#STYLE: African Sunset – Playing with Aesthetics

Plenty of inspiration is drawn from the African continent. A lot of it resonates with either the land’s vibrant sunrises or seductive sunsets. This post’s menswear style look is inspired by one of those African sunsets as potentially experienced against a desert terrain such as the Sahara. Its base, a neutral layer of beige to golden brown, is highlighted with hints of burnt orange, blood red and dancing dandelion yellow.

COLOUR

Base your look on the brown family. Pick a neutral base that matches your skin and does not overpower and overshadow it. As you start to decide on the rest of the colour landscape, start considering which complementary colours you’re looking for and then investigate their hues and tones. These will help you find matching items whether in solid colours or prints that complement your look. Sometimes, it’s best to play it standard and do a neutral lower body with a multi-coloured upper layer. If you’re confident in your choices, do the reverse.

TEXTURE

Africa’s tapestry is a myriad of tactile experiences. From soft and gentle textures to rough and sturdy textiles. The fabrications themselves tell their own story of make and maker. Africa’s climate is mostly humid with regions living through rain for most of the year. Some parts of the land experience a fair amount of all four seasonal changes. When selecting fabrications, look for character and craftsmanship. Seek out the textiles that speak to you personally and elevate your own defined personal style. Mixing gentle with tough, heavy with light, sets a tone for your body’s language and allows you to converse with a multitude of people with an array of languages.

GET THE LOOK

For our specific African aesthetic, ‘African Sunset’, we’ve gone with an ensemble that incorporates pure cotton pants in a somewhat traditionist yet modern print. It’s paired with a delicate lace shirt and finished off with a pair of great men’s espadrilles and a straw hat. To ensure your look definitely doesn’t go unnoticed, get the right scent to match the mood, such as Tom Ford’s Oud Wood.

As always, my advice is to always explore the direction you’re going into. Research trends and how other gents online have adapted them and how they bring their own personalities through in the ensembles they put together. I encourage you to be bold and a little bit offbeat. It’s cute when you look like one of the boys but it’s incredibly inspiring when your own vision transpires.

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