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An internet forum devoted to a men'southward upshot and comprised of almost entirely men sounds like information technology could be, at the very least, less than 100 pct inviting, and at worst, a nightmare. Fortunately, still, the moderators of the r/malefashionadvice subreddit are keenly aware of this. And confronting all odds, they've built a place for men on the internet that is, shockingly, kinda sweetness.

"It'southward a surprisingly functional and actually really nice community," says Walker Livingston, a 23-year-old presentlyhoped-for police force student living in Washington, D.C., and moderating under the username setfiretoflames. He's 1 of more than a dozen mods on the Male Mode Communication (MFA) subreddit, which at 868,000 readers is the 86th nearly-subscribed community on Reddit.

A typical commutation on MFA will ofttimes look something like this: a poster, ordinarily an early-20s American guy who may or may not be all the same in schoolhouse, asks a question like, "I've simply started a new job and need a new wardrobe, where do I kickoff?" or "What brand of Oxford would you recommend for someone with broad shoulders that's nether $100?" or "Do these jeans fit?"

Walker Livingston, a 23-year-old moderator of MFA, in a 'fit pic.

In short, it's a place for dudes who are suddenly at the place in their lives where they're looking to spend more than $30 on a shirt, every bit another moderator, Adam (username: GraphicNovelty), puts it. He'southward a xxx-year-erstwhile digital media analyst and DSA member living in Washington Heights, and a decade-long veteran of the menswear internet.

"Information technology's definitely the most accessible," he says of MFA, compared to forums like Hypebeast, Styleforum, Superfuture, or 4chan'south /fa/ lath. "It's the least risky, and the about open to newcomers. There are a lot of smaller ones that specifically skew toward certain designers that end up just being actually, actually sexist, homophobic or something else. That'southward not at all what we're interested in, and we endeavour to actively root that out."

When I run into him in downtown Manhattan, Adam's wearing a Patrik Ervell fisherman sweater, Outlier trousers, and clear glasses, a vibe he one-half-jokingly calls "normal guy–core." ("I'thousand 30 now, and so I'm not impressing anybody.") Walker, on the other hand, describes himself as an "absolute goth," preferring black pieces from Uniqlo, Undercover, and the occasional Margiela. But they're akin in ane important style: They've both landed on their aesthetic of choice, and take therefore graduated beyond the platform's average advice seeker.

Later all, a lack of style expertise is what makes MFA tick: if anybody already knew how to dress, in that location'd exist no one to, y'know, suggest. It's also what gives the community its trademark niceness — a subreddit that's all almost people request for assist inherently rewards vulnerability. "A lot of the time information technology's like, just giving people affirmation that their choices weren't bad," says Adam. "Or if their choices were bad, letting them down in a squeamish way." Adds Walker: "It'southward not a collective dunking culture. Information technology's very earnest."

30-yr-quondam mod Adam wearing a custom leather jacket from Falcon Garments.

That is, provided the users are operating in expert faith. "Unfortunately, it is an online community that is mainly guys, and since we're in that self-help bubble of the internet, there's ever some random toxic masculinity," Walker says. "You'll see people from the seduction communities, these weird pickup creative person guys. Those people do not receive a warm welcome, because a) ugh, and b) it'south non actually a expert affair to have in the community. They're at that place to prey on insecurity."

There was also the fourth dimension when an influx of lookbooks featuring scantily clad women found their manner into the thread, which led to an argument near what is and isn't an "off-topic or otherwise inappropriate" postal service. And then there's the problem of men who just want a infinite to complain about the seeming applesauce of high way past posting a photo of, say, a Thom Browne rails. "In those cases, it's a lot of explaining, 'Hey, these shows are generally indicative of some idea the designer is trying to present in a certain mode. Just you're probably not going to meet these outfits always on the street,'" Walker says.

For the most part, though, MFA is made up of guys simply trying to become more presentable versions of themselves. But the net is still the internet, and Reddit is all the same Reddit. "There'south no point in you going to a website like this if you're not a huge dork, you know what I mean?" Adam says (lovingly, of course). "At that place's probably an inkling of insecurity in everyone who comes hither. They to make things understandable and so that they can feel confident doing it: It'south performing competency. So you lot get some of the people who are way besides far into it. Like, 'I made a filigree!' And information technology's similar, 'Dude, you don't need a schema. It'southward non scientific discipline here.' You lot come across this anywhere on Reddit."

A formulaic tendency in a group of users will, naturally, create formulas. "There's this whole kind of semi-joke thing of the MFA uniform over the past couple of years," says Walker. "It's similar if someone just wants to wait nice. It'south inoffensive clothing that works well on almost people's torso types."

Or, every bit it's known on the subreddit: the Basic Bastard. In the early 2010s, said Bastard was wearing a blue Oxford cloth button-down shirt, khaki chinos, and Clark's desert boots. A few years after he changed into a greyness crewneck sweater, raw denim, and minimalist white sneakers (the holy grail: Common Projects).

These days, it'due south a little less clear what the Bones Bastard has in his closet. Maybe that'south considering menswear has gone from a slightly niche interest to a far more accessible 1, thanks to an influx of brands making fashionable menswear affordable. It's been eight (!) years since author Mary H.K. Choi declared that "All Dudes Learned How to Dress and Information technology Sucks."

Instead, much of the electric current conversation centers around the definition of what constitutes trying besides difficult. "Nearly of the long-time users are good at articulating it," Adam explains. "If something's not try-hard, information technology's in line with your lifestyle, you look proficient in it, and it fits with your surroundings."

Other times, the moderators double as therapists. "There's a surprising corporeality of 'I just got out of a human relationship and I want to look skillful' questions," Walker says. "I look at them like, I understand what y'all're going for, but I also feel similar this is probably something where you should work on yourself along with also working on your clothes. You lot really don't want to be at this cliff and say, 'I'thousand going to jump right off it and apparel are going to be my parachute down it.' You walk them back a picayune bit."

Indeed, fifty-fifty the manner advice-givers of Reddit admit that article of clothing tin't solve all our problems. "People will be like, 'What's the best T-shirt?' The all-time T-shirt is the i that fits you the all-time," says Adam. "All the T-shirts are fucking T-shirts."

"Or," he adds, "learn how to non care every bit much."

And fifty-fifty though the moderators don't become paid for their roles as stylists-slash-life coaches, there's an incentive to spend hours on the forum. "I really similar a lot of the guys and I've fabricated bodily real-life friendships from it," says Walker. "And also, down to the cadre, I just actually like shopping."

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