I've been thinking about the difference between 'fashion' and 'style' lately and how these two terms are sometimes used synonymously. In terms of their definitions they both mean the same thing and that is 'the manner in which something is done'. So the modern use of the word 'fashion' relates to the manner in which we (society) dress ourselves. This relates to the word 'trend' as well since a trend is something that is new and has gained popularity by the masses in order show that they are up to date with the latest and greatest. 'Style' relates to the manner in which we (as individuals) dress ourselves. It is those little details that pop up in our outfits that help us to convey to the world who we are and what we are trying to do with our clothing.
I've seen the 360 video and I noticed "tribes"being dropped a lot from the other guys. kudos. good point on some element of rake in any guy who decides to dress better. I think you should expand on the three archetypes in greater detail. I really think you got something there.Maybe a video for each. Things you may encounter if you choose to lean toward one archetype vs the other. (exp: rakish may end up spending more on clothes because of trends. Stigmas of the rugged and refined type.) Small lookbooks would be helpful and cool to see your spin on them well. Maybe even mixtures, somewhere down the line. Like a refined rakish type vs a rakish rugged type. that would be cool. I think it'd be fun to see where'd you'd place the guys from that 360 video and why?
This completely relates. I consider myself primarily rakish because of my lifestyle, but I'm into clothing as a hobby as well. I would say that sice I got more involved in menswear, I've felt the need to understand the rules (just like someone who's more refined) to be able to break them knowingly. You don't have to understand the rules if you to be famboyant, but I think you need to in order to get the most out of the rebellious character of the rakish archetype. Great video, as always. Thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it Carlos. What's interesting to me is how manifestations of refinement from a prior era become increasingly Rakish as style involves. Will we see the Silicon Valley Uniform as the epitome of refinement in 20 years because it's become the de facto uniform of the men with the most influence and social capital?
I think I came to that very same realization once I stopped thinking of being rakish as automatically meaning I had to dress like Kanye West or Johnny Depp. The company I work for has a casual dress code (typically jeans and a t-shirt) and any time I put on a pair of chinos and a polo shirt I can hear the murmurs of "it looks like he's going to church" from across the parking lot as I approach the front door, my idea of being rakish is confirmed as being, as you say, "a middle finger" to everyone else or put more politely a way of saying with my clothes "I'm not you."
Boom!! Love this example Konrad. This is why I've struggled so much with creating a Rakish style guide. It's not limited to just one style or set of clothes, it's all related to how you dress compared to the other people within your various tribes.
It makes perfect sense. one of the issues I have is most style advice online is aimed either at suits or trendy young clothes (tight rolling your jeans for example), neither of which particularly suit me (pun intended).
Well said brother. I try to mix the Rugged and the Rake. But certain rules must be adhered to. Can't go full Rake, society couldn't handle it. So I wear my rugged clothes in a Rakish manner.
And respect the consequences accordingly. There's some real maturity in your approach. Too many men whine about society not accepting what they wear. We can either do that or embrace it. Either way, the consequences are the same.
I would say my inner self is almost always rakish, but I'm most comfortable wearing refined. I spend over 20 years in a suit and tie environment and hated the day we went business casual.
Thanks for making this video :) Since I had first learned about your three archetypes I've always had the feeling that the rakish type is kind of the "meta" one. Because as soon as you start dressing well, no matter the archetype, you start standing out and that's kind of more a rakish thing.
Great observation. The meta component is interesting because it only exists now. That same concern for one's appearance would have been incredibly Refined in Victorian England among the upper classes. It's all a matter of perspective and social awareness.
Hey Tanner, long time viewer, first time commenter. Here's my two cents. Like most men, I have a little bit of all the archetypes in me, but I think I might be mostly rakish. However it's definitely not just because I enjoy menswear. I'm a rake mostly because I'm a rebel. My political views, the music I listen to, and the heroes I look up to seem to differ greatly from those around me. I personally believe it's a generational thing. I won't get into all my views but let's just say I find myself having more in common with individuals from Gen X and even some older millennials than the younger people of "generation snowflake" that I've grown up with. This is all well communicated in the way I dress. I mostly either dress in nice button ups and dress shirts (usually rolling up the sleeves and leaving one or two buttons undone to make it more casual) or t-shirts showcasing bands I listen to, shows I watch, or politicians I support. In the end I use style as a means to communicate my story, as you discussed in this video. It's without a doubt, one of the most important and useful skills a man has at his disposal.
Thanks for watching and happy to have you finally chiming in! It will be interesting to see if different political ideologies start developing different aesthetics as ways to separate ourselves out. You see extremes of it with the Black Bloc Antifa stuff or the #MAGA and American Flag alt-right stuff, but that's not every day wear. I wonder if a simple button-up will eventually become a political statement.
