thedailystyles:

Mainstream men’s fashion is best characterized by this composite photo of the male-dominated “American Horror Story: Hotel” cast that blew up on the web a few months ago.

The dark-haired, light-eyed, squared-jawed sameness is one thing, but notice how you don’t even need full-body shots to know they’re all wearing boring-ass suits.

And then there’s Harry Styles.

Semisheer shirts, layered jewelry, bows, florals galore — recently, nothing seems too gender-bending or boundary-pushing for the 21-year-old One Directioner, who became a polarizing talking point at last week’s American Music Awards when he showed up wearing a flower-print Gucci suit, complete with flared pants.

With long, radiant locks flowing well past his ribbon tie, the singer stood in stark contrast to his safe-playing band mates, providing a much-needed antidote to the traditional ways in which men tend to dress for the red carpet.

Typically, if a guy isn’t sporting a tailored two-or-three piece suit (with a pocket square for flavor or, if he’s feeling bold, no tie), he’s probably Kanye, Justin Bieber or another conscious rule breaker who wears ripped jeans to formal events because, you know, he’s an artist and just can’t be bothered.

But Styles, like the ’70s rockstars he seemingly idolizes, exists outside the confines of these decidedly stale masculine modes. No, he’s not exactly reinventing the androgyny wheel. Mick Jagger, to whom Styles is often compared, was rocking graphic suits with blouses eons ago — and let’s not even broach the topic of David Bowie.

Still, given his absurdly high profile, it’s hard not to appreciate Styles for riding a wave of individuality in a sea of Ken-doll haircuts and cookie-cutter suits. Oh, and for wearing these shoes. -  New York Post