The Official Dieworkwear Appreciation Thread

[1969]

...Which lead, once again to chasing sales and looking for deals.

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

I really got caught up in consuming when buying accessories, ties, and pocket squares and especially when they were on sale. I have piles of them and really only wear 3-4 of each with any regularity, if at all. They were a quick and "cheap" way to get something new, and I found I put less thought into buying them, and pissed away a lot of money trying to keep up.

If I had all the money I wasted on crappy CT shirts and knitwear, 'budget' watches, ****** eBay buys and return postage I'd have a modest Rolex on my wrist instead of a Hamilton. Nothing worse than standing in a post office and shelling out €80 to return a pair of shoes to ******* Sweden or wherever. I had to start using different post offices each time to hide the shame.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think it helps to look the fuller picture.

Have I always been responsible in the ways I spend money? No. But am I at least well dressed? Also no.

 

[thesilentist]

Several years ago I told my brother that I wanted my clothing hobby to be somehow productive rather than just a thing I spend money on. That's when I started putting more effort into blogging and is part of why I do it to this day.
But I have limited funds! And my clothing interest has always been to build a wardrobe that will last me—old-fashioned #menswear c.2012 philosophy, I know—so I find it tough to "compete" in the Instagram world where it seems people are buying new things constantly (in reality, it's just my own lack of time commitment to creatively thinking of different ways to engage, blah blah).
But anyway, that kind of illuminates the consumption-oriented default mindset. Gotta be new; gotta be fresh; gotta be different. Same 4 blazers worn in rotation with a small assortment of OCBDs/cutaway collar shirts and 3 pairs of suede shoes? Ehh… next.

I don't think blogging about menswear has to be about consumption and purchasing new things to flex for the 'gram.

Take what Bliss Foster does for instance. In fact, he did a video about how to get into fashion WITHOUT spending any money. In the same way that guys are into cars or watches, you don't have to spend money to be interested and talk about those topics. Sure, it helps to have some real-world experience, but it doesn't strictly have to be about what you own.

 

[dieworkwear]

With the exception of Simon's blog, which I like, I find most clothing reviews to be pretty boring. But creating content that goes beyond that can also take a lot of time, which can be hard to maintain on a regular basis, especially if you have other commitments.

If someone is interested in fashion and doesn't want to spend a lot of money, however, I think reading books about fashion-related topics is a pretty good solution. Some that I like, off the top of my head:

1. Ready-Made Democracy by Michael Zakin
2. Consuming Splendor by Linda Levy Peck
3. The Craftsman by Richard Sennett (and anything else by Richard Sennett)
4. Nothing but the Best by Thomas Girtin
5. Empire of Fashion by Gilles Lipovetsky
6. The Politics of Fashion in Eighteenth-Century America (Gender and American Culture) by Katie Haulman
7. The Suit by Christopher Breward
8. The Sociology of Taste by Jukka Gronow
9. The Longing for Less by Kyle Chayka
10. A History of Men's Fashion by Farid Chenoune
11. Many of the best books are also anthologies, such as the Men's Fashion Reader and Engaging with Fashion (At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries). I tend to prefer short journal articles too, and anthologies are a good way to get at the meat of an idea without having to slog through 400 pages.

Unfortunately, a lot of menswear books are kind of boring. Many are vanity books or picture books. I think Bruce Boyer is one of the few writers that writes about clothing in a substantive way, but also isn't overly dense like many academic books (and many academic books may be more about niche subjects, such as gender expression, than actual clothing as a focus). Hard to find many people who bridge those worlds. I have a ton and ton of menswear books on my shelf that I wish I hadn't bought, as they're basically just recycled Wikipedia pages on the history of the trench coat or whatever. Good for reference if you write about this stuff, but I not the kind of thing I think is terribly interesting on its own.

 

[DavidLane]

If I had all the money I wasted on crappy CT shirts and knitwear, 'budget' watches, ****** eBay buys and return postage I'd have a modest Rolex on my wrist instead of a Hamilton. Nothing worse than standing in a post office and shelling out €80 to return a pair of shoes to ******* Sweden or wherever. I had to start using different post offices each time to hide the shame.

I think this is just part of the learning process, especially when you are starting out. I am sure there may be some who get it right out of the gate, but for me I had to buy a bunch of stuff to know if I did or didn’t like it, or if it fit in my wardrobe or not. I must have bought 4-5 pairs of oxfords before realizing I never wear a suit.

I just get a little tentative whenever I’m looking for sales or deals which are for me just signs I am compromising. If I am not willing to pay full retail, I need to take a step back and do a bit more thinking.

-DL

 

[scurvyfreedman]

If I had all the money I wasted on crappy CT shirts and knitwear, 'budget' watches, ****** eBay buys and return postage I'd have a modest Rolex on my wrist instead of a Hamilton. Nothing worse than standing in a post office and shelling out €80 to return a pair of shoes to ******* Sweden or wherever. I had to start using different post offices each time to hide the shame.

Except then you'd have a Rolex instead of a nice watch. At least other people would know what it was and it would keep increasing in value.

 

[mak1277]

Except then you'd have a Rolex instead of a nice watch. At least other people would know what it was and it would keep increasing in value.

I know you're joking, but having both a Rolex and a Hamilton, there really is no comparison in how much nicer the Rolex is.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

I know you're joking, but having both a Rolex and a Hamilton, there really is no comparison in how much nicer the Rolex is.

I don't want to take this into the watch rabbit hole, but yes, Rolex is an entry level luxury watch in terms of finishing and movement. They make some excellent tool watches. More than anything, their pricing controls and limiting supply for certain models along with marketing (I'm not sure how to describe the mystique and reputation) has been incredible in building commodity value.

