why men don't wear color

[kindkit]

If my experiences are anything to go by, it's because clothing makers won't let us.


My online shopping experience today:

Me: Please could I have a pair of men's cotton trousers?
OSE: Jeans?
Me: No, not jeans. Jeans are too hot for the summers here.
OSE: Okay, khakis. Here are lots of khakis! You can have them in any shade of khaki.
Me: . . .
OSE: Or black or gray, if you really want to push the envelope.
Me: How about green?
OSE: Olive drab, coming right up!
Me: No, green. Forest green? Hunter green?
OSE: Oh, you want scrubs. Why didn't you say you didn't want real trousers? Here are four pairs of green scrubs. And a couple of sweatpants, just for fun.
Me: *sigh* How about red?
OSE: Two pairs of burgundy scrubs, you weirdo.


For comparison's sake, the men's casual shirt situation is: you can have color if it's blue, or washed-out green or burgundy. If you want other colors, you can only have them in fuck-ugly patterns.


(Colors seem to be slightly more available in men's dress clothes. But my job is not an office job, and I have to wear things that can stand maybe getting dirty.)

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Yeah, even the kids' section is depressing this way, they might get red but that's about it. My older nephew (who is 18) just wears women's shirts and trousers for a bit of colour and that seems to be pretty normal in his friends group, which is nice.

[silveradept]

Yep. The prevailing attitude still seems to be that any man who wants to wear colors is fruity and not a real man.

I would really like colors. And I love the shirts I have with designs and characters on them, but it still would be nice to have colors without having to swear my allegiance to a brand.

[kass]

My thirteen year old son grouses about this all the time. He favors bright purple and coral and teal, and he is now over six feet tall so is distinctly in men's sizes, where most options are... as you describe.

[resonant]

Guys in the Carolinas where I grew up seem to be allowed to wear more colors. I'm a woman, but sometimes men's clothes are less skimpy and better quality, and a while back when I was shopping for polo shirts it was interesting to compare:

National brands: black, white, navy, tan, and either orange or red

Southern dept stores like Belks or Hudson's: Carolina blue, kelly green, loden green, purple AND lavender, red plus some off-red (wine or brick or maroon) ...