Gilt MANual: Kanye West - Man of Style?

Emerging out of the shadows of the successful online outlet-style website Gilt, the Gilt MANual has made a conspicuous start as a men’s centric style site and an accessory to its parent company. The initial list of editors boast some high-profile credentials under their belt as they engaged in discussion regarding Kanye West’s place in fashion. The question of stylistic significance does require some particular thought and argument. Who else has been able to bring light to fashion much like Kanye with projects involving Nike to LV? A good show of his wide reach. He has undoubtedly taken risks as Josh Peskowitz states, and I can’t help but think the hit or miss aspect of it will shape his influence where he will stand a few years down the line. It seems all too easy to judge the missteps of the past, but as it stands who else comes under as much coverage as Kanye West?

Some notable responses are seen below while the whole article can be seen here.

On Dec 21, 2010, at 2:23 PM, Tyler Thoreson wrote:
The man who introduced “I’ma let you finish!” and “#Mypresenceisapresentkissmyass best hash tag ever!!” into the popular lexicon may not be much of a role model when it comes to gentlemanly behavior, but the guy does have a passion for dressing well. The question, of course, is how well he translates that passion into execution. As recently as a few months ago, I would’ve put Mr. West solidly in the ” ‘A’ for Effort” category, but these days, when I see his mug next to yet another year-end top 10 list, I can’t help but think to myself: dude looks sharp. What do you guys think? We all know that Yeezy loves fashion. Has he finally mastered the more elusive art of style?

On Dec 21, 2010, at 3:18 PM, Josh Peskowitz wrote:
While I would have once only grudgingly admitted to liking Kanye’s wears (those would be the years between my jealousy of his collection of Polo Bear merchandise and puzzlement at his Theo Huxtable-like mullet cut at the shows a few seasons back), these days I am regularly impressed. Maybe it’s that whole ‘Rosewood’ thing he keeps going on about, but his suiting choices, footwear, and haircuts have all been rather well-fitting and consistently good. Now, this refers to Kanye off-duty. On-stage my man has still had some spectacular missteps—and I don’t mean Anubis chains and day-glo suits, but rather his latter day Fred Flintstone impression at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But at least his haircut has been tight and unlined. I think his experimental phase is tamping down, and off-stage there’s a lot to be admired (and even some to emulate) about his clothes, but style might be the wrong word for what he has. Swagger, sure, but style is more personal. More consistent. He’s getting there, but the road is long.

On Dec 21, 2010, at 4:11 PM, Andy Comer wrote:
Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a firm believer that men of style (good style, I mean, in both an aesthetic and a moral sense) are obliged to honor some standard of gentlemanly behavior; and that basic etiquette is one key factor that separates the “stylish” from the “well-dressed.” Now, I’m not saying that Mr. West isn’t a gentleman, or necessarily lacking in decorum, but how could certain very public and very boorish displays, however long ago and however atoned for, not stick in one’s head? Okay, so you can poke a million holes in that argument, and come up with tons of men whose sartorial legacies fly in the face of it. But basically I’m echoing what Josh just said: The road is long.

On Dec 21, 2010, at 4:28 PM, Josh Peskowitz wrote:
Andy makes a really good point about the line between “well-dressed” and “stylish,” but I wouldn’t necessarily call Kanye well-dressed, would you? I mean, I hate to keep harping on the floor-length-fur-vest-and-leather-pants getup from Turkey Day, but that is not exactly well-dressed, nor stylish. But he does take risks, which puts him more in the stylish camp (on-stage, on-float) than the well-dressed one. But when he’s well-dressed, he’s elegant and, of late, understated, which are things that we associate with being stylish. Now I’m running in circles, but basically I guess I’m trying to say he’s having a very good year, but the label stylish requires a consistency he has yet to demonstrate.

On Dec 21, 2010, at 4:35 PM, Jared Flint wrote:
Saying Kanye West is well-dressed is like saying parrots have a mastery of language… and I kind of mean that in a good way. We rip on dudes all the time for not caring about the way they dress and for looking like slobs and here’s a fella who takes a huge interest, not only in what he personally wears, but in fashion as a whole. Right around the time of his Daft Punk sampling, his blog (does he still do that?) was an electric, robotic, futuristic, Japanese version of Wallpaper. I’m pretty sure were he to re-do his style blogging it would be nothing but taxidermy and Kodachromes. Point being, I think a lot of Kanye’s schtick is overly derived from other people, places, and things. Just like his music. ‘Runaway’? Pretty beautiful, pretty melodic, pretty introspective. Yet, any chorus, whether in jest or not, that raises a toast to douchebags needed a second opinion. Now, are any of us free from outside influences? Absolutely not. We also don’t rush on stage and steal microphones from Taylor Swift. Kind of opens up the critical flood gates.

Photography: i-D Magazine