Male Peacocking
Peacocks are adorned with ornate feathers for one purpose: attracting a mate. In the peacock world, the male with the most eye-catching plume wins over the heart of a female peahen and they procreate; fulfilling their animalistic desires to propagate and continue their peafowl species.
We in the human world, do a similar thing to an extent. Some people dress to garner attention, by barring any holds and choosing to dress in the most garish and outlandish articles of clothing imaginable (think Pitti Uomo and how many of us tried to dress when #menswear was reaching its pinnacle of dapperness).
Some dapper Peacocks at the 90th outing of Pitti Uomo in June 2016
Rick Owens Coat and Boots at Rad Hourani in September 2009
The people who dress in this manner have a name, one they share with that big, beautiful bird I mentioned before.
Peacocking. When one dresses for the sole purpose of garnering attention. “Dressing like the world is watching,” as Huff Post’s James Cave put it. Often, self-expression is confused with peacocking, especially for those who are into fashion. When someone dresses out of the norm, or in something avant-garde like Rick Owens or Comme des Garçons, some see it as a call for attention. Without a doubt, certain companies do produce some eye-catching designs that are bound to draw the eye of the uninitiated. For example: my girlfriend calls my baggy CDG trousers gauchos. She insists that me dressing “weird” is just for attention and that I’m only trying to, “fit in with my fashion friends.” But what does she know?
As a wise man once told me: "fashion is one of the highest forms of self-expression." The image one cultivates in their dress and the way they carry themselves can really give an idea of their character. That being said: dress in a way that makes you happy. Fuck the trends, forget what other people say. Buy and wear what you like and be confident doing it.