The Contentedness thread - Page 11

 

Good job. This is so good, almost too good.

One of my most content moments as of yet was manually rewaxing my Barbour International last Thanksgiving. Here's a photo right after we'd finished:



I'd bought it new off the forum and had worn the crap out of it for almost two years. Jacket went with me over two continents, and something like 8 countries. Areas around the elbows, on the back, etc had almost been worn down to just the base layer of cotton by the time I wised up and began to want to properly "care" for it. So I bought a tin of Barbour wax off of Orvis and took the jacket to my parents' house over Thanksgiving break. One morning while the bunch were out doing shopping or something, my mom and I took 2.5 hours to lay this guy out on the table and just recoat the thing - boiling down the wax, brushing and spreading it across the surface. We were able to chat and catch up a bit, more difficult attending school out of state - she really enjoys DIY type things, and so she thought it was fascinating that I was investing time like this in a garment. She made cider while we watched it dry. It was a great, great memory - I can still remember how crisp and bright the air looked outside through the kitchen window.

I wear this guy every opportunity I can when the temperature drops below 60 or so. Intend on having him for many years and is one of the few pieces in my wardrobe that have achieved "unsellable" status. Just no way to part with this one.

Favorite yet pair of jeans is a nice, comfy pair of Pure Blue Japans.



These are about 1.5 years old now, but this photo is from earlier in their life. These guys have been through a lot since I purchased them - originally in a backlashy move against the trend of skinny jeans I picked up the fullest cut on BiG. I remember wearing them w/in the first two weeks, wanting to keep them pristine and the distinct thought of avoiding problems was running through my head as my infant daughter spit up all over me. Well, there that went. But washed them and no big deal. I remember wearing them while standing on a beach in Montevideo watching a winter squall come in off the South Atlantic and just being mesmerized by the forces of nature. Took the LSAT in these guys. They've gotten past the hairy stage and are as soft as anything I've ever felt. Definite win.

These shortwings are a newer addition to my wardrobe - those who frequent the Alden thread will have heard this story



Bought them last december off of Ebay for a great deal. When I got them, they were almost caked with black polish and residue. They'd been well worn, maybe a little abused. But as my first pair of Aldens I was intent on getting wear and some fantastic looks out of them, having been sucked into the Alden thread and starry-eyed over some of the beautiful shell in there. Starting from zero-knowledge, sought out products, methods, etc. of cleaning them up and restoring them to former glory. I'd brush these things for almost 20 minutes at a time early on. Picked up renovateur and saphir wax paste initially, but then consulted with Mac about how to just clean them up naturally without having to strip them, using something like Renomat. May Saturdays of F/W semester involved late nights after work and water, rubbing, brushing, buffing over and over in almost a mindless sort of routine, usually with some football game streaming over my computer from La Liga or Serie A. They've been getting better and better as I've worn them fairly regularly and continued cleaned them up, and now some of the original #8 color is starting to shine back through. Love them - pair them with almost anything I own. There's a distinct tinge of pleasure as I lace them up knowing how much effort and time I've put into them to bring them back. I've since learned that Alden doesn't currently produce a six-eyelet shortwing balmoral, and so these must be even older than I'd initially imagined. Nice bit of character there that I never even would have noticed but for the forum's help.

I think that's really the key - not just time, but maybe even making a concerted effort on caring for something. All of these pieces that I love I've invested time in maintaining, time that other articles of clothing don't get. Building that emotional attachment, being able to look back and chart where you've been with a given item (ala that denim post from Synthese) is what really makes an article a part of who you are, engrained in your personal history. Love it.

Thanks for this thread, Hendrix. Great stuff here.

First of all, great post.

And as you suspect, I don't want to be an imitation. They are just examples of style/class/swag/whatever I admire.

I'm really just trying to find my own style, but it takes time and commitment (as I'm cheap and rarely feel good about spending a lot on a single item, and instead buy bunch of shit on sale). My everyday style is skinny jeans and a tee or a plaid shirt, or denim shirt, etc. Pretty much different streetwear basics, jeans, shirts, chinos, cardigans. With Finland's 4 seasons it adds to me not having a consistent look going on (not a bad thing).

I haven't really got sneakers, although I want to get a pair, probably starting from Chucks or the like. My shoes right now are brown leather chukkas and blue suede bucks. One of the biggest things I admire in Synths fits are his beautiful boots. Definitely want something sleek like his MMMs.

I've come to appreciate many different aesthetics. But I'm yet to figure out what would best suit me / my body type. My interest in clothing has probably been influenced by my interest in music, somehow.

I sort of do a bit of different styles - basic SW (I've got an ugly ass faux leather that I need to upgrade, dark skinny jeans and brown chukkas), basic summer uniform (jeans/chinos/shorts + tee), preppier shit (I've got red chinos which I've worn a couple times w a blazer and a shirt when there's been a smart casual dress code). I often wear a black fedora. I guess you could call me a hipster if you wanted to. I know many do - kind of easy to make that assumption when you wear big plastic glasses and a hat. But I've always liked hats.

Anyways, I'd like to get some good staples to pull off the jeans+boots+tee+blazer look. That's probably the biggest inspiration for me right now. Other than that I don't really have an idea of a look. Just some certain pieces of clothing I'd like to have (well-fitting jeans, chinos, cool leather, scarves, etc). But my sense of style has definitely developed since signing up here, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. I'm still young, I'm in no hurry.

