Thursday, July 29, 2010

Timeless as we think we are?

On occasion, I like to rant about the going ons of this blogosphere. This post is probably going to end up being a compilation, so if you don't wanna' hear it, stop reading now. Shall we start?

Americana-wear is digressing from buying fewer clothes, with greater quality, to just straight up buying more clothes. There are a number of reasons for this, but before I get into this, read this article. It's a philosophy that I think we all need reminded of every now and then.

First, I think it's fair to say the Americana-wear has encroached on the streetwear portion of the market. Some guys who used to buy tongue-in-cheek t-shirts and the latest Nike SBs are now buying Alden's and Brooks Brothers. Now, guys like SartInc and SWT try to showcase all the options for all sorts of budgets and for all sorts of styles. They do not promote fads or what they believe is cool 'right now', though others say differently. They intend their sites to be a sampler, so you, the reader, can sort through the stuff you don't want, and pick out the styles and looks you like. Now, I get the feeling that people are misinterpreting what the site's intention is. With the streetwear guys getting into the trend, people view new classic style collections like streetwear collections. Newest patterns, cleanest kicks, and the slimmest fit are a priority, and people want to 'cop' these things in multitudes with the intention of being able to wear them for the rest of their lives, because they assume they'll be wearing the same styles and fits for the next half-century.

Alright, to the next point. On Unabashedly Prep, someone left a comment where he says, "I understand that old-school preps didn’t care much for fit, but we know better today." Okay, first of all, how the hell would we know that we know better? We don't. We know the current style is fitted and slim. I have no clue what I'll be wearing when I'm 50 years old and neither do you (unless you're already there, or close to being there). Hopefully, I'll be stuntin' selvedge and a BB button-down, but I'm not going to hold my breath. We shouldn't assume that we'll be wearing this stuff years down the road, so there's no reason to spend mad dough on lots of clothes.

Now here comes the advice, shop with the mind to only buy a few things at a time, and only shop a few times a year. This will reduce the amount of money you spend, and will ensure that the clothes you buy are things you really want and know you will wear often. With fewer clothes in your drawer, you will wear those clothes more often, getting more wears out of them; and if you decide that Americana slim fit isn't your cup of tea 5 years down the road, no big deal, because you already have put a lot of wear in your wardrobe. You've been a more economically sustainable person (sorry American retailers, if anyone actually reads this, you can lynch me).

Also, the line, "There's nothing wrong with being the best dressed person in a room" is a little off. If everyone is chilling at the bar in t-shirts and jeans and you're there with a khaki suit, spread collar, and an ascot you don't look like the best dressed person in the room: you look like the biggest douche peacocking about your friends. Most women will steer away from you like you steer away from the girl who poops her pants when she's drunk, especially if you're wearing an ascot. Unless you're in Greenwich, ascots are for imaginary people. Classy is about understanding what the situation calls for, not being the best dressed all the time.

This all being said, I think I can conclude by saying that learning about your style is on going. We don't know everything about ourselves all at once so we shouldn't buy our clothes all at once. Buy deliberately and try to not shop like an 8th grade girl. Build a wardrobe as you grow older and you'll discover what works for you slowly and make less sartorial mistakes a long the way. I mean, if we're building a wardrobe to wear the rest of our lives, don't we have the rest of our lives to build it?

Sidenote: I really hate the low-rise jeans and skinny tie look. The tie is ridiculously long and makes your torso look longer than it should. A couple solutions, get a higher rise, or get a sweater that breaks up the tie's length. I was going to post a picture, but I could only find pictures of bloggers who aren't assholes. No reason to point fingers so you'll have to go media-less this post.

21 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong with sporting an ascot on the right occassion...why is it any different than a tie hanging down ones front? Now, it is not right with a suit...but with a tweed sportcoat at coktail party at a friends estate...it rocks.

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  2. Ascots never quite made the jump from the early 20th century to our current garb. Some people wear them fine, and too say that "only imaginary people wear them" may be rash. You sir, are older and more distinguished, and probably are allowed more leeway in such garb. Someone in their twenties rocking an ascot? It looks uncomfortable and contrived.

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  3. I really appreciate the critical eye you have towards the blogosphere. Keep up the good work!

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  4. Great shit man. And spot on.

    "There's nothing wrong with being the best dressed person in a room" only applies to the top 5% most handsome men in the world. For most guys it is complete and utter bullshit.

    "Buy deliberately and try to not shop like an 8th grade girl" - Infuckingcredible.

    GTBT- Your favorite blogger's favorite blog.

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  5. One wonders why the ascot did not make the jump? Did it at some point "jump the shark" for some reason? It is perhaps more utilitarian than a necktie...for ease,comfort and warmth.
    You are probably right that a mid 20's guy wearing one generally would look like a halloween Thurston Howell III.
    Keep up the good work.

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  6. Well done.

    However I think SartInc (I can't speak to SWT) has become a bit of a sell out. Most of the stuff isn't classic or timeless its absolutely a trend and bordering on the fad line. Too tight/slim, to many doo dads, not professional enough.

