The Contentedness thread

[hendrix]

90% of the stuff talked about on here is not stuff we own, but things we consider buying. That makes sense, as we come here to think about things that we might want, but sometimes it's easy to lose perspective.

In this thread, we appreciate things we already have. It's not an anti-consumerist thread as such, I just think it'd be nice to have some balance.

Some things that we can talk about (not limited to):

1. Surprising combinations of clothing that worked.

2. How much nicer clothes are with a bit of wear.

3. Our best buys - things we always wear.

4. How our individual style has developed.

5. Things not to buy.

 

[sipang]

 

[hendrix]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

patrik ervell summer jeans from a couple of years ago
These started out far more pastel in colour (see spoiler), and were also great then, but now they've got the 70s wash!!! I love these in summer.

 

[thewho13]

I approve of this topic.

 

[hendrix]

expecting to see plenty of denim, but also lots of clothes that have just settled into rotation and aren't really thought of much, just enjoyed.

a bit of SF 2010 uniform, still pretty much my go-to:

 

[tween_spirit]

James Perse tees. bloomingdales sale special, not SF approved but I didn't know what "swagger" was until I made a grey JP tee part of my summer uniform and just felt so... right

 

[KitAkira]

My ponyhair boots are the single greatest clothing buy I've made. Unfortunately, the tongue is starting to go bald but it's in an area that overlaps anyway. Also, my ToJ suede varsity of greatness which I wear most days of the week

 

[hendrix]



James Perse tees. bloomingdales sale special, not SF approved but I didn't know what "swagger" was until I made a grey JP tee part of my summer uniform and just felt so... right

My ponyhair boots are the single greatest clothing buy I've made. Unfortunately, the tongue is starting to go bald but it's in an area that overlaps anyway. Also, my ToJ suede varsity of greatness which I wear most days of the week

Yeah, both exactly what i'm talking about. Clothing that you wear and just love and makes you feel great.

That the purple varsity kit? Perfect for you as well in the fit that i saw IIRC.

 

[Dellath]

My ToJ VTG MDR (bit of a mouthful), and my pair of Iron Heart 666od.
Had the MDR for 6 months and the 666od for 1 year, and feel like they have become an extension of myself and prior to 2 years ago clothes were mainly just functional, so this is a new experience for me.
If either of these were ruined i would have to give them a viking burial, and salute them they as they burn in the ocean.

 

[Spatlese]

Off the top of my head...

Baracuta G9. Not sure I need to add much there.

KMW 1980's. My most beat up but comfortable jeans. I have Roys, FH, PBJ and IH, but I keep going back to the KMW's even though on the denim ladder they are prob considered a notch below the others.

 

[hendrix]

Gonna post one of Synthese's ramblings here.

I was feeling a bit nostalgic today, and took some photos of what remains of my collection of raw jeans - something that I've never done before. . Like a lot of forum members, I stumbled on SF while reading about raw denim - and, like a lot of forum members, my interests have changed a lot. It's fun to look back and try to remember what I was thinking about four years ago, when I was at the peak of my obsession with denim. I've since been through all kinds of stuff, but my first pair of APC jeans were new standards, which I think I had read about in Esquire or something.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I bought this pair of petit standards in April, 2009, at their store in the Marais. I'd been wearing the same pair of jeans (also APC) for the previous two years, and raw denim was still exciting enough that I wanted more. New standards weren't skinny enough, I was listening to indie music and drinking cheap beer with Parisian hipsters, and petit standards fit the slouchy grunge look I was into. Since then, they've been all over the world with me. Ten countries are listed on the inside of the pocket bag, and they've been used and abused so consistently that the only thing holding them together anymore is darning thread. I wear a lot of high-brow clothing now; everything from Patrik Ervell to Rick Owens and Damir Doma, but I still smile when I put these on - even if they've shrunk so much and had so much patching that the crotch barely fits anymore.
The first time the back pocket ripped open was when I slid down a concrete banister in the metro. My friends and I had gone out the wrong exit, and instead of going through the station and finding our way back to the platform, we slid down the middle of the escalator we'd just come up. It earned me several strange looks, and a hole in my pocket. Over the last three years, they've been soaked through in rainstorms, had the crotch ripped open numerous times, they've fallen in the mud, been repaired, ripped, and repaired again, spilled on, and puked on by me and others. They've been washed countless times, and they were even bleached at some point in early 2010. They're basically retired, now, having been replaced by a pair of jeans that stays on ****** - these ones don't even stay up anymore.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

