The idea that there are seasons in fashion, like “The Looks for Spring '07” is almost universally antithetical to testosterone-addled brains. Skills, logic, competition, sex, problem solving, and utility are pretty much what men are about. Fashion only touches on one of these areas, and if a guy finds he’s hip enough to get dates or keep his wife from complaining, he’s likely to buy clothes pretty much when he can’t hide the holes any more. My dream pair of shoes is one that lasts ten years, which is why I have a pair of thick soled Dr. Martens.
The idea that things go out of style inside a year just almost makes me mad. What kind of capricious ripoff is that? In fact, I hate the idea that to look cool now, I have to resign myself to the idea that I’ll look dated or like a complete dork later. Look at even the hip people from ten years ago now. You still had that “skirt with boots” thing going, and I’d date someone with it, but in real life women would be horrified to be that “behind”. It all swings on such little things, too, like the fact that the Seattle grunge bands were poor and cold, so they bought thrift store flannel shirts, and that starts turning up in major designers’ shows.
While I don’t follow fashion, I also don’t get people who don’t give a shit about their appearance and allow themselves to look like crap. It’s one thing to buy thrifty or comfortible clothes. It’s quite another to put together mismatched or ill fitting outfits.
All I know is that every couple years my girlfriend at the time will tell me that all my pants are wrong and need to be switched between pleats and no pleats. I just figure hell, give it a couple years and they’ll be right again.
The purpose of clothes is to cover me and keep me warm. So long as they do that, I don’t care what they look like. Mismatched clothes don’t prevent them from serving their purpose. Ill fitting does, which is why I avoid wearing clothes that don’t fit.
I have a pair of button tab braces and have the buttons sewed into all my dress pants (tux, suit, etc.) I figure that as long as you’re wearing a jacket no one sees the braces and if you’re being casual enough to take off the jacket no one will care about the braces. They are more comfortable overall than a belt and I’ve found that my shirts stay tucked in better with braces.
I’ll walk into a trendy store and basically buy what’s on the mannequins. I suppose at first glance I appear to pay attention to fashion, but I think I’m just a poseur.
What I find truly fascinating is the number of fashion polls that pop up on what has to be one of the Top 10 fashionably ignorant message boards on the planet. Baaaaad sample.
I keep up with trends just enough so that I do not look like some guy who “doesn’t care” that he looks straight out of 1987. I shop in relatively fashionable stores, and go with what I like.
Actually, I guess I do follow fashion a little bit. I came up with a nice look for myself a while back. Black suit with a deep solid colored shirt and different solid colored tie. Looked great. Then a year or two later I heard something about the “Regis Filbin(sp?)” look. Bastard stole it and there is not way I am going to walk around looking like Regis Filbin.
Now I do capes. Black undershirt with unbuttoned longsleeve or shortsleeve button down shirt. A few weeks ago I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I am pretty much walking around in capes. I swear God if Regis starts wearing that he is going down.
My girlfriend is fashion-obsessed and, thus, I feel some need to keep up just so I don’t look like some poor schlub next to her. We’ve already thrown out some of the lamer “mom sweaters” in my collection.
That said, I’m still pretty simple. Aside from dress-up occasions, I’m always in either very basic khakis or jeans. Once or twice a year, I swing by a couple stores and pick up some shirts I think look nice. I also go to a lot of concerts, so I therefore have a lot of band t-shirts.
So I have my own fashion sense, know what I like, and all that. But am I reading GQ to find out what today’s modern male should be wearing? No. That’s what the girlfriend is for.
**MORTAL!
DOOM SHALL BEFALL YE!
As Penance,
Ye shall go shopping!
With Thy Girlfriend!
For shoes!
Her shoes!
AND YE MUST PRETEND TO BE INTERESTED!
[sub]And no, thou may not go look in the Sporting Goods Store.
Neither shall ye go into Radio Shack.[/sub]
So It Is Written, So Mote It Be! **
Usually, I’m a jeans and tshirts kinda guy. Upscale Nordstromy type jeans and TShirts/pullovers for work or going out and the old comfortable battered stuff for lounging around the house. I do have some nice dress shirts and slacks for special occasions and love really cool ties (even though I don’t wear them much).
Uh oh, I actually have two pair: one black and one brown. No piercings, but I have had a fair amount of tattooing done.*
