SirBalon's: Knowing Men's Fashion Trends

[Rick]

Japan, Belgium, Brazil, England, Spain, Germany & Denmark are the best for me. 

 

@SirBalon what are your thoughts on the new trend of "dad shoe" and chunky trainers coming out now. Personally I think a few of the chunky shoes are nice (the yeezy one is nice) but the sad trainer trend for me is ridiculous. You can go to shoe zone and brantano and get that style of trainer for a tenner, why pay 200 for it? 

[SirBalon]

7 hours ago, Mantis Toboggan M.D. said:

Japan, Belgium, Brazil, England, Spain, Germany & Denmark are the best for me. 

 

@SirBalon what are your thoughts on the new trend of "dad shoe" and chunky trainers coming out now. Personally I think a few of the chunky shoes are nice (the yeezy one is nice) but the sad trainer trend for me is ridiculous. You can go to shoe zone and brantano and get that style of trainer for a tenner, why pay 200 for it? 

To be honest I don’t like it personally. What I mean is that I wouldn’t be seen dead in shoes like those.... It’s the exaggerated part to fashion and even though in this particular case I don’t like them, I do applaud the artistic side to the movement which was started by Balenciaga just under a year ago... Fashion (trends) have always had these more eccentric styles embedded throughout the decades.

These were the trendsetters in the Dad Shoe fad by Balenciaga. If you want the originals and can afford them, these are the ones to get!

At £615 you get this...

  

[Rick]

1 minute ago, SirBalon said:

To be honest I don’t like it personally. What I mean is that I wouldn’t be seen dead in shoes like those.... It’s the exaggerated part to fashion and even though in this particular case I don’t like them, I do applaud the artistic side to the movement which was started by Balenciaga just under a year ago... Fashion (trends) have always had these more eccentric styles embedded throughout the decades.

These were the trendsetters in the Dad Shoe fad by Balenciaga. If you want the originals and can afford them, these are the ones to get!

At £615 you get this...

  

Even though Balenciaga started this trend, those are the worst examples of the style. God awful, wouldn't be seen dead in them.

[SirBalon]

3 minutes ago, Mantis Toboggan M.D. said:

Even though Balenciaga started this trend, those are the worst examples of the style. God awful, wouldn't be seen dead in them.

I wouldn’t be seen dead in any to be honest. These I’ve been told are the ones that if you’re someone, you have to have them. Right now they’ve apparently gone on general sale but only 4 months ago to be able to acquire a pair you had to be recommended by someone in the high spheres of society to obtain them. 

[Rick]

6 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

I wouldn’t be seen dead in any to be honest. These I’ve been told are the ones that if you’re someone, you have to have them. Right now they’ve apparently gone on general sale but only 4 months ago to be able to acquire a pair you had to be recommended by someone in the high spheres of society to obtain them. 

Some of the chunky sole shoes that are coming out are Okay, the ones that don't go too extreme anyways. Balenciaga even released another shoe with an extreme arch in the middle, which is just fucking ugly. Only idiots would wear them. I don't care what brand they are, I would never wear anything like that.

[SirBalon]

14 minutes ago, Mantis Toboggan M.D. said:

Some of the chunky sole shoes that are coming out are Okay, the ones that don't go too extreme anyways. Balenciaga even released another shoe with an extreme arch in the middle, which is just fucking ugly. Only idiots would wear them. I don't care what brand they are, I would never wear anything like that.

Brands (or fashion houses as they want to be called, they hate the word brand) that exaggerate, do it on purpose mate because that's the way art is seen in that to set a trend you must first go beyond the boundaries so that the safe houses (brands) moderate so as to sell. Balenciaga and the likes aren't in the industry to mass produce.  They make their money from setting the mark and trend setting where others wouldn't dare to go from the outset.

I love art... I respect it!  I respect fundamentally their balls in testing the human psyche by making us buy into something that at first glance it makes our eyes water. Art is never safe because if it was, it wouldn't be artistic (if you get what I mean).

