Skirt season is officially underway and A$AP Rocky is already giving Brad Pitt a run for his money. On August 1, Rocky upped the ante over Pitt's comparably breathable kilt with a shiny leather skirt that's an especially daring choice for mid-summer.
Let's back up. Throughout the month of July, Brad Pitt broke the internet with a series of outrageously colorful suits that he topped off with a linen skirt set that had folks equally salivating and seething, as if men who ditch conventional trousers ought to be castigated.
Here comes A$AP Rocky, fresh from dressing like a stylish dad and angling for the skirt throne in a Givenchy-heavy look.
What's the deal with all the skirts showin' up right now, BTW? Did everyone just get really into 21 Savage? (Bad joke, I know)
Now, skirts for men are absolutely not a one-off fashion fling.
For years, we've seen fashionable dudes like Oscar Isaac and Russell Westbrook ditching pants for something that offers a little more breeze between the knees.
Who can blame 'em? Gender norms are so last-century: skirts for all.
Especially when they're made by rule-shattering designers like Thom Browne, male skirts just have a tendency to smash the internet wide open, for whatever reason, sending pearl-clutchers into a tizzy and admirers swooning.
The trick, of course, is that one can't just toss on a skirt and expect to look cool as is.
It's the same thing for pants, shirts, and really every other type of garment: at least some level of intentional styling is essential in attempting to look like you know what you're doing.
And, for god's sake, have fun with it!
A$AP Rocky's skirt style is a bit safe in that regard, or it's about as safe as a leather skirt in August heat can be.
See, the rest of Rocky's outfit comes by way of Matthew M. Williams' Fall/Winter 2022 Givenchy runway, from the AWGE founder's layered Givenchy-branded hoodies to chunky G Clog mules, which makes for an easily cohesive look that I cannot nitpick.
The skirt may or may not be Givenchy, mind you, but it's basically of a piece with the kinda looks that Williams has shown at Givenchy over the years.
Rocky, who wore the look to a meeting at the Mercer Hotel, also filmed a music video around New York's Soho neighborhood in the look, so perhaps it's a loaner from Givenchy.
Either way, the vintage-y layering pieces, trendy kicks, and leather skirt itself all fit well within A$AP Rocky's wheelhouse.
For the former, it's basically what he was wearing last week and, for the latter, Rocky's been repping skirts way before most dudes ever dared to escape the tedium of two-legged trousers.
It's also worth a comparison to one of Kanye's old outfits, funnily enough, not least this was because Ye was wearing layered outfits that included a leather skirt.
On top of that, this was when Ye was wearing the designs that current Burberry chief creative director Riccardo Tisci had designed for Givenchy, bringing the LVMH-owned house full circle from 2012 to 2022.
Compared to Rocky's most recent statement piece — a sparkly wig/hat thing — the leather Givenchy skirt is a worthy step beyond.
Frankly, this suits him better.
The more casual looks were picture-perfect daily driver stuff, don't get me wrong, but the densely layered tops, beefy shoes, and, of course, knee-length skirt are what I'd imagine a progressive dude like Rocky, er, rocking when scrounging around for some designer loaners to flex.
why play things safe with track pants or T-shirts when you can level up beyond these basic bros by swapping pants for a skirt?
This is how Rocky thinks and if you aspire to be a fashion killa yourself, you'd best be taking notes.
