Campaign Spotlight: Menswear threads
If you’ve been on X, formerly known as Twitter, and have even a passing interest in menswear, you’re probably familiar with the work of Derek Guy.
The writer and creator of the menswear blog Die, Workwear! has become something of an authoritative voice on the matters of collar gaps, pant silhouettes and the unforgivable crime of putting rubber sneaker soles on a dress shoe. His threads on X, where he critiques the outfits of public figures — usually particularly odious ones like Florida state representative Matt Gaetz, who was accused in 2020 of sex trafficking, and political consultant and convicted felon Roger Stone — have drawn both praise from menswear enthusiasts and the ire of the subjects in question. They’ve also drawn a large amount of engagement, with tens of thousands of likes and reposts across Guy’s posts from his over 1 million X followers.
Guy said part of the reason he believes his work resonates with so many people is that men are relatively recently free to be openly interested in fashion. But the fashion and media landscape is so fractured that there are few safe entry points to learn about fundamental concepts like how a suit should drape and what materials work well with others.
“The most positive thing to happen in fashion is that there’s less stigma for men to be interested in it,” he said. “I still get 50 gay slurs a day directed at me [on X], but compared to the early 2000s, it’s worlds better. People in their 20s now don’t have those same hangups. There’s more development, more creativity and more expressiveness in menswear than ever before.”
A recent thread by Guy, posted on July 20, explained how to pick a proper tie and pocket square combination. It was posted after Guy criticized a combination worn by conservative British TV personality Dr. David Bull on a recent broadcast. The thread, which includes examples of both good and bad combinations, racked up more than 20,000 likes in one day.
Based on the success of Guy’s social media account, he has taken on a host of other gigs in the last year. He now writes a regular monthly column on style for Mr Porter, plus he’s written freelance pieces on menswear and fashion for media outlets including Vox. In addition, he’s been a guest on podcasts including StyleZeitgeist and Customer Service, hosts his own podcast through the Blamo! network, and has offered his expertise as a source for stories by Glossy and Puck. Nearly every man interviewed for an October 2023 Glossy story on who was influencing men’s fashion mentioned Guy.
While his threads critiquing outfits may be what he’s best known for, he also uses his account to praise daring and successful menswear looks. He’s also highlighted up-and-coming and under-appreciated designers and creators like London-based menswear brand Bryceland.
Guy said that, while he will continue to write and post to his X account — as well as his main gig, the blog Die, Workwear! — brand partnerships aren’t likely in his future.
“I have been approached by brands,” he said. “But I feel that someone in my position should not be in bed with brands. … I want to be able to say what I want to say and have people trust me when I say it. If you’re commenting on fashion, you should have as much freedom to be honest as possible.”
