There are few manners of dress among men in Toronto, because so few are popular enough for independent retailers to endorse. We learned from Christopher Parker’s final “Dapper Gent” column in The Grid that Toronto shop owners want to see more colour and investment pieces (and therefore, put a nail in the coffin of fast fashion) and less “heritage” dressing, fun socks and raw denim. In other words, the same thing people in fashion say every year. So instead, we decided to look at it from the perspective of what the men on Toronto’s streets really want. There’s no better way to do that than to observe the world around us, and we’ve deduced that while city gents certainly play it safe, they seem perfectly happy filling a few classic archetypes. An informal list of those archetypes (there are six of them, by the by), what they like, what they don’t like and where they shop, after the jump.
The Wealthy Statesman
Likes: suits, Barney Stinson, Brooks Brothers ties, money, the idea of money
Dislikes: poverty (or people who find out he is living below the poverty line)
Shops: Brooks Brothers, Stollery’s, Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew
The Cavalier Prep
Likes: people to know he went to a private school (or people to believe he went to a private school), bow ties (he likes bow ties a lot), madras
Dislikes: uncomfortable footwear, the public education system
Shops: Abercrombie and Fitch, Tommy Bahama, J. Crew, Tommy, Harry Rosen
The Heritage Ponce
Likes: a backstory, craftsmanship, grit, bourbon, fair trade coffee
Dislikes: factory-made anything, bad seam work, $10 haircuts
Shops: Klaxon Howl, Woodlawn, Uncle Otis
The Dandy
Likes: refinement, low-slung and knotted scarves, well-fitted blazers, bespoke tailoring, custom fragrances, boisterous colours and unconventional shapes
Dislikes: anything boxy, hats that muss up perfectly coiffed hair, bow ties (which are, by the dandy’s standard, so over)
Shops: Sydney’s, Philip Sparks
The Sporto
Likes: baseball caps, varsity jackets, new designer kicks, designer collaborations, sweatshirts, sweatpants
Dislikes: mainstream sporting goods
Shops: Nike store, Roots, Nomad, Uncle Otis, The Bay’s West End Shop
The Dirtbag
Likes: everything that anyone else hates
Dislikes: everything that anyone else likes
Shops: vintage
(Images: The Wealthy Statesman, Brooks Brothers fall/winter 2011; The Cavalier Prep, J.Crew fall/winter 2011; The Heritage Ponce, Woolrich Woolen Mills fall/winter 2011; The Dandy, Fine and Dandy Shop 2011; The Sporto, Human Made fall/winter 2011; The Dirtbag, Labrat fall/winter 2011)
Don’t forget the Canada Goose jacket guy:
http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6678603/look-at-my-fucking-canada-goose-jacket
January 3, 2012 at 3:49 pm | by Slava PNo mention of the big Toronto men fashion faux pas: 4″ too short pants – on suits, jeans and khakis – which seems epidemic in Toronto.
January 4, 2012 at 8:07 am | by JayBeePopped collars. Really guys? It’s a useful filter for identifying complete tools from a healthy distance, however. Ditto those pointy elf shoes that some guys seem to think are business wear.
January 4, 2012 at 9:38 am | by IgnatzTotally agree with Ignatz; no matter how hot the guy those two looks (whether alone or together) are an utter and total turnoff.
January 4, 2012 at 12:52 pm | by Vi feel like you missed the generic hipster guy that just wears various pieces in all black and never takes off his toque – or his friend the bearded bespectacled pseudo-woodsman dude.
January 4, 2012 at 2:42 pm | by samI rate this article for mentioning ill shops… However, I can’t rate this article for the “style archetypes” found in Toronto. Clearly, some buffoon took to the internet and found a bunch of shit stores happened to be selling at of current season sand went along with this shit. Bun you nigga, do the research, each shop doesn’t necessarily cater only to those certain “style archetypes” as you like to call them. You probably the clown looking in fashion magazines “painting by numbers” yourself a sense of style. Wack.
January 4, 2012 at 10:30 pm | by the ignorancePeople shop at Tommy Bahama?
January 9, 2012 at 11:31 pm | by Sunnywhat a ridiculous article, this should have been published in MAD magazine.
January 18, 2012 at 7:08 pm | by hmmm@Slava P: FUH-NNY!
January 18, 2012 at 7:12 pm | by hmmmTommy Bahama is a vendor, Not a store…dumbass
March 30, 2012 at 8:35 am | by AJ