Strutting their stuff

For Harvard men at the turn of the 19th century, fashion dictates came from the college administration, not the Milan runways. For instance, undergraduates were instructed as to the proper type of outerwear: “coat must be of black-mixed, called also Oxford-mixed, single breasted, with a rolling cape square at the end, and with pocket flaps; waist reaching to the natural waist, with lapels of the same length; skirts reaching to the bend of the knee; three crows-feet, made of black silk cord on the lower part of the sleeve of a senior, two on that of a junior, and one on that of sophomore.”

This laundry list of requirements is a far cry from the range of men’s fashions today. Then, the aim of proper dress was to avoid expulsion. But from the ashes of the “rolling cape square” rose a new class of stylish males, the precursors to today’s fashion plates and metrosexuals. Along with a mantra of fashion alpha male-ism, these early males were influenced by the traditional drive for perfection which already pervaded the athletic fields, music halls and classrooms of Old Harvard.

Even the Crimson pitched in to help its readers look their most dapper. In 1893 the paper wrote, “Believing this special edition of the ‘CRIMSON’ will be read by many thousands of college men; and knowing the subject of clothes to be one of interest to them; we shall give all readers a few points on economy in dress, appropriate to the present time.” What followed was actually a letter from a local shop-owner imploring the lads not to pinch pennies, lest they compromise their style.

Long before David Beckham and Ben Affleck extolled the virtues of exfoliating moisturizers, Harvard students were debating the merits of various fashion trends. In recent years, male vanity has taken a decidedly upward turn.

Feminists and beauty companies alike have always paid attention to the time and effort women spend on looks. Instead of society lowering the beauty standards for women, however, the bar has been raised for both genders. Students today are quick to admit that girls must squeeze themselves into a more restrictive mold, but the consensus is that male beauty is a growing concern. “Men are getting more pressure regarding body image issues,” says Jeff E. Fernandez ’05. Over the last decade, many men have not only tested the boundaries of coiffing with their highlighted and gelled hair, but they have also come out of the closet, so to speak, with admissions such as, “yes, I tan” or “yes, I wax.” For this certain set of men, polishing their looks—and spending money to do so— is becoming an art and a science. Even the threat of being labeled feminine won’t stop them in their quest for beauty (or handsomeness).

Mike S. Goonan ’05 takes his sweet time getting ready in the morning. “There’s no point in looking frumpy when you can easily look nice,” he says. His day begins with a twenty-five minute long shower with lots of shampoo, conditioner and other fragrant products. He gets out of the shower and ponders what he is going to wear for the day, not an easy—or short—task. “For me it depends on weather, what I’ll be doing. The colors have to match, the shoes have to go with shirt, and maybe I’ll be in class with someone I want to look good for,” Goonan says. For the next twenty minutes, Goonan shaves and puts on lotion. Goonan spends the remaining time styling his hair, carefully working in a molding paste. “Push it forward,” Goonan advises. “If it looks messy, it’s good.”

So why are men spending so much time and cash on their exteriors? Most of the guys would agree with Matt T. Bosch ’07. “It’s a self esteem thing,” he says. The need to dress well and keep up a good appearance is paramount. Knowing that he’s dressed well and in shape is an ego-boost to Goonan. “I feel better about myself,” he says. Girls have also started to take notice of men’s need to dress for themselves. Betsy W. McCormick ’07 says her male friends just want to feel good about themselves. “It’s a self-confidence thing. You’ll have a happier day if you look and feel good,” she says.

In an environment where even chance encounters are perceived as the event that could catapult a student into fame or success, it’s all about first impressions.

“Physical appearance is always what first grabs a person’s attention no matter how superficial that is,” says Chibo Tang ’07.

The Jean Pool expands

Finding a pair of Paper Denims no longer requires a trek to Newbury. Harvard Square stores are noticing college males growing concern for their appearance and responding accordingly. Denis E. Black, manager of retail store J. Press on Mount Auburn St., agrees. “If it weren’t for women, men wouldn’t care about dressing,” he says.

While some men remain stoically indifferent to the au courant world of men’s fashion, more are embracing their wardrobes as places of opportunity—and black holes for cash. Kris J. Trujillo ’05 says outfit-choosing is a challenge: “Mostly I am just dressing for myself to see what I can pull off. But other days I dress up for class or meetings,” he says. Opening the door to his closet, he rattled off a list of stores where he had made his most recent purchases: Club Monaco; J. Crew; Abercrombie; Banana Republic; Hollister; Ralph Lauren; and Paul Smith were just a few.

And while most face the task of pairing Ralph and Paul on their own, others enlist the assistance of men whose business is to pick pleats and tweak inches off inseams. Luke Mountain, a wardrobe consultant at a high end men’s boutique, Louis Boston, says getting the right look is not about following outer trends as much as harnessing one’s intuitions. “Clothing is very personal,” he says. “It’s really about expressing yourself and molding an image.” According to Mountain, the world of women’s fashion is more sensationalistic, constantly claiming what’s hot and often more importantly what’s not. “The men’s fashion world is much slower,” he says. “Men generally want something they can wear and not stand out. They feel inhibited by what other people think.” But just because male fashion doesn’t feature what Mountain termed ‘flamboyant peacock shows,’ doesn’t mean that men don’t take advantage of the opportunity to flaunt a few feathers. With TV shows like Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy glorifying the newly stylish male, customers are flocking for fashion help. “Sometimes I really have to work from the bottom up,” Mountain says. “I’ll want to get someone into a slimmer jean and they’ll have huge boxer shorts on. Then we have to send them downstairs to try on a pair of snug fitting boxer briefs.” Fashion is the kind of business in which having suitable individual items—like the right undies—is critical in supporting the whole package.

But at Harvard, land of post-adolescent, pre-yuppie conformity, such a holistic view may not take root. McCormick sees the campus as a world of pink and green orthodoxy. “There are a ton of kids who come here who have been exposed to really preppy environments,” she says. “Harvard exacerbates that to the extreme.” McCormick cites the abundance of Nantucket red and popped collars as evidence to her assertions.

The polo phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by local shopkeepers either. Kerry C. Simon, owner of Proletariat, says that students regularly come to his JFK Street store to look for the perfect polo—collar and all. “The Harvard guys are mirror whores, making sure the polo looks great in all the right places,” Simon says.