Finding clothes with feminine-coded aesthetics but a male/unisex fit

June 17, 2023 3:55 PM

I like to wear bright colors and bold geometric/floral/whimsical prints. I'm a man. How/where should I shop?

As the question implies, the aesthetics I want are most readily found in women's clothing (also sometimes children's clothing -- I relate to this post). I couldn't care less if my clothing reads to people as feminine, as long as it actually fits my body, which most women's clothing sadly does not. Once in a blue moon I luck into something good, but clothes shopping is usually disappointing. Is there some way to be systematic about finding what I want? Brands I should know about?

(Note: Obviously Hawaiian shirts exist, and I have a few, but let's assume I'm pretty tired of Hawaiian shirt tropes. And I'm pretty skeptical of my ability to pull off streetwear or skater brands. Finally, I am not mentioning a budget because I want to learn what's out there, but I usually don't spend a ton on clothes.)

posted by aws17576 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (23 answers total)

Men's ASOS
I, a cis woman with eclectic style, have bought many shirts from the men's asos section.

Big Bud Press
They do some special collections besides their solids. Their clothing is unisex.

INC sold at Macy's
Also more fun, bright, and colorful patterns. Myself and my husband have shirts from them.
posted by Crystalinne at 4:05 PM on June 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

What size do you wear? Boys' clothes are often a bit more playful and colorful than men's, if you can fit into them.
posted by potrzebie at 4:08 PM on June 17, 2023

Wildfang maybe?
posted by foxfirefey at 4:08 PM on June 17, 2023 [5 favorites]

Ted Baker comes to mind. The website really isn't giving the aesthetic to me, but every time I walk in the store, it seems like an explosion of colours and prints in the menswear department.
posted by sardonyx at 4:08 PM on June 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

I like Morningwitch for gender-neutral bold floral/whimsical prints (it helps if you're into their general snakes/bats/mushrooms aesthetic).
posted by Jeanne at 4:27 PM on June 17, 2023 [7 favorites]

Science Youtuber Curious Droid wears awesome shirts from Atom Retro IIRC.
posted by 2N2222 at 4:32 PM on June 17, 2023

Dillards department store can go pretty far out in men's shirts.

You do have to wade through the Hawaiian crap, but I have found some amazing patterns.
Maybe it being a dept store might help meet your price considerations, I don't know.
posted by bitslayer at 4:47 PM on June 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Jared Lang does some fun mens shirts. I browse eBay for them sometimes.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:49 PM on June 17, 2023

United Colors of Benetton just keeps on keeping on
JCrew (and JCrew Factory) leans whimsical, especially at this time of year: florals, graphics, cheery shirts, boxers, splashy trousers; pink-patterned, purple or pink shorts, bright/patterned shorts, t-shirts.
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:20 PM on June 17, 2023

Mod note: Spam like comment removed. Please don’t do that again.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:47 PM on June 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

My husband has recently enjoyed several shirts from David's Wear / Yiume. Some of them are Hawaiian shirt-ish, but several of the prints have been colorful and fun, like this sea life one.
posted by ldthomps at 5:50 PM on June 17, 2023

This is going to sound like a joke, but try searching for “Dan Flashes.” The sketch from I Think You Should Leave has inspired some actual shirts available for purchase.
posted by staggernation at 6:38 PM on June 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nooworks has all kinds of gorgeous, colorful prints and are worn by folks of many sizes and presentations
posted by Geameade at 7:23 PM on June 17, 2023

Believe it or not, try Old Navy. They do tend towards more muted colors in the men's shirts (it's never, say, bright yellow, but they'll do pastels), but generally have prints, at least in the summer. They may also skew more towards Haiwaiian shirt than you're looking for. The value for money is poor at full price, but keep an eye out for sales.
posted by hoyland at 7:42 PM on June 17, 2023

I also second the suggestion if not discounting the boys' department if you fit into a men's size small. Depending on the brand, I wear either a small or medium and have been buying the Cat and Jack polos from Target in husky XXL. The selection in husky is much more limited (I've been using their school uniform sales as a source for very cheap decent polos), but it's worth a look.
posted by hoyland at 7:51 PM on June 17, 2023

Bonobos has a mix of boring and fun/colorful shirt styles for men.
posted by samthemander at 8:34 PM on June 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

I've bought a few items from Yevu and I love love love them.
posted by phunniemee at 9:01 PM on June 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Lucy & Yak. They're pitched more to women but if you look at their social media, you'll see men wearing their clothes too so you can get a sense of what might work on your body type.
posted by snaw at 3:02 AM on June 18, 2023

I asked a question a while back asking for clothes to support my butch Miss Frizzle aesthetic which might have some ideas.

On the inexpensive end, I sometimes have good luck finding brightly patterned men’s shirts at Old Navy.
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:50 AM on June 18, 2023

Run and Fly has lots of colorful, bold prints and unisex sizing on most items.
posted by Polychrome at 8:52 AM on June 18, 2023

Coton Doux does fun patterns.

Also, you can put various key words (like "geometric" or something wacky like "walrus") into eBay or Poshmark and then filter your search down to only show men's shirts to browse multiple brands at once.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:08 AM on June 18, 2023

This has been my Arctic before I started wearing clothes from both sides of the aisle. Ted Baker, Ben Sherman, and Bugatchi are favorites of mine on the men’s side. I usually got them at Nordstrom Rack.
posted by advicepig at 5:29 PM on June 18, 2023

Portuguese Flannel
Scott Fraser Collection
King and Tuckfield
Drake's
L.E.J.

Other brands carried by No Man Walks Alone
posted by ludwig_van at 11:37 AM on June 19, 2023