20-05-2026, 05:45 PM
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From Skatepunk to Dapper Icon
Future Monarch's new public look inspires Men's fashion in Empire
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 13, 5728
![[Image: 64UzMvL.png]](https://i.imgur.com/64UzMvL.png)
The Crown Prince often wears the classic Three Piece, and Kalistani men are following suit
Men are frequently ignored in most conversations about fashion. Naturally the eye, and the advertising peso, follows the flowing fabric and sensual silhouettes found on the feminine side of the column. But it is hard to ignore men's fashion when the soon to be Emperor makes a statement every time he leaves his home. His Highness, the Crown Prince William Ananto-Rosenfeld was recently named "Terra's Best Dressed" by the men's fashion magazine High Style, and men across the nation are taking notice.
"We have seen a serious uptick in demand for more stylish, tailored, and conservative men's fashion in the nation," said Debra Levine, of the Sulari textile company Yacht Club. "Men are choosing the very stylish light weight wool suit, and three piece suits are making a huge comeback. They are also selecting breathable, light weight linen shirts and very specifically silk ties. Like the women, they are avoiding synthetic fibers almost entirely, citing durability and comfort as the main reasons." Levine says men tend to be willing to pay more for a suit that is tailored well, but more importantly, is very conservative looking and is heavy duty. "It would appear that men's fashion is shifting upwards in terms of price because men are seeking quality and comfort over convenience and price. It would seem to suggest that household disposable incomes are also improving, and norms of how men are supposed to dress in public are changing."
That change in norms is no more evident than in the Crown Prince himself. To look back at photos of him when he was in his teenage years, one would be astounded. "Well, the Crown Prince, when he was a kid, dressed almost sloppily," said Brad Acton, of High Style. "Like you wouldn't think he was next in line for the throne. He wore oversized clothes, he wore ripped up camouflage trousers, he dressed like a real slob. Perhaps that was the influence of his friends, but it was clearly what he also preferred too: After all, one can't do a 540 McTwist on a halfpipe in a suit." But he was also interested in joining the service, and it is clear that the discipline that was instilled in him changed what he thought was appropriate to wear in public. "Now his attire is far closer to how he looked when he was actually in the service, very button down, very well fit. He wears suits like he wore his Dress Grays in the Regular Service. And he looks amazing doing it, so much so that men across the nation are following suit, if you forgive the pun."
Others think that his wife, Her Highness the Princess Consort has something to do with his fashion choices. "Princess Casey certainly does prefer the more conservative styles that were set in place by Her Imperial Majesty," said Acton. "The very tailored wool coutures, with high conservative necklines, longer length skirt lengths that leave far more to the imagination, and even in casual dress, the complete abandonment of any concept of fast, cheap, and disposable fashion which is popular in the rest of the world, these are all hallmarks of modern women's fashion here in Kalistan, and it is clear that the Princess Consort is walking hand in hand with the Crown Prince to lead men to catch up in the fashion arena."
Three piece suits were fairly widely used in the Nation in previous decades, but were usually reserved for more formal occasions, like weddings, or proms. Many men began dressing down, moving to a more convertible and modern two piece look which is the de rigeur of the business world outside of Kalistan. In casual style, men frequently adopted the loose comfortable look. "Those days are gone now," said Acton. "The three piece is making a huge comeback in Kalistan, as most men report that it signifies seriousness and erudition to them. We grew up seeing well dressed men on our television, but somewhere along the line men got the message that maybe we could dress like that too. And then it was a simple matter of tastes changing. We have had an Empress at the top of the Nation for a very long time and the men in her administration all paled in comparison with the effortlessness with which she combined a love of beautiful things and a natural beauty that made all pay attention."
The only one who came close, said Acton, was the former FM Sir Thomas Harney, who famously was rarely seen out of the house without a tuxedo and an eyepatch. "He is now in his 60s and has reportedly given up both the tux and the eyepatch, but now is never seen publicly without his greatest fashion choice, his beautiful wife Dame Quella Jones-Harney, who is a trendsetter herself. Men are finally starting to get the message: Why should women have all the fun with fashion? Women have been carrying the fashion torch for a very long time, but it is time for men to step up their game."
