American men are lackadaisical, to say the least, when it comes to daily dress.
Though there are obvious exceptions to this claim, the exquisitely dressed fashionisto on Instagram is not the standard for men across the country.
Though following trends can be detrimental to men’s fashion if not executed in an intelligent, informed way, the easiest source of inspiration for men who want to advance their sense of style is the ever-reliable European fashion scene.
Part of the problem is the average Yank’s lack of courage to even have themselves fitted properly, much less experiment with different patterns and cuts that would force them to stand out.
The simplest and probably most well known example is slim-fit pants, or as they’re more colloquially known, “skinny jeans.”
Many American men find this cut to be odd or, in some cases, containing an inherently homosexual connotation. Not only is this mindset ridiculous, but it is a sign of ignorance in any man who thinks slim fit is anything other than an appropriate cut.
The fact is that pants, shirts, jackets and underwear are supposed to silhouette the body in a way that highlights a man’s frame instead of simply covering it.
But let’s get back to the laziness issue.
More often than not, an American man’s daily wardrobe revolves around pairing jeans and T-shirts in a painfully repetitive fashion meriting zero compliments from a passerby. Furthermore, wearing a button-up shirt and tie is often a colossal inconvenience only reserved for special occasions.
Even businessmen who are supposed to represent the most professional and sleek men in cultural society often wear the same boring suit day in and day out without providing the simplest of accents which could separate them from the crowd.
Generally in Europe, this is unacceptable and almost
unheard of.
European men view fashion and style as a necessity in everyday life, and there’s no question as to whether or not you should dress to the nines each day.
A GQ article last Spring titled “GQ’s Spring Preview 2014: Do the Continental” focused on adapting European trends and exemplified their points through Bradley Cooper’s GQ spread. The article provides simple suggestions, such as wearing an olive-colored suit, wearing white pants with a patterned blazer or simply wearing a designer polo that “doesn’t look like glorified T-shirts with collars.”
“When we say Continental style, we don’t mean Euro dudes in rhinestone tees and acid-washed jeans — we mean Europeans who have shown us how to wear jeans and T-shirts smarter and sharper than we ever imagined,” the article says. “In Milan, wearing a jacket and knit tie isn’t dressing up — it’s just getting dressed.”
Additionally, dressing in a honest, thought-out way can create a lasting first impression.
One Baton Rouge based custom clothier, born and raised in Mexico, told me his cultural upbringing taught him wearing a suit or blazer and tie to a personal or business meeting was once a sign of respect, not to be taken lightly.
Nowadays, that inherent sense of obligation has somewhat disappeared in the average man, and it is a profound tragedy.
American men should break out of their suffocating comfort zones and take the appropriate amount of time to make themselves look as though they care about what people think of them as they walk down the street or climb into a cab.
And along the way, European trendsetters can help provide examples of how to advance style and wardrobe pieces. So, all you have to do is pay attention and apply what you see.
“The look of menswear changes at a snail’s pace, and sometimes it takes years before a not-at-all outlandish idea trickles from the runways, which are now hosting the Spring 2015 collections, to the mass market,” said fashion critic Robin Givhan in The Washington Post. “But when a fashion idea finally reaches the vast middle ground, it tends to stay a while, putting down roots in the menswear landscape.”
Michael Tarver is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Houma, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @michael_T16.

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Jacques Brinon

Art director Adam Andrascik waves after the presentation of Guy Laroche's Fall Winter 2015/2016 ready-to-wear fashion collection, as part of Paris Fashion Week, presented in Paris, France, Wednesday, March 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)