    The key part of American/Trad/Classic clothes is the versatility from work to play. Bought in great condition, basics like chinos, 3/2 roll suits, oxfords, blazers shetland sweaters etc, can be worn to the office, but as they wear down, fray etc, they are moved from work to casual wear.

    That is the point that is missed in having the well edited/small wardrobe you talk about is the ability to have the clothes transition. Most of what we see wouldn't be appropriate for an office outside of NYC and even there some of it woudl be questionable.

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  7. Let me add one more thing - I appreciate Sart Inc for what it is, but let's not call it something it's not.

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  8. So I guess this begs the question: where do we go when classic style becomes just another trend?

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  9. @ Anon

    Good points, and I will agree that LAS can really miss the ball sometimes, but I called SartInc 'a sampler'. He takes everything that he can appreciate, not necessarily wear, and puts it out the pics and thoughts. Some of it blows and he might even agree. The point is that he lays out as many options as possible. Heck, he has to cater to the people who don't believe in a well trimmed wardrobe too, not to mention update daily (yes, I know he could update less, but then some dumbass who takes themselves seriously would take his place). And a sellout? He doesn't get paid to blog.

    @TC

    Good point. Classic style is already a trend. When it goes out of style? Well, then we'll be out of style. I don't see anything wrong with that. New wave kids, 90s rap kids, and hippies are still cool in their own way, right?

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  10. RE Americana's popularity...Good, but BB still has miles to go to break into younger generation's wardrobes, imo.

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  11. Whatever we may think of LAS (I happen to really like it) - one thing is clear: the guy who does it is one of the few non-dicks out in the blogosphere. Humble, down to earth, reasonable, and not contrived. Michael Williams, for example, is full of himself and is kitschy like nobody's business. And instead of posting about things people can afford, he tries to sell coal bags that he bought for $30 and sell them for $130 (not a joke, real prices) - worse still, he hawks all this stuff at a "faux flea market" he organizes. All show, no substance. SartInc, on the other hand, still has his feet on the ground and posts about things that aren't faddish at all.

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  12. @ Anon 8:34

    Word up on the SartInc comments. I think people have blown the story about MW's ego out of proportion. Sure he'll delete absurd comments but he'll let a fair share of debate happen on his posts. I've seen the bags, but c'mon, people are buying them. JCrew even stocks them. So some one has the desire and cash to buy these bags. If he can capitalize on that, then good for him.

    Also, a lot of people get turned onto the Americana trend via ACL. So isn't MW kind of responsible for why a lot of people like what they like? Tastemaker? I think so.

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  13. ACL started people's interest in Americana?

    Wow, that's news to me.

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  14. MW was one of the first people to put together a professional blog (see not google's blogger) that was heavily traffic'd for it's Americana content. Check yer' facts.

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  15. I think that your comments on being the best dressed person in the room are a bit askew. I highly doubt whoever made those comments meant that you should always outdress everyone by wearing items entirely inappropriate for the occasion. If you're at the bar with a bunch of guys rocking jeans and t's, there isn't a damn thing wrong with rocking slim selvedge and a crispy t.

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  16. Also, I've got mad respect for LAS because he is posting relatively good shit every single day. His tumblr is always interesting, and his posts on Sart.Inc. are at the very least intriguing. Some of the stuff may fall into the trendy category, but in general its consistently good shit.

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  17. As for the comment on UP, it was wrong of whoever to say that "we know better" however, anyone who is being posted on a well known style site is clearly focused on fit. The point was most likely that regardless of what the "in style" thing may have been, the example clearly couldn't have been it. proper tailoring has and will always be in.

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  18. Word. I agree that proper tailoring will always be in... but the person was referring to the break in the pants. Depending on the decade, the break (none, half, or full) will change. Thing is, people are too closed minded about what they believe classic style is. The guy in UP was stylin' except for what was a half break in his pants. For a lot of people, this was a turn off and they ragged on FEC for posting it.

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  19. Totally disagree that the dude was stylin on UP. There were a series of images that were widely regarded as pretty average in the style department. It was a very half-assed attempt at looking good. No one goes into their closet before a wedding and picks out those items without thinking about it a little bit. The fit of all of his items was off. The dude was clearly an average to well built guy, and his clothes made him look like he was 40.

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  20. I've read the comments and looked at your site a bit, seems like you're just trying to rag on some dude.

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  21. You're allowed your opinion, but I'm not out there looking to rag on some dude (though you can totally still think so). These are examples of reoccurring themes across the "blogosphere". However, several people left comments across the blogosphere that I could use as examples. And that dude that was at the wedding? "His clothes made him look like he was 40"? Seriously yo', get realistic. Impeccably tailored clothes for everyone is like some socialist fantasy. The dude dressed better than 70-80 percent of the dudes I know. He was stylin'. And, the dude had gray hair. I think he might have been 40.

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