Your Style Philosophy

[DudleyGray]

I'm not sure about any place but Asia, but there's a limit to which intelligence is appreciated there. A formal education is highly valued for practical reasons, but I don't think critical thought is equally valued. I'm assuming that this isn't unique, that it spans any culture or institution, because well-executed critical thought is a threat to the status quo institution. But then so is anti-intellectualism:

"What we commonly call nihilism–and are tempted to date historically, decry politically, and ascribe to thinkers who allegedly dared to think “dangerous thoughts”–is actually a danger inherent in the thinking activity itself. There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is dangerous, but nihilism is not its product. Nihilism is but the other side of conventionalism; its creed consists of negations of the current, so-called positive values to which it remains bound. All critical examinations must go through a stage of at least hypothetically negating accepted opinions and “values” by finding out their implications and tacit assumptions, and in this sense nihilism may be seen as an ever-present danger of thinking. But this danger does not arise out of the Socratic conviction that an unexamined life is not worth living but, on the contrary, out of the desire to find results which would make further thinking unnecessary. Thinking is equally dangerous to all creeds and, by itself, does not bring forth any new creed.

However, nonthinking, which seems so recommendable a state for political and moral affairs, also has its dangers. By shielding people against the dangers of examination, it teaches them to hold fast to whatever the prescribed rules of conduct may be at a given time in a given society. What people get used to is not so much the content of the rules, a close examination of which would always lead them into perplexity, as [they do] the possession of rules under which to subsume particulars. In other words, they get used to never making up their minds. If somebody then should show up who, for whatever reasons and purposes, wishes to abolish the old “values” or virtues, he will find it easy enough provided he offers a new code, and he will need no force and no persuasion–no proof that the new values are better than the old ones–to establish it. The faster men held to the old code, the more eager will they be to assimilate themselves to the new one; the ease with which such reversals can take place under certain circumstances suggests indeed that everybody is asleep when they occur. This century has offered us some experience in such matters: How easy it was for totalitarian rulers to reverse the basic commandments of Western morality–“Thou shalt not murder” in the case of Hitler’s Germany, “Thou shalt not bear false testimony against thy neighbor” in the case of Stalin’s Russia."

-Hannah Arendt

I'm cheating here, appealing to authority, but she says it with much more elegance than I could. Maybe places like France or whatever are different.

Anyways, it's getting way off topic, sorry for the derail.

[Faust]

Anti-aestheticism, I can see as a puritanical American thing, but not anti-intellectualism, I think that's always been everywhere. Dumb people hate smart people, and there's no shortage of dumb people.

I disagree. In most Western European countries, as well as Russia, China, India, Japan, Israel, etc. - there is deep respect for education and knowledge. Here, people are actually proud of their ignorance.

[DudleyGray]

It's not really that. America is a country founded by the Puritans. The Puritans had the Book and reviled anything that was even remotely aesthetic as decadent and sinful. They jettisoned aesthetics as merely another excess of the Catholic Church. Anti-aestheticism, just like anti-intellectualism, is in this country's blood.

Anti-aestheticism, I can see as a puritanical American thing, but not anti-intellectualism, I think that's always been everywhere. Dumb people hate smart people, and there's no shortage of dumb people.

[sunny]

You shouldn't buy things because you are attempting to enter a culture or "fit right in". You should buy it because you genuinely like it, the education comes later. Luckily you can make some money back, especially if its lightly worn

Indeed! I stopped buying things except I really love it. Also, I lacked restraint to the sales.

[Faust]

Elegance requires restraint, which I've been historically bad at, and restraint doesn't play well with consumerism, so yeah.

It's not really that. America is a country founded by the Puritans. The Puritans had the Book and reviled anything that was even remotely aesthetic as decadent and sinful. They jettisoned aesthetics as merely another excess of the Catholic Church. Anti-aestheticism, just like anti-intellectualism, is in this country's blood.

[Lex1017]

I work in sports and wear sportswear most of the time. Felt bored to wear sportswear years ago. Then I tried to change my style and bought many different SZ brands (RO, Julius, Boris.....).

