About Men's Americana Fashion

Men's Americana fashion describes 1950s revival clothing combined with everything from Ralph Lauren suits, deck shoes and ties, to nautical touches. The trend, which arrived in 2006, seems to have been gaining in popularity as evidenced by the number of designers including the look in their lines: Micheal Kor, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Jacobi Press and many more.

Features

Items that seem to follow the trend are Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Glasses, Striped cloth wrist watch bands and belts, Shrink to Fit 501 Jeans, deck shoes in brown or white, long- or short-sleeved gingham shirts and form-fitting suits.

Think bad boy jackets like the one James Dean wore in "Rebel Without a Cause" combined with a Bing Crosby-style banded straw hat and you'll find yourself approaching the idea of the Men's Americana Revival.

Men's Hair

The textured pompadour, a James Dean look, has revived old-fashioned barber shops as evidenced by the numbers of barber poles cropping up in New York and Los Angeles.

For a different look, sport a "Sean Connery" James Bond look, classy and slicked back. Afro-Americans and Caucasians might try the short permed wave. The crewcut and a wavy, longer Buddy Holly look add to the list for Americana fashion hair styles for men.

Types of Americana Looks

Americana Fashion stresses comfort, whether casual or dressy, with an American feel. Dressed up or down, you can create a bad boy, intellectual or all-American cleancut look with the right accessories. Wear a bomber jacket with the collar up and you've transformed into a bad boy, wear it down and you're preppy enough to eat apple pie at Grandma's house. Trade the Ray-Bans for some Buddy Holly glasses and you've created an intellectual look.

Dressy Occasions

Fashion designer Michael Kors and others have taken Americana to the runway, corporate America and special events. In 2009, Kors combined a black form-fitting suit with a long-sleeved black-and-white gingham-checked shirt (the gingham cuffs well beyond the length of the jacket). To this he added a white belt. Though Kors has been quoted as saying sportswear and Americana are synonymous, it's obvious his creation has taken it to a new level.

Geography

From Ray-Bans and straw hats to gingham and 501 Shrink to Fit jeans, Americana trends not only grew in popularity within the United States but in places like Tokyo, France, London and many other fashion hubs of the world.

In fact, the concept became popular overseas before it hit home. It's been speculated that recognizing heritage, long -term value and quality has created a need for the nostalgia of an era where it once existed while facing uncertain times worldwide in the 2000s.

References

• Fashion Haute Americana
• Americana Revival