I know what you're saying... You're looking for a middle of the road scenario you could live with on your feet and not feel self conscious when wearing it. You're contemplating how you could wrangle the look by searching through the variations of different brands in this particular trend to see which ones you would buy into and feel secure when walking down your local high street or on a night out socialising.  It's these factors where brands are so good at grabbing the art and making it into their version of a common poster we all fancy because the object in it is good looking and it fits.

I'm 46 and a normal guy that doesn't particularly like to stick out like a sore thumb, so my trainers tend to be the type that look like a real pair of "Dad Shoes" which are a pair of Nike Internationalist, Tiger Onitsuka Eighty-Fives or a pair of New Balance 574s. 

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, Cannabis said:

Had a wardrobe clearout and need some inspiration for new tops @SirBalon. Your help would be appreciated.

Summer or preparing for Autumn/Winter mate?

[Danny]

H&M is shiiiite

[SirBalon]

10 hours ago, Cannabis said:

Autumn/Winter mate . Although to be honest, the odd tee shirt here and there would be welcome. 

I haven't had a good clearout in a few years so am looking to pretty much start from scratch.

I'll get onto it mate from tonight mate although it may take a few days... 

Tell me a few things about you first so I know better...

• How tall are you
• your body shape
• Anything you tend to feel uncomfortable in
• Price range

[SirBalon]

4 hours ago, Danny said:

H&M is shiiiite

H&M are a Scandinavian company and to be honest they're the only Nordic clothing brand I know that manufactures way below the level you expect.  But they are a very low-cost brand and you can't expect miracles at that range.  What I will say is that for women they're ok but then again Primark make ok clothes for women and as a man you'd have to be off your nut to dress in that stuff.  The problem men have is that we need the quality of the clothing to be a certain level to fit well with the actual manufacturing of the cut not being so generic seeing as our bodies aren't as curved as women's... If you look at flatter taller women, they tend to buy more expensive clothes because the cheaper stuff doesn't fit well on them.

This is why I rate the Japanese brand UNIQLO so highly... Not only do they manage to keep costs so extremely low, but that they use high quality materials such as Pima Cotton which is something that only the high brands tend to use...  Plus their clothes are manufactured well which for example places like Primark, Next and H&M (to name a few) aren't...  Infact those three brands tend to use the same factories for some of their big selling mass produced garments.

Other non expensive brands where you get good quality are;

• J CREW (these guys are a bit more expensive but of very high quality)
• GAP
• ZARA
• MASSIMO DUTTI (for special occasion clothing)
• UNIQLO

[Danny]

7 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

H&M are a Scandinavian company and to be honest they're the only Nordic clothing brand I know that manufactures way below the level you expect.  But they are a very low-cost brand and you can't expect miracles at that range.  What I will say is that for women they're ok but then again Primark make ok clothes for women and as a man you'd have to be off your nut to dress in that stuff.  The problem men have is that we need the quality of the clothing to be a certain level to fit well with the actual manufacturing of the cut not being so generic seeing as our bodies aren't as curved as women's... If you look at flatter taller women, they tend to buy more expensive clothes because the cheaper stuff doesn't fit well on them.

This is why I rate the Japanese brand UNIQLO so highly... Not only do they manage to keep costs so extremely low, but that they use high quality materials such as Pima Cotton which is something that only the high brands tend to use...  Plus their clothes are manufactured well which for example places like Primark, Next and H&M (to name a few) aren't...  Infact those three brands tend to use the same factories for some of their big selling mass produced garments.

Other non expensive brands where you get good quality are;

• J CREW (these guys are a bit more expensive but of very high quality)
• GAP
• ZARA
• MASSIMO DUTTI (for special occasion clothing)
• UNIQLO

Completely agree, the women's stuff is generally better than men's which I noticed today whilst acting as human clothes hanger for the 7 different jumpers my girlfriend tried on. Out here you have shops called Cotton On and Factorie which are essentially like River Island, New Look, Topman etc. If you buy something from of those clothes and it's not a printed t-shirt (though I can't say I buy printed t-shirts) expect it to go down a size within your first wash. But other than that it generally feels cheap.

