I was catching up with my favourite menswear blogs and I read with interest a posting by Giuseppe in his blog, An Affordable Wardrobe. The posting isn’t recent, dated 23 November last year. It was about a ‘flea’ market held in New York, organized by Michael Williams, the owner of popular Americana blog, A Continuous Lean, and his friends.
Anyone who has been following men’s fashion should be aware of the wave of traditional American workwear that has been hitting the streets of America and fashion capitals worldwide. The people in style forums practise it, online trendmakers like GQ.com and the Sartorialist have give their approval, retailers from adidas to J.Crew are cashing in on it.
In his post, the blogger was expressing his disappointment towards a supposed flea market of American vintage that instead turned out to be more of a platform for sales of overpriced rehashes of American workwear than one that actually sold the real thing ie real vintage. He lamented on how American workwear which used to be the hard worker’s uniform and a thing of admiration by a certain few (like himself), has over a short time exploded into a fashion trend that is adopted by New York City hipsters who buy overpriced designer versions of the same thing. His commentary drew a deluge of responses, many in support of his viewpoint but also some against it.
As an outsider, I sort of understand his frustration. There is always some sort of dissatisfaction seeing a subculture explode into the mainstream and being embraced by people who appreciate nothing of its roots. Like the disgust I felt when people start taking notice of Gareth Pugh just because Lady Gaga was seen wearing it. Or how permutations in the form of “the next Amy Winehouse” started to appear in the form of more radio- (and camera-) friendly Duffy and Pixie Lott. (My current pet peeve is Kesha ripping off Uffie’s “The Party” in her chart-topping hit “Tick Tock”) People who embrace mainstream pop culture would never bother with the origins of clothes and music that they love so much. Purists vs the sellouts, I guess.
As for me, I am a supporter of the “American heritage” aesthetic. If given the chance, I would definitely buy from the ‘real-deal’ retailers like Filson, LL Bean, Red Wing and the like. It would seem like travesty to buy a classic from a trendy 21st century retailer, when an old-timer brand can sell a better constructed version of the same item at a fraction of the price. That said, I would not resist buying from the new generation of workwear designers, especially if they give a modern twist to an American classic by incorporating an updated fit, pattern, colour tone or material.
I guess there is no harm in embracing the new, as long as you appreciate its beginnings.
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