Monday 06 / May / 2024
'Street fashion' is a unique form of personal expression seen all over the world, with young men and women mixing and mashing numerous styles for distinctive, eye-catching looks. In Oman, urban street style has taken the style scene by storm, with the kicks, clothes, and gear now in perpetual demand.
In the wide world of fashion, there exist countless styles and substyles, but the art of creating garments can be broken down to haute couture, which consists of one-of-a-kind, hand-made concept pieces that emerge from designer studios, typically for runway shows, and occasionally for the celebrity client. In general, these garments are art pieces, meant to inspire and, as part of a larger collection, evoke a particular feel.
Based on these artful concepts, ready-to-wear garments are made to be sold in boutiques and shops to the general public. From the racks of ready-to-wear fashion, stylists and fashionistas build their wardrobes and their personal style. Street fashion is a combination and deconstruction of these two categories, in which creative youth cultures around the world, usually in urban settings, pair unique garments in unusual ways to create a style far different than what might have originally been imagined by the designer, for edgy, artful, highly-styled, couture-esque ensembles that are singular and eye-catching. More than mere clothes, these outfits make statements.
Street fashion is a social phenomenon that can be traced to a number of subcultures over the years, from flared trousers of the hippies, to long draped jackets of the teddy boys, to ripped clothes and provocative tee slogans of the punks, to the big shades and floral prints of the feminine set, to skinny jeans and oversized jumpers of the modern urban male – Muscat’s favourite style.
Each street style has its own distinctive characteristics, creating some sort of a standard or culture, but the natural progression of street fashion in the new globally connected world is that these styles have evolved into more mix-and-match looks, which offer youth more creative liberty with their styling.
Not dressy, but far more styled than typical casual wear. The fashion scene in Muscat has become vibrant over the last few years, especially for men, for whom style options used to be so limited one might consider them non-existent. Fashion-forward Omanis now sport an urban street style defined by statement jackets, longer-than-usual tees, skinny jeans, and piercings.
The essential piece of this style is denim, which is paired with a mix of contemporary garments accented with pieces from other categories. For example, one could borrow beanies and suspenders from the hipster style, pair it with an oversized t-shirt, swap a plain white t for a shirt with some floral prints, borrowed from the feminine style, and slip on a pair of killer sneakers courtesy of the hip hop scene, all worn over a pair of skinny denim jeans.
I met Khalifah Lalen, the founder of Lalen boutiques, shops that specialises in imported, trendy urban wear from Turkey and various countries. I fell in love with his men’s boutique in Al Mabelah, which offers collections that are colourful, edgy, sporty, and smart, from holographic and colour-splashed sneakers, to ripped jeans, glittery boots, mesh tees, biker jackets, and fun pattern-on-pattern matching outfits (yes, it's a thing now). He also sells causal blazers, long and oversized tees, and globally inspired statement pieces.
Lalen had always been a lover of fashion, so opening a boutique of his own was a dream come true. He opened his first men’s boutique, which offered typical menswear, in 2007 with huge success. As he began to see how important distinctive fashion was becoming for young Omani men, he decided to start importing trendier, edgier pieces, unlike anything else available in Oman. His instincts were spot-on, and his boutique is now busier than ever.
“Men in town dress fashionably nowadays,” said Lalen. “I believe social media plays a major part in making that happen.” For now, urban street style is dominating the men’s fashion culture in Muscat, but as fashion is an ever-changing art form, no doubt new street styles will soon emerge.
Street fashion, to me, is the kind of fashion that captures the essence of who you are, displaying your personality at a glance. This kind of bold expression takes confidence and a certain amount of swagger to wear, which is exactly what makes these looks, from simple, chic urban streetwear to outright controversial, so appealing. —[email protected]
Get the Look
For those looking to re-create their look, the first thing you have to think about is what sort of style works for you. Are you into smart looks? There’s nothing wrong with suit and tie, just add a little sparkle by wearing a textured statement tie, replace your standard dress shoes with sneakers, and add tiny accessories like an unusual lapel pin or draped scarf for some added interest. If you’re a fan of punk and enjoy classic looks, then try pairing some ripped black skinnies and combat boots with a plain tank top, brown belt, and pitch-black shades, modernising the look with a bold, primary colour statement jacket. You could even add a magnetic lip or ear piercing to amp up the old school punk rock style. The key to street style is all in the details. So, start with an outfit you already love, and find one new element to add or swap that could take your look to another level.
Foundational elements of urban fashion can be found at stores like H&M and Zara, but to find super unique pieces, hit up menswear boutique, Lalen.
Lalen
Souq Bin Rashid
South Al Mabelah, Seeb
+969 2446 4701
Instagram: @lalen.style
