The End of the Sartorial Road

[Ambulance Chaser]

I've been on StyleForum since the beginning. In that time, I've learned a lot about men's clothing, significantly improved my wardrobe, and made some great friends, both online and offline. Maybe because it's the New Year (call it a resolution of sorts), but I've come to realize that I don't need or want to buy any more clothes. Partly because there are other areas in which I would like to spend money (watches, art, travel, kitchen renovation) and partly because I just want to enjoy what I already have. So while I'll stay on StyleForum to contribute knowledge where I can and live vicariously through other posters, it's the end of the sartorial road for me (at least for now), save for the occasional NMWA purchase with LuxeSwap credit.

Anybody else feel the same? Or is this just crazy talk?

 

[bry2000]

Man, I thought the header was the beginning of a suicide note.

 

[lemmy127]

I'm not quite ready to walk away yet, but it's quite clear to me that if I stopped visiting a select few websites, including this one, I could go months without buying any new clothes and possibly years without buying new shoes (save for a new pair of running shoes every 500ish miles).

Case in point, about 60%-70% of my wardrobe is in storage right now. My outfits have been boring and repetitive for the last four months, but I'm doing just fine with what I'm working with.

 

[mak1277]

Are you a member at watchuseek? Tons of posts talking about how people "want to stop buying watches in 2020 and enjoy what they have".

I do think it's completely natural to get to a plateau where new purchases are just "maintenance" of your wardrobe/collection/whatever, regardless of what the hobby may be.

 

[clarksdb]

I came to this realization a while back as well. Most of these niche brands aren't really worth it (for me at least). I can find the same styles with passable quality at mass retail shops. Yes, shoes are an exception but I already have a good rotation there.

 

[7_rocket]

It happens. Your interests change over time.

 

[djdanniedee]

I have the exact same feelings, especially with regards to footwear. I feel there gets to a point where you're acquired all you want and after that, it becomes redundant. I had started off with Carminas, then moved up Vass, Enzo Bonafe. As the years went on i slowly started to acquire brands I thought were out of my budget, GG, Zonkey Boot and now STC.

There's a constant itch to keep buying footwear but I feel it's time to start enjoying what I have instead of constant seeking out the next purchase. Although in saying that, I literally just made a purchase for a pair of STC from Michael Jondral

 

[dieworkwear]

? Although we've come

To the end of the sartorial road ?

 

[Waldo Jeffers]

Curious for the guys who have bought everything if you were to now pair down to a very basic wardrobe what would you go with

 

[dieworkwear]

Curious for the guys who have bought everything if you were to now pair down to a very basic wardrobe what would you go with

1. Steed sport coat in navy tropical wool
2. Steed sport coat in brown wool-silk-linen
3. Steed tweed sport coats(either all of them or some random one. No preference)
4. Navy Steed suit made from Harrison's Oyster hopsack
5. Tailor Keeps' trousers in tan whipcord and cav twill
6. Pommella trousers in grey whipcord
7. Ambrosi trousers in tan and gray tropical wool
8. All my Nicholas Templeman shoes (two pairs of brown split toes so far, with black side zips coming)
9. Edward Green Dovers in dark oak
10. Edward Green Picadillys in dark oak
11. Alden for Brooks Brothers tassel loafers in black calf
12. Ascot Chang oxford cloth button-downs in light blue
13. A white poplin Ascot Chang shirt
14. A black or navy Drake's grenadine tie
15. A couple of pocket squares. Likely burgundy madder from Ralph Lauren, a couple of wool ones in different colors from Drakes, one white linen, and a couple of the old ones from Christian Kimber. .

That would be the CM side of the wardrobe. For casualwear

1. Navy Kaptain Sunshine traveler coat
2. Grey tweed Eidos topcoat
3. At least two Margiela five-zips, assuming I can't keep them all. Would go with the black lambskin and tan suede.
4. Blue 3sixteen SL-100x jeans
5. Black COF Studio jeans (M1 or M2, I can't remember which is the slimmer pair)
6. Black Our Legacy sweater
7. Grey Buzz Rickson sweatshirt
8. Grey O'Connell's Sheltand
9. Cream A Kind of Guise sweater
10. A couple of very casual pants: patched up RRL five-pocket cords, olive RRL cargo pants, a couple of Lemaire's twisted trousers, and Lemarie Tencel wide-legged pants.
11. If I can keep all my Lady White and Barns t-shirts, then all of them. If not, then I'll keep just the Lady White ones.
12. If I can keep all my plaid flannel shirts, then all of them. If not, then the thicker Iron Hearts for winter. Then the Real Japan Blue and J. Crew Wallace & Barnes for three-season.
13. Kapital Aloha shirts
14. RRL rancher jacket.
15. Ten C liner jacket
16. Nigel Cabourn Canadian bomber jacket in olive
17. Kaptain Sunshine cold-weather parka
18. Kapital side zips in brown
19. LL Bean boots
20. Crockett & Jones Breacon chukkas in dark brown pebble grain
21. Viberg service boots in dark brown
22. My dad's Rolex (Oyster Datejust)

That's what I would prob keep for now. I've given up on the idea of a forever wardrobe and accepted that I like clothing, which means changing things in and out every once in a while. That said, if I had to throw everything away now, but just keep a handful of items, I'd prob do the above.

