ALL IN THE DETAILS: Lettering or Loitering?

The Cardinal Rules growing up were eat your vegetables and don’t talk to strangers. If you haven’t heard of either of these rules, you my friend led a very rebellious childhood. If you are anything like me, you’ve heard both, but you still can’t seem to get either one quite right. And worse, if you’re a vampire, you probably have it backwards: you’re eating strangers and you don’t talk to vegetables (mainly garlic). Either way you slice it, the main goal of rules is for people to obey them. But what fun is obeying the rules when you get fashion brownie points for breaking them?

I get it. This Fashionisto has the telltale signs of an easygoing hipster who’s just loitering and waiting for the next concert to roll into town, but really, he could be so much more. His shirt begs the passerby to stop and listen to what he has to say. And better yet? To obey.

Truth be told, this Fashionisto was in fact going to a concert. I caught him in the middle of the street making a ticket exchange for the Cage the Elephant concert in Denver later that night. While I’m super jealous that I was not able to attend, I did get a consolation prize: some style cues.

Summer 2015 is all about discovering your voice and finding your platform. There’s so much to be said, why not say it with your clothes? The biggest trend to pop up over the past year is the revival of the graphic T-shirt. T-shirts are starting to boast clever puns and simple phrases that give a literal view into the wearer’s world. Tell me you haven’t seen a T-shirt that says, “OK, but first coffee” or “I know the guacamole is extra” in the past 24 hours. Now you’re just lying. They are everywhere. Here, the Fashionisto builds his outfit from the center out. The white “OBEY” lettering against the black T-shirt is a stark contrast. It’s bold and simple, which can be said of his whole approach to style. Just like the Rolling Stones, this Fashionisto paints his style black by pairing his T-shirt with lived-in black jeans, dark bracelets and a black cereal prize watch. The only other white items besides the lettering are his Converse. And if the stains are any indication, his Chucks are clearly some of his oldest friends. What is a hipster without a man bun, five o’clock shadow and Clark Kent glasses? A poser. Luckily, our guy gets full brownie points by rocking the specks, the beard and the laid back updo.

How To: Any Fashionisto or Fashionista can pull off this rocker-approved getup. If you’re a guy, grab your beat up Chucks and your favorite lettered T-shirt. Brownie points if it’s a black and white color palette and you can rock a man bun. Ladies, same instructions, but try a topknot bun with high-waisted shorts. Brownie points if you can get your boyfriend to match.

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