The Plan
Yesterday, I stumbled across some old photos of me from way back in 2010. Man, some choices… got me thinking. I remembered seeing tons of simple outfit guides back then promising “quick, easy style.” So, I decided, screw it, let’s dig into the closet or the charity shop bins and try recreating those basic 2010 dude vibes today. See if those ‘quick ideas’ actually held up or if I’d just end up looking like a relic.
The Hunt
First step: raid the wardrobe. Found an old dark skinny jean – thank god I kept one pair tucked away as a reminder of my sins. Those things are godawful tight now. Seriously, how did we breathe back then? Then hit a few thrift spots downtown. Needed that key early 2010s plaid button-up shirt. Score! Found a faded red and black one for cheap. Grabbed a solid v-neck tee too – a must-have layering piece back in the day. Almost forgot the footwear. Desert boots? Chukkas? Yeah. Scuffed up a pair of generic suede ankle boots that kinda fit the bill. Base sorted.
The Look
Alright, assembly time. Threw on the dark skinny jeans. Instant discomfort confirmed. Sucked it in. Pulled on the plain grey v-neck tee. Next, the plaid shirt went on top – left unbuttoned, obviously. That was the rule. Looked at the mirror. Felt basic. Still missing something… Oh right! Needed a “sharp” touch. Found this thin faux-leather belt buried deep – added that. Finally, slipped on the battered suede boots. Glanced at the mirror again. Yep. Looked like I walked straight outta a generic menswear blog post circa 2010. Mission technically accomplished. Felt instantly younger and also kinda stiff.
Quick Check:
- Skinny Jeans? Check. (Feeling the pinch)
- Plaid Shirt? Check. (Unbuttoned, naturally)
- V-Neck Tee Layer? Check.
- Simple Belt? Check.
- Ankle Boots? Check. (Almost authentic Chukka substitutes)
What I Think
The whole process was stupidly easy. Find 4 items, pile them on. That part definitely held up – anyone could do this with minimal effort and cheap thrift finds. Did it look good? Hmm. It looked… accurate. It looked clean. It looked like everyone else looked back then. “Looking good” meant clean lines and simple pieces. But god, the skinnies feel restrictive as hell now! It’s funny how comfort expectations changed so much since then. The unbuttoned plaid over tee was genuinely a lazy genius uniform, I’ll give them that. Definitely a time capsule look today though – screams “peak hipster” era instantly.
Wrap Up
So yeah, those simple 2010 guides weren’t lying. A dark skinny jean, an unbuttoned plaid shirt, a basic tee, and some boots – that’s genuinely all it took. Found everything easily, chucked it on. Simple as advertised. It worked because it was straightforward and everywhere. Easy to copy. Comfort trade-off aside, it’s kinda wild how effective that basic formula was. Fast forward to now? My legs are thanking me for switching back to regular fit ASAP. Fun little time travel, but damn, glad we moved on.
