Is your style hereditary?

[hossoso]

Where did your sartorial instincts come from?

I thought that I was somewhat of an anomaly in my family until recently. My parents don't dress particularly well, neither do any of my aunts or uncles on either side of my family. My grandparents on my fathers side couldn't care less about dress either but I recently saw some old pictures of my grandfather on my mothers side (he died when I was nine) and he dressed impeccably. Fedora, tie-clip, great knot in his tie, beautiful shirt, trench coat, very Bogart presentation - just classic elegance. My memories of him are vague but I was surprised to learn that the legacy was likely passed on from his genes as he was a pious and humble Christian man and valued his tithe before himself. I guess I just have always associated personal affections with something selfish at root and was taken back by the fact that someone so devoted to the Church devoted so much time to his appearance. I doubt that he invested much money into his appearance but I know that he frequented Nordstrom when Nordstrom was still an immigrant cobbler in old Seattle. I wish that someone in my family had saved his clothes and shoes after he and my Grandmother passed away. I am going to learn how to post pictures here now soon because I think that they would be appreciated.

So, where did your style come from? Does your whole family dress well? Did you inherit it from a specific family member? Do you have any old pictures? Are you a new breed?

 

[jml90]

My Great Aunt (mother's side) owned a clothing factory back in the day. My gram mother was a seamstress there. My grandfather (father side) was a bussiness man always fedora french cuffs etc. and my grat grandfather was a doctor same goe

 

[DocHolliday]

I only knew one of my grandfathers, and he was very dapper. Always well put together, even for casual outings. And he could put on the nines when he wanted to.

 

[zjpj83]

Definitely not. I rub off on my father, not the other way around. When my mother met him, I think other than his military unifrom, his civilian clothes included the same pair of sneakers he had worn for the previous 20 years. Now he gets bespoke W.W. Chan

 

[studio253]

Not even close. My parents would have a heart attack if they saw what I spend on clothes. After they retired an moved to Florida they decided to dress like they just walked out of central casting.

 

[hossoso]

Originally Posted by zjpj83

Definitely not. I rub off on my father, not the other way around. When my mother met him, I think other than his military unifrom, his civilian clothes included the same pair of sneakers he had worn for the previous 20 years. Now he gets bespoke W.W. Chan

So you are a pioneer in your family? I am sure your mother appreciates your influence on your father. My mother frequently asks me to give my father advice on how to dress but my father and I both just laugh about how trivial and unlike us it is to have that sort of conversation. I did tell him to put his shoe trees into his cracked, never polished Allen Edmonds loafers once and he told me that he would do it as soon as he had accomplished everything else he had ever wanted to accomplish in life. I have gotten him interested in STP as he is a devoted Filson/Orvis/Barbour man.

 

[zjpj83]

Originally Posted by hossoso

So you are a pioneer in your family? I am sure your mother appreciates your influence on your father. My mother frequently asks me to give my father advice on how to dress but my father and I both just laugh about how trivial and unlike us it is to have that sort of conversation. I did tell him to put his shoe trees into his cracked, never polished Allen Edmonds loafers once and he told he would do it as soon as he had accomplished everything else he had ever wanted to accomplish in life. I have gotten him interested in STP as he is a devoted Filson/Orvis/Barbour man.
Yes, I gave my mother the bug too. I really like St. John for women, but my mother is very petite and only bought petite sizes. One day I was with her and said, just try on a St. John size 2, you never know. Lo and behold, they fit, and she has a room full of them. I'm a bad influence!

Funnily, my mother still tells me that I don't know how to pick colors - whenever I see her she tells me I'm always mixing too many patterns.

So, you see, I still have stuff to learn too.

 

[VMan]

Sort of. The brothers and sisters of my parents are artists, so I suppose I pick it up from them. But not directly, no.

 

[Get Smart]

my mom has been a fashion designer (for women's swimwear and resort wear) for her whole life so I guess there's possibility of some osmosis from her direction...she's very well put together, in her late 50s now and will get mistaken for my wife/gf when we're out together.

is this the face of a 57 year old??? somehow she's discovered the fountain of youth, i hope THAT'S hereditary!!

 

[hossoso]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

my mom has been a fashion designer (for women's swimwear and resort wear) for her whole life so I guess there's possibility of some osmosis from her direction...she's very well put together, in her late 50s now and will get mistaken for my wife/gf when we're out together.

is this the face of a 57 year old??? somehow she's discovered the fountain of youth, i hope THAT'S hereditary!!

I was hoping you would post in this thread, I knew there would be interesting responses from some forumers. My mother suffers from the same problem your mother does; sometimes my friends are more honest about it than they should be too. Not to sink to their level but, your mom is hot.

 

[jpeirpont]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

my mom has been a fashion designer (for women's swimwear and resort wear) for her whole life so I guess there's possibility of some osmosis from her direction...she's very well put together, in her late 50s now and will get mistaken for my wife/gf when we're out together.

is this the face of a 57 year old??? somehow she's discovered the fountain of youth, i hope THAT'S hereditary!!

Wow, to say she aged gracefully seems insufficient.

Most people in my family dress well in their own way. I am the only who like classic styled clothes.

 

[itsstillmatt]

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[LabelKing]

My parents rather like clothing and also like making little comments about other people's attire.

My maternal grandmother also likes clothing as did her husband, my maternal grandfather, who during the lean years in Communist China, would still buy perfumed soaps. He also said that he would never wear anything without leather soles or shirts not made in America, which he had brought back with him after a stint at West Point. He also liked wearing scents.

My maternal great-grandfather who was a prominent lawyer/doctor also dressed well, with solid gold headed walking sticks and three-piece suits. I remember seeing pictures of his sons with him, at the summer resorts of Suzhou wearing dark sports jackets and Bermuda shorts with very shiny shoes and panamas.

My paternal grandparents also liked clothing, my grandmother having leopard skin coats with Chinese cheong-sam dresses. My grandfather mostly wore traditional Chinese robes, albeit with wingtips and mink-lined topcoats.

My paternal grandfather's older brother was a bit of a playboy and was seen in bespoke double-breasted suits, dying at an early age at his mistress's house. Unfortunately that did not fare well with his sons since the Communists confiscated his steel factory after he died.

 

[kitonbrioni]

No one in my family has evidenced interest in style.

 

[Jovan]

My father didn't dress a thing like I do... so I think no.