City Style: How does where you live affect what you wear?
Geography's impact on your wardrobe
This weekend I’ll be in Wisconsin, where I’ll play with my niece, eat plenty of cheese and fried fish with my fam, drink a couple beers, and run a 10k (not in that order). I’m excited. I mean, obviously. Babies and beer, what’s not to love?
But there’s a voice in the back of my head every time I visit that reminds me, “You look different than everyone else.” Usually I notice my city style on one of my ritual Target pilgrimages. It’s like those old Gap ads – Everybody in vests! – except it’s everybody in Packers sweatshirts, Patagonia windbreakers, and bootcut jeans! Meanwhile, I’m in all black with my hair doing who-knows-what and red lipstick, and little kids are giving me the side eye in the snack aisle.
City style
The longer I’m away from the Midwest, the more I feel separate from the Wisconsin aesthetic. I can’t talk much about sports much beyond my schoolgirl crush on Aaron Rodgers, and my outdoor hiking is limited to my morning trek to the subway. As for the bootcut jeans, well, we’ve discussed those before.
Of course, those who buck the trends are always easier to spot. There was a kid in my grade school who would wear skateboard brand t-shirts and sneakers when everyone else sported those Gap hoodies and Adidas sambas. A college classmate in Pennsylvania insisted on wearing almost exclusively surf brands, white tube socks halfway up his calves, and Vans like Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgmont High, even though he’d been born and raised in a land-locked farm town.
I think, unless you’re in a big city, it’s easier to dress down to match your peers than it is to break from the pack and really improve your style. I hear in the comments all the time, “People would look at me crazy if I wore ____.” But the clothes I’m suggesting – white jeans, shorts that hit above your knee, infinity scarves – aren’t really that out there. I don’t like guys in clothes that are too fashionable, so I would never recommend anything too crazy – just stylish clothes that fit well on your body. But apparently in some places, that’s simply blasphemous.
How does where you live influence your style?
Of course, you can’t help but be influenced by your city. If not culturally, then functionally. You can’t get away with a linen suit in Wisconsin in December, but in South Carolina? Sure why not. But still, I wonder: how much have you let where you live – and the people who live there – determine what you wear? Do you go along to get along? If you’re a style outsider where you live, how did you stir up the courage to wrest control of your wardrobe?
> Read more on how your hometown influences your personal style here
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Personally I feel people especially men are starting to get on this new wave “style movement” and care about what they wear. The thing is though that alotta guys copycat the next or become “mannequins” meaning they only buy what they see looks good but don’t consider their personalities in what they wear. Me I’ve come along way from the frat days in college and baggy jeans tall tee days of highschool & urban life but now as I’ve gotten older and in the corporate world how I dress at work is how I dress everywhere. Blazers, spread collar shirts, nice slim jeans and casual pieces I like here and there are just additions to my own personal canvas. Now fast forward to being in the southern state of Arkansas….throw all of that in with RIDICULOUS humidity and southern terrain and you’ll see that massive trial of getting good clothing to work but overall I’m ME as I say and I encourage anyone to dress and feel accordingly.
As a fellow Midwesterner (and Big Ten fan, Go Green!), it can be a predicament in terms of wearing ‘fashion forward’ clothing or styles. I have started sporting different trends like bowties, cuffed pants, mixing patterns and linen shirts, and I tend to draw a lot of interest while doing so. Most of it has been positive, but its also a lot of “I’ve never seen anyone do that before”, which sometimes seems like a backhanded complement. However, I really enjoy wearing these styles and looking for new looks and styles. But I will say, what probably seems like the norm or conservative dress in some stylish communities in big cities does seem very ‘out there’ to everyone else in my city, so its difficult to experiment too much.
I love it. And I’d suspect, you’re probably getting the good feedback from girls, and the ‘bro, what is that outfit about?’ comments from guys, right? Pro tip: concentrate on what the girls are saying. Especially the pretty ones.
How did you know?! And yes, I focus on the female perspective. My wife loves it, so everything else pretty much doesn’t matter.
tell your wife she’s a wise woman 🙂
I’m so glad this happens in places other than the U.K., although if I showed you the ‘style’ some people in England go for you’d be shocked. (Try typing into YouTube or Google ‘chav’ if you are feeling really brave). Most of all in the U.K. people’s fashion sense seems to come from whatever shops such as Topman have on their mannequins and rather than developing a personal style or trying something your social circle wouldn’t normally wear.
