As a Canadian who does a lot of travelling, I am often asked by curious foreigners to describe the Canadian sense of style. While there are many Canadians whose wardrobes live up to fashion plates of any nationality, they aren't really representative of the way most Canadians dress.
Because style is conspicuously absent from national discussions of winter weather and hockey, it is barely noticeable when you live in Canada. It only becomes visible when you return from somewhere else. I spent time in London where aesthetics are constantly evaluated, so when I returned home, I was able to give a name to our nation's so-called style, especially as it's worn by Canadian men. My qualifier for the Canadian guy's wardrobe aesthetic? Call it "adorably oblivious." It's neither bad taste nor good taste. Instead, much like Tim Hortons coffee, its distinct lack of flavour is the source of its charm.
While the French go to outrageous lengths to appear effortless, Canadian style is actually effortless. While a British hipster will self-consciously evoke authenticity by sporting branded workwear "for consumers who value refined design and quality" such as Carhartt's WIP line, a Canadian man will blithely wear discount jeans because they're just going to get dirty when he goes to work in them. Canadians wear Hanes without the irony of normcore, rock Champion despite total ignorance of Vetements and have been stretching T-shirts well past their prime since long before Yeezy made distressed jersey an expensive collector's item.
It's genuinely charming, because it's not contrived. Men all over the world want to look like Canadians, but you really can't get that True North look by trying, eh?
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