe black or brown derbies would also be better here tho
2 - good but same comment about shoes
3 - pretty good! you’re not into the shoes and neither am I but the idea is good
4 clothes, I’d unbutton a few buttons and unrolled to 3/4 tho
5 - good, not crazy about the belt or buckle width or the shoes but it’s almost there
6 - def better than the version of this with other shoes but a better shoe would be better
7 - id untuck a little (less severe tuck/billow a little at waist, zeometer is good at this) and chunkier shoe may be better
The shirt in 7 is a little long for the waist proportions but that might just be me
Heard! I think sweatpants are usually not really my thing unless they’re really visually interesting like hecklebuckle’s huge ones
gotcha
i gotta jet to work for now, i'll tend to this thread some more later today
thank you two for the help so far
I think steedtothemax, sharloy, artvandelayimporting (or exporting idr), holfram, mackie2009, _rej, isaac (gesamtkunstwerkinprogress), himbilbibli, Damb, mrweeg, ler, tunnocks, maybe adaptation here may all be people you could source inspo from in this server if you search - obviously tons of good inspo exists just beyond these channels
Maybe: zeometer,
hecklebuckle, Elvander, surpersug, collar, esco.griffe, salutatorian, thegoodmorningman
definitely bishopcorrigan
I think somewhere between all of them is what you’re looking for between graphics, earth tones, workwear, silver tones, and a respect for slimmer silhouettes and Vans/low profile sneakers depending on the fit
Hi I’m not sure the carpenter shorts are suiting you very well. They’re at a weird length where they’re not long or short and that indecisiveness makes the shorts not look intentional. They’re also a bit slim.
I agree with the sentiment to get a black derby or even loafers.
I think you are kinda mismatched in what you want to go for — either workwear or tailoring
For example this one the top blouson and the shirt want to go towards more formal (love the jacket btw) but the shorts and shoes look like they’re trending towards workwear
following this, will have more thoughts after work
(I feel like bishop and art straddle this line well tho their fits usually mean more one or the other)
Like they do both well - art even has cutoff double knees - but usually don’t mix them much
maybe bishop freaks the workwear the tailoring more
This one I’m not sure the shirt layering works and the outer shirt is way too long imo doesn’t look purposeful. If the outer shirt was a long sleeve it could work
I think you also could change up your shoe choice, a samba adjacent shoe (GATs, gazelles, puma Palermo’s, tigers etc) would modern up your style
Again this one your top half is screaming wanting to elevate formality but your bottom half is saying you want to be a California skater in 2019
I think committing to either side would help a lot
gats (bundeswehr, no need for margiela) would do numbers in these
This one you say you like (I agree) because it shows the intentionality of going casual. Both top and bottom are workwear adjacent streetwear and it makes cohesive sense. Personally I would have shorter or longer shorts that are wider but that’s a nitpick
I actually really like this one if the shorts were not double knees. If they were athletic shorts you would lean into the athleisure aspect a lot and would hit the scandi minimalism well
Please don’t layer like this lol
Shoes are the only brick, everything else is good
one thing i will say is some of your bricks would benefit from more contrast, especially if it's white vs (some other color, as a way to sort of convey the feeling of modernism)
I think char nailed it
White gats would do numbers in many of these
It was already said but your style list is way too long
You need to hammer down exactly what you want - I see milsurp/military inspired clothes mixed with tailoring mostly
some of the styles are also at odds with each other imo; there's an interesting idea in organic modernism or else juxtaposing modernism vs natural fabrics/colors but it's not reading as intentional
And in that same vein you have basically no outfits actually using that military theme in your inspo
No fatigues, no combat boots or combat boot inspired shoes (combat derbies exist), no clear milsurp patterned jackets
When I did this thread I was asked this by Sal and I think it's relevant here
Obv olive green/black for you, but what material - natural is really meaningless here. Cotton and wool drape completely differently, linen is also super different
Also most of your inspo is not cropped at all in silhouette, etc. Really try to hammer down the bare minimum
Should also note natural is mostly meaningless in general, I find synthetics drape closer to wool than other naturals
Lot of people have weird biases against synthetics cause of cheap clothes using them to cut costs instead of using them for their textile properties and I think stepping away from that is important
i would associate modernism with synthetics tbh
Similarly, silk and semi-synthetics are extremely similar to each other
To the point they are basically interchangeable in use and drape
The milsurp inspo I see is a lot of wool and synthetics
out of curiosity, did you have any specific examples in #waywt of fits that are interesting and creative (through detail or layering or context) but not in your desired aesthetic?
