Random fashion thoughts - Part II (A New Hope)

[habitant]



It's an American thing. American men, in particular, tend to spend on luxury brands and/or aggressively designed "special" pieces, for aspirational shoppers, and the low end, and are used to aggressive sales cycles. Essentially, the US lacks a large bourgeoisie willing and able to buy quality clothing. Check out your average professional man in the US, and he is highly unlikely to be spending much more on clothing then his European or Japanese counterpart.

When is the last time you saw a middle class American man wear a good scarf, for example. In France, this was every single guy on the street.

You say France, but you mean major metropolitan areas. And you say everyone, but you mean a noticeable amount.

 

[momentoftruth]

is this literal day?

 

[venividivicibj]

: /

 

[LA Guy]

You say France, but you mean major metropolitan areas. And you say everyone, but you mean a noticeable amount.

is this literal day?

Pretty much.

So, I've noticed that even in small towns across France and Italy, there are men's clothing stores, and that the men like to wear high quality, if not designer, clothing. I live in a town of 25K. There is another town just 8 miles away, with another 25K. That is a 50K area. There are zero men's clothing stores in the for about 80 miles, and Spokane has... one men's store of note, and it's not that big or that good. Most guys wear cheap clothing, and/or ski wear. This is not unusual. I would say that even many of the US's large metropolitan areas, that there is a scarcity of men's stores because there are a scarcity of men wanting and willing to spend on clothing.

On the other hand, I am pretty sure that something like Home Depot could not survive most places in the world. American men just have different consumer values than men from most other nationalities.

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

i dunno i think parisians would be thrilled to recreate looks from the margiela artisanal line using home depot purchases

 

[Find Finn]

There are Home Depot equivalents in pretty much all countries, Bauhaus has 200+ shops across Europe and that is essentially the same shop.

When is the last time you saw a middle class American man wear a good scarf, for example. In France, this was every single guy on the street.

Never been to the US, so my main exposure of american style is cruise turists, so never. I had to build an archetypical american based on that, it would be obese, 2 size too large clothing, color blind, always wearing fanny packs and I assume hard at hearing as they yell when they talk.

 

[OccultaVexillum]

Pretty much a spot on American.

 

[Parker]

Pretty much.

So, I've noticed that even in small towns across France and Italy, there are men's clothing stores, and that the men like to wear high quality, if not designer, clothing. I live in a town of 25K. There is another town just 8 miles away, with another 25K. That is a 50K area. There are zero men's clothing stores in the for about 80 miles, and Spokane has... one men's store of note, and it's not that big or that good. Most guys wear cheap clothing, and/or ski wear. This is not unusual. I would say that even many of the US's large metropolitan areas, that there is a scarcity of men's stores because there are a scarcity of men wanting and willing to spend on clothing.

On the other hand, I am pretty sure that something like Home Depot could not survive most places in the world. American men just have different consumer values than men from most other nationalities.

I don't think it was always this way though. I remember the older guys in So Cal were well-dressed until about the end of the 80s. The wave of preppy kept a bunch of people looking pretty sharp. Then it all seemed to go downhill. Around the same time, many of the "classic" mens shops closed up. Maybe it was the influence of designer or branded clothes or just cheaper production or the rise of discounters. Whatever happened, I agree Americans got used to thinking about clothes as disposable cheap stuff you only buy on sale.

 

[LA Guy]

There are Home Depot equivalents in pretty much all countries, Bauhaus has 200+ shops across Europe and that is essentially the same shop.
Never been to the US, so my main exposure of american style is cruise turists, so never. I had to build an archetypical american based on that, it would be obese, 2 size too large clothing, color blind, always wearing fanny packs and I assume hard at hearing as they yell when they talk.

Yeah, not the same. Here is what I got from google re. Home Depot:

The Home Depot has more than 2,200 convenient locations throughout the United States (including the territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), Canada, China and Mexico. Stores average 105,000 square feet with approximately 23,000 additional square feet of outside garden area.

That is a tenfold difference for a smaller, though comparable, total population, though the US and Canada (population under 1/2 of Europe's) make up the bulk of the market. I'm willing to put down decent money that if you stop a man on the street in Europe vs. the in the US, the American is much more likely to know his power tools.

 

[LA Guy]

There are Home Depot equivalents in pretty much all countries, Bauhaus has 200+ shops across Europe and that is essentially the same shop.
Never been to the US, so my main exposure of american style is cruise turists, so never. I had to build an archetypical american based on that, it would be obese, 2 size too large clothing, color blind, always wearing fanny packs and I assume hard at hearing as they yell when they talk.

Pretty much a spot on American.

Well, the fanny packs are typically saved for excursions into foreign lands.

Also, Americans are loud, sure, but compared to the Chinese or Italians, they speak in whispers.

 

[habitant]

Those handy puritans.

 

[Find Finn]



Yeah, not the same.  Here is what I got from google re. Home Depot:

The Home Depot has more than 2,200 convenient locations throughout the United States (including the territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), Canada, China and Mexico. Stores average 105,000 square feet with approximately 23,000 additional square feet of outside garden area.  

That is a tenfold difference for a smaller, though comparable, total population, though the US and Canada (population under 1/2 of Europe's) make up the bulk of the market.  I'm willing to put down decent money that if you stop a man on the street in Europe vs. the in the US, the American is much more likely to know his power tools.

Sounds like the same shop.

You are grossly underestimating Europeans here.

 

[LA Guy]

Sounds like the same shop.

You are grossly underestimating Europeans here.

Maybe, but I've spent a lot of time throughout Europe, and not just with fashion people, and not just in major metropolitan areas. You said you've never been to the US. ime, the concept of "self reliance" is much stronger here than in Europe. I mean, one of the growing religions in the US, Mormonism, even has that in their core belief systems. Do you know of anyone in Europe who has stockpiled 6 months of rations and other survival gear? I know a lot of "normal" American who have that in their basement, plus some weapons and ammmunition, in the event of civilization's downfall. These are not crazies, either, though I suppos that crazy is a relative term here.

I think that it is a very similar shop, but there are over 2200 Home depot stores, an order of magnitude more than there are of Bauhaus stores. And they are all uniformly gigantic. And that is just the biggest chain,. There are numerous other stores with similar things. Put it this way. In central san Francisco, I have found a handful of hardware stores with power tools, etc... In my town alone, apart from the Home Depot, there are at least half a dozen stores like it, independent and from smaller chains.

 

[Baron]



I don't think it was always this way though. I remember the older guys in So Cal were well-dressed until about the end of the 80s. The wave of preppy kept a bunch of people looking pretty sharp. Then it all seemed to go downhill. Around the same time, many of the "classic" mens shops closed up.  Maybe it was the influence of designer or branded clothes or just cheaper production or the rise of discounters.  Whatever happened, I agree Americans got used to thinking about clothes as disposable cheap stuff you only buy on sale.

Did you ever shop at At Ease in Fashion Island? I remember getting my polos and topsiders there in the 80's.

 

[Lorcan7]

@LA Guy I'm getting a full-screen video ad for an Izuzu Yukon pop up. Kinda annoying