The School Fees We Pay - Mistakes We Make Finding Our Taste

[William Kazak]

This thread is sort of like AA but for clothing enthusiasts. So with that said, hello, I am bjornb17.

I was referred to this thread based on my comment on another thread. Below is my comment but expanded upon for this thread:

I've been on this sartorial journey for about 14 years now. They say it is about the journey, not the destination, and that is so true since my style and knowledge is ever-evolving. I figured by now I would have things more or less dialed in, but it is a constant process. When I look at my sense of style now versus even just a few years ago, I'm surprised by how far I've come - despite my style more or less being the same or similar, the fit, details, and ability to pull off an outfit confidently has gotten way better. And I wonder how it will be in 5 years looking back to this day. But, it all comes at a cost as I buy stuff, try it, find out what works and doesn't work, and then sell a good portion of it at a loss. I feel like I am sort of a filter, buying a lot of things that I think I like, keeping the things I love, and pretty quickly selling off the things that aren't quite working for me. My current wardrobe is like the all star game of my favorite things over the years and now I'm super excited to wear everything I have.

One example is my shoe game. I've worn Allen Edmonds for a number of years and they were satisfactory, but, there was always something missing in my eyes. They styles were a little too conservative, the detailing was a little too sloppy, none of the lasts or sizes ever seem to fit me quite right, etc. Enter Carmina and their custom shoe configuration. For $685 you can get exactly the shoe you want! For about double or triple the price of what you would normally pay for Allen Edmonds. I visit several menswear outfitters and get a second and third opinion on my shoe size and do meticulous research here and elsewhere on how to expect the new shoes to fit. I order two pairs for nearly $1400 and wait 2 months. I get them and they are gorgeous, but oops! I really should have ordered a half size larger. I re-order the two pairs again for $1400 and then sell my two pairs of shoes in the wrong size for approximately $900. I lost $500 in the process but now my shoe game is significantly elevated and I love my new Carmina shoes way more than any AE I've ever laid eyes on, and best of all they fit amazing in the larger size. I made the right call in reordering. Lesson learned and for future orders I now have my size and last dialed in perfectly. I'm always excited to wear my Carminas and couldn't be happier.

Next example - custom shirts. I'm currently trying to elevate my shirt game. After all these years I finally have my shirt measurements dialed in just the way I like it, but I'm feeling experimental. I order a handful of shirts with details I've always sought after like extreme cutaway collars, mitered french cuffs, etc. A few weeks later I get my new shirts that I spent a lot of money on. They are gorgeous. Except one thing, that collar and cuff combo just looks a little bit too over the top on me and doesn't flatter my physique as much. I reorder a few shirts this time with a medium spread collar and square french cuffs, in the same patterns, and they look 100% better on me. They are a bit more understated but look really sharp and I feel a lot more confident in them. They are totally "me" whereas the first iterations were for somebody I was pretending to be, if that makes sense. I sell the first batch of shirts on ebay for about 50% of what I paid for them. The buyers are happy and I'm happy to get them out of my closet, but I lost some money in the process. However, again, I learned a few things and my shirt game has been elevated a bit from where it was and now I'm happy with the knowledge of what looks good on me and what doesn't. Also since my new batch of shirts are so perfect for me, I sell most of my older inventory since they don't live up to my current evolved standard.

Same example goes for suits or any other menswear topic you can think of.

In the end I learned a lot, mostly had fun, look better, but I lost a moderate chunk of money in the the process. I earn enough money that this does not adversely impact be financially, but I can't help but feel slightly guilty at the thought of being financially inefficient, but I'm also pleased with the evolution of my style and what I've learned along the way. Buying stuff, receiving it, trying it, and then sometimes having to get rid of it is kind of fun in its own way.

Initially I felt kind of stupid for the money wasted, but after reading through this thread I understand it is a common and probably important part of the process. The biggest lesson I learned is to be a bit less impulsive and more selective when buying new things, but it is okay to try things, make mistakes and learn from them.

A most important point would be to actually wear them. Collecting anything can be such an endless game to play.