Learn Styling Through POPEYE
Paper Over Pixels (P.O.P)
Hello friends, I’d like to ask y’all a question first: has there ever been a time in your life where you lost sight of your own style? Perhaps you rolled out of bed and opened up your closet, only to find nothing you want to wear. You take a look at yourself in the mirror after haphazardly putting a fit together, and the person staring back at you is just utterly SWAGLESS. Now you’re helpless, and all you want to do is just crawl back into bed.
I get it—been there myself. It’s like DEFCON 1. I’d rather stay at home than look like a clown in front of others. Because let’s face it: whether it’s the judgmental glances of your classmates, coworkers, friends, or—worst of all—your crush, anytime you step out that door, you’re stepping into the battleground otherwise known as society.
So how do we properly arm ourselves? It begins with a proper understanding of fashion as a visual language. Do you remember how we first learned to speak? We learned by mimicking those around us (aka mostly our parents at first but then our peers, tv, internet mostly later) and eventually through enough exposure, practice, and repetition, we learned the rules that build up our language: grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. It’s the very same with fashion.
First, we have to learn the rules that build up fashion. And just like great art, it’s not subjective. As much as I’d like to explain these rules in words, I think the best way to learn these rules is to see them.
Now I know most of you use Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Youtube as sources of fashion inspiration, and those are great sources, but my favorite source of inspiration can’t be found on your phones. It’s a magazine called POPEYE, one of the longest running Japanese magazines about men’s fashion and lifestyle.
One reason why I prefer it over social media is that I find a lot of fashion content to be obnoxious or attention-seeking and just not to my taste (that said, there is good content online, which I will discuss in a future post). Social media algorithms will also feed you the same kind of thing over and over, making it hard to explore and discover new styles. Furthermore, the person/influencer is usually good looking, tall, and skinny, which deceives you into thinking you can pull off the same outfits they’re wearing. My last gripe with social media is that it distorts the joy of discovery into this addictive FOMO anxiety as you can’t help but scroll for more and more content, wondering if you even fit in.
And so no, I’d much rather prefer the well-trained eye of a grizzled Japanese editor who has spent decades on the streets of many cities around the world and has honed their taste down to a razor sharp edge. With a good paper magazine, you can take your time and go back to the same page and really absorb the information the editor spent days curating. It’s the same feeling as shopping in person at a really nice boutique versus an online fast fashion shopping binge.
So without a further ado, I’d like to give you a sample of the kind of inspiration I received from this month’s POPEYE 934 FASHION SNAP: Style Sample ‘25.
Like already you can appreciate the wealth of knowledge being shared here. We have the personal styles of eight creatives in Seoul being showcased here. This spread focuses on the growing trend of knitwear in bone freezing Seoul. Some things I instantly like what the use of wrapping one’s head with a scarf, balaclava, hoodie, hat, and/or cap. The outfit on top right sticks out immediately (shout out to San San Gear - Korean Gorpcore I guess). G-Dragon of course being the most famous example of doing this.
You can also appreciate the colors being utilized here. Koreans are quite shy with colors, usually sticking to neutrals, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see the left bottom outfit and left right outfit wield bold colors so effectively. One could also take inspiration in the genius layering being done here. I love the middle left outfit with long cardigan and shirts draping over the long skirt and long socks. In a freezing country like Seoul, effective layering to stay warm is essential, but the genius part is making it look slim and flattering still (beware of puffers as they can easily destroy your silhouette).
I first heard of 194 LOCAL through a Throwing Fits episode with Leo Gamboa, Head of Collabs in Levi’s. They were talking about the famous Levi’s SilverTab “piss” jeans collab. I got to actually go and check the LA branch and buy my own pair of SilverTabs. It was super cool, and I got to have a fun conversation about the LA music scene with Elliot Cook, a super cool guy with an amazing British accent. He was wearing this like insane heat reactive, color changing anorak, I think.
Anyways, in this spread, I really like the use of color in here. They’ve got the whole primary color scheme nailed down. And also their clothes just look comfortable on them. It’s nice to see their style reflect their personalities, which I’m assuming they’re all really chill people [insert chill guy meme here].
