design logic:

You are not alone. I am a few years deep into embracing this style/lifestyle.

The vibes are blue collar, pancakes at the diner, working on your 90s truck/cursing at your 90s truck, oversized/workwear, reading paper newspapers, and EATING GOOD FOOD. Try to get inside the mind of a 45 year old man. What does he care about? What does he think about? For me I think the essence is that these dudes are confident and fully embrace themselves. They are not performing, they are comfortable being alone or eating out alone. They don't need earbuds in their ears, they are just looking around at the fucking world with their eyeballs. Its pure. Youve truly captured it in the photos your chose. These boys love food, they love being out talking shit and chopping it up at their local diner or deli, they love their cars and they LOVE to complain about their jobs (they secretly love their jobs).

The way to keep it still femme is *balance* - for example, I like to dress on the more tomboyish side, but I keep my hair long, I wear jewelry, I do simple makeup. I will combine skirts or dresses with more boyish boots/masculine shoes. I drive an old truck but I have a cute cherry keychain.

Every outfit I wear has 1 feminine highlight at least. If I am wearing an oversized mechanic jacket and chunky boots, I will wear a skirt as well. Or if Im wearing loose fit work pants, and a mans jacket, I will have a tiny teeny top under that highlights my waist etc.

Daily wear is mechanic jackets, detroit jackets, bomber jackets. Work pants, dickies, ben davis, or jeans. For more formal energy you start moving towards chinos + satin/jersey fabrics, patterns in neutrals like black and tan. But even for formal outfits you add masc energy with leather shoes or a silky mens short sleeve + a skirt. Slinky dresses with masculine boots/oversized jacket. I feel like materials and texture are a big part of this energy: shoes/boots are leather or suede. Jackets are canvas, or corduroy. Pants are demin or canvas or chinos. Then you add feminine textures in the mix as well. A ribbed baby tee. A satiny dress under a boxy jacket. Colors I personally stick to black/tan/coffee colors + olives and burgundies. Very muted colors. Lastly: BRANDS DONT MATTER. These dudes are wearing whatever the fuck. It does not have to be carharrt. We are wearing fruit of the loom wife beaters, it literally doesnt matter.

Dont be afraid to shop in the mens section. When I started doing that, it changed the game for me. The jackets, T shirts, and pants are SO much better. We are pretty much exclusively wearing mens clothing, but each outfit has ONE feminine piece (Tight femme jeans, femme shoes, femme top, a skirt or a dress - and then the rest of the outfit is literally mens clothing).

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My last suggestion to you, my sister in arms, is to get a blue collar job and the rest will all come together. Not to mention you will meet other women who have this aesthetic. I've been in the military, I've worked in construction, and in emergency response. You are probably drawn to this aesthetic because some part of you is recognizing these lifestyles/careers are fun and vibey. They are. Come join us. We get to yell/curse at men like this on the job and no one bats an eye.