The Contentedness thread - Page 10

I couldn't be arsed to take a worthy photo, but after my delivery today I thought it was time for a token post in this thread.

Holy. Shit.

Outstanding.

I have a couple of things I could contribute to this. Will wait for ability to take pics.

Missed this thread on vacation but A+. File this one under things that have exceeded expectations. This completely SF un-approved wool/cashmere Theory (gasp) coat was my first 'expensive' clothing purchase. I hadn't found sf yet and it didn't really fit the chambray/frye/bootcut look I had going on at the time but there was something about it that just felt so right. It was grown up, adult even, but with a subtle edge to it. Refined but not boring. Most importantly, I looked different than the droves of peacoat wearing biz-cas nyc'ers. It was totally out of my perceived price range but a friend in retail got me ~60% off which I still thought was expensive. I had probably 4 inches taken out of the body in my first ever trip to a tailor (stanton in l.e.s.) and it fit like a glove. Somehow it has stood the test of time, surviving through all my clothing phases up to this point. I've since honed in on a look I'm happy/comfortable with, thanks in part to a lot of inspiring posters here. At the time I had no grasp of the designers work this coat is obviously influenced by (or directly ripped off from). Now I see that in buying it, I was channeling all the things I would later come to love (rick, geller, og hl, raf, mmm, etc). I've since travelled with it, been complimented on it both digitally and in real life, and become so attached to it that I can't really imagine needing any other winter coat. I give you the Theory 'Belvin Apollo'. Available at your local B-dales for $695.



*subscribed. more to come possibly.*

^ I got a great pair of theory shorts on eBay for maybe 50 bucks not long ago: two-tone blue houndstooth linen-cotton blend, and Loro Piana couldn't have made them any better for my purposes (lightweight summer wear-and-tear). The hell with knee-jerk brand hatred.

Definitely the same here. Haven't really invested in shoes ever, even though I know I should pay a little extra to get something I know I will be happy with, and will last for a long time. Right now I'm really craving for a good pair of side-zips.


Within 10 years I want to be like Synth, within 30 I want to be like Parker.

My new goal in life is to contribute to this thread.

in an attempt to force myself to find contentedness, I'm think I'm going to avoid buying clothes for a few months. i've got enough decent clothing now that I don't "need" anything really, so forcing myself to find happiness in what I do own will be a good exercise I think.

there was a slightly hokey op-ed in last sunday's nytimes about happiness and its relation to spending/indulgence. spoiler alert! having more money and buying stuff for yourself doesn't make you happy. still, there were a couple good points and it made me think of this thread, esp. this line:

"Underindulging — temporarily giving up chocolate (replace with your latest clothing obsession), even when we have the cash to buy all we want — can renew our enjoyment of the things we love."

Dunno if this belongs here exactly, but helping someone else find the style they are comfortable and happy in is an underrated pleasure. Not being a pushy know-it-all or out-hipping them, but just helping them figure out what they like and where to get it. Is also a great way to interrogate your own style choices.

this is an awesome thread idea. will contribute in time :

I have one of my mother's old Banana Republic shirts from the early 1980's, and it's about as billowy as a sail. Every single seam has been reinfroced at least twice, and she also has drawn and embroidered all over the back of it. I'm always afraid to wear it outside in case it completely disintegrates, but I love it. It's got thirty years of softness going for it. Man, I have some really great old stuff lying around. I should wear more of it.

I do the exact same thing.

Cool. I had some old shirts that my Dad had tailored for him in the 70s (that eventually disintegrated) that were the best. Beautiful cotton that had been rubbed down until it was soft as silk. Hand-me-downs can be so amazing, and the history makes them much more satisfying than buying new things. I have to admit, what I like best about this site is the designer stuff that gets posted, because it's the most fun for looking at in pictures, but in reality random old stuff is so great, and if someone asks you where you got your shirt you get to say "it's an old shirt of my dad's" instead of "it's an obscure Belgian designer that I know about because I am an internet nerd with more money than taste who buys $200 used shirts from my internet friends."

(NB: I'm not trying to write a faux-populist anti-fashion post, just trying to point out the satisfaction of ordinary items, ideally mixed with more design-y stuff) (NB: am not sober)

Side note: Maybe what I like about fashion brands is how they are obviously, intentionally wasteful and silly and unreasonable - "this is a $300 polyester sweater because fuck you."