i think sal's/smiles's questions are foundational here but this gives another context to defining the kinds of things you like/dislike
took another read and i think the sense of boredom may be because many of the fits formulaic
usually a normcore top (maybe with a techy top layer) + workwear bottom + sneaker bottom, and all relatively similar in silhouette
beyond some of the callouts earlier it might be worth rearranging the formula in some way - 1 and 4 in the 'good' fits lean into streetwear, and 2 feels like a more intentional streetwear/workwear blend
i also checked google glass on the inspo pics and there's a decent range represented: helmut lang x2, danton, 1ldk, nicholas daley x2, uniqlo, carhartt wip, altea, a-cold-wall, cos, ssstein, unfolk plus what cirque and ler are wearing
there's also a couple of pics pulled from 'how to breathe' and one which i could not find but leans towards cityboy style
some of these brands have changed in focus at some point; it might be worth looking at their current output to see what is consistent and what is resonant with you now
just got home, taking a moment to process
i see most all of your points throughout your comments, between the mismatching of two different aesthetics, the shorts and the appearance of unintentionality
that probably comes down to me not having gone shoe shopping in quite some time
if i wanted to take that idea further, what would make it read as more intentional?
i pin this on:
a) not taking looking for inspo seriously until now, and
b) not purposefully looking towards milsurp/militaria as a source of inspiration
good point that i should have been more specific. standout material for me has to be cotton, in weaves typical for workwear like duck canvas and twill
i thought about making a fourth inspo album around that exact concept and while i skipped it initially i'm not opposed to the idea
i've come to realize the lack of emphasis i've placed on my career, schooling, interests, history with fashion etc. in this thread, which would help to explain a lot of the style cues and choices i've been making
for example, i'm working at both a hardware store and a local machine shop, and i'm studying machining at a vocational school. the button ups stem from the former and the workwear stuff stems from the latter two.
the streetwear/skatewear cues/shoes stem from my past days as a bmx rider by way of the current intransience and intransigence of my wardrobe
i think an overreaching question to consider is what do you hope to communicate with your clothes
much of the description of what you like about your clothes is focused on visuals or a factual state of being rather than what feeling you get from the aesthetic
this may not be an easy question to answer, and that's often the case, but that would help to form the connection between the visual elements of your wardrobe (as smiles said) and what exactly they represent for you
it's worth noting you don't necessarily need to align an appreciation of one style of art across all forms of media
warhol was a gifted artist but he wasn't dressing in a way that would be indicative of pop art, for example.
you may be able to convey your appreciation of modernism in less overt ways (a bauhaus watch, a helvetica tee, silver jewelry or gats) that would then pair well with some of the other influences you have or you find
as you predicted that's hard for me to answer
my line of thinking goes several different directions trying to figure it out
this is a good point as well
I don’t think you have to be able to put everything into words, though sometimes it helps
I think just doing things comparatively is the way to lead yourself in, is this more me or less me, is x more me or is y more me
Do that enough and you start to form the sense of what works and what doesn’t
You also don’t have to feel locked in to one style or one version of yourself, I dress fairly differently, pulling from different styles in ways that all feel like me
I think the cohesion comes from just refining that skill of picking what feels right and what doesn’t, and refining your styling
You will have natural themes in the way you style things arise that people will see as cohesive elements throughout your fits whether they are conscious or not
i'll need to mull that question over for a bit
i'd like to find an answer but its getting late for me and i'll find time to think it through tomorrow
Yeah I mean dont feel like you need to nail anything down immediately
It’s a journey for sure and the exploration and experimentation is the fun part
I think the big thing to do is just train your eye and really start trying to determine what is closer and further from your aims
Even if you don’t actually know what those are
There’s some part of your gut that will say yes or no
It’s like when you flip a coin to make a choice and while it’s in the air a part of you says which choice you hope it lands on
the gut thing is more or less how i wound up with the particular flavor of modernism that i like
Yeah I think refining is a slow process, do the same thing with your inspo, refine refine refine
i look at different objects, scenes, places, graphics etc. and think to myself "too archaic" or "too cold" or "needs more xyz"
its almost instinctual
Yeah it’s a lot more fuzzy with fashion things but it’s not dissimilar
I think design is more vibes based than many designers would like to admit but fashion is extremely vibes
Because the history is so complex and convoluted and yet everyone everywhere is immersed in it in a much closer way than something like logo or product design
Everyone puts together outfits and uses the context and history of fashion with or without knowing it
So the definitions of everything get very muddied and contextual
So it’s basically impossible to saying anything objectively, you just have to feel your way through it and get better and better at ascribing words to those feelings if communication about fashion is important to you
i appreciate your thoughts and reassurances about just feeling things out, i was beginning to question whether i should be or not
i have to say, between the direct observation/critique of the outfits i've posted and the questions/points about the motive(s) behind my style, the response to this thread has really opened my eye for coherence, intentionality, and context in fashion
thank you to everyone who gave their input, you've been a huge help
I’m h hey thanks @isaac, albertrivia I’ve just gotten back from a work trip and saw this.
@tmxs.svg you’ve got great taste and I’m picking up what you’re putting down. I see Kyn and char and bishop also all talked to u so I’m sure they gave better advice than I ever could but. I agree with Isaac that we’re pulling from some not dissimilar influences so lmk if u wanna chat more
sure thing, where do you wanna talk?