When I first noticed this Fashionisto’s ensemble, I was immediately drawn to the color palette. It is so easy in the colder months to give in to one’s perhaps natural inclination to wear mostly dark, muted colors. This Fashionisto however, takes a different approach. For the basis of this outfit, he sticks to earthy tones: the subtle green on his button-down shirt and the warm brown of his cuffed pants. A blue denim jacket brightens these earthy tones while his red canvas Dr. Marten’s boots add a lovely dark burst of color. I also admire this Fashionisto’s use of accessories. Ignoring societal gender norms that dictate jewelry as a solely feminine item, he displays transparent plugs and a single daith piercing. The minimalism in his ear piercings in combination with a stunning golden deer pin fastened on his denim jacket maintains focus on his clothing.
A closer analysis revealed to me both the timelessness and innovation of this outfit. Each piece individually is a classic in its own right, but all together the complete look is a beautiful mesh of creativity and a reflection of one’s open-mindedness to the past. Personally, I’m not sure how popular paisley is these days, but the original Persian motif definitely had a significant cultural impact since its beginnings in South and Central Asia, journeying the silk routes to Western Europe and then later traveling to the US. The versatility in paisley is something that is often overlooked; the textile pattern adorned the shawls of European women in the eighteenth century, but it was also a popular aesthetic of the sixties and seventies. David Bowie, Prince, and John Lennon were all devotees to the pattern.
In this particular outfit, the paisley print button down (purchased at a consignment store) enhances the Fashionisto’s bohemian carefree vibes, while the Levi’s denim jacket, a personal hand-me-down from the Fashionisto’s father, creates structure and casualness in the outfit. The denim jacket also claims a rich long-lasting history through the decades. Having evolved and adapted since its beginnings as an ideal utility garment for manual laborers in the 1880s, the denim jacket’s cool nature lasts even in contemporary times. I especially love this Fashionisto’s beautiful corduroy pants. Corduroy is probably one of my favorite fabrics, due to its amazing velvet-soft feel and the texture created from the ridges in the fabric. After its ancestor fabric called “fustian” originated in Egypt and was later favored by European royalty, corduroy evolved into a fabric of the working class. It was the sturdy and affordable fabric that was perfect for factory workers during the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays corduroy seems to be associated with intellectualism and sturdiness, two elements reflected in this Fashionisto’s outfit!
Overall, this outfit is not only aesthetically pleasing and put together very tastefully, it also demonstrates how one can create a lively modern look using elements of the past.
