Sibling Influences

[mensimageconsultant]

There's almost nothing in the literature about how siblings influence clothing attitudes.

So, hope you don't mind discussing the subject. For example, did you craft your style after an older brother's? Did a sibling give you clothing advice?

 

[CoryB]

Quite an interesting topic. I was thinking about posting a question relating to parental influence on clothing. I don't think my brother influenced my clothing. He had a skater look that is very casual while I'm far more sartorial. It is amazing how different we are in almost all respects. It might also be that he is seven years older than me and we've lived in different cities since I was 14.

 

[StevenRocks]

I hate the way my brother dresses. Too many logoes, cheap shoes, polyester-ish fused suits and what not. So basically, I conciously avoid anything that I think he would wear.

 

[edmorel]

My oldest brother started getting his clothing made to order when he was about 19-20 (about 25 years ago). Wasn't Savile Row or anything that we would consider top notch today, but he always took pride in clothing fitting him probably and being able to pick fabrics and patterns that he wanted. Definitely influenced me, not so much his clothing choices, but the care he took in looking good to his eyes.

 

[cpac]

As the oldest of five, I can say that my siblings have had almost no influence on my clothing styles.

 

[Aureus]

Neither of my brothers dress very well, and my father didn't have much style outside of what he needed to have to get by as an accountant. So no, neither my siblings nor my father contributed much to my style.

And my mother always tried to button all of the buttons on my jacket.

 

[globetrotter]

my brother - 6 years older, had pretty much no influence on how I dress.

 

[acidboy]

i only have sisters. but hanging out with them when we were kids exposed me to talks about fashion, about dressing up. no, i didn't become a cross dresser, but at an early age i became conscious of what i wear. it was just too bad at that time and at that age it was more important to be 'fashionable' than 'stylish' but i guess everybody goes through that phase.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

That was good feedback, thanks.

One can conclude that living apart from, or scarcely interacting with, a sibling during certain periods of childhood renders his or her influence moot.

Also, sisters probably influence each other much more than brothers do, as they are more likely to discuss clothing and shop together, even into adulthood.

To the extent that brothers influence, it probably often is limited to discussing dress codes (what to wear for an interview), if a father isn't doing that. Anecdotally, if boys are very close in age or appearance (like twins), some conscious choices to look different can arise. There too is influence from hand-me-downs, which were more common decades ago when books about clothing studies were being published. Back then, it was suggested that younger siblings are more interested in clothes.

 

[Dakota rube]

What?!?!?!?!

 

[mack11211]

I am the older brother. Influences on me were WASP cohorts at a day school, also the manager of Anthonie's in Bloomington, MN, which was a great haberdashery that outfitted my dad twice a year. The guy there put everything together so beautifully...

My dad grooved his wardrobe but didn't grok it. So when Jack would coordinate the shirts, ties and suits, my dad would write the combos on a notecard. I managed to put all the choices together and then to make my own with thrift store purchases, a style followed by my younger sister and then brother.

So I am an influence, yeah.

 

[GBR]

No but my Father did influence me strongly. He certainly was a traditionalist whose advic I still follow for formal clothes

 

[Cuff Link]

My father's taste in conservative dress influenced me and did the fads of my classmates. My siblings had (and have) no influence whatsoever.



Cuff