If you could take a guided tour through any celebrity’s closet, who would it be? (Besides Beyoncé, because one day her costumes will be hanging in a museum so we aren’t allowed to wander around in there.) Two come to mind for me: Rihanna and Solange, because both have an inherent sense of style, which is different than having a good stylist and access to a lot of clothes.
Someone had the idea to do this but with John Mayer. Sure, why not. The thing with John Mayer is that I can never stay mad at him. He sometimes cracks me up and he sometimes makes me roll my eyes, but I appreciate that he’s always trying to contribute. He wants to be part of the conversation and he understands his role in the pop culture ecosystem. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that he likes being a famous musician, which is better than someone who just pretends they want to play open mic nights at dive bars because their talent is so pure. No, give me John Mayer over that any day.
The tour through his closet is a bit nonsensical, like his wardrobe.
The 40s look (the first one of the bunch) reminds me of Brooklyn Beckham’s aesthetic, with the high-waisted trousers. The jeans he is wearing in one of the photos reminds me of JNCO. He also really embraces his “white guy who went to Sedona to see the red rocks and ended up staying to become a vortex tour guide” vibe with the robes, and the “artisanal soda water creator who is unplugging for the weekend at Burning Man” look with the sandals. (There are also some streetwear pieces, but we are not accepting applications for John Mayer as an athleisure influencer right now. Black men created the athleisure trend and continue to receive very little in the way of credit from the fashion world, so John Mayer doesn’t get to be ground-breaking for wearing sneakers.)
John also has some rare items from a couple of painfully cool brands and he talks about collections and what he can pull off. He cares for his clothes, but he wears the hell of out of them (which is a philosophy I can agree with) and he favours comfort. He talks at length about finding the right hat. Yes, this is peak John Mayer.
One thing I can appreciate in his writing is that he makes a point to talk about how he prioritizes his wardrobe (specifically mentioning that he writes his name on labels) and describes his various pieces as “meek,” a “security blanket”, and “coziness.” This is not typical language that is used around men’s fashion– not only does John love clothes, but he thinks they are important and treats them with respect. He hangs onto them and gives them stories. That is quite different from the the usual style favoured by male celebs, which is about looking tailored, handsome, and serious.
In a way, John embodies a man-repeller style of dressing, but for men, which is I think the highest compliment I’ve ever paid him.
