I spent sometime years ago being part of the SCA during which I learned of the wealth of beautiful mens garb historic global cultures have had and ever since then I have wondered why modern people and men even more so use close to none of it. Is the problem that old means its passé, despite the fact that fashion is very cyclical with old being new within like 30 years? Is the idea that it would be cultural appropriation that is the problem? Or is modern manufacturing just not capable of it? Some examples of what Im talking about but not exhaustive: https://pin.it/1Tyx8zNbP https://pin.it/45cuzzliu https://pin.it/6jq6GlZbJ

Crossposted from https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/1134794

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My hypothesis about dress watches is that they serve two functions. First, they're jewelry that's socially acceptable for men to wear, even in conservative circles. Second, they project social status to other people who "know watches."

I'm in a position where I want nice jewelry and don't care about much else. New dress watches start at ~€200, such as the Citizen Tsuyosa. However, I like to reduce the amount of new stuff I'm buying, I like the feeling of something with a history, and - if we're honest - I love a bargain. Enter used watches.

What watch to buy

When I started looking for a used watch, I didn't know what to search for. I'd scroll through eBay endlessly without finding much I cared about. What helped me was narrowing in on one brand. In my case, I focused on Junghans, but there are plenty of brands to pick from: Omega, Seiko, Oris, Bulova, Tissot, to name a few. I created search alerts for "Junghans quarz" and "Junghans quartz" and watched the listings for a few days.

And yes, I decided to specifically look for quartz watches. A quartz movement is sturdy and precise, often even after decades without servicing. A mechanical movement, on the other hand, is a huge liability when buying used: a watch that loses or gains a couple of minutes per day is considered normal. I want as little hassle as possible, hence quartz.

My Junghans

I ended up finding a Junghans from the '70s for €60. The crystal has a few scratches, but the case is in great shape, and it's in remarkable condition overall, considering it's half a century old.

The vendor unfortunately inserted an alkaline manganese battery before sending it, and the watch lost an hour over the course of two days. A local watchmaker fixed this and replace the battery with a proper silver-oxide one for 10 bucks.

Looking at it from the front, the dial has a slight yellow stain, which turns into a richer, golden color at higher angles.

Doubling down on the wristband

A note on Hirsch: I was in contact with their customer support and found them rude and unhelpful. For a better customer experience, I recommend other brands, such as Delugs or Withings

The wristband is the secret sauce of wearing a used watch. If you think about it, the band takes up most space on your wrist, yet it's typically orders of magnitudes cheaper than the watch itself. So doubling down on a high-quality wristband is a no-brainer for making a used watch pop.

I went with Hirsch (no affiliation), a company that manufactures their wristbands in Austria. I ordered four different 18mm straps and tried them on.

I went with the Duke because I found the color matched the dial best, and the croco texture of it plays well with the watch's character. It costs €49, almost as much as the used watch, but I guess you can already tell from the picture why it's worth it.

The result

Spending €119 (€60 watch, €49 wristband, €10 watchmaker), I got myself a dress watch that I'm truly proud of. When I wear it, I still surprise myself with how fancy it looks when I catch it out of the corner of my eye.

For men’s clothing used military uniforms are a staple. Lots of classic male clothing items like bomber jackets and trench coats are of military origin. During the wars they become symbols of determination and strength when facing adversity. Soldiers brought them back from wars and surplus sales made them ubiquitous. Veterans wearing their uniforms during protests against wars is a common sight as well.

You can adopt a piece of veteran clothing and introduce it to civilian life.

Military clothing isn’t only camouflage pants for frontline service. There‘s quite the range for various activities ranging from sitting in an office, riding a motorcycle, camping outdoors in freezing cold, looking snazzy on a parade in the summer, flying a plane, working on a ship, physical exercise.

The clothing is designed to be functional, comfortable, good looking, durable, and timeless.

Find a shop for military surplus clothing to find some good quality and durable items. I bought some great quality leather gloves and a nice navy jumper for a few euros for example. Shops with uniforms from different countries provides variety. You can even get stuff from countries that don’t exist anymore.

Some classic items like the WW1 trench coat and WW2 MA1 bomber jacket are produced new in varying quality levels as well.

The range of colors is typically limited to olive, greens, tan, brown, dark blue, white, grey, black. Navy and Air Force tend to have more options in blue and grey colors.

You might want to remove flags, crests, and other symbols. Military clothing is often customizable by design. Shoulder straps used for rank insignia can be used to attach other stuff. Modern items often feature Velcro patches for the same purpose. You can buy Velcro patches from a huge market or make your own.

