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Honest Question about Nice Clothes

post #1 of 25
1/23/11 at 5:28pm
Thread Starter 
So I'm new here and relatively new to caring about the way I dress to the point of paying premiums for better clothes. A little over a year ago, I started shopping at Barneys and knowing about companies like Rag and Bone and Common Projects.

So, now I'm a full-blown fashion-addict GQ subscriber Gilt shopper and general trendster (flame me for my language if you must). I'm wondering about keeping new clothes looking nice and how OCD one can get.

Take those lovely Common Projects Achilles low tops in white. How can you ever expect to keep them looking like that? And how can you ever go to a party where people are drinking wine without worrying about someone spilling or stepping on your toe?

Luckily, I kind of like distressed stuff like Levi's Vintage Clothing, so there I'm covered. But for things like my APC New Standard jeans or Shoto boots, I really find myself worrying in an annoying kind of way about my clothes.

Bottom line: I want to own my clothes; I don't want my clothes to own me. Any thoughts sartorial gurus?
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post #2 of 25
1/23/11 at 5:35pm
clothes tell stories wear the shit out of them im in college and my acne cash jeans and cps get dirty from cigarette ashes, spilled alchool, pussy juices, crashing on floors and occasionally vomit every weekend
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post #3 of 25
1/23/11 at 5:41pm
By 365 pairs of CPS and APCs. New pair each day. True baller status.
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post #4 of 25
1/23/11 at 5:45pm
Keeping CP Achilles lows looking white: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Keeping APC NS looking new: No way to besides not wearing them, and no point, they look better worn in, that's the point of raw denim, if you want raw jeans to stay looking dark and unfaded buy Acnes.

Shoto boots: I have never seen a pair I liked but all those I have seen have been pretty vintage inspired. In other words meant to be worn and look worn and look kind of inauthentic when new. They're boots, beat them up.

If you can't afford to wear your clothes then why are you buying them. I mean we're not talking about sheer lanvin silk shirts or whatever here, the stuff you're going for is meant to be lived in and as said above, tell a story.
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post #5 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:13pm
There's no way you can keep all white sneakers looking brand new. Hell, there's no way you can keep white midsole on any sneakers looking brand new. You can do your best to keep them clean, but that's about it.

GQ gets old after a couple of months. It's the same thing every month...the what's hot at the moment star or athlete in suits or office-wear.
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post #6 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SwiftLearner View Post
Take those lovely Common Projects Achilles low tops in white. How can you ever expect to keep them looking like that? And how can you ever go to a party where people are drinking wine without worrying about someone spilling or stepping on your toe?

...

Bottom line: I want to own my clothes; I don't want my clothes to own me. Any thoughts sartorial gurus?

Don't bother even trying, is my advice. Nothing less cool than a guy who cares too much about keeping their clothes pristine. Someone spills coffee or wine on your shoes? No problem. Your Margiela leather jacket gets hit by booze, fries, and salad dressing? Meh. It just makes it more personal. Everything I own, I treat as wash and wear, doesn't matter if it is a $30 Alternative Apparel piece or a Jil Sander cashmere cardigan. The only exceptions are tailored clothes, which I send to a really good cleaners. And I do that because they have been able to get pretty much everything out of anything.
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post #7 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:13pm
I wear my white common projects in the rain and snow and whatnot, they're built to take the abuse. I feel like you shouldn't worry about it.
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post #8 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:20pm
there are two types of clothes:

1 - those that look worse with wear

2 - those that look better with wear

aside from tuxedos and possibly some bright white dress shirts, life is better if you tend to buy stuff from the latter category. Sneakers (or any shoes for that matter) which look best new are bad purchases IMO.
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post #9 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:21pm
you can sand the soles of (white) sneakers, has worked out for me quite okay.
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post #10 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:28pm
Consciously thinking about your clothes getting dirty at this level is just going to take any enjoyment you're going to have wearing them right out. Nothing wrong with keeping your stuff in nice condition, but it's inevitable that your sneakers are going to get some dirt on them. Besides, there's something that makes me distrustful of someone wearing a pair of pristine pair of white kicks.
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post #11 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:42pm
I generally avoid white shoes because i think they would get ruined in no time, and i feel they only look their best when in mint condition.

Quote:
It just makes it more personal. Everything I own, I treat as wash and wear, doesn't matter if it is a $30 Alternative Apparel piece or a Jil Sander cashmere cardigan.

surely though cashmere cant withstand the abuse of a cotton t shirt. Every knit i own says hand wash only. Do my absolute best not to get them dirty, or go out in the rain wearing them
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post #12 of 25
1/23/11 at 6:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stinger70 View Post
surely though cashmere cant withstand the abuse of a cotton t shirt. Every knit i own says hand wash only. Do my absolute best not to get them dirty, or go out in the rain wearing them

You are right, but I wash them on the wool cycle anyway, and just stretch to dry. Seriously, life is better this way. You feel completely at ease with your clothes, and it shows.
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post #13 of 25
1/23/11 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LA Guy View Post
Don't bother even trying, is my advice. Nothing less cool than a guy who cares too much about keeping their clothes pristine. Someone spills coffee or wine on your shoes? No problem. Your Margiela leather jacket gets hit by booze, fries, and salad dressing? Meh. It just makes it more personal. Everything I own, I treat as wash and wear, doesn't matter if it is a $30 Alternative Apparel piece or a Jil Sander cashmere cardigan. The only exceptions are tailored clothes, which I send to a really good cleaners. And I do that because they have been able to get pretty much everything out of anything.

You ain't got no cashmere jil cardigan dawg.

Quote:
Originally Posted by snake View Post
Consciously thinking about your clothes getting dirty at this level is just going to take any enjoyment you're going to have wearing them right out. Nothing wrong with keeping your stuff in nice condition, but it's inevitable that your sneakers are going to get some dirt on them. Besides, there's something that makes me distrustful of someone wearing a pair of pristine pair of white kicks.

Exactly. Enjoy life and wear nice shit while doing it.
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post #14 of 25
1/23/11 at 8:49pm
Just relax and have fun with it man. It sounds like you are taking it all too seriously and I would be worried if you stop doing the things you once found fun for fear of a stain, scuff or mark on a piece of clothing.
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post #15 of 25
1/23/11 at 8:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LA Guy View Post
Don't bother even trying, is my advice. Nothing less cool than a guy who cares too much about keeping their clothes pristine. Someone spills coffee or wine on your shoes? No problem. Your Margiela leather jacket gets hit by booze, fries, and salad dressing? Meh. It just makes it more personal. Everything I own, I treat as wash and wear, doesn't matter if it is a $30 Alternative Apparel piece or a Jil Sander cashmere cardigan. The only exceptions are tailored clothes, which I send to a really good cleaners. And I do that because they have been able to get pretty much everything out of anything.

The only real advice is get a big enough rotation of clothes, I'm not even joking
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