This shirt probably encapsulates everything that I have learned about myself on styleforum. I wish I had a fancy DSLR to make it look all porny but I don't. Ten years ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you why I liked this shirt, how it fit in with my style, how it was different from any other shirt or even what kind of fabric it was made of. This shirt is from our own sf member Kent Wang and was originally billed as a collaboration with member Get Smart from Thick as Thieves. Props to both of those guys for being one of the early DIY crowd on SF. The forum has moved in a different direction since then but here is this 4 year old shirt that I still wear. I marked through the label on this one to denote that it's got too many stains to wear to my office but it still gets thrown on once a week. I have newer ones too that are just as good to me. I actually drove over to Kent's apartment for this first one to try on a couple of sizes and so there's my first SF meetup thing going on as well.

Anyhow, here are some reasons I fucking love this shirt more than any normal person could understand....

This shirt fits me perfectly with no alterations, I've used it as the model for other made to measure shirts and even when I need to lose 5 pounds it still fits perfectly with high armholes and trim throughout but not tight anywhere. I identified with the Americana vibe when I got here initially because I'm a little older and perhaps I remember wearing raw denim before it was a thing, but this shirt exemplifies the stripped down, minimalist approach to American clothing that I've come to make my 'uniform'. It has no front placket, no pocket, no darts or pleats anywhere- it's totally clean and the button down collar is not too big nor to small. The length and shape of the bottom hem are also perfect for me. The fabric is royal oxford, which is lighter and softer than regular oxford fabric.When I throw this shirt on with some 4-5 year old denim I look and feel cool because my shit has little stains and rips and what have you that are real. Knowing these little things about this shirt, why it's different and why it works for me gives me enjoyment in wearing it. I hope everyone has something like this in their closet.

Almost two years ago, intoxicated by alcohol and my new pair of Tournaments, I bought a pair of Common Projects canvas Expedition boots. For the next two weeks - customs spent a good while admiring them, apparently - I wondered if I'd made the right decision. Opening the box and putting them on, the answer was an immediate yes. I loved the slight shine of the (waxed?) canvas, the layers of the stacked leather heel, the tarnished metal of the hooks and zipper, and the elegant carved curve of the sole right before the heel. (There's a bunch of little "dashes", a bunch of small scratches, between two layers of the sole, if anyone knows what those are, tell me!) Buying clothes online reminds me of the suspense and joy of being a kid at Christmas. Having seen pictures and done research online, or nagged your parents incessantly, you're reasonably certain of what you'll get. But not 100% certain, there's still the possibility of surprise or disappointment. The materials might look different in person, or feel weird, or the piece might not fit. These boots, like a perfect present, made me glow with delight for days. I'd wanted something like them for longer than I've had a serious interest in fashion and clothes. Five or six years ago, inspired by pictures of The Dillinger Escape Plan or somesuch, I scoured Victoria for the perfect pair of boots, but I was sorely disappointed by the clunkiness and size of Dr Martens, Red Wings, etc. These are what I was looking for: the last is sleek, the shaft is narrow, and they are easy to put on. (Revolve's pictures did a good job of hiding the zipper. Seeing it's pull tab peeking out at the top of one of the boots was the moment I decided to buy them.)



Since getting the boots, I've probably worn them more days than not. They're cool enough for all but Victoria's hottest summer days. (It's a temperate place.) WIth a wool insole, I can wear them all winter, unless it snows. With a Topied sole, they can hold off a decent amount of rain. They've trudged through muddy fields. They've jumped in puddles. Because I walk around a lot, I've never had a pair of shoes last through this much wear, and while they're in need of a new round of Topies, I see no signs that they'll need to be retired soon. I've grown quite attached to them. And the age, in my opinion, has made them look better, wiser; my girlfriend thought they'd come pres-distressed and was surprised to learn that they'd started off black and pristine. By comparison, the Tournaments I mentioned earlier are now haggard; their uppers are torn, their sole has been worn through, and their eyelets are rusty.



Canvas is not your regular boot material, but I love it. It gives a softer impression than leather. I remember rolling my eyes hearing a girl say to another "that dress is so you" in a clothing store, but I can't think of a better way to express it. Canvas is so me. It suits my personality. I was tempted by the leather version of the same boot, but now I think they would have been too strict, too authoritative, too military. Canvas is harder to clean, and the dirt makes it more relaxed. It's imperfect. And it means I can wear them through the spring and summer.



I'll end with two criticisms. First, while the speed hooks are more interesting to look at than another six eyelets would be, the laces tend to fall off of them, especially when I unzip the boots, forcing me to retie. I'm not a huge fan of tying shoelaces. And even though the hooks are pretty, they spend most of their time hidden under my jeans. Second, one of the zippers called it quits after six months. My cobbler replaced it with a less pretty one. It's not too bad because they're hardly visible on the inside of my foot - it took one of my friends a while to even notice they had zippers - but it was still disappointing. Despite these flaws, they're a pair of boots I thoroughly love. Someday I'll probably want to buy another pair of boots, and I hope I can find another pair I like as much. Or half as much, even.