Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[Concordia]

Oh, go on-- claim your own 15 minutes.

 

[Mr. Six]

^

Well done.

 

[ericgereghty]

It took me several moments to realize you weren't talking about me.

Hahaha certainly not. You're far too refined to ever ever qualify as such

 

[patrickBOOTH]



@patrickBOOTH Spring 17 books from scabal had a few black lightweight wools with interesting textures that could work. Frank has them in Brooklyn

Also VBC hopsack must be cheaper straight from VBC than going through drapers?

Thanks for this, I think when I am back in NYC (currently in Cambodia/Thailand) I am going to drop in to see some swatches.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

By the way walking in the blistering sun out here, wearing jeans (and a t) and thinking of throwing on a dress shirt and lightweight black jacket makes me want to puke. WTF is wrong with me (ill do it anyway in NYC)?

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Late to the discussion, but back worsted wool sport coat is a bad idea for all the reasons you know. Andy Warhol looks good in that photo because he's Andy Warhol.

Don't think chunky Airy hopsack or Fresco would be that much better. Maybe velvet could work, but it wouldn't be the kind of true-blue casual thing that I think you're going for.

IMO, if you want a really casual look, you have to abandon the traditional tailored jacket. Or, if you go for a tailored jacket, you have to abandon business-y greys and worsted wools. Maybe a tan linen or something. It's still going to be an annoyingly hot thing to wear in SE Asian climates though cause of all that structure. If you don't like tailored jackets in NYC summers, it's only going to be worse in Vietnam or whatever.

I think you know me well enough, but I reading this makes me feel like you almost forget who you're talking to. Did you read what I am wearing this with and my original posts? A black sport coat with black jeans and a white Mercer. I ended the jacket to be partially lined with no shoulder pads and such, not a Huntsman sport coat. Business-y grey and such don't enter into the picture here. Also, not for nothing it is kind of perfectly the streetwear version of what I do with suits and almost exactly what I used to wear back when I was casually dressing in college. I don't know why you're bring up SE Asia. I am only out here for a few weeks out of the year and this is only intended to be worn in NYC on a Saturday, or Sunday on a summer weekend. I think Fuuma might even like it after a few drinks.

 

[dieworkwear]



A black sport coat with black jeans and a white Mercer. .

This sounds bad and boujee.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

That's me.

 

[dieworkwear]



What accounts for this general acceptance that certain people (generally celebs of some sort) look good no matter what, whereas mortals cannot sporting the exact same look?

Depends on the celebrity you're talking about, but it's again because clothes are social language. And cool people make clothes look cool. Cool clothes doesn't always make people look cool (sometimes they do, hopefully, but clearly not always).

Why are really faded and beat-up jeans cool? Because they're associated with a certain class of people -- cowboys, rockstars, laborers, etc -- and have taken on a kind of mythology about the start of the American west, rockstar lifestyles, and democratic values. It's not because worn in clothes inherently look good. A faded, nearly ripped to shreds business suit doesn't have the same notion.

Worn in Barbour jackets kind of mean the same thing, but they're connected to Anglo aristocracy, who in turn picked up their notion of thrift because monarchs started losing their heads. Catherine Howard, Queen of England in the 16th century, was supposedly beheaded for adultery, but she was also very unpopular for her conspicuous consumption -- wearing a new dress every day. Subsequent queens (and other royals) learned to be much more discrete, especially since that was the only way they could continue to hold power as democracy rose. See today's Queen, who frowns on flashy shoes; or Prince Charles, who supposedly wears the same clothes for decades (even if they're made by top-end bespoke tailors and cordwainers).

People used to dress according to the aristocracy because they set the rules, but also because certain royals had star power. Duke of Windsor made certain things look cool, so Hollywood elites followed. And when Hollywood elites follow, middle class people follow; and so on and so forth. Aristocracy doesn't have much fashion influence anymore, so we just have celebs. You can't divorce clothes from the people who wear them. People choose clothes because of their meaning and how they connect to identities, which is a very social thing.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Not for nothing, everything on this forum is pretty darn boujee. Also, hugely pretentious statement made by me: I can pull it off.

 

[dieworkwear]



Not for nothing, everything on this forum is pretty darn boujee. Also, hugely pretentious statement made by me: I can pull it off.

Anyway, are you going to wear skinny black jeans? You seem like a straight leg guy.

Non-skinny black jeans always look bad to me. Doesn't have to be super Saint Laurent skinny, but something like a Levis 501 with a black sport coat is not going to look good IMO. Will come off as corny business guy trying to look edgy.

Will look better if you do skinny black jeans, but I can't imagine you in those.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Anyway, are you going to wear skinny black jeans? You seem like a straight leg guy.

Non-skinny black jeans always look bad to me. Doesn't have to be super Saint Laurent skinny, but something like a Levis 501 with a black sport coat is not going to look good IMO. Will come off as corny business guy trying to look edgy.

Will look better if you do skinny black jeans, but I can't imagine you in those.

As I type I am wearing skinny black jeans (Levi 1979 501xx). Also, I AM a corny business man trying to look edgy.

 

[dieworkwear]



As I type I am wearing skinny black jeans (Levi 1979 501xx).

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Ugh, no I superfuture sized down.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Depends on the celebrity you're talking about, but it's again because clothes are social language. And cool people make clothes look cool. Cool clothes doesn't always make people look cool (sometimes they do, hopefully, but clearly not always).

Why are really faded and beat-up jeans cool? Because they're associated with a certain class of people -- cowboys, rockstars, laborers, etc -- and have taken on a kind of mythology about the start of the American west, rockstar lifestyles, and democratic values. It's not because worn in clothes inherently look good. A faded, nearly ripped to shreds business suit doesn't have the same notion.

Worn in Barbour jackets kind of mean the same thing, but they're connected to Anglo aristocracy, who in turn picked up their notion of thrift because monarchs started losing their heads. Catherine Howard, Queen of England in the 16th century, was supposedly beheaded for adultery, but she was also very unpopular for her conspicuous consumption -- wearing a new dress every day. Subsequent queens (and other royals) learned to be much more discrete, especially since that was the only way they could continue to hold power as democracy rose. See today's Queen, who frowns on flashy shoes; or Prince Charles, who supposedly wears the same clothes for decades (even if they're made by top-end bespoke tailors and cordwainers).

People used to dress according to the aristocracy because they set the rules, but also because certain royals had star power. Duke of Windsor made certain things look cool, so Hollywood elites followed. And when Hollywood elites follow, middle class people follow; and so on and so forth. Aristocracy doesn't have much fashion influence anymore, so we just have celebs. You can't divorce clothes from the people who wear them. People choose clothes because of their meaning and how they connect to identities, which is a very social thing.

How do the people fit into this that wore things "in bad taste" then became famous and the style was accepted? I see people wearing things all of the time that are pretty bad, but sometimes the person carries it well and it works for them. They aren't famous. Actually, how many streetwear bloggers have made careers out of this? You're right about how fashions trickle down, but not always.

I think people have leaned on the "he looks good because he's famous" adage a bit too much. Some things look good because they look good without the academic analysis.