The internal struggle men experience with dressing has more to do with how appropriate it is to appeal to the public. The result of such is self-induced psychological styling aimed at camouflaging individuality. You do not find the struggle amongst the young or those who, like me, are eccentric by nature and dress themselves to exude cultural and historic reference. I do say that I am daring, but the payoff is within, isn't it? The purpose of style is to please the inner-man and not to parade. True style is the costuming of the mind but must always take into consideration the time in which one lives.
The subject of couture is often associated with womenswear, and although the term has been used loosely to reference the quality level of bespoke offerings for the male form — the latter have always been a mere ploy to advertise moderate price points. There was a period during the late 1980s and the 1990s when everyone used the term "couture" and drove it to the brink of bastardization. My use of the term couture began in the late 1970s, when I first started designing clothing. It was a time when people still believed that something crafted was essentially more precious than something manufactured. At the time, a label stating "made in Paris" was highly coveted, and French couturiers were considered great artisans. Admittedly, it was at this point that the baton was being passed from the 20th-century forerunners like Chanel, Balenciaga and, of course, Dior — to younger craftsmen with new ideas.
I set out to celebrate the culture and history of couture — not to dilute it. Respectfully, the artisans that have cultivated couture into the guild that it is, and the integrity of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne should indeed remain as they are.
The Menswear Couture Manifesto is published in full in Atelier Quarterly Vol. II: Couture Reformation — where the argument for why couture belongs to men is made completely.
Vol. I — La Belle Époque Redux is available now: Get Vol. I — $35 →
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Atelier Quarterly is a menswear couture magazine written and designed by Stacy Stewart Smith. Published from New York.
Stacy Stewart Smith (he, him)
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