The Crown Prince's more dapper appearance in public also carries over into casuals. "His Highness is rarely seen in casual attire," said Acton. "But when he is, its usually a soft wool or linen polo shirt or a linen Guayabera shirt, and hemp canvas slacks. He never wears a tshirt in public anymore--he now prefers those as undershirts--and never, in a million years, would he be caught in indigo dyed, twill weave denim, which is itself rapidly becoming a fabric of the female working class because of the preference for its softer texture when broken in and its gentle fading to provide a more variegated color palate. But in this case, even when he is dressing for comfort, his clothing still requires pressing, and are meant to convey a conservative upper-class sensibility, rather than any suggestion that he is doing anything other than preparing to spend an afternoon on a yacht somewhere."
The Crown Prince himself answered a question about his fashion sensibility to La Moda's Brittney Alexander who asked him about the matter in a wider ranging interview. "Well, my wife dresses me: She calls me her 'trophy husband', and wants me to look 'cute' when we go out," he said jokingly. "Of course I am kidding. But I also know that dressing in good clothes, and looking good in them gives me a bit of enjoyment as well. I don't spend a lot of money on my clothes, to be completely honest, but fashion today is that you ought to look like you did, and what says 'I spent a lot of money on these clothes' more than a three piece suit? But this suit here, which is made of good Kalistani wool, and my shirt made of Kalistani linen only cost me, I would say about 100 Pesos, and the silk tie, which is imported, was another 35, and the tailoring was probably more than all that combined. I think men can dress very well, and look very sharp with a little effort. Men, just look like you tried a little. I think that's what the ladies actually want, if that's who you are dressing to impress."
His Highness added, "I think wearing good clothes does not clash with my attitudes about skating, or surfing or any of that. When I skated as a teenager, I wore the uniform of a skater. When I surf, I wear a wetsuit, because surfing off Ananto is cold as hell. That's just what you wear in those situations. And now that I am expected to lead a nation in a little over a year, I will wear what people expect me to wear. Dress the part, is what my mother will say, and nobody could ever fault that woman on her fashion sense. She drilled this message into my mind and my sisters' minds too. Dress how you want people to see you as-- If I want people to see me as a skater, I will dress like a skater, and etc. If I want people to see me as an Ananto, I had better dress to meet those expectations. It's no thing for me to put on clothing. Even if its a suit and tie. But people will not take me seriously if I say I am the Emperor and dress like I am headed to a fraternity party."
While the Crown Prince has taken up the cause of dressing well, he says there are some lines he will not cross. "I am not eyepatch level fashionable," he said with a laugh. "I don't think there is anyone except Sir Harney who could pull that off believably. I don't think I am going in quite that direction. And I don't think Casey would tolerate it as well as Dame Jones did."
"We have seen a serious uptick in demand for more stylish, tailored, and conservative men's fashion in the nation," said Debra Levine, of the Sulari textile company Yacht Club. "Men are choosing the very stylish light weight wool suit, and three piece suits are making a huge comeback. They are also selecting breathable, light weight linen shirts and very specifically silk ties. Like the women, they are avoiding synthetic fibers almost entirely, citing durability and comfort as the main reasons." Levine says men tend to be willing to pay more for a suit that is tailored well, but more importantly, is very conservative looking and is heavy duty. "It would appear that men's fashion is shifting upwards in terms of price because men are seeking quality and comfort over convenience and price. It would seem to suggest that household disposable incomes are also improving, and norms of how men are supposed to dress in public are changing."
That change in norms is no more evident than in the Crown Prince himself. To look back at photos of him when he was in his teenage years, one would be astounded. "Well, the Crown Prince, when he was a kid, dressed almost sloppily," said Brad Acton, of High Style. "Like you wouldn't think he was next in line for the throne. He wore oversized clothes, he wore ripped up camouflage trousers, he dressed like a real slob. Perhaps that was the influence of his friends, but it was clearly what he also preferred too: After all, one can't do a 540 McTwist on a halfpipe in a suit." But he was also interested in joining the service, and it is clear that the discipline that was instilled in him changed what he thought was appropriate to wear in public. "Now his attire is far closer to how he looked when he was actually in the service, very button down, very well fit. He wears suits like he wore his Dress Grays in the Regular Service. And he looks amazing doing it, so much so that men across the nation are following suit, if you forgive the pun."
Others think that his wife, Her Highness the Princess Consort has something to do with his fashion choices. "Princess Casey certainly does prefer the more conservative styles that were set in place by Her Imperial Majesty," said Acton. "The very tailored wool coutures, with high conservative necklines, longer length skirt lengths that leave far more to the imagination, and even in casual dress, the complete abandonment of any concept of fast, cheap, and disposable fashion which is popular in the rest of the world, these are all hallmarks of modern women's fashion here in Kalistan, and it is clear that the Princess Consort is walking hand in hand with the Crown Prince to lead men to catch up in the fashion arena."