I'm not sure what Hamilton is anymore. It's a historical maker that's now merely a brand stamped on a dial, low in the pyramid of Swatch/ETA. Other than Blancpain, Breguet, Glashütte, and Omega because of the co-axial watches, I wouldn't consider any of Swatch's brands to be watchmakers. They are only logos in the traditional sense of brand like branding livestock.

I agree they are in completely different classes of quality.

 

[mossrockss]

I really got caught up in consuming when buying accessories, ties, and pocket squares and especially when they were on sale. I have piles of them and really only wear 3-4 of each with any regularity, if at all. They were a quick and "cheap" way to get something new, and I found I put less thought into buying them, and pissed away a lot of money trying to keep up.

Recently, I found myself falling into the same trap trying to add some more casual pieces. For the first time in a while I am watching for new releases (RRL) and getting excited about buying a new shirt or coat. Which lead, once again to chasing sales and looking for deals. I bought a few pieces, which I do like, before I caught myself, but time will tell how much staying power they really have.

For me, this is where the problem lies. It's all too fast. I see it, I like, I buy it and have it in a few days. I don't have time to marinate in it. I know I will have stuff in my closet that just doesn't get worn. I think that is the advantage to getting clothes made. You have so much time to think about it beforehand.

So this summer I am (trying) to take a step back from consuming to focus on pieces I already own, and trying to find new ways of wearing them. It really has been a nice challenge. Plus it reminded me of my favorite part about this whole silly clothing obsession.

I really do enjoy and look forward to wearing things I already have. In particular tweeds.

There is nothing like pulling a tweed jacket out from the back of the closet. And for me, the newer the tweed is, the less excited I am about it. It’s the older more broken in one’s I look forward to the most. The addition of something new usually quells the want/need to consume, but nothing beats those old one's, those are the best. They already have enough “dings” (a stain here, a pull there) on them to be a bit less precious. Cigar and fire pit tweeds.

I am sure I will end up buying something else, but for now at least I am enjoying what I have.

-DL

 

[mossrockss]

I don't think blogging about menswear has to be about consumption and purchasing new things to flex for the 'gram.

Take what Bliss Foster does for instance. In fact, he did a video about how to get into fashion WITHOUT spending any money. In the same way that guys are into cars or watches, you don't have to spend money to be interested and talk about those topics. Sure, it helps to have some real-world experience, but it doesn't strictly have to be about what you own.

Yes, I agree. Being "good" at Instagram is the dumbest skillset ever lol. Not throwing shade on anyone who does it well but boy is it annoying.

 

[mossrockss]

With the exception of Simon's blog, which I like, I find most clothing reviews to be pretty boring. But creating content that goes beyond that can also take a lot of time, which can be hard to maintain on a regular basis, especially if you have other commitments.

If someone is interested in fashion and doesn't want to spend a lot of money, however, I think reading books about fashion-related topics is a pretty good solution. Some that I like, off the top of my head:

1. Ready-Made Democracy by Michael Zakin
2. Consuming Splendor by Linda Levy Peck
3. The Craftsman by Richard Sennett (and anything else by Richard Sennett)
4. Nothing but the Best by Thomas Girtin
5. Empire of Fashion by Gilles Lipovetsky
6. The Politics of Fashion in Eighteenth-Century America (Gender and American Culture) by Katie Haulman
7. The Suit by Christopher Breward
8. The Sociology of Taste by Jukka Gronow
9. The Longing for Less by Kyle Chayka
10. A History of Men's Fashion by Farid Chenoune
11. Many of the best books are also anthologies, such as the Men's Fashion Reader and Engaging with Fashion (At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries). I tend to prefer short journal articles too, and anthologies are a good way to get at the meat of an idea without having to slog through 400 pages.

Unfortunately, a lot of menswear books are kind of boring. Many are vanity books or picture books. I think Bruce Boyer is one of the few writers that writes about clothing in a substantive way, but also isn't overly dense like many academic books (and many academic books may be more about niche subjects, such as gender expression, than actual clothing as a focus). Hard to find many people who bridge those worlds. I have a ton and ton of menswear books on my shelf that I wish I hadn't bought, as they're basically just recycled Wikipedia pages on the history of the trench coat or whatever. Good for reference if you write about this stuff, but I not the kind of thing I think is terribly interesting on its own.

I am extremely bored by the topic of menswear as it's typically written about in books, unfortunately. Even picture books hold my interest for approximately 20 minutes before I put it down to look at something else. I still like those coffee table books (I recently bought This Guy and Italian Gentleman). Even things like old Apparel Arts illustrations that many dudes get high on were always so quaint and uninteresting to me.

For me menswear is specifically about looking cool and feeling cool (primarily the latter), in whatever narrow sense that's peculiar to me. So, lots of aspects of menswear that guys get into have 0 interest for me. I still get excited by a new purchase, of course, and have to keep myself from buying new stuff just for buying's sake. But the end game is always looking cool and feeling cool.

 

[Guccinski L.V.]

Too bad I have missed the time when Vox had gotten rid of all his Vass shoes to replace them all with more esoteric bespoke ****. We have the same shoe size and I could have coped a hellu va Vass selection.

 

[circumspice]

I tend to doubt he did because if he had, Templeman wouldn't have the time to **** around baking

 

[Joytropics]

With the exception of Simon's blog, which I like, I find most clothing reviews to be pretty boring. But creating content that goes beyond that can also take a lot of time, which can be hard to maintain on a regular basis, especially if you have other commitments.

If someone is interested in fashion and doesn't want to spend a lot of money, however, I think reading books about fashion-related topics is a pretty good solution. Some that I like, off the top of my head:

1. Ready-Made Democracy by Michael Zakin
2. Consuming Splendor by Linda Levy Peck
3. The Craftsman by Richard Sennett (and anything else by Richard Sennett

Ahem.

Amazon.com