Do you keep hearing about the utilitarian style and don’t know what it consists of? Don’t you have a single notion of the looks that are sweeping the world and that have David Beckham as an unofficial ambassador? If you want to be up to date, we’ll tell you what utilitarian style is and how it’s worn.
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What is the utilitarian style and how is it worn?
Canvas chinos, wide shirts in neutral colors or cargo pants are garments that, more than fashion, we associate with work clothes and company uniforms. And that, believe it or not, is sweeping men’s fashion. It’s time to tell you what the utilitarian style is and how it is worn.
Do you remember that hackneyed phrase that stated that to be handsome you had to suffer? Well now it’s the opposite. For the first time in a long time, fashion seeks the functional, the simple and the practical. That’s where the utilitarian style comes in.
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Also known as workwear, this style seeks above all simplicity. Nothing of artifice, strident colors or clothes that can bother or be uncomfortable. Basically, work clothes and the secret for this to be perfect is that it allows us to move comfortably and does not bother excessively. It’s what utilitarian style achieves.
And be careful, whoever thinks that this utilitarian style is bland or goes unnoticed, I don’t understand anything about fashion. In fact, let no one forget the sex appeal that the uniforms have and the mystique that surrounds them.
On the other hand, the utilitarian style has that point that people like to be really dressed up but that seems like a look that has been chosen without effort or criteria. In that sense, Hugo Silva is a true artist, even if his style is more casual than workwear.
The key garments of the utilitarian style
Although it is hard to believe, the key garments of the utilitarian style belong to brands that, today, are at the forefront of what is considered cool and avant-garde. We are talking about brands like Dickies, Carhartt or Levi’s that, in their beginnings, were conceived as manufacturers of uniforms but, with the passage of time, have positioned themselves as leading brands in the world of fashion.
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Levi’s 501 jeans
And, without going any further, is there anything more practical, combinable and comfortable than Levi’s 501? The great merit of the American firm has been that when someone talks about jeans, Levi’s is the first brand that comes to mind and 501, the next.
Whether with a white V-neck t-shirt, with a navy blue round neck or a denim shirt, combining Levi’s 501 is the simplest and most successful thing for a man. Therein lies the secret of the utilitarian style. With that look we can go to work but also go out to a party or go on a date. Good for everything.
Dickies chinos
For years, they were 50% of work uniforms worldwide. Time and their durability have helped them take a leap in quality, becoming an essential part of this utilitarian style. As with the Levi’s 501, we can combine the Dickies chinos with everything we can think of.
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Carhartt jacket
And if it’s cold, nothing like a Carhartt jacket. In this sense, the skate aesthetic has taken over this brand whose focus has been much more youthful for decades. Of course, it maintains the quality of its garments that can last a lifetime. For better or worse, Carhartt jackets have gone from being work clothes to groundbreaking fashion icons.
Work has given way to glamor and the combination of both aims to last forever in the world of fashion.
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Craig Green Pants
The case of Craig Green and his pants or jackets is paradigmatic. It is the antithesis of what is expected of work clothes, turned into luxury items, at prohibitive prices. The utilitarian style in its most glamorous expression.
Calvin Klein by Raf Simons
Now, if we have to look for the origin of the rise of this utilitarian style, we find it in Raf Simons. Specifically, in 2017, when he was appointed creative director of Calvin Klein. The objective that the Belgian designer set for himself was to promote the values of the deepest America, his lifestyle and, above all, his most classic way of dressing.
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This is how he brought jeans back to the world of fashion, to which he added straight canvas chinos, the famous overshirts with patch pockets, cargo pants or trucker jackets. This is how the work uniform became a trend and, a few months later, the utilitarian style was mainstream.
Utilitarian style: From Raf Simons to David Beckham
In fact, other designers and firms have followed the path opened by the visionary Raf Simons. And not only designers, but also some celebrities who have turned utilitarian style into a way of life.
In this case, the Beckham family is the great ambassador of the utilitarian style. The former soccer player is a top-level fashionista and is in love with the work uniform as his day-to-day outfit.
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A style that his eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, has been able to embrace and give him his own style. In fact, it is not ruled out that he applies this utilitarian style to his wedding suit when he marries actress Nicole Anne Peltz
To elevate this utilitarian style, the Beckhams have their secrets. On the one hand, they can opt for a total workwear look, which combines Dickies-style canvas pants with a jacket, or they can focus attention on a single garment. In this case, the alternative is that said garment, whether upper or lower, we surround it with basics that do not attract too much attention.
The only element that you must control to know that you are perfect is that the wrists remain in their position. You can have clothes left over on your shoulders, even if the overshirt looks three sizes too big. Don’t worry. If the wrists are in place, it’s your size.
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The same thing happens with pants, as long as they are straight and fit well at your waist, you should not worry. Of course, nothing to leave them short, or bent at the bottom. Let them fall over the shoe and, in one case, give the hem a spin. Nothing more. And nothing less.