Tanner Guzy Tanner Guzy I think that simple button ups and other minimalist clothing could easily be a political statement, since those cloths are often associated with right wing, more traditional types of gentlemen. Going back to my original comment on being a rake, do you think you might ever do a video on what it means to be socially masculine, as it relates to clothing? I noticed you mentioned this in your post about the style archetypes on your website. Can a man still be considered a rake, a socially masculine man, if he's a lone wolf, or is having trouble finding just the right tribe to fit in with? Can a man belong to more than one tribe? Perhaps you could do a video on the idea of tribe in general, especially for some of your newer viewers since your channel seems to be growing. I seem to find myself falling into this category at the moment, especially since I'll be heading off to college soon and will be exposed to many new things in a new city. Btw, thanks for replying. Videos like these start a dialogue, and it's great we can continue that discussion in the comments.
I do wonder, if Zuckerberg dress like Leonardo, will that enhance him? I guess it's more philosophy reason than archetypes. Eq, if you follow minimalism, archetypes or style are not matter. Rugged dress for function, refined dress to show symbol,status, power and rakish only follow their own rules. More to me are the occasion. If there's a dress code for tuxedo and you wearing short cargo flip flop, then you had mental problem and probably thrown out from room. Some dress code also blur nowadays. But I bet Zuckerberg will wear tuxedo if he had to meet Queen.
I hope he would. But he may be the kind of guy whose identity is so tied to his casual appearance that he would refuse to adapt even to that kind of situation. I have a friend who dresses that way. Ironically he's one of the most vocal about his antipathy to style.
Not actually a response for the questions in this specific video... but I'm from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and even tough it's a different world actually, culturally, geographically, socially... I believe I'm still learning from your mindset and the way you view man's place in this world, how to communicate through style and ultimately how intentional are we prepared to be with our clothing. Thanks for delivering again! I hope you have the toughness to keep on rockin' trough with style!
Love this comment Breno - it means I'm actually teaching this stuff the way I want to. By diving into the principles, I can help men everywhere dress better. Even if they're from a whole different world!
Breno Marques Nice to see another Brazilian around! Cheers from Belo Horizonte! Since most American style channels and websites dive too much into the specifics of what to wear and whatnot, having a guy like Tanner talking about the principles of style give us way more to work with than most of the others.
Jefther Silva exactly! Specific normative channels don't really apply to our culture and climate, which are so different from US or UK. By approaching the topic from a more philosophical, broad way, Tanner reaches way more audiences. I just hope people all around the globe notice this bearded friend :)
I was definitely an outcast and loner in high school, however, I was also not afraid to state my opinion and back it up when controversial topics came up. I was generally in the minority with my beliefs but I was completely okay with that. I think this translates well in my everyday life. I work with my hands ,wear a uniform everyday, and scored refined on you quiz but I'm still able to show my individuality with glasses, hair, and watches. I'm definitely ex-tribe within my department but once again, it doesn't bother me. I do think there is a bit of rakishness in everyone from wearing cargo shorts to church using the justification that Jesus accepts everyone despite their background to wearing a motorcycle jacket while disregarding the opinion of sartorial community that it's only for bikers. Social fluency is important and while I do follow the rules and dress in accordance to the event, I like to throw in my own subtle individual flair. Great video as always.
The ability to be an outsider can be enhanced by dressing as one. It makes you put your money where your mouth is and forces you to be consistent or to slink back into the shadows. I've got a video on this coming up.
I do like dressing well but my style is fairly simple compared to most. Just making sure everything fits well, the pieces compliment each other but I make sure not to go overboard since I live in a factory town, I keep it grounded so as not to throw people off and stand out way to the extreme.
Lulz. "I think I have the black lung" If you're improving your perception of yourself and your relationships with other people through your clothing, you're dressing intentionally - regardless of how simple or complicated your appearance is. Keep it up!
After listening to you in this video this is the image that immediately comes to mind. A perfect meldng of textures, overstated and understated, layers upon layers, rakish, timeless. www.pinterest.com/pin/363595369886194698/ The bold style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Inspired casual. Apparently this design came to him only the day before the plans were supposed to be delivered to his client. It is hard to quantify this high sense of aesthetics while still looking so spontaneous. That was exactly the point. Good video.,
It's the only one that's always with you. You don't carry paintings around, you're not constantly singing or playing an instrument, but your style is always with you.
Tanner Guzy It's very debateable if clothing is an actual artform. Unlike art clothing serves a practical purpose. Clothing may work as a form of story-telling but it's not particularly great at that. The story it tells isn't very in-depth. It only tells a "headline" which may or may not be enough.
Urban Danger, it depends on how accomplished the individual 'story-teller' is and how deeply the 'audience' chooses to delve into his story, which I would say rests on the individual's charisma.
UrbanDanger ! Modern dance is so much moore easy to understand, ha ha ha yhee right. It is all about the pressens in the situation. You cant start dancing. Look at great artists they have style.
