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I was in Minneapolis 6 months ago as I grew up in Minnesota - do not agree with you on that. There are definitely fashionable people there but I wouldn't put Minneapolis OR Chicago against it - but to me Chicago is further along than Minneapolis is. I actually got questioned in Minneapolis by more than one person as to why I was wearing red pants and how they thought it was kind of weird. That has never once happened in Chicago. I remember the year before that around Christmas, I went into a restaurant and two tables just stared at me as I walked in and by them, everyone at the table, for a constant 30-60 seconds as I walked by. I also spent Christmas Eve with my brother's girlfriend's family 5.5 months ago - I got plenty of stares from the family for just wearing a duffle coat.
None of this has ever happened to me in Chicago. Nobody has stared and nobody has said anything no matter what I've worn. I've gotten it plenty of times in Minneapolis (and also Iowa) and while it's not a very small percentage of people who may dress like this in Minneapolis, it is not as well received as you think. Trust me - as someone who grew up in the state and visits multiple times per year and has many, many friends who live in Minneapolis.
Well, they're both in the midwest, so either way, it's going to stand out a bit being a guy into fashion. I happen to think Minneapolis is a bit more fashionable (and open to understanding mens fashion isn't just reserved for gay men), you do not, that is fine.
A lot of the fashion in LA simply wouldn't be understood well in either city, as it cannot be categorized as "hipster".
Well, they're both in the midwest, so either way, it's going to stand out a bit being a guy into fashion. I happen to think Minneapolis is a bit more fashionable (and open to understanding mens fashion isn't just reserved for gay men), you do not, that is fine.
A lot of the fashion in LA simply wouldn't be understood well in either city, as it cannot be categorized as "hipster".
Pffffft.
Your posts on this entire thread are hilariously ignorant.
The coast vs. Midwest argument you bring up is rather old. Do you not know that many people in New York also think LA is unfashionable? Even the coasts can't agree on it.
I think most people nowadays also get that understanding mens fashion isn't just reserved for gay men, thank you. Both cities have very fashionable guys that dress almost identical. They have similar cold climates and winter fashion in men is all same there.
I traveled to Honolulu once and now I'll start talking like an expert on why the Hawaii is more fashionable than LA based on a single night I spent there.
A lot of that goes back to NYC/LA rivalry. NYC does have a more well-known fashion week. LA is very fashionable though, and can be a bit more "avant-garde" among the fashion crowd than what you see in NYC. In the midwest, fashion is still seen as something that truly straight men shouldn't too concerned with. Minneapolis is a bit more like NYC or LA in this regard.
Tim Gunn from Project Runway did say LA was the premier fashion city in the US before. He said it on Jay Leno, you can probably find it somewhere.
A lot of that goes back to NYC/LA rivalry. NYC does have a more well-known fashion week. LA is very fashionable though, and can be a bit more "avant-garde" among the fashion crowd than what you see in NYC. In the midwest, fashion is still seen as something that truly straight men shouldn't too concerned with. Minneapolis is a bit more like NYC or LA in this regard.
Tim Gunn from Project Runway did say LA was the premier fashion city in the US before. He said it on Jay Leno, you can probably find it somewhere.
You're missing the point here.
I shouldn't have brought the whole coast thing in because I don't want to derail the argument (even though for some reason you keep bringing LA up in your posts.... odd).
It is popular to be fashionable in big Midwest cities. Perhaps in small towns, some idiots believe that straight men shouldn't be concerned with fashion, but it's 2014 and most people are up to date (looks like some people also like to hold on to age old myths too, hmmmm).
I'm assuming you went to a nice area in Minneapolis, loved it, and now all of a sudden think that it's more fashionable than Minneapolis because you probably dealt with drunk idiots one time in Wrigley Field. Statistics say otherwise. What's with the hipster argument? The Hipster is from Williamsburg, not LA.
Without a doubt, Chicago is more fashionable than Minneapolis, and there are many more fashionable districts and neighborhoods in number too. A great experience at a hip coffee shop and bar with well dressed hot guys doesn't make Minneapolis more fashionable.
