THIS is meant to be figurative, but at some point, you must have felt like you have no clothes to wear. Be it denim on denim or a suspender moment – you can’t leave home like this, because you have already posted that OOTD on Instagram.
It doesn’t have to be this exhausting though.
Believe it or not, high fashion houses aren’t the only players on the field. From our frequent use of social media, the influencers we see on our screens can be the game changers of the fashion hype train from the bottom up.
If you need some inspiration, here are some of the biggest style icons men need to follow.
Jaden Smith
The new karate kid could kick some ass back in his younger days, but now he is a young man with some serious weight in the style sector, and he is shifting the boundaries of male fashion.
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Years after his lukewarm Hollywood debut, Smith made a name for himself in the fashion realm by starring in Louis Vuitton’s SS16 womenswear collection (you read that right), creating waves of commotion and more importantly, an important conversation about the stereotypes in male/female fashion.
He also paired up with G-star to come up with the Forces Of Nature collection.
Now, his reputation precedes him as the young adult with a penchant for gender fluid threads.
Smith has made it clear that he has no intention to conform to gender prescriptivism, so everyone who knows Jaden knows this: He wears what he wants, when he wants, with confidence.
The best part? He does it, so so well.
Zayn Malik
The ex-One Direction member looks like a rebel, with his tats becoming a vital part of his biker-boy aesthetic.
Besides his courage to experiment with his style (take notes, gentlemen), Malik is also known for his uber-suave haircuts, whether it be buzzcuts or slick-backed hair with wisps of hair nearly getting into his eyes; wherever he goes, fashion critics are always buzzing around him.
His credentials: GQ readers voted him the best-dressed man in Britain for two years in a row, in a poll including serious competitors like Tom Hiddleston and David Beckham.
Even fashion gladiator Donatella Versace had tapped his style prowess for a Versus capsule collection, which featured both menswear and womenswear.
The adventures in his dating life also go hand in hand with his cutting-edge wardrobe.
As Julia Michaels muses, ” They say ‘all good boys go to Heaven’, but bad boys bring Heaven to you”. Perhaps even runway supermodel Gigi Hadid couldn’t resist Zayn’s bad boy image.
Ryan Gosling
The Notebook propelled Ryan Gosling up the ranks of the Hollywood stars in the film industry. Ironically, the director of that film cast him for his average, “regular guy” looks.
This most certainly cannot be further from the truth, because it confuses everyone till this day how he works his swagger even in ordinary clothes.
When he dresses up for occasions like the red carpets, Gosling projects the “I didn’t have to try that hard” vibe, a.k.a the look every guy on earth wants to have.
To cop his style, one will need staples like denim jackets as well as plain fitted T-shirts for dress down days. For formal wear, well, ditching the tie and going for bold-coloured suits will get you this close to looking like him.
For the ultimate Gosling Glow, however, you cannot forget some understated eyewear. Remember that less means more, and you will find yourself oozing mystery and sexiness on your next date.
Kris Wu
From pop star to global phenomenon, the 28-year-old has got it all in the bag. Debuting in K-pop boy band EXO, Kris Wu found fame in South Korea in 2012 before going back to China to launch his solo career in 2014. He has become omnipresent ever since.
He also made it into Forbes Magazine’s 2017 list of the Top 30 Under 30 in Asia, because he is the answer to high fashion’s foray into the millennial market, with a 6.5 million follower count on Instagram and a whopping 46 million on China’s Weibo.
With endorsements from brands like Louis Vuitton, fashion brands can easily tap into Wu’s followers: the under-35 market, a generation with not only a larger discretionary income than its predecessors, but also access to fashion and pop culture news from around the world.
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While he has been nicknamed ‘little fresh meat’ (translated from xiao xian rou in Chinese) due to his soft, boyish appearance, the triple threat rapper has been donning a darker, ‘young thug’ look of late, with his embellished punk-rock jackets, carefully tousled hair and equally ostentatious jewellery.
It seems Wu is a multi-faceted star with just as much shine in his attire.
Jam Hsiao
Many will know Jam Hsiao for his renowned presence in the Mandopop industry, most recently starring in the greatly hyped Chinese singing TV show Sound of My Dream.
Fans also know that besides his mellifluous vocals in his often sold-out concerts, Hsiao’s alluring stage presence plays a huge role in captivating his audience, leaving them wanting more.
From slick-back hairdos and a well-tailored suit for a soulful serenade to cornrow braids in loud statement jackets for a high-octane jam (pun sincerely unintended), Hsiao’s stylist deserves a pay raise; what’s not to love about a musical heartthrob that is fashionable to a fault?
