are you merely interested in clothing,or is it something of great importance to you?

How important to you is the way you dress? Is it a priority to look perfect, or are you fine being well dressed? Do you dress the way you do as an expression of your interests and personality or out a necessity to be dressed? Do you find yourself establishing a budget for clothing expenditures or is it something you don't feel the need to limit? Is clothing something that fits into your lifestyle, or is larger than that. What percentage of your resources (time,money,et cetera) are consumed by your need/interest in your personal appearance?


I don't have a written established budget, but I would sayonly a small portion of my finances go towards clothing. It is an interest, but not anything I am invested enough into at this point to call a hobby. Financially I spend 2-6 percent of my monthly income on clothing/shoes/accesories . I usually have so little to spend, I find it difficult to save up larger purchases because I have numerous other interests vying for my time and attention/resources. I have found that often times 'window shopping' and surfing various blogs/forums fulfills my need for things clothing related. I spend far more time consuming information than actual product. I would say 7-12 percent of my resources are invested in my interest in clothing.

what about you guys?

btw, I am not in school, or doing research for anything other than my curiosity.

robbie

Want to pursue career in it, so yes, very serious to me. I spend about half or more of my me time doing fashion related things (usually reading books about fashion or looking at runway stuff). I don't look much the part right now, but when I can afford the (and this is to answer the other question) luxury of clothes whilst saving a little bit of money, without going into debt or lowering my normal lifestyle (lets say 10% of my income), I will look the way I want to . I'd say 30% of my life is fashion. Fashion to me is a very honest means of expression that works on many levels and is strongly intertwined with subcultures, the creativity is what I love about it.

Originally Posted by robbie

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It is an interest, but not anything I am invested enough into at this point to call a hobby.... I usually have so little to spend

It's amazing how 'interests', 'tastes', 'hobbies', and 'desires' change so easily when you've got good cash coming in. Makes you wonder whether they were there all along or came with the cash. The least we can say is forget about how much cash anyone spends, how much mental time do you spend?

The least we can say is forget about how much cash anyone spends, how much mental time do you spend?

yes, the cash is relative I would say... obviously those with more spend a greater percentage, the dollar ammount is not really the focus, just percentages and really a definition of your interest/s and involvement with regards to clothing and your appearance.

I want clothing to be a larger part of my life than it is now but it's really hard when most of the common stores don't sell anything that fits, there are only 3 stores in your town (American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and some place that sells Diesel and 7FAM,) you don't live in the US (internet shopping is tough, prices are higher,) and you're a university student. I basically buy BSonxUO and CorpusxUO from the UO sales racks and American Apparel stuff. When I'm at my parents house the only two stores that are really worthwhile are JCrew and, I guess, Ralph Lauren. Because RRL sometimes pops up there at like 75% off, and their kids polos fit me. JCrew is always too big for me, but I have to wear something, the prices are cheap, and it's better than my old clothes.

I'm always pissed off about clothing really. I really want to get myself a solid wardrobe, and it'll probably get worlds better over the summer when I'm actually in a city, but right now? Clothing just depresses me. When I'm actually dressed how I want to be dressed though, I feel so wonderful.

I just enjoy the challenge of dress, color matching, texture maching etc..

I really could care less about most fashion shows, and high fashion. I really enjoy researching, seeing other's personal styles, seeing my own style evolve and grow. I spend a lot of time looking at clothes/reading/buying things/deal shopping. Probably spend around 5% of my income on clothing, which is not too much, some months its a bit more than others. It is really the endless quest to have a more complete wardrobe. As of right now I feel I am pretty set on streetwear and I have been trying to get my formalwear up, more suits, sportscoats, a tux if I can find one at a good price. I enjoy being presentable, I feel better when I am presentable as well. I do not like looking like a slob in any circumstance, it speaks about your character and priorities in the way you personally express your style. I can say i've always been very picking about what I am wearing my entire life, even when I was wearing cheap clothes from pacsun during middle school, had to always have things look certain ways. I invest lots of time throughout the day reading about clothing. Clothing was never a big hobby of mine until maybe the past 1-1.5 years, now it is one of my biggest hobbiest, and the one that costs the most! Regardless I invest more intellectual time than financial %.

I view trying to dress well and being stylish in general as a sort of hobby. I don't think (at least in high school where dress code is minimal) there is any real necessity for wearing any clothing that "does its job." Instead, trying to dress a certain way is something that I do for fun. I enjoy buying clothing, wearing clothing, and having a style that I think is visually appealing and represents my personality well. I think it is a really good hobby because not only are you enjoying the adventure of developing your style and meeting a basic human requirement (dressing), but you can also connect with, or at least leave an impact on, other people who like your style or like the way you look. Sometimes you're style can even crossover into fitting a dressing mold (interviews, private schools, party) where a certain look is required out of respect, and in that case you are very fortunate.

I might differ with other people here who collect clothing or purchase things that they think are cool (and there's nothing wrong with that, just another form of a hobby), but I try to focus on the look more than what brand of clothing I am wearing (however, being practical makes quality come into play, also). I don't think it's superficial (maybe a little) because 80-90% of my choices depend on personal opinions of what I like. Like I said, it is just something that appeals to me, and I'm not sure of the reasons why anymore than why I put posters up on my wall.

As for budget, like any other hobby I do try to limit myself. I obviously spend as much as I need to on basics and necessary clothing, but anything more than that I know really isn't all that important and shouldn't consume needed money. That being said, if I have any extra money kicking around I love spending it on clothes just as much as buying a new video game or some sports gear or other hobby-items.

Having come from a scene where there was a rigid dogma of having "the right clothes", I guess my interest in gear has been more than casual for well over 20 years. I still prescribe to the tribal codes but unlike many of my peers I venture outside of it, albeit within the aesthetic guidelines that my forefathers laid down before me.

For me, I dont put any "intellectual currency/time" into clothes, just cold hard cash

I would say my #1 hobby is denim. My #2 hobby is shoes. My #3 hobby is clothing in general (fashion and personal style fall into this as well). While I have an unhealthy obsession with all 3, that is the order to which they are most important to me. Realistically, I probably spend the most money on shoes though (I have around 20 pairs of shoes that I wear regularly ). I spend more free time looking at clothing/shoes/denim related stuff than any of my other hobbies.

So in general, I would say clothing has "great importance" to me.

I was extremely interested for a time. Now, the hope is that I can wear pretty much the same thing in the same style, having invested quite a bit in time and money in that (relative to my income), and move on to other things in life.

Of course, brands get better and worse, so I will always have to do some research into what is good at the moment. I think that is why the concept, at least, if not the reality, of Brooks Brothers and to a lesser extent J. Crew and Ralph Lauren are very strong - they represent something you can turn to to buy anything and get something at least passably decent.

My entire self-worth is wrapped up in the praise I receive for my clothing from internet men. Unfortunately, since I don't post fit pics, I am a miserable, self-loathing neurotic.

I dress to express myself wearing uniform all your life really brings you down

if I am unhappy with how my clothes look I end up staying inside all day, changing outfits, crying and eating ice cream

it's really putting a damper on my class attendance this semester

as nice as it is to discuss more than the basics of clothing, people attach far too much meaning to what they were. at the end of the day we wear what we wear because it's aesthetically pleasing, not because it's some expression of a modernist philosophy mixed with a tinge of angst

It's just a simple interest. I def wouldn't make a career that revolves around clothing. I don't even pay attention to fashion and trends.