Three piece suits were fairly widely used in the Nation in previous decades, but were usually reserved for more formal occasions, like weddings, or proms. Many men began dressing down, moving to a more convertible and modern two piece look which is the de rigeur of the business world outside of Kalistan. In casual style, men frequently adopted the loose comfortable look. "Those days are gone now," said Acton. "The three piece is making a huge comeback in Kalistan, as most men report that it signifies seriousness and erudition to them. We grew up seeing well dressed men on our television, but somewhere along the line men got the message that maybe we could dress like that too. And then it was a simple matter of tastes changing. We have had an Empress at the top of the Nation for a very long time and the men in her administration all paled in comparison with the effortlessness with which she combined a love of beautiful things and a natural beauty that made all pay attention."
The only one who came close, said Acton, was the former FM Sir Thomas Harney, who famously was rarely seen out of the house without a tuxedo and an eyepatch. "He is now in his 60s and has reportedly given up both the tux and the eyepatch, but now is never seen publicly without his greatest fashion choice, his beautiful wife Dame Quella Jones-Harney, who is a trendsetter herself. Men are finally starting to get the message: Why should women have all the fun with fashion? Women have been carrying the fashion torch for a very long time, but it is time for men to step up their game."
The Crown Prince's more dapper appearance in public also carries over into casuals. "His Highness is rarely seen in casual attire," said Acton. "But when he is, its usually a soft wool or linen polo shirt or a linen Guayabera shirt, and hemp canvas slacks. He never wears a tshirt in public anymore--he now prefers those as undershirts--and never, in a million years, would he be caught in indigo dyed, twill weave denim, which is itself rapidly becoming a fabric of the female working class because of the preference for its softer texture when broken in and its gentle fading to provide a more variegated color palate. But in this case, even when he is dressing for comfort, his clothing still requires pressing, and are meant to convey a conservative upper-class sensibility, rather than any suggestion that he is doing anything other than preparing to spend an afternoon on a yacht somewhere."
The Crown Prince himself answered a question about his fashion sensibility to La Moda's Brittney Alexander who asked him about the matter in a wider ranging interview. "Well, my wife dresses me: She calls me her 'trophy husband', and wants me to look 'cute' when we go out," he said jokingly. "Of course I am kidding. But I also know that dressing in good clothes, and looking good in them gives me a bit of enjoyment as well. I don't spend a lot of money on my clothes, to be completely honest, but fashion today is that you ought to look like you did, and what says 'I spent a lot of money on these clothes' more than a three piece suit? But this suit here, which is made of good Kalistani wool, and my shirt made of Kalistani linen only cost me, I would say about 100 Pesos, and the silk tie, which is imported, was another 35, and the tailoring was probably more than all that combined. I think men can dress very well, and look very sharp with a little effort. Men, just look like you tried a little. I think that's what the ladies actually want, if that's who you are dressing to impress."
His Highness added, "I think wearing good clothes does not clash with my attitudes about skating, or surfing or any of that. When I skated as a teenager, I wore the uniform of a skater. When I surf, I wear a wetsuit, because surfing off Ananto is cold as hell. That's just what you wear in those situations. And now that I am expected to lead a nation in a little over a year, I will wear what people expect me to wear. Dress the part, is what my mother will say, and nobody could ever fault that woman on her fashion sense. She drilled this message into my mind and my sisters' minds too. Dress how you want people to see you as-- If I want people to see me as a skater, I will dress like a skater, and etc. If I want people to see me as an Ananto, I had better dress to meet those expectations. It's no thing for me to put on clothing. Even if its a suit and tie. But people will not take me seriously if I say I am the Emperor and dress like I am headed to a fraternity party."
While the Crown Prince has taken up the cause of dressing well, he says there are some lines he will not cross. "I am not eyepatch level fashionable," he said with a laugh. "I don't think there is anyone except Sir Harney who could pull that off believably. I don't think I am going in quite that direction. And I don't think Casey would tolerate it as well as Dame Jones did."
@LaModa
Primary: Institutionalist Party of Kalistan (IPoK), 5146-
Inactive:
Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK), 2591-
Inactive:
Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK), 2591-