On May 14, 1998, approximately 76 million people watched the series finale of Seinfeld. The reception was, if we're being nice, divisive. If we're being less nice: People hated it. I watched the finale, way back when, and I hated it, too. But, for various reasons, but mostly because it's so perfectly Seinfeld, I—and a lot of critics—have come to love it over the course of the last two decades.

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Looking back on the show on this milestone, I realize that culturally, we've had the exact same emotional journey when it comes to Seinfeld's style. It used to be a punchline, and one delivered with no small measure of scorn. But now, Seinfeld has crept into the men's fashion landscape, and guys are leaning into it—loving it, even (though they may not have connected the dots quite yet).

Through a combination of trend cycles, unexpected shifts in the fashion industry, and social media-driven stunting, a show that went off the air in 1998 has become a pole star for men's style in 2018. Here's how it happened.

The '90s Are Back in Fashion

This isn't news to anyone who's been paying attention to the glut of light-washed denim and old-school sneakers in the market right now, but just in case you woke up from a Rip Van Winkle-esque slumber over the weekend: The '90s trend is a force to be reckoned with. It's everywhere in men's fashion right now, from the aforementioned denim and footwear to an increasingly easy fit in everything from shirts to suits. I could name designers doing it, but we'd be here all day. Nearly every label and brand is on board.

L: The ’90s. R: The ’90s in 2018. Getty Images

But when the genre-defying sitcom was on the air, Jerry's look wasn't exactly aspirational. Not just when he was wearing the infamous "puffy shirt," but all the time, because even his regular shirts were pretty puffy. He looked, at once, exceedingly unaware of how things should fit, and almost overwhelmingly normal. Ditto that for George's go-to chinos-and-button-ups vibe (we'll get to his more out-there looks later).



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Then something shifted. After the excesses of aughts (two words: bedazzled pockets), the almost-costumey traditionalism of the early 2010s, and the the hyper-futuristic athleisure looks that followed, "normal" was far from normal. The idea of getting back to oversized sweatshirts and not-too-tight washed jeans was downright refreshing. It's all part of the cyclical nature of fashion. What's old will return. And it'll be different, but not so different that we can't see Jerry and company's influence shining through from 1998.

Seinfeld's Style Wasn't Just About the '90s

If this simply came down to the return of the '90s trend, there wouldn't be much worth examining, seeing as you could presumably say the same thing about, say, Mad About You. But that's not the case. Because Seinfeld's style wasn't exclusively steeped in its own era. And for that, we've got Kramer to thank. The guy's a walking textbook on twisted mid-century aesthetics.

Camp-collar shirts? Check. High-waisted trousers? Check. Classic lace-ups, knitted polos, and short-bodied jackets? Check, check, and check. Kramer looks like he spends a lot of time combing thrift stores and lifting clothes from his friends' parents (which he did). Back when the show aired, that wasn't supposed to be cool—it was supposed to be weird.

L: A promo shot of actor Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer; R: A look from the Prada menswear spring 2018 collection. Getty Images

But now, we've got designers ranging from Prada and Gucci to Uniqlo and Saturdays NYC snagging pieces of the '50s and '60s style playbook. Camp-collar shirts—even with bold Hawaiian prints—are the warm-weather layer influential dressers can't live without. Pants have freaking pleats again, and we're not even mad about it.

Your grandfather's wardrobe is now part of the collective wardrobe in 2018. Kramer saw it coming in 1998. They didn't even have a word for influencers back then. But you know what they say about great artists in their time.

Ugly Is Beautiful Now

Remember how I said we'd get back to George's most notable outfits? From the infamous Gore-Tex coat to his fanny packs and plaid-and-parka combos, the guy had a knack for out-there proportions and off-kilter pairings, even if he didn't always like the results himself. And if we're talking about proportions, I'd be remiss to mention Elaine's wide-shouldered blazers.

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These looks were either played for laughs or written off as a bizzaro sartorial holdover (I can still remember my friends, male and female alike, being confused as hell by those powerful shoulder pads, especially from early-'90s reruns). But now they're emphasized, amplified, and embraced by a more forward-thinking set of men's fashion fans. How else can you explain the furor over actual goddamn fanny packs in Supreme's instant-sell-out collaboration with Louis Vuitton? Or the remarkably positive reaction to Balenciaga's over-the-top office-core looks, complete with boxy-shouldered suits and enormous puffer coats.

The big coat, as seen in Balenciaga's fall/winter 2017 collection. Getty Images

And while we're on the subject of Balenciaga, we have to talk about the shoes. The brand's Triple S silhouette is a gigantic, clunky piece of work that has achieved cult status for fashion fans. And you can't help but see a little bit of Jerry Seinfeld's dad-shoe obsession showing through in both the Triple S and the legions of other intentionally chunky sneakers that have flooded the market. They've got everything we made fun of about Jerry's favorite kicks, and people are lining up for them. Fighting over them. They're ugly—but we love it.

If you had asked me on May 14, 1998, what I loved most about Seinfeld's style, I would probably have sneered and said, "That it's about to be off the air soon." (I was a teenager. Sneering was a default.) If you'd told me, even ten years ago, that in the future I'd be talking with some degree of affection about the star's famously uncool shoes, I wouldn't have believed you. (Though I'd have been nicer about it by then.)

But here we are, in 2018, and Seinfeld Style™ is all our style. During its nine seasons on the air, the show's unofficial motto was "no hugging, no learning." And Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer may not have learned anything. But it seems like the guys who were watching them did. It almost makes me want to give them all a hug.

Jonathan Evans Jonathan Evans is the style director of Esquire, covering all things fashion, grooming, accessories, and, of course, sneakers.

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