There are well dressed guys and girls everywhere.... why are you only focusing on the men here anyway?
I've lived in Chicago and grew up in the midwest, and know the region well, including Minneapolis.
It's ok to be fashionable in those bigger midwestern cities, but, there is a threshold on what you can do. Fashion equates wearing clothes that fits essentially, but not actual fashion. Real fashion is still seen as one of those things that straight men shouldn't care too much about. Regardless of how odd they dress, hipsters are exempt from this since they're an identifiable subculture (even in the midwest), truly fashionable men are not.
The only reason I focus on LA men's fashion, is because it seems to one of very few places in the US besides NYC, SF, and Miami where men can dress as fashionably as they like without being questioned by the general public. Women can dress as fashionably as they want, even in small towns.
I've lived in Chicago and grew up in the midwest, and know the region well, including Minneapolis.
It's ok to be fashionable in those bigger midwestern cities, but, there is a threshold on what you can do. Fashion equates wearing clothes that fits essentially, but not actual fashion. Real fashion is still seen as one of those things that straight men shouldn't care too much about. Regardless of how odd they dress, hipsters are exempt from this since they're an identifiable subculture (even in the midwest), truly fashionable men are not.
The only reason I focus on LA men's fashion, is because it seems to one of very few places in the US besides NYC, SF, and Miami where men can dress as fashionably as they like without being questioned by the general public. Women can dress as fashionably as they want, even in small towns.
So then this Minneapolis vs. Chicago argument should be a pointless discussion (as per my original thought) because both are in the Midwest and held down by these societal "rules" that you keep on bringing up (which are bizarrely being tied into gay stereotypes). I've never experienced this when I lived in Chicago at all. Gay and straight men both are expected to look nice, hip, and presentable or their chances at careers and dating are hindered. It's a generational expectation, and like you said, these are not small towns.
I guess being more fashionable is different than being a better place for fashion. In both regards, I think Chicago is clearly the victor (though Minneapolis would be #2 most likely in the Midwest). I don't know how anyone would argue that Minneapolis is better in both departments.
There's also ignorance about who lives in these cities. Over 20% of everyone who lives in Chicago wasn't even born in the US and for Minneapolis that number is around 15%. Furthermore, because of business, there are people from all over the US moving into the cities and especially lately because both cities have become fashionable for millennials from all over to move there. If I had to count how many of my friends in Chicago are actually from the midwest, I'd say it's less than 5. Everyone else I know is from another country (usually from Europe, Middle East, or Asia though I am friends others from closer). I have a handful of friends from NYC, Florida, LA, and the bay area. The funny thing is that the most fashionable person I know is from a small town in Iowa and is the biggest designer clothing ***** I've ever met anywhere in the world. It's not like if you lived in NYC and had a wardrobe full of Gucci, Prada, Hermes, etc that you'd somehow magically stop wearing it once moving to Chicago and put on North Face. If you think this, then you're even more naive and ignorant than I thought.
depends on where in Europe I guess. Have you ever stepped foot in Italy, Spain, or London?
Yes, in fact I studied in Spain while in college. When you live there you learn to spot Americans from a good distance as they tend to dress in brighter colors. Most Spaniards I met dressed conservatively, fashionable but not over the top. Mostly darker colors, a bit more subdued if you will. This was several years ago but I can't imagine things changing too dramatically since then. I was recently in Switzerland and it was the same thing.
Yes, in fact I studied in Spain while in college. When you live there you learn to spot Americans from a good distance as they tend to dress in brighter colors. Most Spaniards I met dressed conservatively, fashionable but not over the top. Mostly darker colors, a bit more subdued if you will. This was several years ago but I can't imagine things changing too dramatically since then. I was recently in Switzerland and it was the same thing.
Same thing in parts of Italy. You will see some people wearing color but for example in Rome, most people are wearing black/dark gray often.
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depends on where in Europe I guess. Have you ever stepped foot in Italy, Spain, or London?
