Your Sartorial Evolution. Photos encouraged.

It was fun pulling up these old photos though have to say, made me a bit sad seeing the old friends. The 2004 is one of my favourite pictures ever. I guess I used to be a bit scruffier and got cleaner over the ages. The SW&D might find some of them interesting . 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

I just realized one of the reasons I felt sad. Some of those clothes I wore so much they simply wore out. Thank you for fighting the good fight my departed comrades! RIP Max Bill watch, dad's old shirt, cheap Shanghai MTM, Paul Smith printed sneakers, Diesel jeans (that my girlfriend ended up patching with her old t-shirts)

Evolution occurs because it increases the survivability in a certain environment. Mr. Moo (and others), what event precipitated your change?

What amazes me the most about Mr. Moo's evolution is the speed at which it occurred. It would be interesting to know whether most sartorial evolution can be classified as punctuated equilibrium (quick) or phyletic gradualism (slow).

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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December 2008

Needless to say, this is a horrifying use of a mock turtleneck sweater. The outfit is terrible, and just 3 months ago I thought this was "the ****." Note the lack of pocket square (I didn't own one

).

Comments included, but were not limited to:

"- the proportions are all wrong? Maybe the angle of shot or if it is your build then you may want to not contrast so much"

"drizzt?"


Oh God, I have essentially the same outfit, with only the jacket being different.

What makes the outfit terrible?

Originally Posted by DrPat

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Evolution occurs because it increases the survivability in a certain environment. Mr. Moo (and others), what event precipitated your change?

What amazes me the most about Mr. Moo's evolution is the speed at which it occurred. It would be interesting to know whether most sartorial evolution can be classified as punctuated equilibrium (quick) or phyletic gradualism (slow).

Your reading is interesting though maybe evolution is the wrong word to use. After all, I can't say that any of the changes I made to my wardrobe made where due to "survivability". I would say clothing is both self-expression and a reflection of myself, though it's hard to say where one starts and one ends.

If you were to talk about timescales, it also depends on if you have a particular endpoint in mind since that sharpens your focus dramatically.

Are there any further definitions to punctuated equilibrium and phyletic gradualism?

Originally Posted by youngScholar

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Oh God, I have essentially the same outfit, with only the jacket being different.

What makes the outfit terrible?

The main problem is the outfit is unflattering. The colours are fine. Note: the bowing at the lapels, the fullness of the arms and chest, the length of the sleeves, the slightly disproportionate jeans (a tad too slim yet also too long).

Of course, the bad stance doesn't help. A different photo might change your opinion completely.

Originally Posted by yfyf

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Your reading is interesting though maybe evolution is the wrong word to use. After all, I can't say that any of the changes I made to my wardrobe made where due to "survivability". I would say clothing is both self-expression and a reflection of myself, though it's hard to say where one starts and one ends.

If you were to talk about timescales, it also depends on if you have a particular endpoint in mind since that sharpens your focus dramatically.

Are there any further definitions to punctuated equilibrium and phyletic gradualism?

Perhaps self-satisfaction can fall somewhere under survivability, but I was trying to link biological evolution with the goals of dressing appropriately for a job, looking cool in a bar with the intent to attract girls, etc. But as you state, it's a fuzzy line.

Bringing up timescales raises an interesting point. Do you stop evolving when you reach a style you are comfortable with, are you constantly making increasingly smaller changes, or do you reinvent your style every so often? And what role does the ever-evolving fashion industry play in the evolution of personal style? If anyone wants a dissertation topic, StyleForum alone will guarantee a readership level that will dwarf 99% of theses.

Punctuated equilibrium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium
Phyletic gradualism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyletic_gradualism

Originally Posted by DrPat

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Perhaps self-satisfaction can fall somewhere under survivability, but I was trying to link biological evolution with the goals of dressing appropriately for a job, looking cool in a bar with the intent to attract girls, etc. But as you state, it's a fuzzy line.

Bringing up timescales raises an interesting point. Do you stop evolving when you reach a style you are comfortable with, are you constantly making increasingly smaller changes, or do you reinvent your style every so often? And what role does the ever-evolving fashion industry play in the evolution of personal style? If anyone wants a dissertation topic, StyleForum alone will guarantee a readership level that will dwarf 99% of theses.

Punctuated equilibrium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium
Phyletic gradualism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyletic_gradualism

Neat theories, punctuated equilibrium clearly applies to a lot of things, nice to have a name for it.

For myself, no, I doubt I will ever reach a style I am comfortable with and I hope I never will either. The joy is in the process. Some people look inside their wardrobes, see the old things and wish them away but I am glad they are there, as markers of progress and mementos of occasions. Furthermore, to say I stopped is to say I stopped developing as a person, since much of my clothes are personal signals.

The role of the fashion industry is interesting. I believe for menswear, the trends are cyclical and originality is rare. In fact, I doubt that I could even say with confidence that something was original, I simply don't have the experience. Why? The cycles are long. On the boards, Voxsartoria, iammatt, Manton, perhaps a few others have been around long enough and have been studying it carefully enough that they would be able to make a better judgment. Going back to the role of the fashion industry ... in fifty years from now, perhaps when I've experienced a few cycles, will I say "I saw that same piece thirty odd years ago, I'll just wear my one from then"? I may have lost interest by then and simply not care enough to keep investing myself in this pursuit. So if this is the case, where even people who are more dogged in their interest than others will give up within 50 years, why bother making anything new? The next generation will never be able to fully appreciate a complete cycle anyway.

