Personal Aesthetic – Main Project Plans and Inspirations

I haven’t really been someone who has ever thought much about my personal aesthetic, but I did some research before writing this post, and I believe that the aesthetic that best represents me is the athletic casual aesthetic. I believe that this describes me in a fashion sense as well as in a personal sense. When it comes to my clothing, I don’t have all that diverse of a wardrobe. I almost exclusively wear t-shirts, regardless of the season, and you will never catch me wearing polos or anything with a collar in everyday use. When the weather gets colder, I will pair the t-shirt with a hoodie or a flannel, which I wear fairly consistently. I mostly wear chinos and joggers for pants, and you will rarely catch me with a belt.

Figure 1: Example of the type of clothing I normally would wear (Fashion Beans)

Figure 2: Another example of my general fashion style (Trim Menswear on Pinterest)

I would argue that the design movement this draws on most is modernism. The goal of modernism is to emphasize functionality, and to eliminate things that feel excessive. This really fits for me, as I have never been a person who cares about having nice and formal clothes, or even clothes or shoes that are expensive. I like clothes that feel comfortable on me and that are functional, and both modernism and the athletic casual aesthetic demonstrate that. I think I was lead to this aesthetic for a couple of reasons, the main one being that I grew up playing lots of sports, so my parents would buy me clothes that would work for those activities. Once I had grown to like comfortable clothes, tight fitting things and formal wear became less and less appealing to me. The other reason is that neither of my parents are very formal people, and they both have similar tastes in clothing and life in general. Both these influences likely sent me down the path to the athletic casual aesthetic. I believe the aesthetic fits me outside of clothing choices as well, as I am a person that prioritizes being both comfortable and active and have never felt the need to buy fancy things outside of fashion as well.

When it comes to my main project, I have yet to nail down an idea that I want to pursue. I am also still unsure on what aesthetic I might choose for the project as well. While I did really enjoy getting to dive deeper into an aesthetic that I was not as familiar with when I chose rustic for my upcycle project, I am not sure I want to go down that path again. I will continue to brainstorm ideas for both my aesthetic, as well as for my project itself over the coming days and weeks.

Sources:

https://www.fashionbeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/lucafaloni_maninsunglasseswearingagreyzipuphoodie.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/7c/ab/8e/7cab8e587d106444b32c49198bee606b.jpg