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Jul 18
Is Post Malone Menswear’s Most Underrated Star?
I like Post Malone. He has that gruff, guttural, and slightly pained voice that gets me to keep listening to his music. And, despite popular opinion, I like his oft-criticized style, too. Just last week, there was a frenzied mob on Twitter that campaigned for the beer-guzzling, chain-smoking entertainer to go on Queer Eyefor a makeover. He even posted a Twitter response to a fan, asking if Malone himself requested to be on it: “No, they just think I’m ugly and smell lol.”
Yes, Malone is the antithesis of the carefully manicured Queer Eye crew. He has a scraggly neckbeard. His hair is frazzled, often worn in a bobbling softball bun or Willie Nelson pigtails. His mustache is unkempt and dips below his upper lip like that of a tired rabbi. But I don’t think he is ugly nor do I think he smells. (Though, maybe he wafts of a beer, an accessory that he is often seen holding.) In fact, I believe that Malone has style—good style. His look is fun-loving, complete with cheeky Western tropes like get-rich-quick, chain-stitched suits and floss-thin bolero ties. Sometimes, he will throw on a hyped-about piece, like a Gosha Rubchinskiy jersey; others, he might resemble a sweet Hells Angels reject in a leather vest and white T-shirt. I do like how he wears his pants, too: up high, like a strict stepdad. Peep Malone in his video “Congratulations.” His aquamarine trousers skim his belly button. Maybe, Malone is more attentive to his clothes than we think.
The entertainer has had some standouts onstage, too. This past April, he wore a high-waisted mustard yellow suit embroidered with snakes to perform at a Bud Light–sponsored tour in a Nashville dive bar. His jacket was a bit oversize, grazing his upper thigh, and his pants were wide-leg complete with a sharp pleat. The set was designed by his stylist, Catherine Hahn, and the appliqué was a joint design endeavor by Hahn and Rusty Cuts. The print shirt? Dolce & Gabbana. He topped it all off with a vintage bolero tie. Later that month, he performed at Coachella in a more tender suit that was dotted with fist-size roses, another custom-made piece by Hahn. He sported it with pointy-toe boots by Boot Star. I would note that he was wearing a shirt but he went without, opting to show off his engulfing tummy tat.
It seems to be all on trend, too. Malone is a real-life master of taking the slick-sleazy guy charm that we’ve been seeing on the runway. Those heavily embroidered garish suits are all very Gucci. He rocks of-the-moment male cleavage, sometimes adorned with layers of gold necklaces and even puka shells. Malone also reminds me of what we see at SSS World Corp, a label that has been cornering the sexy-greasy market of menswear. “His style is unconventional and reminds me a little of ’70s glam rock. It’s a great vibe when he dresses up,” says SSS World Corp creative director Justin O’Shea. “He has a particular way of wearing pieces, which is also connected to his look. It’s unique rather than predictable. It’s probably where menswear is going [rather] than where it is now.” (Maybe we’ll see Malone wear the label in the future? The two seem made for each other.) I have to agree with O’Shea. It is a great vibe—even if it is endearingly scuzzy—and it all somehow works in a thoughtful, confident manner that suits the young star. After all, it takes a tender eye to agree to wear something so painstakingly embroidered. Now, if only Malone would take the same care of that facial hair.