 

[Chaconne]

1. Steed sport coat in navy tropical wool
2. Steed sport coat in brown wool-silk-linen
3. Steed tweed sport coats(either all of them or some random one. No preference)
4. Navy Steed suit made from Harrison's Oyster hopsack
5. Tailor Keeps' trousers in tan whipcord and cav twill
6. Pommella trousers in grey whipcord
7. Ambrosi trousers in tan and gray tropical wool
8. All my Nicholas Templeman shoes (two pairs of brown split toes so far, with black side zips coming)
9. Edward Green Dovers in dark oak
10. Edward Green Picadillys in dark oak
11. Alden for Brooks Brothers tassel loafers in black calf
12. Ascot Change oxford cloth button-downs in light blue
13. A white poplin Ascot Chang shirt
14. A black or navy Drake's grenadine tie
15. A couple of pocket squares. Likely burgundy madder from Ralph Lauren, a couple of wool ones in different colors from Drakes, one white linen, and a couple of the old ones from Christian Kimber. .

That would be the CM side of the wardrobe. For casualwear

1. Navy Kaptain Sunshine traveler coat
2. Grey tweed Eidos topcoat
3. At least two Margiela five-zips, assuming I can't keep them all. Would go with the black lambskin and tan suede.
4. Blue 3sixteen SL-100x jeans
5. Black COF Studio jeans (M1 or M2, I can't remember which is the slimmer pair)
6. Black Our Legacy sweater
7. Grey Buzz Rickson sweatshirt
8. Grey O'Connell's Sheltand
9. A couple of very casual pants: patched up RRL five-pocket cords, olive RRL cargo pants, a couple of Lemaire's twisted trousers, and Lemarie Tencel wide-legged pants.
10. If I can keep all my Lady White and Barns t-shirts, then all of them. If not, then I'll keep just the Lady White ones.
11. If I can keep all my plaid flannel shirts, then all of them. If not, then the thicker Iron Hearts for winter. Then the Real Japan Blue and J. Crew Wallace & Barnes for three-season.
12. Kapital Aloha shirts
13. RRL rancher jacket.
14. Ten C liner jacket
15. Nigel Cabourn Canadian bomber jacket in olive
16. Kaptain Sunshine cold-weather parka
17. Kapital side zips in brown
18. LL Bean boots
19. Crockett & Jones Breacon chukkas in dark brown pebble grain
20. Viberg service boots in dark brown
21. My dad's Rolex (Oyster Datejust)

That's what I would prob keep for now. I've given up on the idea of a forever wardrobe and accepted that I like clothing, which means changing things in and out every once in a while. That said, if I had to throw everything away now, but just keep a handful of items, I'd prob do the above.

Not keeping the Colossus DR???

 

[CBrown85]

I'm basically on an all-UniQlo diet of black jeans and white/black/dark burgundy t-shirts, white CPs and GATs with some Veilance stuff tossed in for outerwear.

For CM I'm pretty much in a uniform of Spier/Mckay, Alden, and Drakes.

The past couple of years I've stopped experimenting with what I wear and stick to what I'm comfortable in.

 

[dieworkwear]

Not keeping the Colossus DR???

I like that jacket a lot! But I don't wear it as much as other things.

I'm basically on an all-UniQlo diet of black jeans and white/black/dark burgundy t-shirts, white CPs and GATs with some Veilance stuff tossed in for outerwear.

Actually yea, I'd prob throw GATs into there as well. I don't wear mine as much nowadays, but they're useful for many of the looks I like. I also think they're the kind of sneaker you can wear for a very long time and be happy.

 

[Bromley]

God damn I hate those sneakers so much. They remind me of bad cologne for some reason.

Every once in a while I'll be a year or two into wearing a particular article of clothing and think, "this is the best version of this thing that I'll find for me, and I'll just keep buying this one when I need another item in this category". Blundstone 500s are like that for work boots. O'Connell's shetland sweaters. Any of those thick, expensive Japanese white t-shirts. Not that I don't enjoy trying and wearing new types of clothes, but some things are hard to improve upon.

 

[dieworkwear]

God damn I hate those sneakers so much. They remind me of bad cologne for some reason.

Every once in a while I'll be a year or two into wearing a particular article of clothing and think, "this is the best version of this thing that I'll find for me, and I'll just keep buying this one when I need another item in this category". Blundstone 500s are like that for work boots. O'Connell's shetland sweaters. Any of those thick, expensive Japanese white t-shirts. Not that I don't enjoy trying and wearing new types of clothes, but some things are hard to improve upon.

I've been wearing black Blundstone 500s so much this season. I kind of wonder if they're going to be burnt in a few years, even if they're a classic item. But I do enjoy wearing mine.