I'm a big fan of UNIQLO but I've not shopped there in a long time, bought some grey chinos, white Oxford Shirt and a blue dry lightweight seersucker jacket (or so their website said, it's probably the best blazer I've ever had), would like to when I can afford to be travels take precedent over clothes at the moment.

I managed to get some Timberland stuff (grey polo and a red/white chequered shirt) on the cheap about a year ago, still in good knick even if the shirt should probably have been a large instead of a medium.

[SirBalon]

@Cannabis

Here's a few things I found although I haven't gone totally Autumn/Winter due to the strangely prolonged Summer we're getting in the UK... I've mixed it up for you a bit mate.

I've also tried to keep the price moderate.

 

Everyone needs to own a Cuban collared shirt in my opinion because it's probably the only short sleeved shirt that you can both wear casually and smart by always looking slick and confident.  The problem with Cuban collared shirts is that if you go for a really cheap one they tend to look awful and it's one of those things where you can really tell it's cheap!

This one is from Reiss and it's been reduced from £110 to £90

Couldn't copy and paste the image but here's the link:

https://www.reiss.com/p/cuban-collar-shirt-mens-guyver-in-white/?_$ja=tsid:|cid:1486220060|agid:59000199793|tid:pla-434403908290|crid:284418410294|nw:g|rnd:16447727492272929962|dvc:t|adp:1o2|mt:|loc:9045999&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2P7qiLDQ3AIVxzobCh1VCAP-EAkYAiABEgKjxvD_BwE

 

Next, the chinos!  Chinos are back in massively (not that they were ever out of fashion) and it's good to invest in a good pair because they're great for both summer and the winter months!

These chinos (in navy blue because that colour is the most neutral in this trend) are from J Crew and they are top quality without paying 50% more from Ralph Lauren for example.  They're reduced from £68 to £48 right now! Great value for money considering the quality!

https://www.jcrew.com/uk/p/mens_category/pants/770/770-straightfit-lightweight-garmentdyed-stretch-chino/H7163?color_name=chrome

 

Next are shoes... I've gone for the Barcelona based shoe brand Camper because you're getting top quality for a decent price and they're also unique while maintaining all the trends!

The minimalist look is in fashion right now like for example your Adidas Stan Smith to name something everyone knows.  But be different, add style...

These are one of their latest models and are priced at £115. They're beautiful in my opinion and they'll go with anything from your chinos to jeans.  I like this colour but you can go all white if you like as its safer for some people... But this colour really is nice in my opinion.

https://www.camper.com/en_GB/men/shoes/pelotas/camper-pelotas_xlite-K100397-007

 

I'll add more things like t-shirts and stuff soon! 

[SirBalon]

Young British up and coming fashion designers have joined up with their colleagues around our ancient continent and backed by Europe's big fashion houses on a unifying initiative to combat xenophobia and do battle against borders... In other words they want to make a statement with young people (and older if they're willing to join in)...

The initiative is to be all inclusive and not believe lies!

The until now ignored biometric electronic passport symbol (e-Passport) has been used cleverly with the even more smart slogan Legal Alien printed alongside. In other words, going Anti-Brexit

The first sweatshirt (image) is from the designer William Baker while the second one is from Bobby Abley. The third image is from this week's Paris Fashion Week using the power of suggestion where the media really take note.

They've been around for a bit testing it out but they're about to really push for it by the big high end fashion houses using it on their fashion week runways (catwalks) over the next two seasons.

 

[True Blue]

Those look terrible mate, saying all that i don't wear tracksuits.

[SirBalon]

1 minute ago, True Blue said:

Those look terrible mate, saying all that i don't wear tracksuits.

Casual sportswear (the once trend in the late 80s) is coming back thick and fast!  Also take into account that what high end fashion brands put out on their catwalks is always an artistic statement in haute-couture where the high-street brands then take note and mass produce.  It's a statement!  If you don't own a sweatshirt you're missing out mate and then the sportswear gear like tracksuit bottoms or jacket is already making it onto the street as can be observed around London.  Looks like Scousers are now gonna say they were right all along as they never gave up on the trend when it was deemed a heathen thing to do! 