If you don’t like loud clothes, maybe work a corporate job, and just generally pretty quiet when it comes to your style, I would recommend you study these fits by the staff and clients of Ven. Space. A masterful display of layering, coloring, and (even though you cannot feel it, I’m sure it’s there) quality. Some of just the best brands around the world you can buy in this shop if what you are looking for is quality.
I think the two stand outs here is the one on the bottom left and the one on the top right. Poggy, an absolute Japanese legend helming the store United Arrows & Sons, has just the best bootcut?, straight worn out black jeans. The flash of red and the quirky hat, it’s all just too good. On the top right, we have a barista/photography student with her own hand knit socks, and just like the Seoul fits, I love the layering with the dress shirt, skirt, and leggings. Not to mention, the color palette here is just MMM a chef’s kiss.
Just love that red long ass scarf on the fit all the way to the right. It pairs so nicely with the long coat, flats and glasses she is wearing. The guy in the middle has some great layering with his shirt, jean jacket, leather jacket, and scarf. And I love the top middle left fit with the drapey suit. He’s also the designer of Story mfg, an amazing brand I would love to add to my collection someday. His fit just has that amazing balance of tailoring and casual wear. Doesn’t hurt that he’s also wearing one of my favorite brands, Comme des Garcons.
I feel like if you want to just dress casually, this guy is a perfect example of some starter fits. Some good light washed denim with a dark jacket and Converse sneakers to pair with or maybe go a little more fun with the beige trousers, long white socks, and red sneakers. This guys knows exactly what length his jackets should be, and let’s not forget what a great hairstyle he has.
So as you can see, POPEYE can give you a great framework for how to think about your own personal style by taking you to 17 cities around the world to show how 317 people dress and spend their days. Here are some excerpts about personal style that I found enlightening:
“To create your own style, you need to understand the natural balance of your body, your tastes, what you like, and what makes you comfortable. And then you have to find and choose clothes that fit you and that you're satisfied with. On top of that, clothing styles change with the times, which constantly forces you to think about how flexible you need to be in dealing with these changes — or to not change at all. The City Boys we've photographed around the world for this issue must have gone through trial and error to find their personal style. So if this is how the best-dressed find and create their own unique looks, why don't we learn from them as style samples?”
“Needless to say, wearing clothes is an essential part of our daily lives, but sometimes we lose sight of our own style and feel helpless.
The photo book "The Pictures on My Wall" edited by David M. Scordey will give you some hints for such times. The son of national designer Antonio Miro, and a former mod boy who was a student of Ball Weller, Scordey has traveled to London, the home of tailoring culture, and learned the basics of tailoring under his father in London. His life's work is collecting photos of people with style, whether famous or not.
What started out as an image of how to make clothes has now become a job, and many people in the fashion industry rely on his sense.
This book, released last year, is a selection of archive photos based on the concept of "Alternative Menswear", a theme he has been pursuing since his teens.
The literal translation is "another men's clothing". As I turned the pages, strangely drawn to the sound of the words, I was pleasantly surprised. The subjects, from world-famous stars and designers to people whose professions at first glance seem unrelated to fashion, were undeniably cool. Salvador Dali without a mustache wearing a leopard print jacket was elegant enough to overturn preconceptions, and Rem Koolhaas, captured in London by Madelon Vriesendroop, seemed to embody the swinging London of the 1960s. Photographer John Claridge's self-portraits were like a young Steve Winwood. I was convinced by David's words, "the arrogance and rebellious attitude of working-class youth." Even so, many of the photographs were taken around the 1960s, but it is also amazing how they have not faded at all even now, in the mid-2020s. "What all the people featured in this book have in common is that they are all truly relaxed in everyday situations, and dress as they feel. I think that artists who have searched for, discovered, and developed their own style in their creative endeavors can easily find that same foundation in fashion. Being yourself is the result of dressing with your own sensibility, without embellishing it. I hope that this book will encourage people to think about elegance in menswear with a more open-minded perspective."“
super informative and fun read!! thank you for sharing 🎵