Our everything-but-the-pocket-watch-primer on the season’s sartorial schoolboy
The Third Law of Motion says every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and while we generally shy away from breaking fashion down into a science, the current collegiate craze—the one that has Toronto dandies rolling up their pants like a pack of post-pubescent Tom Sawyers—neatly demonstrates Newton’s point. Just a year ago, our most fashion-forward subsets were flannel-shirt deep in the urban woodsman aesthetic, celebrating all that is burly and butch. Now we have a city full of grown men reining in their facial hair (because baby’s bum is the new beard) and taking fashion cues from the halls of higher learning—that world of privilege, pomp and paisley.
As with most style movements, devotion to schoolboy cool comes in various degrees. Bay Street toe dippers might experiment with a jaunty accessory or two, while west end gallery guys have quite literally embraced the look from ducktail to saddle shoe. Worn responsibly, the ode to adolescence is playful, effortless and ever-so-slightly tongue in cheek. Taken too far (do you look like you should be carrying a teddy bear?), it’s probably wise to tone it down. So go ahead and grab a G&T, peruse our pages for pointers, and toast the return of good grooming, classic brands and clothing that fits.
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