[True Blue]

I do own a few mate, but wear them around the block. Wouldn't go to a night out in one, as those above are specialized just for that.

[SirBalon]

21 minutes ago, True Blue said:

I do own a few mate, but wear them around the block. Wouldn't go to a night out in one, as those above are specialized just for that.

You're gonna be surprised during this Autumn/Winter season to see it all combined with chinos and denim in a manner to go out smart.  They've even been combining them with more casual men's suits on the catwalks. 

[SirBalon]

But the main issue with that initial post is the campaign on anti Brexit sentiments and the push for the public to make a statement.

[Danny]

Balon, big fan of the Cuban shirt and chino combo, however would advise strongly against the sawn off Wellington boots.

[SirBalon]

40 minutes ago, Danny said:

Balon, big fan of the Cuban shirt and chino combo, however would advise strongly against the sawn off Wellington boots.

I’m more a rugged jeans man myself but I am known amongst my circles to pull off a more suave sophisticated look every now and then. 

Yeah... Got to love cuban collars on shirts for men. It’s the perfect excuse for a guy to have a legitimate reason to furrow his brows and pull off a crooked wry smile. 

[Danny]

11 hours ago, SirBalon said:

I’m more a rugged jeans man myself but I am known amongst my circles to pull off a more suave sophisticated look every now and then. 

Yeah... Got to love cuban collars on shirts for men. It’s the perfect excuse for a guy to have a legitimate reason to furrow his brows and pull off a crooked wry smile. 

I feel like your rugged jeans and wry smile is something that's reserved for @Storts

[SirBalon]

The definitive guide to Terrace Fashion

& how to wear it

 

Ordinarily, getting kitted out head to toe in your most expensive clothing might be something you’d reserve for a date, a wedding or a black-tie event. However, if you were a devotee of terrace fashion, a matchday trip to the pub would be the only excuse you’d need to get yourself suited and booted.

Of course, by “suit” we mean a grand’s worth of designer Italian outerwear and by “boots” we’re referring to hen’s-teeth-rare Adidas trainers. Because the terrace lads’ definition of finery is a far cry from your standard Savile Rowtailoring.

Followers of this subcultural movement refer to themselves as “casuals”. To the layman, they’re football fans who choose to clad themselves in designer “casual” clothing rather than their team’s colours. In the early days of the late 1970s, this was done in order to more easily infiltrate rival firms for fights – something that has seen the term become synonymous with hooliganism and thuggery.

But not all casuals are or were hellbent on weekend, lager-fuelled barbarity. For many, their love for the scene revolves around the fashion and music. Scratch below the surface and you’ll find there’s more to terrace fashion than just flying fists and Stone Island logos. In fact, the scene has influenced modern menswear in ways you probably weren’t even aware of.

The Rise Of The Casuals

Terrace fashion has its roots in the late 1970s. The success of English football clubs saw young fans travelling overseas to Europe for matches and developing a taste for new and exotic sportswear in the process. They brought it back home, others saw and wanted it, and so the cycle began. This was really the beginning of hype sportswear.

The subculture developed its own uniform and a selection of core brands. “Farah, Lois, Diadora, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Sergio Tacchini, Fila, Ellesse, Cerutti 1881, Australian, Lacoste, Lyle and Scott, Pringle, Kappa,” says Neil Primett, owner of 80s Casual Classics, a dedicated casual shop that has supplied wardrobe to films such as The Firm, This Is England and The Business. “These are the labels that made up the outfit of your typical 1979-to-1985 casual.

“Exactly where it started is more difficult to say. I could not pin this on any one place.”

Many credit Manchester as the birthplace of terrace fashion, others namecheck Liverpool. Wherever it began, one thing was for certain: this new way of dressing was offering young, working-class men a space where they could engage with fashion.

“Then we got into one-upmanship,” says Primett. “It was all about who had the best and the latest gear. You might have started out wanting the best Patrick football boots to be like the best footballer. Next thing you know you were after the latest must-have Patrick cagoule. And so it continued.”

