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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Fashion Quandry for Asian American Men
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:55:53 PM)
sian American men are forced to negotiate treacherous fashion terrain when they set out to cultivate a personal style.
The natural first impulse is comfort and understated refinement. Many AA men accumulate an assortment of oxford shirts, polos, khakis and topsiders only to be labeled stuffy, boring or even self-hating WASP-wannabe.
Fashion quandry?
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In reaction some go ghetto in livin-large rapper shorts and fat sneakers -- until they find that no one over 19 will walk on the same side of the street, much less engage them in a real conversation.
Those who aim for a more upscale version of edgy urban chic discover Prada black and catch a fever to rid their lives of inessential colors and clutter -- annoying the hell out of all who don't belong to the minimalist priesthood.
Others arrive at Euro-luxe as a shorthand for "I'm too rich and successful to mess with". Such displays invariably ignite a jealous firestorm of backbiting featuring the words "inadequacy" and "fashion victim".
It's enough to send Asian American men reeling into the stylistic purgatory of old jeans, tee shirts and tennis shoes. Sure, waitresses, sales clerks and that cute stranger will look down their noses at you, but at least you won't be labeled.
Could those sporting the geek look be the smart ones after all? They save thousands a year on fashion while earning instant respect as a brainy guy with a good tech job and the power to solve people's computer problems.
Is there a graceful way out of the fashion quandry for AA men? What's your solution?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
Why do so many AA males think that the better their fashion sense, the more girls they will be able to go out with?...sure this might be true to some extent...if you want materialistic girls (because those are the types of girls that will date you for your fashion sense). I for one prefer girls that are down to earth. But anyway, I'm glad that I don't have such quandary regarding fashion. I think that it is a waste of time. You guys go ahead and spend your time thinking about it. In the mean time, I will take all of the available white girls...and a few of your Asian girlfriends.
-AA Male from the University of Oregon
P.S. If you do decide that you want to waste your time with fashion or whatever, at least buy your clothes from a thrift store...this way you won't be contributing to sweatshops where so many of our Asian brothers and sisters are forced to work. Slavery sucks.
AA Male from Univ. of OR
Thursday, April 17, 2003 at 10:26:16 (PDT)
[67.2.53.243]
Clothes are hard to come by when you want to look good. The main thing is to know what you look good in. For example, find a style that suits you and rock that to the fullest. But becareful you might get talked about either in a good way or bad way. Don't try to buy clothes that doesn't go with your personailty. Now if you are a chamelon and can blend with any style you want then you are good to go.
Me personally I like the modern look, as well as the comfort look. When I mean modern I mean my favorite place is express for men. Now not a lot of asian men can rock that style so that's what I mean by finding your niche. As for the comfort look I like a crisp pair of nice jeans and white sneakers and a jersey. It's a mixture of anything urban and anything from express. You know not too baggy and not so tight.
But Golden boy has a good point you can never rock any of these gear with out the proper shoes. I mean the outfit might be fresh, but if your wear shoes that don't go with what you're wearing then it was a waste of money.
Dao
dr_seng@hotmail.com
Friday, April 11, 2003 at 09:47:30 (PDT)
[128.248.34.30]
All I know is that my new-found 'special friend': a) is fashionable to a fault in his FCUK buttondowns b) has a pimpin' ride paid for by his fat geek wages c)is cooler than any frat boy I've ever dated and... (most importantly?) Vietnamese. He and his Asian American status seem to get along just fine without suffering through a quandry of any sort. But what do I know? I'm just a white girl from the suburbs.
shorty76
Thursday, April 10, 2003 at 08:41:48 (PDT)
[68.73.118.44]
Fashion quandry? Are you serious? It's all about attitude, homes...
Sy Nguyen
quocsy@hotmail.com
Wednesday, April 09, 2003 at 10:55:49 (PDT)
[63.92.194.8]
MastaRase
We are talking about fashion here and you are in the wrong thread.
RycherX
Sunday, March 30, 2003 at 19:00:46 (PST)
[66.54.1.38]
"I am tired of going to Armani Exchange and Banana Republic. I usually wear those clothes to work...
At night, I'd like to go out wearing a pair of boots, Deisel Fanker jeans, and a vintage shirt...
I hate wearing clothes that every other person out there wears"
i know, dont you just hate wearing something that everyone else wears? thats why you stick to your rare, unknown brands, right? i mean, what hick has ever heard of diesel, or armani?
god, you sound like such a duchebag. in fact, this whole string is full of materialistic dicks. you people just encourage the stereotype that asians are brandname whores. be a freakin man, and stop bitchin about what kind of clothes to wear, like some school girl before a date. if you think wearing expensive clothes will get you girls, then you'll just attract the wrong ones. and if women dont pay attention to you because you dont wear brand names, f*ck them, cause they're materialistic whores. If asian males want to be accepted as manly men in this society, you have to act it first.
