Baring It All

17 Dec Baring It All

Kay.

So I may or may not be kiiiiind-of dating this guy.

I find him handsome, smart, kind, important, hilarious, intimidatingly well-dressed and I hate to say this about men of color, but, articulate.

Here’s the thing.

He’s a little different than what I’m used to. His outfits for trips to get my coffee are put together just so. Even when he throws on sweatpants and Timbs, it looks intentional, and something Vogue (though, appropriation, much?) would deem en vogue. When he goes to work, it’s in a well-tailored suit. Shoot, he tailors his t-shirts. And customizes his flight jackets.

He likes fashion. I want him to have a style blog. I think he would benefit from having a place to catalog his looks, if only to show off the pieces he customizes.

Maybe it’s because of how put together he looks that he could be perceived as not liking women.

He said this is something that he’s been dealing with forever. He worked retail jobs to put himself through school while he earned his Bachelors and Masters. He isn’t married, he doesn’t have any kids and he’s of a certain age.

It isn’t fair that aren’t allowed to be outside the perceived box of masculinity (inside that same box, they’re big, black and scary. Like a demon, go figure).  And that isn’t to say that he’s not masculine because he likes fashion. Without putting him on blast, he has very manly habits –a few I could do without but we can work on that.

I just like to think we speak the same language: clothing.

Wearing: Zara Coat// J.Crew Lambskin Zip Sweater (on sale!)//  J.Crew Factory Denim Tuxedo Shirt// J.Crew Sequin Mini Skirt// J.Crew D’Orsay Pumps// J.Crew Necklace// Chanel Bag

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“You know, Channing,” he started—and I knew he meant business because he called me by my first name—“fashion, in a lot of ways, parallels music in that, it speaks for people who, for whatever reasons don’t trust their own voices.”

My brother had just called me shallow and said I work in an industry that adds nothing to the world. Close to tears, I relayed the fight to  ______.

“[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]We’re the kind of people who like to ‘Sunday best’ on a Tuesday[/inlinetweet], Wednesday, Thursday, and there is nothing wrong with that,” he said.

I admire that fact that he always knows just want to say and wear in any occasion. I love that I don’t have to downplay my love of fashion with him. He gets it.

So when he tells me he saw a coat in a store window and it reminded him of me, I know it’s real. And when he tells me that he watched a YouTube video to learn how to tie a ribbon (that he picked out to match the contents he’s wrapping), I find it endearing.

I like a man who is all about the details. Whether that be a gold zipper on a custom flight jacket or a on bow on a thinking-of-you gift.

I guess I’m baring more than my legs in this post. What’s your take on masculinity?

p.s. I’m wearing his gift. He did good, right?