10 Ways Tumblr Changed Men's Style

Among Tumblr's early adopters were menswear bloggers who had already established a following and cool guys with an advanced taste level. As such, many of its first users were trying to figure out how to use the newfangled social platform. For menswear bloggers, that meant repurposing their own content and linking back to their other sites, or using Tumblr as an inspiration board of sorts.

Roxana Altamirano's Nerd Boyfriend uses the medium to juxtapose the style icons of yore with readily-available clothing items. Walker Lamond's 1001 Rules For My Unborn Son takes on the format of a father speaking to his future offspring—leading to a book deal. Meanwhile, sites like Yimmy Yayo, Words For Young Men, and The Impossible Cool throw up photos of the sort of stuff that piques their interest, like the celebrities of yesteryear, album art, and of course, half-naked females. Interestingly, they develop a following based on their taste, rather than original content. The "blogger" now has a new competitor: the "curator."

Tumblr's never-ending stream of images meant context was trumped by content. Users were free to scroll through photo after photo of lookbook images, personal style shots, runway images, and flicks lifted straight from webshops. As a result, sites like How to Talk to Girls at Parties and Downeast and Out began to develop a following for sifting through all of the detritus and championing a look that skewed more towards a laid-back, dressier European style than the urban lumberjacks of yore, and definitely unlike the streetwear-draped sneakerheads that had become prevalent in the early 2000s.

These style-conscious guys were a new breed of clothing nerd: They weren't just really into menswear, they were starting to drive the conversation. Instead of commenting on a blog post, Tumblr allowed users to "reblog" content, repurposing it to the user's Tumblr as an entirely new post, and exposing it to a whole new group of people. This allowed for the viral spread of images, primarily, usually stripped of original context as they made their rounds, like a modern game of "Telephone."

As this new generation of menswear bloggers started picking up steam, they started branching out from just posting lookbooks and stuff that was already available. They shifted focus to things that weren't even out yet, poring over images from tradeshows like Capsule and Italian menswear mecca Pitti Uomo. It wasn't long before these guys actually started attending these tradeshows, approaching them with the same fervor a video game nerd does E3 or a superhero stan at San Diego Comic Con. The floodgates were opened, and the industry events went from informing market editors and buyers what was coming up next season to spectacles that the general public could admire from the confines of Tumblr.

To keep up with the growing niche culture, Tumblr creates a menswear hashtag, and enlists a few notable users to curate it. Among them, Lawrence Schlossman of How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Liam Goslett of GAWS, and Derek Guy of Die, Workwear! These guys champion brands like Ovadia & Sons, Isaia, and Boglioli, touting classic tailoring with a modern, European appeal. Double monk straps go from alternative footwear choice to a way to buy your membership into the club, and a look that's dressed up but unstructured comes into play.

This balance of casual, buttoned-up style with a slight Italian flair (like double-breasted sportcoats) becomes prevalent on the tag's page, and thus the "#menswear" movement—pronounced "hashtag menswear"—has its uniform. Tumblr's relationship with the fashion industry was legitimized in 2011, when then-fashion director Rich Tong sent 20 of its most popular users to cover New York Fashion Week. Schlossman and Goslett were among the initial group of menswear bloggers.

Thanks to Tumblr's focus on imagery, a new crop of photographers popped up on the scene, using the increasingly-popular platform as a way to get their work out there. Whereas guys like The Sartorialist, Tommy Ton, and Nam of STREETFSN had seen plenty of their images lifted off their own sites and repurposed on Tumblr, photographers like Justin Chung, Noah Emrich, Ryan Plett, and Giuseppe Santamaria found that by putting their content on Tumblr was a boon to getting eyeballs to look at it. Chung used Tumblr as a springboard to land paid gigs like the most recent Club Monaco campaign, which actually partners with popular Tumblr users to model its latest wares.

While #menswear's influence grows, a new era of street style begins. The proliferation of images on Tumblr means that during the worldwide fashion weeks in cities like London, New York, Paris, and Milan, well-dressed men and women have their outfits and faces quickly disseminated on the Internet moments after attending a show. Tumblr's effect on street style make it seem like there's paparazzi waiting outside every fashion show, hoping to take a snapshot of next season's big trend or what exceptionally stylish fashion editors and bloggers are wearing. Some of street style's old guard like Tommy Ton adapt to the Tumblr platform.

Street style's popularity means fashion industry insiders get exposed to a totally different population. Guys like Nick Wooster, Josh Peskowitz, Eugene Tong, and Justin Doss go from names on a business card or a masthead to names that are constantly reblogged and talked about on Tumblr. The Internet style icon emerges, and men either want to applaud them for how well dressed they are, or emulate their distinct swagger.

In addition to their robust industry pedigrees, Tumblr inadvertently provided these men with a newfound personal brand. For guys like Wooster, this leads to collaborations with tradeshows like PROJECT, and stints at Park & Bond and J.C. Penney, while Josh Peskowitz lands a cushy position as men's fashion director at Bloomingdale's.

What distinguishes the #menswear movement from the previous state of menswear blogging is its distinct voice. Specifically, one fueled more by hip-hop bravado than antiquated adages about how to be a gentleman. Designers like Mark McNairy cross both worlds, collaborating with hip-hop style staples like Timberland and New Era. Alexander Wang and Patrik Ervell play rap at their shows and parties, CFDA-award winning fashion label Public School is helmed by two former designers at Sean John.

In 2012, Mark McNairy collides the worlds of streetwear and menswear when it's announced that he'll be designing the higher-end Bee Line collection for Pharrell's Billionaire Boys Club label. Now, Pharrell is hardly ever seen not rocking a McNairy-designed daisy camo cap and olive green blazer.

The often somber tone of menswear is parodied when Fuck Yeah Menswear debuts in 2010. Holding up a mirror to goofy lookbooks, Wes Anderson, and the lengths bloggers go to showcase products, the satirical tone leads to a book deal for its mysterious authors—later revealed to be Lawrence Schlossman of How to Talk to Girls at Parties and Kevin Burrows of The Windmill Club. Other Tumblrs follow suit, like Real Men Swear, Memeswear, and more recently, Menswear Dog. The age of Internet memes mixes with #menswear, the results are hilarious.

On 2011's LiveLoveA$AP mixtape, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky drops the line Clothes get weirder on the song "Wassup." It's prophetic in a way. The #BEEN #TRILL collective headed by guys like Matthew Williams and Virgil Abloh goes from a Tumblr to a T-shirt line decking out the denizens of Milk Studios, a New York Fashion Week hub of big-name shows and exclusive parties. They go on to collaborate with Stussy and another up-and-coming fashion label, Hood By Air. Abloh's own PYREX Vision is heavily publicized on his Tumblr. Despite mixed reaction to the price of the clothes versus their quality, the line still becomes covetable, with pieces selling out instantly at RSVP Gallery. Meanwhile, streetwear's satirical relationship with high fashion comes back in full force. Brands like SSUR, Les Plus Dores and Conflict of Interest reintroduce the logo flip into the casual vernacular. Streetwear goes dark, with gothic imagery and exaggerated proportions creating the "street goth" look, a combination of brands like Black Scale with higher-end designers like Raf Simons and RIck Owens.