Style

Style Lessons You Can Learn From the Best and Worst Street Style at SXSW

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

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SXSW is a wrap. Between the tech, film, and music portions of the festival, Austin, TX definitely saw a whole host of characters come through that ranged from the dope to the deranged. Now that it's all over, we can take a look at those who attended the festival in either fresh or fail-worthy 'fits. And, since we try to do more than just point and laugh, we've also come away with lessons that we can all learn from festival-goers. Whether it's seeing something that works or realizing that certain things should never be attempted, these are Style Lessons You Can Learn From the Best and Worst Street Style at SXSW.

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Don't Ruin a Good Thing

It only takes one thing—such as a glam-Amish beard—to ruin a perfectly good 'fit.

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Classics Are a Must

Some garments are classics for a reason—mainly that they can make almost anyone look dope. A tough leather jacket can take you straight into badass aesthetics without having to beat anyone up.

No

Almost everything in this photo is a no-go. There are salvageable pieces in each outfit, but this just goes to paraphrase Coco Chanel, "Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and remove all your fuccboi accessories."

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Go For Broke

If you're gonna go for it, then you really can't hold back. It's for sure a risk, but piling on a crazy amount of clashing patterns, textures, and silhouettes can sometimes result in an awesome mish-mash of tastiness, like a Crack Pie from Momofuku.

Sometimes Style Risks Don't Work Out

So his buddy convinced him to rock a bowtie, and now dude on the right is living with a life full of shame. If you're going to take a style risk or venture into new territory, you better come correct with enough swagger to own up to something that could very well fail.

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Simplicity Is a Good Thing

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh cut and a solid denim shirt to stunt on fools who are just trying too hard.

A White Tee Is Man's Best Friend

If you don't have a collection of well-fitting white tees that you rock regularly, then what can we say? You're really fucking up and missing out on simple, easy outfits perfect for the spring and summer.

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Too Much Honesty

Going out as a crew of similarly dressed guys can be great. However, if you're a sex offender, you and your creeplife buds should probably not dress like sex offenders.

Athletic Gear Is Always a Strong Move

Dude is killing it in the Kelly green varsity jacket with just a glimpse of the printed shirt shining through. The full-on bro'd out jock look is usually not a strong aesthetic, and will most likely make girls cover their drinks when you pass them at the bar. But having an athletically-inclined 'fit going with a bit of printed funkiness is definitely a flex-worthy move this spring and summer.

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Scarves Are for the Winter

Like Killa Season, Yeezy Season, and cuffing season, scarf season is something that we all recognize and appreciate. But it definitely has an end date. Once it's warm enough to venture outside for more than a few hours at a time, scarves should not be an option. Turn up your collar and look like someone who doesn't say, "Do you feel that draft? Yuck."

Beanies Are Not for Warm Weather

Why anyone would want to put a large amount of thick fabric on their heads in the Texan sun is beyond us. It's bad enough in L.A., and hopefully the exporting of this look stays rare.

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Standing Out Doesn't Mean Getting Crazy

Forget what you hear from stuffy style advice columns: It's perfectly fine to rock multiple patterns at once. Dude on the left will definitely stand out in the crowd without looking like he's trying his hardest to get noticed. Unlike a lot of wildly-dressed SXSW attendees, this guy has a unique look down pat that doesn't appear as if he just threw on the craziest shit he owned all at once.

Fashion Victim

This photo just proves that fashion victims can be found in almost every part of the country. If you're trying this hard to get attention at a music festival, then there are probably some other issues you need to work through first before moving onto your wardrobe.

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Dope Vintage Is Always a Good Call

Especially when it's this crispy. And if you can combine with an updated classic like Ssur's "Bones" caps, chances are you will be bodying anyone else trying to stunt on you.

It Is No Longer 2005

Dawg, you may have been crowned king of the keg-stands in college, but it's time to stop dressing like a frat bro who's heading to a dress-up frolf session. The graphic tee under the blazer is a look that hopefully remains in the early- to mid-2000s and doesn't return. Five bucks says this guy is wearing boot-cut jeans and flip-flops right now.

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Assholes Dress Like Assholes

Cool attention-seeking outfits, dudes! If you go out dressed like an asshole, people are probably going to think that you are an asshole. It's the simple rule of association, or something. If about 14,522 changes were made to these 'fits, then they might be passable. Until then: assholes.

You Are Not Mr. Potato Head

Sorry, but you probably shouldn't be adding on as many accessories as possible between your V-neck and cranial. Even if this reproachably dressed human being shed himself of the fedora, greasy hair, necklaces, early-20th century carnival facial hair, and warm-weather scarf, he'd still be dealing with a giant leather cuff.

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Say No to Nip Slips

Man-side-boob are three words you never want to hear strung together. It's even worse when the nip makes an appearance. Tanks are definitely necessary when it's scorching, and when you're at an appropriate place, but cuts this extreme make it look like you're a B-celeb pulling a publicity stunt for an upcoming album.

Wild Masks

If you were one of the few people to rock a mask/are Kanye West, you might have to step it up this year.

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