Luckily I think there is a resurgence in the way you present yourself. Alot of it in my
Opinion is thanks to online blogs like this educating people but also perhaps the Internet providing easier access to better clothing and different looks. Thanks Internet.
Well, I’m in my 40’s, have grown a full beard with plenty of gray (which seems to detract people from making eye contact) and have had decades of experience in developing the “when I want your opinion I’ll give it to you” look. So, when I’m in the nursery (the one with plants, not babies) in a linen suit with spectators, nobody gives me a second glance. Plus, as I said I’m old, so if they did I truly don’t care.
Your comment reminds me of this great Dave Eggers short story about all the things the narrator will do when he is old. Staring down people in plant nurseries while wearing a linen suit and spectators should definitely get added to the list.
I’m really glad this came up on here. I love your blog and your ideas are pretty in tune with my style. Now I live in Maryland and I’m definitely a bigger guy (6’1″ – 270) so it’s hard enough to pull some of this off anyway but then when you throw in the mix that you live partly in the country but near a big city fashion is all over the place. I have to say though if you dress to impress meaning clean and not a bummy and you are consistent with it people will come to expect it and not be as shocked and really I’d rather have someone look at my like I’m out of place then look at me because I’m dress horribly. I’ve pretty much always dressed differenlty than anyone in my area and being 29 years old now, my friends compliment me all the time because at this point they are envoius of what i can pull off that they would dare try on.
I’m in Boston, and we don’t have the greatest reputation for men’s style: lots of hoodies, baggy jeans and shirts, flip-flops, and square-toed dress shoes. But I try to look on the bright side — I see a lot of college kids from Japan with amazing style, and sometimes older dudes who have mastered that awesome New England outdoorsy-preppy thing (think Bean boots, chinos, oxfords and Barbour jackets). A lot of that stuff filters down to resale and thrift stores so I’ve found some great stuff cheap.
I probably care more about style than my friends and most people around here, but my friends ask me for advice and most other people either don’t care or like that I’m willing to be different. One time a stripper told me I dressed like I was either gay or from New York and I took that as a huge compliment.
LOVE that. And yes, you definitely should take that as a compliment 🙂
As a WI resident often feeling noticeably “overdressed” at the grocery in any shoe that has a leather sole and any shirt that’s actually buttoned, I empathize with every sentence here.
Thanks!
M
You can go to Target in NYC. There are three in Brooklyn, one of which is in Fort Greene.
That being said, I agree with what you wrote. Even when I go to Philadelphia, I get strange looks for wearing a blazer.
But I’d have to get on the subway. to go to target. no. not gonna happen. I like hopping in my parents’ car and making my semi-annual sojourns 🙂
My previous job had me traveling all over the country and it was eye opening. Even moving from the LA beach cities to the desert was a big change. What I have found is there is a small very well dressed segment of the population in Palm Desert, so I get to fit in with them. I still miss wearing a jacket on a daily basis, but I still manage to look professional. My wardrobe is more heavily weighted with tropical wools and linens now. I can get away with lighter colors and more pastels. No one questions my love of bright madras shirts with my unstructured suits and sport coats.
I tend to dress more conservatively when I am in Chicago, Boston or New York. I dress down in Texas and Colorado. And I go for Friday office casual when in LA.
I loved the Bucky in the blog post (’89 UW grad)! I live in Milwaukee and was just in DC last week and took notice of how poorly other men dress. I don’t think it’s necessarily a location issue. NYC has more people, so you have more people conscious of their style. I wonder if the same percentage of people are style conscious, say maybe 35%, anywhere?
What an interesting point to bring up! Would be worth digging into…any reader/researchers in the crowd??
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Interesting place; we get a mix of just about everything: there’s the older, golf-playing, traditional set. The L.A. skate/hip-hop culture dominates. Chic visitors from the East Coast or Europe or Asia that dress like it, and usually well. People from up north that dress ready for a hike.
But for the most part suits are frowned upon (for work only uniform) and casual is king. Makes things difficult since you have to pull off looking like you’re not trying to pull it off.
I find like dressing like a dressed down, jet-setting Italian/British man @ work (slim dark ties and Ferragamos/Lobbs) and a cool, ultra casual, vibe (jeans & Vans Slip-Ons) after work is the best way to look good all the time. I try not to wear the sportcoat too much, but will throw on a low key bow-tie (ladies love them/men are jealous of them).