MastaRase
Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 10:11:51 (PST)
[157.252.163.222]
Rycher,
You have cool taste in clothes, man. Personally, I prefer Levis low-rise jeans. =)
Asian Hipster
Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 14:43:01 (PST)
[132.236.178.105]
As for me I am tired of going to Armani Exchange and Banana Republic. I usually wear those clothes to work.
At night, I'd like to go out wearing a pair of boots, Deisel Fanker jeans, and a vintage shirt.
I hate wearing clothes that every other person out there wears.
Rycherx
rycherx@hotmail.com
Tuesday, March 25, 2003 at 10:58:58 (PST)
[199.46.199.231]
i just make sure the clothes fit, match, and im dressed for the occassion.
heylover
Friday, December 20, 2002 at 17:27:22 (PST)
[63.214.104.234]
Do any of you know of a stylist/salon in chicago that focus on asian hair? I am sick and tired of having my hair butchered. Please let help. by the way, i don't understand why some skinny asian kid would buy over size clothes? FUBU, fat farm, sean john..blah blah... I mean, you can have your urban flare, but don't look like a ghetto ass who tries too hard.
Chicagoan
randomtexture@yahoo.com
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 10:32:22 (PST)
[12.250.171.174]
Don't forget about good oral hygiene and a good complexion. You got to look healthy in order to look good in the first place. If you smoke alot, don't waste your two free cleanings that are part of your employee benefits. Having good complexion is the best way to age gracefully. Asian men have the best complexion around.
ChinaManRising
ChinaManRising@Yahoo.com
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 18:07:37 (PDT)
[64.154.73.246]
Hmm... good question. Personally, I like "manly" men *Tim Allen grunt* who can be casual in a pair of loose jeans and Tshirt, but in the evening look dapper in a smart suit. In my opinion, I don't find it very sexy/attractive to see a man fixing the house, watching tv, or watering the lawn in a tight spandex shirt. He might as well go to the market in biker shorts too. *shudder* >_<
The only exception for wearing anything tight is if it's used for athletic purposes (i.e. swimming, biking, etc.).
Or perhaps it's because women believe that men wear tight shirts to prove (show) they are muscular. If you are that big, we can see it, we're not blind~
Lady_aj
Friday, October 11, 2002 at 14:29:18 (PDT)
[205.143.94.4]
Why do tight shirts on men creep women out? Tight shirts on women don't creep me out...I'm a guy. =)
No, seriously, WHY!?
Inquiring Minds
Friday, October 11, 2002 at 08:56:39 (PDT)
[24.24.146.91]
Hahaha Golden Boy!
You're right... tight shirts do indeed creep chicks out~
lady_aj
Wednesday, October 09, 2002 at 12:57:44 (PDT)
[205.143.94.4]
There's nothing to looking hot. Start with a toned body you get from 30 minutes of pushups, situps a day/3 days a week, layer on a nice golden tan (not too dark) that you can only get by spending about an hour or more a day outdoors. Then find yourself a good hair stylist and ask her to make you look like a happening guy. These days that means going short, maybe a number 4 or 5 razor.
Now you go buy yourself a pair of nice loafers made of soft leather for about $100-200. Boots are good too. The clothes part isn't that important as long as you remember it's gotta be black and camel in natural fabrics like wool and cotton. Don't waste your money on synthetics that look good until you wash it once. Don't fool around with different colors cause I'm telling you from costly experience, if you're Asian and tanned, you look goofy in anything but black and camel/khaki/tan. Occasionally white shirts are okay. And make sure your shirt isn't too tight. That creeps chicks out, even if you have a pimping bod.
Bottom line, the clothes are secondary. It's the body, tan and hair. The footwear is key too. A nice watch helps.
Oh, yeah, don't wear sunglasses except when you're driving.
Golden Boy
Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 19:39:41 (PDT)
[205.102.70.112]
Being a 25 year old Korean male
living in Manhattan, I agree that it
is difficult to find the clothes
that fit you "just right". But, it's
like this for everybody. hanging out
with a very diverse group of friends,
(europeans, south americans, good old
midwesterners), its seems that everyone
has a somewhat difficult time finding
their niche. I'm 6' tall and about
165 pounds, so I generally avoid the larger cut fashions from Hugo Boss or even Ralph Lauren and generally go for the European lines. I've found that Armani (especially), Andrew Mackenzie, Ferre, D&G and a few others design clothes with the slim male in mind. what kind of clothes look good on you have got nothing to do with being asian. only thing that you have to watch out for with regards to that is the color of clothing you wear (ie, avoiding yellows and some other pastels). Since asian men are predominantly slim, consider ourselves lucky and enjoy all of the designers that have slim men in mind. The right tailoring and enough patience to find the right piece is all it takes to make anyone look good.
nycbnkr
Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 08:50:57 (PDT)
[141.155.89.2]
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