The Evolution Of Terrace Fashion

The one-upmanship meant that terrace fashion evolved quickly, especially during the 80s. “The style changed rapidly and dramatically,” recalls Gary Aspden, a footwear designer and brand consultant for Adidas, and cult figure in terrace fashion. “It went from skin-tight jeans to flares to a tapered fit to a 501 fit to a loose, baggy fit – all in the space of a decade. It would literally change overnight. It was street fashion in the truest sense. You had to be part of it to keep up with it.”

During the 90s, cornerstone brands such as Sergio Tacchini and Fila gave way to the likes of Stone Island and CP Company. High-end names, such as Prada, Burberry, Aquascutum and Gucci also began to creep into the stands as casuals continued in their bid to outdo each other.

However, the constant peacocking wasn’t to last. The advent of new technology and online auctions saw previously rare items becoming more easily obtainable and the casual look plateaued. “The playing field is so different to how it was when I was a teenager,” says Aspden. “And that’s down to the internet.

“Nowadays casual style has a much more set look and whilst it still exists there isn’t the same urgency in the style one-upmanship that used to go on. The only two brands I can think of that had the longevity to maintain their relevance right the way through were Adidas and Lacoste.”

Terrace Fashion In Modern Menswear

Today, terrace fashion has swaggered out of the stands and into the mainstream. Brands that once had heavy links to football violence have shaken off those negative connotations and become more accessible. It’s the result of the casual look moving beyond its sports-tribe roots and becoming a lifestyle for style-conscious men.

It’s something that Aspden recognises from his work on Adidas’ Spezial line – a collection of clothing that has been bringing casual style to a wider audience. “With Spezial we acknowledged that there is a hardcore Adidas-dedicated audience here in the UK and across Northern Europe that has its roots in casual style and bears little relation the sneakerhead-hype-basketball-inspired sportswear culture that permeates the US.”

Music has also had a huge part to play in opening the casual uniform up to a wider audience. The advent of acid house in the late 1980s and early 1990s brought sportier styles and big logos into the spotlight, while artists such as Liam Gallagher, the Stone Roses and Kasabian have all played a part in keeping the style alive today.

Terrace Trainer Culture

The word “sneakerhead” probably isn’t something you’d tend to associate with the rain-battered terraces of English football clubs, but trainer culture is rife in this country thanks to the casuals. However, while traditional sneaker enthusiasts fawn over all things Nike and New Balance, for the terrace fashion set there’s only one brand worth striving for.

“Adidas has always made the best football products and for me that is at the root of it,” says Aspden. “Where I grew up, when the whole terrace thing kicked off in the late 1970s, it was young kids that adopted the brand’s football shoes as a fashion staple.”

Most of Aspden’s generation were introduced to Adidas footwear through football shoes like the Kick, the Mamba, the Bamba and the Samba. As the 1980s rolled on, all manner of Adidas styles became popular – not just football-inspired models. “We were wearing everything from tennis, running, training, indoor and even the leisure shoes that Adidas made at that time,” Aspden remembers. “There was also a huge subculture of kids travelling over to Switzerland, Austria and Germany to get hold of Adidas trainers that weren’t available in the UK.”

After spotting the demand, savvy retailers such as Liverpool’s Wade Smith and Manchester’s Oasis (not the band) circumvented the company and began importing Adidas shoes themselves. This opened things up to a wider audience and made copping rare trainers more manageable for UK enthusiasts, further cementing the brand with the three stripes as the go-to for casual footwear.

“I think most terrace lads like the simplicity of that Adidas aesthetic from the 70s and 80s,” Aspden adds. “Adidas footwear is synonymous with casual style in the same way that Doc Martens are synonymous with skinheads.”

It’s a trend as evergreen as Converse All-Stars, but even so, the modern obsession with retro sneakers has brought 80s and 90s styles back into fashion.

Key Pieces

The typical terracewear aficionado’s wardrobe will be packed to bursting point with expensive coats, technical jackets and rare trainers. However, the bulk of it can be divided up into seven distinct categories. These are the key styles you need to know about.

