My 2014 Style Journey… or Misadventure
So, someone asked me about “men style 2014.” Man, that takes me back. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided, “Today, I become a 2014 fashion icon!” Nah, it was more like a slow, slightly painful crawl into what everyone else seemed to be wearing, or at least what the internet told me they were wearing.
I remember looking around, probably at some social gathering or just scrolling online, and thinking my usual jeans and whatever-t-shirt-was-clean combo wasn’t quite cutting it anymore. Everyone suddenly looked… I don’t know, more “put together,” or something. So, I figured, okay, let’s give this a shot. My first step, like any guy feeling a bit lost in the fashion woods back then, was probably diving into some early men’s fashion blogs and maybe those newfangled Pinterest boards. Real cutting-edge research, you know?
The “What Was I Thinking?” Phase
And what did I discover as the supposed peak of 2014 style? First up: skinny jeans. They were absolutely everywhere. Now, I’m not a particularly large fellow, but trying to get into those things? It felt like I was trying to wrestle an octopus into a Pringles can. I did buy a pair, a dark wash, ’cause that seemed like the “adult” choice. I think I wore them out in public exactly once. Couldn’t bend my knees properly. Sitting down was an actual strategy game. Honestly, how did guys breathe, let alone walk with any dignity? Those jeans quickly found their way to the charity bag. Good riddance.
Then came the shirts. Everything had to be “slim fit.” I recall buying a couple of button-down shirts that looked pretty sharp on the store mannequin. On me, though? If I dared to inhale too deeply, I was seriously risking launching a button across the room like a tiny missile. And don’t even get me started on those incredibly deep V-neck t-shirts some dudes were sporting. Seriously, what was the goal there? An aggressive display of chest hair, or perhaps the lack thereof? I managed to sidestep that particular trend, thankfully. I still had some shame left.
- I did dip my toes into the colored chinos trend. Picked up a pair in a shade I can only describe as a sort of aggressive mustard yellow. “Be bold!” I told myself. Wore them to a casual Friday at work. Pretty sure my colleagues needed sunglasses. I felt like a walking, talking bottle of French’s mustard. They were banished to the deepest, darkest corner of my closet almost immediately.
- Bomber jackets, though, those were alright. I actually found a simple black one that I genuinely liked. Probably the only purchase from that whole 2014 style experiment that I didn’t instantly regret. Wore it for a good while, actually.
- And the footwear! Suddenly, it was all about super bright, almost neon sneakers, or those flimsy canvas plimsolls that offered zero support. I mostly stuck to my trusty old boots. They seemed less… complicated. Less likely to make me look like I was trying too hard to be “down with the kids.”
My Big Realization (Spoiler: It Wasn’t Really About 2014)
For me, the whole “men style 2014” adventure was mostly a string of awkward attempts and slightly regrettable purchases. I definitely wasted some cash on clothes that barely saw the light of day. More often than not, I just felt plain uncomfortable, constantly fidgeting and trying to fit into some idea of “stylish” that just wasn’t me. It wasn’t even about the specific year, 2014, in the end. It was more about the foolishness of blindly chasing after every trend that popped up instead of taking a moment to figure out what actually felt good and looked decent on me.
I suppose the main thing I took away from that whole period was that “style” isn’t about ripping off a look from a fashion spread from a particular year. It’s far more about feeling genuinely comfortable and confident in whatever you choose to put on your body. If squeezing into skinny jeans makes you feel like a million bucks, then go for it. If they make you feel like your legs are in a sausage casing, maybe give them a pass. It took me a bit, and a few fashion faux pas, to really get that. By 2015 or 2016, I think I’d mostly circled back to my old reliable stuff, just maybe with a little more attention to fit and less to fleeting fads. Comfort became my new style icon. And not looking like I was desperately trying to recapture my youth.
So yeah, “men style 2014.” For me, it was a learning experience. A sometimes tight, occasionally brightly colored, and slightly expensive learning experience. But a useful one. I definitely don’t look back at any photos from that era (assuming any photographic evidence of me in those mustard chinos actually exists) with any sort of fashion nostalgia. It’s more of a “what on earth was I thinking?” kind of headshake. And a bit of a laugh, to be honest.