Nice post!  I also rewaxed a Barbour not long ago, its certainly a satisfying experience.  Mines a hand-me-down (not even sure who in my family it originally belonged to) must be 15-20 years old and I don't think it had ever been rewaxed before. I was somewhat concerned that the fresh wax might soak right through it to the lining and ruin the jacket, and doing it in a chilly unheated kitchen (making the wax harder to manipulate on the surface) was not wise.   But it survived the experience and looks pretty good now, it certainly has 'patina'.  While it doesn't really fit in with where I want to head style-wise it will always live in my closet and come out for heavy rain (which is pretty often in the UK).

I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of jealous of some of your guys' stories and histories with your stuff.

The only thing I can think of that I've always been very content about is my old APC new standards. They were my first nice jeans, and the only pair I've had that has fit perfect (imo). I went through pretty much every Levi's cut before I decided I needed to spend more than $40 on jeans. I really love the New Standard cut, I think it works really well for me. My calves must be a bit big for the size of the rest of me, because I can never get skinny cut jeans over them, and most slim jeans need to be sized up 2 just to avoid the skin-tight calf look. New Standards, however, fit great; very close in the thigh and calf without feeling or looking too tight. I bought them lightly used from someone on here 3 years ago. If I remember correctly, I made my account here just so I could PM the guy selling them. I had fucked up the sizing on the pair I'd ordered from context (bought a size 30 and wore them for a week before deciding I needed to sell them and go smaller).

They were my only jeans until just recently, worn daily for a year and a half, maybe two years back in university, and then relegated to weekend wear when I got a real job and had to start wearing suits every day. They've been soaked maybe 3 or 4 times (when they started to smell) and machine washed probably 8 times in close succession (with lots of bleach). For a few months before I got a new pair of APC's I'd been itching for a pair of light washed jeans, and had the overwhelming urge to throw them in the washing machine with some bleach. One day I was a bit bored and thought, fuck it, I'll bleach them, so I asked synthese how much bleach he used to bleach his, but he didn't remember. I tried only using a cup of bleach at a time, but the going was slow and they weren't lightening up much so I got a bit frustrated and put in 1.5 liters of bleach all at once and they came out like this



They came out a bit lighter than I envisioned, but I'm really happy with the way they turned out. Still super comfortable and my favorite jeans ever. I've gone through about 3 or 4 phones since I got these jeans, so the phone fade outline on the back pocket is kind of all over the place.

They did have crotch blow out at one point which I tried to patch myself by hand-sewing a patch to the inside (the thread was originally black, but turned beige when I bleached them), but the hand-stitching didn't really hold up and they continued to deteriorate. Luckily I got my hands on a working sewing machine and was able to stitch them over with some light blue thread that is practically invisible, and they're holding up great. The patch is a bit ugly, but very few people see it so I don't really care. It adds character.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
The button hole also finally gave way when I washed them, so I crudely patched that as well
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Its really nice to have a pair of jeans that go with everything I wear, so I can just throw them on and forget about them. Their story might not be as sexy as synthese's and the only camera I have to use is an iphone, but I hope you guys enjoy the pictures and story.

Some hardware I like: (JV linen-blend jacket, Y's waistcoat, RSxFP polo -- I don't actually wear them all together)





And on the hardware note, the Raf chain shoes were just the completion of a metal ornamentation trifecta begun with a pair of Alexander McQueen fw11 Spazalatto cap-toe shoes:



They have a gold guard at the rear as well:

missing them helmut lang metal heel derbies though

Nice, are those yours?

I considered the gold MJ ss12 rip-offs -- even saw them on sale -- but meh. I'm quite content with the three I have.

haha i wish they were mine! they actually popped up on ebay a while back, ended at like $500 or some ridiculous figure. the picture is courtesy of sufu's RP thread.

didn't really like the MJ rips, not a fan of the shape.

 

 

I want to do this to mine now.

 

Does anyone want to give me a reason not to?

• 

  Synthese
  "nah."

 

you bastard!

this thread is pretty inspirational; I'm loving some of the stories and it's good to have it after looking at the Sales Alert thread one too many times. I don't have much I could contribute at this stage since I've undertaken a few wardrobe reboots these past few years and am finally comfortable with the look and stuff I want to go for. Since I've moved around a bit I'm always interested in minimalism and in figuring out how to only have stuff I love and can keep for years has been a struggle for various reasons (from impulsiveness in my coppage to a slight weight loss coupled with a realization that my best fit is slimmer than I thought). 

I do own these beat-up "drivers" from H by Hudson which I absolutely love. I got them when I lived in London, back in '07, thinking at the time that they looked like Prada shoes. Obviously didn't know jack about fashion at the time, and still don't, but my love for them hasn't waned. They're great for so many occasions, from going out (they match up perfectly with raw denim) to traveling and even work since my office has a relaxed dress-code. They're the most comfortable thing I own by far, and though I'm not into black shoes so much anymore, I keep wearing them a lot. They definitely deserve some shoeshine love at some point but what can I say I'm very lazy. They also remind me of my years in London (left in late '09), which is very cool as I do miss those days sometimes.

 

Because you could possibly destroy your favorite pair of jeans?

I'll tell you one thing that I am not content with- it's my t-shirts. They're pretty much all crap.

Zissou, I am not content with my belts. I haven't decided exactly what I want, yet, but I've been putting off a PM to you since November.

Man, I don't know when I'll run out of thumbs but I'm just going to keep blowing htem on the contentedness thread.