Should I or shouldn't I buy... (clothing item)?

[mbaum]

The plimsolls are fine, fine. But please don't buy them because Dries Van Noten is stamped on the insole, or because they're 150 down from 520.

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To hell with this thread though, who am I to decide what you should or shouldn't buy ? Were it up to me, 100% of the stuff posted here would fall in the "shouldn't " category, if you need to ask for other people's opinions to validate your purchase chances are you're going about it the wrong way (inquiries about an item's quality or fit etc aside, although that too is problematic). I don't know you, don't ask me to choose for you because you're too lazy to reflect on how you want to dress and why you want to dress that way. If you can't give enough of a **** why should I ?

The name of the threat is "Should I or should't I buy buy …". It is perfectly fine to ask a question about fit, style, or any other reason and see what others might think and advice. To me, it is highly immature to respond in this angry way that is uncalled for or to assume that somebody is lazy and pushing a decision on you. You yourself gave an unsolicited first response to those sneakers and all accordion did was asking you to clarify that response. I really would like to ask you for a more kind and respectful way to respond. And if you don't like this threat or its concept then feel free to ignore it.

Mike

 

[accordion]

Yes but what appeals to me changes often because I'm new and not totally sure what I want to look like or what looks good on me, hence signing up on this forum. I will be sure to post more context though and my own thoughts along with the items.

 

[ridethecliche]

Yes but what appeals to me changes often because I'm new and not totally sure what I want to look like or what looks good on me, hence signing up on this forum. I will be sure to post more context though and my own thoughts along with the items.

I'm new too and I've honestly stopped buying a lot of stuff and have been saving the money up instead of spending it right away when I see something cool. As I figure out what I *really* like, I'll have more money to buy a few better things for the money instead of blowing it as it comes in.

 

[accordion]

COS drawstring trousers, are these an ok alternative to SS exhaust? Would be wearing with loose fitting tops. On the fence since they look like sweatpants.

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

if they're made from cotton fleece, then yes they will look like sweatpants.

edit: it appears the fabric is a cotton twill, so more akin to chinos than sweats. worth a try i say

 

[eluther]



It does a disservice to the one asking for advice by robbing him of an opportunity to ask himself what it is exactly that makes the item interesting or desirable or relatable to (so a great opportunity to learn something of value) and it does a disservice to the one giving it by turning him into some sort of fashion cognoscenti or, worse, an arbiter of taste.

For a website dedicated to men wearing clothes – usually expensive clothes – that's an awfully high horse you're mounted on. There isn't a moral purity, a Platonic truth, or some higher calling here.

There is absolutely, unequivocally nothing wrong with asking others' opinions. That's what socialization is for and – even though this is the Internet and everyone is "anonymous" – it's still a medium for socializing. I think it's a sad trap in Western gender roles for men to act like their acts of dress and semiotic impressions are only unto them, influenced only by "what they like" without the consultation of others because taste is somehow this thing cordoned off from the outside world – an asylum where he reigns to his heart's delight – and to ask for others' opinion somehow reviles the on-lookers.

If you watch women shop it's a collaborative effort. This is an implicit admission that our own self-perceptions are not always the way that everyone else sees us and, in dress – an act of socialization – sometimes how others perceive what you're doing is honestly more important than whatever it is you're doing yourself. To take a far-out, but easily digestible example: I knew a guy that didn't think anything of the dandruff covering his shirt. There was a ton of it. Thick, white flakes covered his shoulders like a mantle dusted by snow. However, unilaterally, everyone thought it was disgusting. So, while tucking your beige polo into your pleated khakis transgresses fewer taboos we've contrived than poor hygiene, it's still something that you could collaborate on to do "better." Be pro-social and egalitarian. Ask your homie if your alphet is LA FLAME.

tl;dr: acting like men shouldn't ask other men what they think about their clothes enforces the patriarchy. This is my social justice warrior post of the year.

 

[Hirsh]

Finishing off my collection of 12 jeans..

In my shopping basket:

Edwin black Kaihara jeans that look great online!

Are they good quality (Edwin is the oldest Japanese jeans company!)

