Steve
Fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harpers Bazaar are perceived to be oracles of trend, yet the truth on prevailing style is told on the street. What began with a quest to uncover a salient theme around men in denim, ended up taking me down a rabbit hole of, well, denim, and a whole lot more. As it turns out, denim plays a supporting role in the proverbial play of classic workwear Americana. It’s a mouthful of a style, but carries ample sartorial weight with its man’s man, utilitarian aesthetic. Workwear seems to be go-to garb in Toronto and elsewhere these days. Dare I say, we might be seeing the hipster replace himself with the classic workwear male?
I’m not sure when the latest workwear trend started showing itself on Toronto streets, though I know much can be attributed to workwear inspired Toronto designers like Hiroshi Awai of Creep, Matt Robinson of Klaxxon Howl and Ken Chow of Krane. My discovery began in earnest with Steve (pictured above), a music producer from Toronto who charmed me with his chambray-on-denim-on-bicycle before he momentarily became the “man who got away.” I spotted Steve initially at a Queen Street traffic light. He was on his bike waiting for the light to turn green, and I was a pedestrian hoping the red light would linger for a while. I’m not much of a camera slinger, so by the time the green light shone, Steve whizzed on. I could have kicked myself for not whipping out the camera sooner, but as fate would have it, Steve was parked one block ahead and I was finally able to catch up with him. What Steve was wearing matched so many other looks I saw worn by men west of Spadina on Queen. Chambray or denim shirts, sometimes buttoned to the collar or accessorized with a bow tie, paired with earth toned (often cropped) trousers. Same formula, different fella.
Will
Then there’s Will, a freelance digital marketing consultant, who gives us reason to look at workwear beyond a general faade, more as a genre influenced by epic writers and geography. Will and his fantastic triple denim get-up is a pastiche of British past and American present. Growing up in a private school for boys in the UK, Will has retained the best bits of it’s quintessential “uniform,” while adopting an ever so cool nuance of the American workwear style. That’s right, I said nuance. Will goes beyond the norm and ventures to a segmented form of workwear, that which lives in a Cape Cod setting. Case in point: his style, notably the denim shirt, is slightly reminiscent of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” (sans West Coast).
Indeed, a North American filter exists over Will’s British sensibilities, though the two are unified by New England prep and workwear. His style bears a unique patina of literary and Transatlantic goodness that fashion journalists like myself cannot seem to get enough of.
Nicolas
If I were to trace my knowledge origin of American workwear, it would lead me to Nicolas. This former model, who could be plucked out of a Hedi Slimane campaign during his ge d’or of menswear at Dior Homme, epitomizes the workwear style. la Slimane’s distinctive London rocker look.
What inspires Nicolas most about workwear is how classic the style is. This seems obvious given that workwear today is a literal translation of the worker’s uniform of yesterday, be it on a railway track or in the military. It was a time when Levi’s was cool. What’s key is how timeless workwear seems to be, as highlighted by Nicolas’ desire to wear most of these clothes when he’s older. Of course, at the crux of his desire for workwear is the craftsmanship that accompanies the heritage. The aforementioned Toronto designers Klaxxon Howl and Ken Chow are revered by the time and detail they put to their utility inspired garments. With workwear, there is quality manufacturing that’s too often overlooked in the fashion industry.
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The Goods
Steve:
Denim pants, Dr. Denim Jeans
Chambray shirt, American Apparel
Sunglasses, Ray-bans
Hat, Stollery’s
Will:
Shoes, store brand version of Redwing
Jeans, Club Monaco
Shirt, H&M
Tie, H&M
Nicolas:
Sunglasses, Vintage Ray-Ban
T-Shirt, Robert Geller
Denim Jacket, Vintage Levi’s
Overcoat, Velour
Jeans, A.P.C.
Boots, Vintage Police
Mona Chammas is a Toronto based fashion writer. She often travels beyond Toronto to document style on the street for her blog, Geeky Chic (www.geekychic.ca)
