It’s no wonder that this Fashionisto caught my eye earlier this week: he is 100% Eurpoean. Impressed by his incredible style-consciousness, I decided to make him this week’s Fashionisto and then learned that he is visiting from the Czech Republic. As you may know, I have a strong appreciation for European fashion because of my own background and love to integrate it into my everyday wardrobe. In showing off this Fashionisto’s outfit, I hope to show how you American Fashionistos—and even Fashionistas—can integrate some European flair as well.
One of my favorite motifs of European fashion as a whole is the casual sporty trend (in women’s fashion, it’s often found in footwear and in those cool racing jackets). This Fashionisto exudes that in his totally comfy yet completely particular outfit. You may not find much difference between his outfit and one of a progressive man in a major metropolitan area here in the good ol’ USA. However, there are subtle characteristics to his outfit that are not as prevalent here, yet still very easily adoptable (luckily for the American Fashionistos!).
Starting from the top, you’ll notice his backwards hat. You probably recognize it as a staple of many fraternity boys’ wardrobes. This Fashionisto, however makes this look more polished with the material of his hat: corduroy. This material is certainly more unique than the canvas of the all-American Sigma-something-something hat, but is fairly easy to find. Also easily accessible in his outfit are the wayfarer sunglasses. This trend transcends all nations, starting from the revival of the vintage Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer (now made in Italy). With many other brands now replicating the style, even the lowest college budget can include this iconic piece.
In looking at the rest of this Fashionisto’s outfit, you will realize that he keeps it fairly simple with shorts and a T-shirt. What makes his outfit more interesting is the graphic print and the cut of his shirt. The scoop-neck T-shirt can be found in all different solid colors and add refinement to a simple male or female summer outfit. Like this Fashionisto did, it’s easy to elevate the subtle but effective statement of this different cut by finding the shirt with a graphic print.
To tie the outfit together, this Fashionisto wears subtle but colorful beaded bracelets: yet another example of cultural transcendance. Of course, I will not forget his canvas shoes. Rather than wearing worn-down running sneakers, he sports these comfy, light and perfect-for-summertime-heat unisex walking shoes that you can find under a million different brands. I myself like to wear Dr. Martens, but brand preference is always personal and should be tailored to the style that best fits you.
So, Fashionistos, it turns out that it’s really easy to look slightly more upscale in a simple summer outfit by addressing each particular element and replacing it with one of a different material, complexity or cut. You might even be Czech-ed out by a Style Guru yourself!