 

[Evodem]

http://www.clubmonaco.com/product/index.jsp?productId=33028976

Can be had for ~$65.

 

[OccultaVexillum]

http://www.clubmonaco.com/product/index.jsp?productId=33028976

Can be had for ~$65.

If you're buying them because they're on sale - no.
If you're buying them because you need/want some quality sweats - yes.
RC sweats are super comfortable. I have a few pairs, 2 of them are from 5 years ago and they are still perfect.

 

[Evodem]

I am interested because of both.

The fact that it's on sale for a good price got my attention and the fact that I've been wanting sweats for a long time made me post and ask for people's opinions. I don't have a single pair of sweats right now, I have no idea where my old ones went. The only thing is I was hoping for a pair in light grey but I could definitely settle for navy. I just dislike navy because of how much I already have.

 

[brad-t]



tl;dr: acting like men shouldn't ask other men what they think about their clothes enforces the patriarchy. This is my social justice warrior post of the year.

I am all about smashing the patriarchy but I think your post is way off-base; it requires a willful misinterpretation of what sipang is getting at.

This is not the same as going shopping with your friends, trying stuff on, and asking for input. Most of the people in this thread are not posting up photos of themselves wearing a garment asking if they should buy/keep it. They are posting stock photos from web stores and asking if they should buy it, completely devoid of context. Furthermore, this is not a mall-shopping crowd; the guys here are passionate about clothing and generally derive some form of identity from it. What worth is that identity if it is a patchwork of other people's opinions? (Of course, nobody's taste exists in a vacuum etc etc etc)

I fundamentally think that Sipang is right; the stuff I've bought after posting about it here has generally been not a great purchase. The stuff that I bought without consulting anyone is the stuff that stays near and dear to me. When you find the right thing, you just know.

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

yeah, sipang's second post on this subject was way more reasonable than his first, and I agree-- a good chunk of the people posting here would benefit from closing their eyes for a sec and thinking about whether the items they're considering fit into the broader scheme of how they'd like to dress.

 

[Evodem]

Just to throw this out there the situations where I post in this thread include:

1) I've already decided what I want to add to my wardrobe, for example a peacoat, and I want help deciding which one to purchase. Then again that might be better off in a dedicated thread for that item/brand.

2) Similar to reason #1 the CMxRC sweats I posted, it was something I've been wanting for a while and I wanted to try the brand but I just wanted other people to comment on it. People say you should be dressing for yourself but to some extent I'm definitely dressing for every one else.

3) I see a piece that's intriguing but it's slightly out of my comfort zone similar to reason #2 I would want people to either confirm hey, that's a sick piece definitely do it! or I dunno man I have some pieces from that brand and it looks awesome but it fell apart within 2 wears etc. etc.

I might have thrown less than decent posts in this thread and other should I buy or not threads but this is roughly what goes on in my head when I post.

However I completely agree, I should be thinking more by myself before asking strangers for opinions when they have only 1% of the information they need to make a good decision for me.

 

[Caveat]

Choosing/buying/styling/wearing clothes is a craft, like anything else. As much as some people might believe that they were born with style, most people cultivate it, one way or another. Sometimes the best way to learn a craft is to have someone give you tough love about how bad you are at it. Of course individuality plays its part and you need to guard against groupthink. But I'd bet that people who post in this thread will arrive pretty much at the same place stylistically that they would with the trial and error method, but they'll get their faster, as is usually the case, with the help of others. Now allowing others to snipe your sale items by posting them here is another matter.

 

[ChetB]

I am interested because of both.

The fact that it's on sale for a good price got my attention and the fact that I've been wanting sweats for a long time made me post and ask for people's opinions. I don't have a single pair of sweats right now, I have no idea where my old ones went. The only thing is I was hoping for a pair in light grey but I could definitely settle for navy. I just dislike navy because of how much I already have.

Straight leg sweats are kind of awkward IMO. Also, the little drawstrings on the hems are a little annoying. I have a couple pairs of Reigning Champ sweats that I never wear for those reasons but YMMV.

(Now that I've talked them up: if you happen to wear a medium I have a new-in-the-bag light gray pair

)