San Francisco is amazing, and you’re right; it’s super-eclectic! I loved that I could walk one block over and be in a totally new neighborhood with a totally new vibe.
Also, love your description of a “dressed down, jet-setting Italian-British man.” A perfect aspirational wardrobe to go after 🙂
As a KC native and fellow Midwesterner, I do feel like the bar here is set pretty low. There’s the occasional 20-year-old hipster who semi-knows what they’re doing, but for must, it’s graphic tees, embroidered button downs, and square-toed Kenneth Coles. I always feel that dressing better though, and even standing out from the crowd, is good for two reasons: 1. You can get noticed, in a good way, and 2. I like to feel like I’m encouraging others to dress better as well. Whenever you see someone in nicer clothes/better shape/ a cooler car, it can give you a boost to do the same.
I like both those points! Yes, why wouldn’t every guy want to get noticed in a good way?
For me living in a college town in Alabama (Roll Tide!), its all about washed out bootcut jeans, frat t-shirts, and crappy tennis shoes or boots. I don’t see a lot of fashion forward people here. When I wear a blazer to go out, or even just a basic button down dress shirt and some slacks, I get people asking why I’m so dressed up. Even my friends, who don’t subscribe to the styles above, ask me this sometimes (they wear a lot of skinny jeans, cargo shorts, and t-shirts). Of course my female friends always compliment me, so there’s that.
I live in AZ and of course the weather is HOT. I’m in my late 40’s and I still hear “why are you so dressed up”? I grew up in Baltimore and have traveled to San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City quite a bit. Just because it’s hot out doesn’t excuse sloppiness. A nice pair of shorts with a clean pair of shoes (not flip flops) and a clean shirt that fits is hardly dressed up.
Agreed!
I’m in Pittsburgh, and I work in an engineering firm, and there’s a lot of blue-collar bars here. Very low bar, although things are changing (Megan, you should check out
http://stylishwhitefemale.tumblr.com/ and
http://plaint-shirt.com/ ) That said, I’m trying to be a little more stylish and thanks for all the tips!
thank you for the blog reccos, will definitely check them out! I went to school in Pennsylvania and never in four years made it to Pittsburgh; can you believe it? I’d love to visit at some point..I’ve heard really good things about the city
I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and I always put a little more attention into my clothes than a lot of my buddies, but I would always dress down a little so as not to stand out. But I went to Boston for undergrad, I felt like I had a little more license to dress differently, since people saw me as being from “the city” instead of just another Fargo boy. Now, being in law school, I feel like I can dress it up even further (meaning I find any excuse I can to rock a sport coat and a knit tie, or at least tuck my shirt in). I just feel more natural dressing to fit who I’ve become and what I do, rather than using my clothes to make me into that person. Or maybe I should have just had the balls to turn myself into “that guy who dresses up” just by…you know…dressing up….haha
A law student who dresses well; I can get behind that!
I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and I always put a little more attention into my clothes than a lot of my buddies, but I would always dress down a little so as not to stand out. But I went to Boston for undergrad, I felt like I had a little more license to dress differently, since people saw me as being from “the city” instead of just another Fargo boy. Now, being in law school, I feel like I can dress it up even further (meaning I find any excuse I can to rock a sport coat and a knit tie, or at least tuck my shirt in). I just feel more natural dressing to fit who I’ve become and what I do, rather than using my clothes to make me into that person. Or maybe I should have just had the balls to turn myself into “that guy who dresses up” just by…you know…dressing up….haha
Hi there
Up here in Minnesota clothes are vital for our survival. It’s had to be fashionable in a huge puffy coat but boy will I be nice and toasty. We are in the state of extreme weather year round. Layers are recommended in the winter, spring and fall. If you get too warm you can take a layer off just as you get too cold you can put them back on.
There are coats you can by that are more fashionable as long as your going into a event right away going to and from your car.
For guys riding motorcycles clothes again are for survival. They do have some hot motorcycle jackets that have extra padding all in the most vulnerable areas that protects them in case of a fall.
Road rash sucks they will tell ya
Minnesotans rarely let weather stop them from dressing how they want to all year round
Cheers
Kathy
Thanks Kathy! I agree that sometimes you can get away with less layers if you’re headed straight to an event. And it’s worth it if you don’t have to lug around a heavy coat!
My favorite brand out of Minnesota is Minnetonka – I have two pairs of their moccasins! Do you wear the brand?