It’s 2025, and classic menswear tastes have evolved dramatically since the skinny‑fit revolution of the 2010s. Preston chats with Kyle about the decade’s defining silhouettes, fabrics, and cultural forces. From spray‑on trousers to athleisure blends, discover what worked, what didn’t, and what might resurface in the decades ahead.
The Skinny Fit Dominance and Its Dormancy
Skinny Fit Timeline, Athleisure Surge & Fast‑Fashion Impact
Preston quizzes Kyle on several hot‑button topics from the 2010s—including the rise of extra-tight jeans, the dominance of ultra‑slim lapels, the athleisure boom, and how fast‑fashion chains like H&M and Zara pushed stretch‑blend synthetic suits to the masses.
Together, they chart when each trend peaked, why it resonated with Instagram culture, and the exact moment fuller, pleated trousers started trending on TikTok.
The Rise of Logos in Menswear
How This Conversation Should Guide Your Post‑2010s Wardrobe
- Get a clear blueprint for updating your wardrobe in 2025
- Learn which 2010s elements still work (think knit ties and tapered—but not skin‑tight—chinos) and which you should retire immediately.
- Kyle explains:
- How to spot quality fabrics in a sea of polyester blends
- When to choose a mid‑rise versus high‑rise trouser
- Why embracing roomier cuts today will keep you ahead of the next silhouette cycle.
“Now we’re seeing some things that are so far against that where it’s so synthetic, it’s literally forming a plastic bag.”
Kyle Thibodeaux
Highlights from This Video
“I think we are seeing that the skinny fit is going into a dormant period now and the fuller cuts are finally coming back.”
See Kyle explain the pendulum swing away from spray‑on pants.
“We were trying to see ourselves, see ourselves in really form-fitting garments, and I think that kind of just fed the beast of wanting to look like an action figure a little bit…"
Discover how Instagram and celebrity style cemented skinny fits as the decade’s hallmark.
“By the 90s and the 2000s, I think we started to see this cultural rebellion a little bit… When we get to the 2010s, I think that shifts a little bit more where the idea…”
In this part, Kyle and Preston summarizes the decade’s vibe: personal autonomy, self-definition, and a loosening of traditional boundaries.
“I think a general idea that I enjoyed was nodding toward a tapered silhouette—I don't think we needed to go full-on spray paint…”
Hear Kyle break down the pros and cons of the tapered look—why it worked, when it went too far, and what it says about the 2010s.
“You can allow for a lot of movement with the infusion of other technologies—other styles of things that were body-hugging but very leaning into the sports world…”
Kyle on why the 2010s were the decade of clothes you could live in—not just look good in.
How to Dress for Your Silhouette
What We Were Wearing
Preston (right) effortlessly blends classic and modern elements in a green tweed sport coat layered over a soft pink dress shirt. His ensemble is elevated by Fort Belvedere accessories: the Cashmere Wool Grenadine Tie in Purple, Petrol Blue & Light Grey Stripe adds a bold yet tasteful contrast of color, while the Blue Cornflower Silk Boutonniere lends a refined touch of whimsy and texture to the lapel. He completes the look with a spritz of Patina Cologne, our newest fragrance, for a warm and sophisticated signature.
Kyle (left) embraces a more relaxed, modern vibe with a navy blazer featuring striking gold and white chalk stripes. Underneath, he layers a blue-and-white striped shirt with a casual open collar. His White Italian Linen Pocket Square from Fort Belvedere adds a crisp, classic detail that subtly ties his look back to timeless menswear staples.
Ask the Expert
Why did the skinny fit endure so long?
Social media’s selfie culture and celebrity influence created sustained demand for form‑fitting silhouettes.
Who did skinny fits suit best?
Slender and athletic builds thrived, while broader or middle‑aged body types found them restrictive.
Are spandex blends here to stay?
Blends offered comfort and recovery, but quality fabrics remain essential for longevity.
Will 2010s trends ever return?
Fashion is cyclical—expect narrow waists and pleats to reemerge in some form around 2030.
“Ultimately, you are free to wear whatever you want and whatever you think reinforces your own personal style or what looks good on you.”
– Preston Schlueter
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I hope to God the look has gone – and never comes back. It’s very difficult to find trousers that fit properly (i.e. reasonably loosely, with drape) and jackets that are not squeezed in the middle (where I’m anything by squeezed in the middle).
If it’s NOT permanently dead, I invite you to kill it – I wish I could!
I am with you there brother! Every pair of shoes looking like boats. Jackets like they were
borrowed from your best friend’s neighbour.
Goodbye skinny, two-sizes-too-small attire and good riddance. I have boycotted that stuff and have kept alive pleated-front trousers. I have even bought a few vintage ties of the 1940’s and early 1950’s from eBay sellers.
I don’t know about what you guys are seeing where you live, but where I am here in the “south” I still see men wearing “stove pipe (skinny)” pants either as a suite or casual style, and not long enough to cover the ankles much less part of the shoes. jeans? forget about it unless you go “boot cut”. And I still see men in suits with no socks.
what, they can’t afford a pair after buying that “designer” suite?
So after all these years of waiting for sanity to return to trouser styles, I can at last find models that are not ridiculously narrow? Halleluyah!
Great ensemble worn by Preston in this video. The charcoal-brown tweed of the sport coat goes so well with the colors of the striped tie (of which I own one too).
In the early 1960s when I was in high school, we use to call are trousers “pegged pants” which you call skinny.