Creatively Unhinged: Background and Vote Ins
Preparing for MFA Fit Battle, failing in vote in 1, and rebounding in vote in 2.
I joined the MaleFashionAdvice discord in late January 2024, and soon after the speculation started regarding a potential spring Fit Battle, similar to the one hosted on the Discord in Fall 2023 or on the r/malefashionadvice subreddit in previous years. As mentioned previously, my intentions were to have fun first but also to do as well as I could (or at least get through the vote ins), and to that end I actively prepared to increase my odds.
Background and Preparation
My personal style is honestly hard to define (not that that’s a bad thing); sure I used ‘f--- around ivy' before and have heard other very flattering comments but I think 'unserious ivy' is a better descriptor. The tropes are there - OCBDs, pleated chinos, loafers, blazers and sport coats, loafers and white socks, ties - but they're almost never rendered traditionally:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d6b18da-c38e-417e-b214-bd94bb2f4726_495x273.png)
I do sometimes play it straight or lean into subversion (those are raw hemmed, cropped cords) or experimentation with the function of clothes (pants as scarf) but I usually want some sort of balance between tradition and subversion. I knew the “basics” of putting together a fit as outlined in the basic guides on the substack and Reddit, and recently began the process of using those to form a definite style. With that, I thought the fit battle would be a fun way to push myself creatively, get some additional inspiration, hopefully find concrete ways to better my style in the process.
One potential issue (at the time) was I had a relatively small wardrobe while I was in the process of figuring out my own individual style, especially shoes and accessories. I was acquiring pieces at a steady rate at this point, but I wanted to avoid solely buying things for fit battle as much as possible. While I made several purchases leading up to fit battle to fill gaps in my wardrobe, I did end up buying things for the competition, which I’ll outline at the end of this.
A second issue came up as I read through the submissions and commentary from the previous fit battle of Fall 2023. Seeing the high quality of entries from those who did well both inspired and terrified me, because (in my opinion) I hadn’t intentionally nailed a fit to that degree.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01ee8be3-3195-4ca2-bf91-0bd8134efd91_738x298.png)
A related issue was that the ivy-adjacent style I was dressing in bore some success in the previous fit battle, but to me this meant I’d have to figure out something different or risk being labeled a copycat. As I didn’t really see myself as a ‘creative’ (I’m a data analyst for a non-creative industry, and had a newfound appreciation for clothes entering the competition) I was nervous about being able to do this.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c3811a6-9197-42b4-9c38-cbaed329c903_630x286.png)
That said, my default response when unsure about or nervous if something works is put stuff on, Being able to put myself out there is something I struggled with in many aspects of life (this is not fully resolved), but I worked to make this an easier process when it came to developing and posting fits to WAYWT. If I bricked, at least I tried, which is worth more than not trying; that’s the mentality I had going into vote in 1.
Vote in 1
I initially had a separate fit planned and posted based on my assessment of last year; after seeing the first few submissions after mine I got gun-shy and retracted the submission. While I cannot say how it would’ve fared, in the moment I had a backup idea that I felt was stronger.
In general, with the format of the vote in I figured it would be better to have a fit that was a) really good but not insanely great (and risk having to live up to that expectation) and b) more experimental, knowing that there's a second vote available if this didn't work out. I knew I wanted to do some form of unconventional layering and that a jungle jacket was both far enough away from a blazer to not be mistaken for my usual WAYWT fare and yet close enough that I wouldn't be struggling about how to wear it. The issue is tiger stripes are played out - enter the safety orange coach's jacket. I originally thought this would be the 'shirt' and just let it ride but realized it could substitute for a waistcoat and then made the sort of leap to 'oh this is like the lining of an MA-1 bomber' which circ pointed out.
I didn't want to do too much in the first round (or in general), so the rest of the outfit was rather straightforward – white OCBD and pleated olive pants straight from the Basic Bastard, and then Wallabees instead of loafers to balance out the busy top half and to act as a sort of 'boot' without being MFA’s favorite shoe, Clark’s Desert Boots. There weren’t a lot of accessories used, to prevent pulling focus: the sunglasses were functional, the black knit tie was the connecting thread to ivy and my space pen was a simple visual flourish.
Submitted Entry
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F135add17-8445-4abf-ad18-a63bc37c11ec_455x303.png)
I like the overall effect - there's a heavy dose of milsurp (or if you're Mr. Zeometer, deer hunting due to the safety orange) but a foundation of ivy and even a tiny amount of humor (I go out of my way to avoid pocket squares, but pocket accoutrements were fair game), and writing everything out this feels more like 'this is something I'd wear in service of experimenting' vs 'this is a costume'. I don’t think it was the greatest fit ever done but at the time I thought it was good showing. In the spirit of full disclosure I did also attempt this without a tie, however I do think the black in the tie gives added depth to the fit and is a more obvious tie to ivy style, so I did not submit it.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5b2e842-7a51-460a-9745-9d81ce3e4296_579x351.png)
Ultimately this did not work out in my favor. For however good the fit was (read: however good I thought the fit was), it wasn't effective at communicating the inspiration at first glance (it could easily read as 'funky midlayer' without any deeper meaning). It also feels ungrounded, especially in taking the picture on concrete similar in color to the Wallabees; black loafers would’ve helped give more visual weight to the bottom half of the fit and to convey the ivy influence further. By those measures, and especially given what did ultimately make it through to the round of 32, I'm not surprised it didn't get voted in.