Mac

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to have seen Green Street, there are likely two things you remember about Charlie Hunnam’s football-firm-boss character. Number one: his shockingly badly acted Cockney accent. And number two: his pristine, Stone Island trench coat.

In the 1980s, casuals made a move toward British luxury brands, the two main ones being Burberry and Aquascutum. These two labels are known for producing some of the finest long-length outerwear and it wasn’t long before beige, knee-length coats were flooding football grounds.

In more recent years, the style has lost ground to more technical styles but still remains a cornerstone of casual culture.

Hooded Jacket

The north-west of England is arguably the spiritual home of terrace fashion. Rainy, outerwear-loving cities like Manchester and Liverpool gave rise to the casuals and as such, the scene’s affinity for anoraks and cagoules is deep rooted.

Terrace fashion is about two key things: who’s go the best clobber, and keeping the elements at bay while watching the match. This set of requirements has seen high-quality, high-end hooded jackets become the defining garment of the scene. Brands like Stone Island and CP Company have become the gold standards, but sailing and outdoor brands such as Henri Lloyd, Fjallraven and Paul & Shark are also popular.

Track Jacket

Before all the Aquascutum trench coats and CP Company goggle jackets, the humble track jacket reigned supreme in the casual’s wardrobe. This sporty, retro piece is still a common sight at matches today, but it was when fans started bringing tracksuits back from trips to Europe in the late 1970s that it really go a foothold in the subculture.

Italian brands like Sergio Tacchini, Ellesse and Fila soon came to define the look. The fact that these names weren’t available in the UK at the time only made them all the more appealing to young football fans keen to outdo one another in the fashion stakes.

Jeans

While corduroy trousers and even flares have enjoyed waves of popularity in terrace fashion, it’s straight-leg denim that has prevailed. Ever since the early days in Liverpool, jeans have ruled the roost and as the casual look continues to evolve, so does its followers’ taste in denim.

Traditionally, mid-wash and stonewash fabric from Emporio Armani was probably the most widely worn – almost an afterthought to an expensive jacket and nice pair of trainers. However, today’s terrace-fashion aficionados are more clued up on their weights and wefts, often opting for heavy, raw denim from dedicated brands like Edwin and Nudie.

Scarf

A multipurpose accessory, useful for both keeping the chill off on wintery terraces and obscuring faces before and after a post-match scuffle, the scarf is deeply entrenched into the casual way of life.

Often worn to cover the nose and mouth, checks and tartans are what it’s all about. British brands, such as Burberry, Aquascutum and Barbour are all popular choices and are still a common sight at football grounds today.

Cap

For those casuals intent on fighting, baseball caps have always provided another handy means of keeping their faces hidden from CCTV cameras and police patrols. This practical use has seen the cap permeate terrace fashion making it the headwear of choice for for both violent and peaceful terrace lads alike.

Again, Burberry is a favourite brand, due to its luxury price tag and distinctive all-over check branding. Meanwhile, Polo Ralph Lauren and Lacoste are solid options at the lower end of the price spectrum.

Trainers

Terrace fashion is probably at least fifty per cent about the trainers. Having the most sought-after kicks is a huge part of causal culture and although the Reebok Classic is a staple option, it’s Adidas that rules the roost as far as footwear is concerned.

Classics like the Gazelle and the Samba have remained popular over the years. But during the early years, young fans were often travelling back and forth to Germany to pick up rare models that couldn’t be found in the UK.

[Tommy]

So now you're recommending that we dress like chavs? 

[Azeem]

15 minutes ago, Tommy said:

So now you're recommending that we dress like chavs? 

Its ironic that a person who rarely wears clothes at all is recommending others what to wear 

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, Tommy said:

So now you're recommending that we dress like chavs? 

That’s not actually “Chav” but I get it and it’s funny. 

There are always moments for all sorts of dress codes and this one although I wouldn’t wear it in its fullest version, there are parts to it I’ve always loved like the track tops and the trainers.