Usually you wouldn’t run around in full uniform, but add one piece to an outfit. You can use inconspicuous plain color basic and winter pieces with lots of regular, colorful and patterned clothing. A busy camouflage piece like pants or jackets are more of a statement item, you combine with simple clothing.

Now on to some examples I was able to find quickly. Prices are examples. I have seen similar ones for half at times.

NVA Winter Hat

The former East German Army. Ushanka style winter hats. Huge numbers were made during the Cold War. This iconic hat is perfect not only for Lemmy.ml hot heads. Others might want to remove the crest though. Sold for 10 to 15 €.

British Police Jumper

Plain color, warm and comfy. It even has a pocket. Similar jumpers in green, navy, and black are used in many militaries. Excellent when on tone policing duty. 20 to 30 €

American Flight Jacket

These short jackets are nice for many occasions during fall and spring. Mockingly called the Chair Force, because they sit down during their jobs. The modern development from the classic MA1 jacket. Perfect for when you want to shitpost from a park bench. 80 to 100 €

Bundeswehr Leather Gloves

Grey fits lots of outfits. Durable leather can be worn for many many years. When you need to use a strong hand while protecting your fingers. 10 to 15 €

French Tropical Jacket

For people who love pockets and the sun. 10 to 20 €

Polish 'wz.68 Moro' Air Force Winter Jacket

Accommodates those who like and hate the Soviet Union. 50 €

Balaclava

Keeps you warm, protects your identity. 5 to 10 €

Beret

Militant activist drip 5 to 15 €

Slovakian Army Shirt

A simple blue shirt for just 5 €

Bundeswehr Tracksuit from 1990s

Exercise is good for you. Only 15 €

Outdoor equipment

Sleeping bags, backpacks, camping gear, motorcycle gear, boots can also be good value.

Shopping, Quality, and Prices

There are lots of internet shops as well as brick and mortar ones. Prices can vary quite a bit. Some items and patterns become collectors items over time.

There are also cheap fast fashion items being made that copy military clothing. Some shops sell surplus, cheap low quality fast fashion, and new stuff. Be careful you don’t buy new cheap crap instead of used cheap quality.

Good evening all,

I am researching fashion degrees online at the moment, and I'm finding that the courses offered don't give too much information on modules. What you study, different techniques, books and media for study, etc. If anyone here has attended fashion school, or knows someone who has, could you illuminate what the course looked like?

This guide focuses on what's available and sustainable for people in Central European.

Dressing well makes you look good, and three fundamentals matter most: fit, material and composition of your clothes. Fit and material are easy to get right. Developing taste for composition takes time and experience.

Buy Clothes That Fit You

Buying well-fitting clothes is the simplest improvement you can make. Look out for the following:

T-Shirts: The shoulder seam sits on the edge of your shoulder. Sleeves hug your arm without squeezing. The hem lands just below your belt - not halfway down your thighs. If you raise your arms, your belly shouldn't show.

Shirts: The collar should touch your neck without choking. Cuffs should meet your wrist bone. When you lift your arms, your stomach doesn’t show. Your chest feels comfortable, not tightened by your shirt.

Pants: The waistband rests on your hips, not sag below or squeeze your stomach. The seat should hold your shape without pulling - if you need a belt to hold the pants, they're too wide! The thighs have room to move but no billow. The hem should break once on your shoe. If they bunch, they’re too long. If they ride up, too short.

Buy high-quality materials

Choose natural materials like cotton and wool. They last for years without losing shape or feel. Clothes with synthetic fibers will wear out faster and look worse with age.

High-quality fabrics feel solid, often with texture and weight. Synthetics look "flat" and lifeless, they are homogenous. Consider these two coats: A EUR150 Boss coat, 80% wool and 20% polyamide, versus a Canali coat made of 100% wool, ten times the price.

From afar, they look similar. Up close, the Canali coat has much richer depth and texture. Imagine touching the two. Which one feels better, looks better, lasts longer?

The same effect appears outside luxury fashion. At Uniqlo, try the EUR15 Jersey T-Shirt (100% cotton, link). Go to Decathlon across the street and feel the EUR9 Domyos 500 T-Shirt made of 60% cotton and 40% synthetics.

Composition

Putting outfits together that suits your body is an art. The best way to learn is by observation - study people who dress well and copy them. For inspiration:

• Kurt Cobain
• Lemmy Kilmister
• Steve McQueen
• Ernest Hemingway
• Idris Elba
• or follow modern fashion influences whose style you admire.