Vote in 2
In response to the first fit not landing as expected, I figured I'd submit something which had a lot more immediate impact that I could execute well (in my opinion).
I've done a variation on the schoolboy look before and I was very pleased with it - it's interesting but fun and cheeky in a way I enjoy. In hindsight, it was sort of like play a character, except the character was to a somewhat heightened version of myself, and that thinking translated to this entry (and the others).
Because I and other people have pulled from this same inspiration in really nice ways (in particular Ethan) I wanted to do so again in a way that wasn't seen as derivative or blah - the age-old question 'how do you make ivy interesting?’.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc66bd63-0037-437f-9789-2aca75d55fbf_602x310.png)
Rather than find some quirk in execution or mix ivy with something else I figured the twist would be to play it straight - navy blazer, blue OCBD, wool striped tie, chino shorts, crew socks, black penny loafers. I rarely leaned into the ivy aesthetic this earnestly, but I trusted in how strong the concept was.
The color choices are more traditional as well; red, white and blue were motifs in American style from the 70s to now, especially in an ivy league school (Take Ivy is a sea of American colors). The rugby shirt as a midlayer is less traditional in practice - it's more 'how would PRL interpret such a look' than 'what do people at Yale actually wear' - but it reinforces the ivy motif. (It helps that, from what I/the seller could figure out, it was a practice jersey from the 1990s) The combo of the rugby shirt and Penn state cap also read as sportswear, which isn't usually the first thought people have about this style.
I at one point tried to layer the rugby over the blazer but a) it kept falling over or blocking the lapel pin and b) the mass of blue on top of the blazer wasn't really working visually how I imagined. After a handful of pictures, I figured "insouciance" had left the building and pivoted to layering it - while it was harder to wear because of how warm it got it's a better look in general.
Submitted Entry
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcfbe3-5c45-4014-b629-0cf4c31feedd_2882x1666.png)
I really enjoy this one. It's locally sourced, fully thrifted and came together easily; the hard part was the pics. It was well-received, and while part of that was finding the rugby shirt, the other part was that there were a lot of things going on in addition – three layers of clothes, successful deployment of a tie, a formality clash, a subversion of expectations with the shorts – and yet it all read as cohesive.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b54ad82-2993-4c9b-8b23-7cf27369ad69_631x441.png)
I ultimately ended up finishing 3rd out of everyone who submitted in vote in 2, and while I thought (hoped) I did well enough to qualify I wasn’t fully expecting to be that successful. On a meta level it helped that there were a lot of people embracing the cowboy aesthetic, but beyond that I think it helped to shift my thinking from ‘me wearing a fit I think is cool for [x]’ to ‘me being inspired by something and then making a fit’.
Item Breakdown
Most items were purchased secondhand (eBay, Goodwill, and flea markets most often). Things bought intentionally for fit battle are denoted with asterisks (***) while things bought shortly before/during that were worn are denoted with carats (^^^).
Vote in 1 -
Outer jacket: vintage jungle jacket (tiger stripe), brand Parallax Corp
Inner jacket: vintage coach's jacket (orange), brand unknown
Shirt: J.Press flap pocket OCBD (white)
Tie: J.Press Penant label knit tie (black)
Pants: Polo Ralph Lauren (PRL) Hammond chinos (olive)
Shoes: Clarks Wallabee hair on suede shoes (maple) (^^^)
Vote in 2
Cap: vintage Penn State cap (navy)
Blazer: Zara (navy); this may be an orphaned suit jacket
Rugby shirt: vintage practice jersey, brand is maxmore
Shirt: PRL custom fit OCBD (blue), this is analogous to the "iconic oxford shirt" sold currently by Ralph Lauren
Tie: vintage Kuppenheimer wool repp stripe (red/white/black)
Lapel pin: vintage, from Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign
Shorts: an old pair of Joseph Abboud chino shorts (stone), borrowed from my husband
Shoes: vintage L.L. Bean beefroll loafers (black)
Both fits
Belt: old reversible leather belt (brown/black)
Socks: white Hanes crew socks
Sunglasses: old pair from thrift store in Maryland
Watch: Timex Weekender (black strap, white face)
Thank you for reading! You can click below for the Round of 32 entry:
You can also find me on MFA Discord or Instagram to see more of my fits, to ask any questions about this essay, or to connect about clothing or life in general.