These were also purchased in Paris at some point in 2009; from a small consignment store in the Marais that's fairly close to the birthplace of my petit standards. They're by Helmut Lang "Elastic Classic Slim Cut Denim," and I have no idea what year they're from. They started out as a uniform black with a white weft, and they've now faded to an interesting dusky black/grey. The weave is really loose, and they're great summer jeans, despite the color. The pockets are an interesting detail, but are actually really annoying to use, and I always wonder if I could have a tailor change them into normal pockets somehow. When I bought these, I had been searching for a pair of black jeans forever, and hadn't found anything for months. I randomly wandered into this store and tried these on. They were perfect, and I walked away a happy man after paying 40 euros for them. For the longest time I had no shoes to wear them with except for a pair of grey high tops that are hidden in a box somewhere and a pair of brown desert boots that looked terrible with them, and have since been ruined and thrown out. I haven't kept track of them like I did with my APC's, but they've seen almost as much travel, if not quite as much wear. I go through phases with them; half the time I think they look horrible, and the other half of the time they're my favorite pants. The reality is, I assume, somewhere in the middle.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

My girlfriend got me these for my birthday last year after she got sick of hearing me lament the condition of my ragged old pair. They're petit standards as well, and after not having purchased raw denim since 2009, it was pretty strange to put them on for the first time. I didn't really like it; couldn't remember why the discomfort had been so much fun three years before, wasn't really looking forward to breaking in a new pair of jeans. I don't have the patience or the interest to wear them every day, and my wardrobe is really different from the uniform of white t-shirt, jeans, and desert boots I was wearing in college. Even though they're only seven months old, and haven't been worn nearly as much as my last pair, they've gotten more enjoyable to wear. They'e already been showered in a few times and had a trip through the washing machine, and I like the way they fit much better now than I did when they were new. They're finally starting to stack well, and feel more like jeans than a chore. I made the mistake of trying to sandpaper them, which I hadn't done on any of my other jeans, and don't particularly like the results - only because I now have more creases than I ought, and some of them aren't really in the right place. I've never cared much about the "authenticity" of the jeans, but they definitely don't look as natural as I hoped they would. Hopefully as they fade the creases will blend in a little more. They're fun to wear, though; they look good, fit well, and they still make me feel like a cool dude, just like my first pair did when I bought them in Paris three years ago.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I don't know when I got into the habit of drawing on my pants, but it's something I do now. It's fun, for some reason, and I think it looks cool too. Makes them even more my own.
The rest of my raw jeans have disappeared over the years. I went through new standards, petit standards, NDG's, PRPS jeans, UNIQLO's, 7FAMs, and who knows what else. Now I wear boring old levi's to work half the time, and probably won't buy a new pair of raw jeans for another three years. It's a little sad to look back on who you used to be, what you used to think you'd become, and where you are now. Bittersweet, maybe, to realize that you've had to grow up, even if it's against your will, and in ways you weren't expecting. And funny to think how a pair of jeans can be a window into the past, and into your head.

 

[superego]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

patrik ervell summer jeans from a couple of years ago
These started out far more pastel in colour (see spoiler), and were also great then, but now they've got the 70s wash!!! I love these in summer.

These look great. Been looking for a solid super distressed wash for a couple months now...looks like I'll need to work for it.

My contentedness is my Somet 003s and Timberland Earthkeepers, likely with a Uniqlo or Aether hoodie. Yuppie thug, son.

 

[Ivwri]

Such a great idea for a thread.

I have these cotton twill Yohji pants with a high waist, low crotch, suspender buttons, two cinches at the side and a very full cut that are about 9 months old now I think.

They are one of my favourite pants and are my go to whenever I don't feel like thinking too much about what I am wearing. When I first got them I was worried that they would not see much use due to the high waist (and they were my first pair of high waisted Yohji pants), but I bought them anyway as I had been strongly drawn to their design from the get go.They can be worn with suspenders, cinched at the sides and worn with a blazer to dress them up, cinched at the sides with the topmost buttons left undone for a great unstructured ruched effect at the waist and can add a belt if the mood takes me; roll them up high or low at the cuffs or leave them to lie all loose and rumpled over shoes, sneakers or boots.

The cotton fabric gives them a nice heft and yet they breathe very well and the way they drape when in motion feels great.

 

[Fuuma]

I have a Lanvin silk/cotton black/navy jacket from 2007 (?) that I still wear weekly or so and take with me whenever I move around, it was already machine washed when new and has a bunch of small tears and the silk fiber has started to unravel, looks really cool now. I have a made in USA levi belt that I wear almost daily, I do believe I got it like 17 yrs ago.

 

[sneakyfast]

I have found my that my philosophy on style has changed over the years as I spent a lot of time and money chasing after the latest and greatest. But now I have found my self buying a lot less stuff and the purchases I make I tend to go towards high quality well made gear with classic lines that won't go out of style.

One of my favorites are my chocoloate brown Wolverine 1000 mile boots that I can wear with just about anything.