An interesting bit of research would be to see if there are identifiable cycles and if the cycles could be separated into major and minor cycles. For instance, we seem to flick between casual to tailored and back again and yet each swing seems to be shorter and smaller. Of course there are a billion other social, cultural and economic issues to go with this. Still, would make for an interesting chat over a lot of whiskey. Well, interesting for me anyways. The economist in me loves to abstract things.

Originally Posted by DrPat

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Evolution occurs because it increases the survivability in a certain environment. Mr. Moo (and others), what event precipitated your change?

What amazes me the most about Mr. Moo's evolution is the speed at which it occurred. It would be interesting to know whether most sartorial evolution can be classified as punctuated equilibrium (quick) or phyletic gradualism (slow).

DrPat, I'm not sure I did it for survivability per se, but rather because I became more aware of A) better clothing, B) where to buy said clothing, C) a want/need to dress better. C is obviously most difficult to explain and goes back to your original question, so I think the best answer is that I just wanted to dress better for myself, and didn't feel like continuing a constant revolving door of jeans/t-shirts and terrible shoes.

yfyf, that is quite a change, although it looks like there was always a bit of flair with your style.

Anyone else?

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Anyone else?

I think someone broke the thread earlier with catastrophic derailment.

thanks for the props guys.

Yf and myself made an admirable attempt to re-rail this thread.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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They moved two years ago to automated paper ticketing.

Do you have an inny? If so, you could keep it in your belly button.

I share one attribute with my sister Karolina, so that doesn't work so well. However, I think I have an idea...stay tuned this coming Thursday...

Haha Mr. Moo totally directed me (and others) to this thread from the I hate this place thread.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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This is my own personal favorite look of all time for me. I think the colors are flattering, the arrangement is pretty nice, and everything seems to (to my eye) work together. Please feel welcome to post your own Sartorial Evolution.

Exquisite. I can definitely see the step by step progression. I'll post mine in a bit (and it is still alive and the growth is not nearly complete, nor nearly as complete as Mr. Moo or Skinny. Nevertheless, I hope I'm making progress.

Originally Posted by Tarmac

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that last jacket is just really superb
Agreed. VERY hard to make a peak lapeled SB jacket work. That one's splendid from the style, the roll, the texture and the fit. Amazing all around.

Originally Posted by Kas

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Well, this is my transformation. I never quite learnt how to smile, but this is me.
Fantastic stuff. I concur with the removal of the piercing. I know it's a personal choice, but I found that getting my ears pierced a couple of years ago was not necessarily the best choice for me. My look was definitely cleaner without them. Altogether, you can see your graduation, and I applaud you.

Originally Posted by CasinoRoyale

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Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this thread in a few months to post some type of transformation, but mine is nowhere near complete(just starting actually) so I wouldn't dare post anything right now.
Hm. This speaks to me a lot. I'm not nearly done, but given I've been here for a few months, I hope I'm partway there. Also, I'm frequently completely disregarding of what others think of me, so I'll risk it .

Originally Posted by youngscientist

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Some time during a break in my second year:
Hah! I love that you blotted out the dog's eyes. He looks beautiful. Golden retreiver or lab?

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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This photograph almost made me cry...there is something about it that makes you look like a young grimslade. - B
Hm - this was referenced about me as well by Matt. Again, that might have been the bed, but I'm not sure I get the reference completely.

Originally Posted by youngscientist

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I heard the trick is down to the way they hold the knife, if he comes at you held point down you should be ok, if they hold it point out like a fencer you better have something up your sleeve.
12 Angry Men, anyone?

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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Splendid. In every way. Like someone else said, this is a clear example of finding your look, with that haircut and overall fit and colors.

Spring 2007 Notice the bottom button is done. Spring 2008 At least I'm wearing a Brioni tie... but that's a desecration considering the rest of the outfit. Oct / Nov 2008 Blegh. Nov 2008 A bit better in terms of fit, but hopeless on color coordination. Late Dec/Early Jan 2008 Jan 2009 Hit my stride a bit, albeit with some flaws. Epic fail / misstep: Late Jan/early Feb 2009 Feb 2009 My favorite: March 2009 See, here's an example of my problem. Even though I have a much better idea of what works, I try too hard, put too many things together, when one or two things taken out might actually make it work. I think if I'd taken the tie out in the following picture, it would have been better. Alternatively, I should have tossed out the sweater and tie, and gone with another darker PS. The previous picture is an example of fewer articles that worked decently well. Well, gentlemen, those are the first major steps of my journey. Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up now (j/k). Apart from my trying too hard, I think I've initiated some important changes, considering my limited budget - I pay for all my clothes using my part-time time job at college, and I've changed all that with about $2000. A year or two from now when I start working, I should be able to do much better. This also explains the same sportcoat being used in 4 pictures. While I have four suits, I need to augment my odd jacket collection - still stands at 3, and that one is the only decent one among them.