If the late 90′s was all about Mondeo Man, then maybe this decade will be all about Monocle Man.
You might know him well. He shops at Borough Market and Columbia Road. He listens to Radio 4. He might grow his own veg or at least get a vegebox, drink wanky coffee and listen to Mumford & Sons (whose name actually sound like a countryfied clothing label). And, of course, he reads ever-so-slightly po faced magazines like Inventory, A Continuous Lean. and, of course, MONOCLE.
There are so many Monocle Man clothing labels popping up right now that is has almost become a genre in itself. Take a vaguely old-fashioned sounding name, maybe put a waxed jacket in there and a pair of Quoddy boots and play some Seasick Steve in the background.
Aubin & Wills, Universal Works, Bamford & Sons, Folk, Norse Projects, SNS Herning, The Hill-Side and the recently launched Percival all trade upon workwear silhouettes, authentic-style branding and a modern reworking of a certain halcyon-ised aesthetic. That’s not forgetting the originators of the trend; Margaret Howell, Oliver Spencer, Hartford, Anderson’s, A.P.C., Engineered Garments and Woolrich Woollen Mills, Labour & Wait’s smattering of clothes and bags and the grandaddy of them all, Albam.
At first it was fun, but Monocle Man has homogenised the high street, in a rather backwards-looking way. It’s easy to think that this is a wholesome, original aesthetic but a company like Albam is as much about clever branding and marketing; as off-the-shelf and prolific as the Emo, WAG, Balmain or Boho looks were last decade.
Though it’s impossible to condemn Monocle Man entirely. The new Metrosexual he may be, but the look has a basis in long-standing, hand-made and sourced product as opposed to disposable fast fashion; it’s also a comfort zone for men I know who usually wouldn’t wear burgundy, chinos or knitted snowflake cardigans to express themselves a little more. Just spare me from the po-faced magazines (and the coffee).
To me the Monoclites summon up the spirit of Duffer of St George (c1992). Clumpy, workwear with the occasional knowing, quirky detail (nothing de trop); this is combined with a tendency, borne of fashion fatigue, to fetishize craft, (cottage) industry and tradition. As you say, there’s nothing despicable about this blokey, folksy fogeyishness. Against the aesthetic void that is Mondeo Man (perhaps best abbreviated to ‘Man’ broadly speaking), Monocle Man is a riot.
ugh, it’s like a disease! so happy you penned this. i agree entirely. i lived in portland, oregon in the early half of the decade & now i’m in new york & it is like being in the pacific northwest in 2001 all over again. the woodsy plaid & gingham. the beards. the country store aesthetic of the better men’s boutiques. i agree that it was somewhat refreshing at first, and i do admire the quality of the clothing, the attention and thought that goes into the craftsmanship and resources involved, and the respect for history, but now that the aesthetic is so dominant, it is entirely repressive. and, in terms of codifying gender and male identity, it’s regressive. enough with monocle man!
Pingback: The rise of ‘Monocle man’ and the ‘urban lumberjack’ « Lineage of influence
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
Unfortunately, he’s also a train wreck of cliches — monocle or no monocle — and in the case of at least one of those “vintage” sites out there, a self-interested train wreck. Continuously.
That’s why I read “The Rake.” Fin.
it is all clear now. there is a name for it. we can poke fun at. call you one of them. thank god for the brils post on menswear titled “the age of the moncle man”.
for the last few months (which has felt like years) i have exited my apartment squinty eyed each morning. at first i thought I was seeing double — no make that triple. but infact it was the herds of monocle men that have overrun new york.
“shall we meet for a locally sourced bacon sandwich and discuss our roof-top gardens or where to get the best refillable water bottles?”
“piss off ya sad twat.” (if you can source that quote you get 10 points)
my name is gangster and i am a recovering monocle.
for more => http://seventhavenuegangster.tumblr.com/post/476857998/is-the-monocle-man-the-new-sloan
If you wrote a movie, what would the title be?