Rules of thumb:

• Wearing one color makes you look larger; mixing colors balances your frame.
• Light skin tones work better with muted or cool shares (pastel, burgundy, navy) than with bright and orange or yellow - they end up looking pale. Darker skin tones can wear strong, bright colors beautifully.
• Pair wide shirts with wide pants, and slim shirts with slim pants. Break this rule once you know what you're doing, not before.

Where to Buy

You'll find good-quality clothes at a reasonable price here:

• Uniqlo
• Colorful Standard
• Lands end - wait for sales and only buy those
• Vinted - look for fancy clothes at stores and then buy them used
• ebay - same
• H&M - avoid synthetics, make sure materials are high quality
• C&A - avoid synthetics, make sure materials are high quality
• Marc O'Polo
• Armed Angels - sell pre-owned items directly on their website

Choose quality, be sustainable and save money by buying second hand. Then take care of what you own - read the labels and wash colors separately and at the right temperature. You’ll look good for years without buying often.

sells pre-owned items directly on their website

Intro:

Across TikTok and university campuses, young men are rewriting what masculinity looks like today, sometimes with matcha lattes, Labubus, film cameras and thrifted tote bags.

At Toronto Metropolitan University, a “performative male” contest recently drew a sizeable crowd by poking fun at this new TikTok archetype of masculinity. The “performative man” is a new Gen Z term describing young men who deliberately craft a soft, sensitive, emotionally aware aesthetic, signalling the rejection of “toxic masculinity.”

At “performative male” contests, participants compete for laughs and for women’s attention by reciting poetry, showing off thrifted fashion or handing out feminine hygiene products to show they’re one of the “good” guys.

Similar events have been held from San Francisco to London, capturing a wider shift in how Gen Z navigates gender. Research shows that young men are experimenting with gender online, but audiences often respond with humour or skepticism.

This raises an important question: in a moment when “toxic masculinity” is being called out, why do public responses to softer versions of masculinity shift between curiosity, irony and judgment?

I'm finding it impossible to shop for these because I've only ever bought them in thrift stores and don't know what they're properly called.

Edit: Not looking for flannel or denim, but lighterweight fabric, something I'd wear under a jacket not instead of one.

Old shapes rebalanced for now.

Pretty much title, I’ve got a formal wedding to go to in October and I’m not a formal person. Can I wear these docs without looking like a jerk

I know this is male fashion advice but the community doesn't seem to have rules and it's pretty slow so I'm adding an article I found interesting

I really like the look of seersucker, but I'm color blind. So I don't see reds well, so no purple. The question really is, do I just pick anything, or do I need to match the blue?

I found it while looking for outfits for pride, and I really like the look. If it helps, here's where I found the source image:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/hercules-universal-xavier-serrano-models-relaxed-looks--252694229069998074/

What do you all think?

Also would this pair well with a black t-shirt? This is not a troll, I think it's neat.

"Ringer" means that the t-shirt's body is a different color than the elastic on the cuffs of the armholes and on the collar. e.g. the t-shirt body is white, but the cuffs and collar are navy. Sometimes the words "contrast trims" or "contrast piping" are used.

Here are some brands I found:

I really like the Velour Garments one because it's 300gsm and made in Spain but it's out of stock. Considering all the options I'm now leaning towards fruit of the loom, but I know it's not going to be very well made, since it's loom. I'll maybe get one from them and then keep looking

Does anyone know any other options? The ones I listed are all t-shirts, but I wasn't able to find a ringer tanktop anywhere.

The other day I saw a guy wearing pants that look like they had a chino cut. They had a distinct design detail which was that the fabric clasp that closed one of the back pockets was in neon pink. The fabric might have been cotton, but could also be some kind of mixed technical fabric. I couldn't tell. The pants were dark navy colour, almost black.

The pants also had the same neon pink inseam detail, which was visible because the person had their pant leg rolled up once or twice. It showed similar to the red lines on a pair of selvedge denim pants.

I noticed that the other back pocket seemed to have a zipper closure.

The guy was in front of me on a bike, and I didn't manage to get his attention to ask him where he had bought his pants.

So now I'm asking in the lemmyverse, any sartorialists out there who has seen these pants, and know what make they are? I tried Googling, but it didn't return that particular brand.

I have 17 pairs. That sounds like a lot but I could go for a couple more pairs if I'm being honest. Like a third of them are Converse, too; I can't help myself.