The Contentedness thread

[Bam!ChairDance]

Yeah, SS really lends itself to buying at full retail too, since it's so much cheaper than other designers. The Score Coat is only slightly more expensive than some of the jackets J Crew is selling.

 

[Benesyed]



Yeah, SS really lends itself to buying at full retail too, since it's so much cheaper than other designers. The Score Coat is only slightly more expensive than some of the jackets J Crew is selling.

Really? Is j crew more expensive now?

 

[gettoasty]

TBH sounds like people have a hard time budgeting.

FWIW I haven't picked up anything for 1+ month but that's because I feel more in tandem when a new season comes around. Pre-orders help a lot, and I feel more at ease with my current wardrobe to avoid buying sporadically as if I have to fill some type of gap.

I am actually slowly pairing down the wardrobe but it's not at a rate where if I cannot sell something it's hard for me to pickup something new.

I'll also add that after being more selective i.e. following only one designer it has help tremendously. Some may think it's boring but for my own daily wear it simplifies my life. That is not to say I cannot appreciate other designers and various aesthetics. Instead of reinventing the wheel I see it as trying to polish a look that suits me and that I feel comfortable wearing.

Yoox will forever hold a dear place in my heart (until they ban me).

I agree that a good store return policy nowadays makes or breaks a buying decision.

Like any hobby it takes time to accumulate a certain amount of experience. Some get burned out and move to something else and are rejuvenated when returning after their time away, which can actually be a good thing.

BTW, J.Crew Isn't Cool Anymore

 

[hendrix]



TBH sounds like people have a hard time budgeting.

Haha, pretty much 60% of it right here.

Yoox and the whole sale culture in general is actually a major reason why I've spent more than I should in past on clothing I don't need. I've severely limited my purchases lately, keeping a very short list of things I really want and being OK with not getting them any time soon. Part of that involves almost never checking my Dreambox.

A while ago I interviewed this woman who got so tired of being trapped in online shopping addiction that she stopped buying things for a year and instead drew pictures of the items she coveted (she eventually wrote turned it into a book, http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/teens/2015/08/top-ten-summer-author-sarah-lazarovic.html). A little extreme maybe, but I admire the approach and the dedication. 

This is pretty cool.

I might go to knitting class tomorrow.

 

[round]

The whole sale idea has made me spend more money by convincing me that I am "saving" and spending less. I wind up buying a bunch of stuff I don't really need because they are cheap, overlooking the fact that I could've just bought one piece I have been loving for the same price as a bunch of **** I don't want.

I'm cleaning out a lot of **** now, making room, and waiting until I see something that I really love.

 

[DeadBoy]

Ooh yeah I definitely look. But it's not impossible to be responsible with Yoox. I still stick Yoox stuff in kop lists right beside full-retail goods and mull over my options before I pull the trigger. And when I do make a purchase, it's usually to fill some wardrobe gap or meet a specific need. Some of my most frequently worn garments have come from Yoox, actually.

Oh for sure, I love Yoox and it's totally possible to be responsible with your purchases there. But its whole format (adding new items randomly, sending out regular coupons, varying price drops from item to item, telling you when there's only one of your item left etc.) is designed to get you to check back frequently and to buy more than you should.

TBH sounds like people have a hard time budgeting.

This is true. Having an addictive personality doesn't help either.

 

[Benesyed]

Idk after loving my bee cardigan and ksubi jeans the way I do, I try to be stringent.

I'm actually on the prowl for new jeans, the ksubi crotch is due to go any day now

 

[Sam H]

This is a nice thread!

I personally have this never-ending desire to dress nicely but do not work in an industry where it would be appreciated. Dressing even too "business casual" gets jokes about "so where are you interviewing?" I have put a ton of money and time into dress clothes I wear once or twice a year.

I don't actually regret these purchases too much. I love going all out for weddings or events where a suit or jacket can be taken and explored with shirts, ties, pocket squares and shoes. It always goes over well and I suppose I'm doing my part as an internet denizen who visits SF and AA to keep dressing nicely alive by attempting to follow traditional spec but in a way that is enjoyable and contemporary as someone in their mid-20s.

The purchases that are regrettable tend to be the more business casual choices I've made. Where I work, I can wear jeans and a tshirt/long sleeve henley. Dressing this up with a nice shoe rotation as well as a nice sweater/cardigan/streetwear-jacket rotation when dictated by the weather has always won out for day to day look.

So when I go through a bunch of threads and arguments and photos online of people dressed in ways that look very put together but also not really in any context that I'd find myself in and then try and buy pieces of those outfits, I end up with stuff that doesn't ever really work too well. For me, I have no use for a lot of "trad" items unless I'm going to be going full on sports jacket or suit which is sadly rare.

SF et al helped me understand how to buy nice clothes but in the process you end up with a bunch of stuff that various sources make it seem like are absolutely necessary staples when they really just fall in that long gap between streetwear and dressing up in a society where businesses frequently are one or the other at this point and quite frankly may be ultimately better than the bastard child of both which is business casual and which just looks terrible on all fronts and unfortunately what most of these in between clothes end up looking like in context.

As for things that really proved themselves, however: a gray thin cardigan with smoked MOP buttons I have used casually with tshirts and button downs and as a third piece to a suit even. Also a charcoal herringbone chesterfield coat which works when I wear a tux as well as an every day coat even for when I'm dressing more casually which is not its original intention but it works extremely well for.

 

[1969]

I was browsing on South Williard and noticed I was wearing these about 3-4 years in. I thought about buying a new pair for when these give out but realized it may be another 4 years. Hate breaking **** in but there's nothing better than worn stuff.

 

[SirGrotius]

This is an interesting thread. I can concur with the comments above, I went through a phase where I was still losing weight (dropped 70 pounds when I first got into SF), so had made these stupid Hugo-Boss type suits purchases, that I regretted. However, it was a learning experience. Now I have extremely fitted Dior suits that work in a pragmatic rotation (dark grey, heather grey, navy, navy pinstripe, black for the occasional night out or funeral strangely).

The only purchases that I regret these days are casual ones, as I'll occasionally get another luxe hoodie, I wear it for a bit, and then I'm struck by the fact that I've turned 36 but own 6 hoodies.

 

[jwalterweather]

These are my favorite footwear. They are two year old Kazuyuki Kumagai Attachment six-hole oiled cordovan boots. For some the toe is a little too bulbous, but for me the shape is perfect (though obviously a knockoff of the carpe s52m, which I'm not sure whether I should feel bad about). The leather is so nice and I love how it has aged. I wear them a couple times a week because they work with most of my wardrobe and I love the way they look and feel. The shape and fit work so well for me I just bought these same boots in black guidi leather.

Here they are a little scuffed up. I need to wipe them down and I am thinking of re-oiling or conditioning because they are getting a little 'cloudy'. If anyone has any thoughts on reoiling oiled leather let me know. I snapped the KKA laces and the random replacements I got are sort of the wrong color. But whatever (though if you have a lead on strong, round, long leather laces let me know, the ones on shoelaces express are too short). Spoilered below are some pics of them for old fits.

 

[1969]

Bought this belt circa 1992 for maybe $80 which seemed insane at the time, but here it is. It's never been my favorite or something I look to show off, but I tip my hat to it for it's longevity.

 

[ghostface]

a nice video about the "spirit" of clothing that has seen adventures, repairs, etc. plus some nice climbing footage:


[VIDEO]""[/VIDEO]

 

[tgaith77]

Thanks @ghostface for sharing this....

I came across the full video as well. So great, definitely worth watching:


l

 

[whorishconsumer]

Got a Marie Kondo kind of philosophy going on here. I approve.