Is (a) bigger (size) better?

Words: Daniël Geldenhuys | Photography: Supplied

Stalking the international Spring 2020 menswear collections as I do, I noticed an uptick in oversized pieces with a luxuriously relaxed disposition. It was there at Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Jacquemus, Loewe and more. So I thought, why not try it on for size?

MONDAY

I wake up at my boyfriend’s house, caught unawares by a notification on my phone: “Oversized week!” Digging through a foreign closet, I eventually emerge victorious with an XXL striped sweater. Though slightly beside the point of this article, it fits me almost perfectly, which is concrete proof that there is no universal size pattern.

TUESDAY

After Monday’s low-key cop out, it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is. I’m interviewing a local designer and wishing I could wear something a little more dependable than an XL tee and size 38 pants (I’m usually M and 32, respectively). I step into the wide black trousers – they fall down. I invoke the inside drawstring for all its worth, but the situation still looks pretty rough. Brainwave! Flip over the top part of the trousers so that the drawstring is exposed. This simple tweak dramatically improves the silhouette and overall look, but shows off the label at the back, so I front tuck the tee and off I go. The designer doesn’t comment on my look, which makes me think I’m getting away with it. I’d gladly reprise the mood of wide trousers pooling over my chunky dad sneakers.

WEDNESDAY + THURSDAY

It becomes clear that the best gateway into the oversized world is tops. Wednesday, I drown stylishly in an XL hoodie and Thursday in an L Hawaiian-style, short-sleeve shirt. The latter, tucked into tailored trousers and cinched with a utilitarian waist, balloons out in a way that feels generous and looks very “street style at menswear week in Milan”. I feel like I’m finding my groove. I save one of my best moments for the weekend.

FRIDAY

Here’s the problem with wearing an XXL button-up shirt: the collar, if buttoned at the top, will never work. It’s a sunny day and I take a far more relaxed approach, feeling comfortable as can be in a light yellow check that conjures my Loewe Spanish fantasy. The top two buttons are open and the sleeves haphazardly pulled upwards in a way that allows them to fall as they may. The oversized look is really growing on me now.

SATURDAY

It’s finally time for the blanket kimono I ordered off the runway from Amanda Laird Cherry a few seasons ago. It doesn’t have a size. Suffice to say, it’s the size of your duvet. It takes 30 minutes (easily) to get into and style this piece in a way that allows me to function. Every second is worth it. Have you seen those videos of big fluffy cats jumping into (seemingly) impossibly small cardboard boxes? That’s me getting into my car. I head out for a casual dinner at a friend’s place, stopping in town to pick up a few drinks. The stares from strangers are to be expected and to say this is a conversation starter with friends is an understatement. Fashion as a conversational lubricant? Apparently it’s a look.

SUNDAY

For the sake of this story, I try the type of formal-style trousers I always wear in a 38. Without the drawstring I need to introduce a belt, but there’s just too much fabric and I give up without feeling defeated. I go back into my normal size 30 pants, pairing them with an XL stripy tee that’s roomy and relaxed. Seven days in, XL doesn’t feel oversized to me anymore. Some pieces look better bigger, some don’t and I now consider myself completely fluid regarding size curves. I’m not ruling anything out.