What's a shame! I emptied my saving but most of them are not my taste. Some of them are never worn (3 pairs of RO geobasket are waiting to go out of my wardrobe) . Now I prefer wearing classic and comfy, relaxing style.....perhaps CdG homme plus or ED.

You shouldn't buy things because you are attempting to enter a culture or "fit right in". You should buy it because you genuinely like it, the education comes later. Luckily you can make some money back, especially if its lightly worn

[sunny]

I work in sports and wear sportswear most of the time. Felt bored to wear sportswear years ago. Then I tried to change my style and bought many different SZ brands (RO, Julius, Boris.....).

What's a shame! I emptied my saving but most of them are not my taste. Some of them are never worn (3 pairs of RO geobasket are waiting to go out of my wardrobe) . Now I prefer wearing classic and comfy, relaxing style.....perhaps CdG homme plus or ED.

[DudleyGray]

Hell will freeze over before Americans embrace elegance.

Elegance requires restraint, which I've been historically bad at, and restraint doesn't play well with consumerism, so yeah.

[Blacknight]

very curious which brands you have in mind

Check out my recent "Rough guide to buying on Taobao" thread. Bottom of the list~

[ADreamofBlue]

I have a similar philosophy with Rick stuff in particular -- his more say "advanced" pieces are beautiful but I am not interested in clothes that wear me. I've recently divested myself of all the voluminous, impractical pieces I wore by InAisce and Obscur and switched over entirely to Zam Barrett, Lumen Et Umbra, CCP and Sruli Recht.

I definitely understand this. I was initially worried about that with Rick stuff (which I own 20+ pieces of), but people I know, or who see me often, associate me with him and his clothing, rather than him overshadowing me completely; I guess you could say that about all the dark clothing I own. Then again, the craziest item I have of his is an Exploder. The rest are singlets, t-shirts/long sleeves, pants and Pods. When people don't see me wearing that stuff for whatever reason, they get shocked. As stupid and soulless as it sounds, the dark, tattered, (many times androgynous) aesthetic has become a part of my "brand."

[Faust]

Don't get me wrong, the more extreme side of Rick resonates strongly with me. When I'm wearing that stuff, being an individual doesn't even matter. When it looks and feels like that, I don't care if it's wearing me or if I look like a fashion victim. It's a really decadent, selfish, and petty pleasure, and it feels like the only look that does justice to my inner weirdness.

But I don't live in a vacuum, there's no practical benefit to looking like a loon when I'm too old and content to be telling the world who I am.

Faust, elegance is a good word. In the US, it's undervalued and connotates femininity, but everyone could benefit from it.

Hell will freeze over before Americans embrace elegance.

[trentk]

along with several other much lesser-known local brands out here that are doing really interesting things

very curious which brands you have in mind

Faust, elegance is a good word. In the US, it's undervalued and connotates femininity, but everyone could benefit from it.

mathematicians use the term elegance all the time, meaning: beautifully/profoundly efficient/simple*

*max information packed into the minimum amount of communication, in a way that doesn't sacrifice ease of retrievability/unpacking

[RHR]

Hey all! Here are a few thoughts and ramblings.


Up to a few months ago, I did not have any style philosophy at all, and with a disjointed wardrobe and no sense of what goes well together other than black and tan/khaki/camel/whatever the name these days is, I would just dress. No thought put into it.


I started googling and got to Reddit's MaleFashionAdvice. Started reading and tried to make something similar to their recommended wardrobe, which, I noticed, didn't resonate with me.


As I was now more aware of what I was wearing, I noticed I always ended up wearing the same stuff and began to pay attention to what exactly I was wearing, as well as reasons behind it. I felt the best in a subdued color palette and my most commonly worn garment turned out to be a black t-shirt.

It was on MFA that I first heard of the term goth ninja. While I am still far, far away from being one, that's exactly what I strive to be. Stealthy, dark, subdued, hidden. That's what black as a color can provide me with.

Simultaneously, a lot of continuous and constant introspection revealed I actually felt the need to disconnect, to be someone people wouldn't focus their attention to in the first place. A nondescript, if you will. An outcast. Hidden from the mainstream, or a part of it in the exact opposite way of everyone else. That's what I've been my entire life, and, frankly, see no issue with.

I also despise consumerism, capitalism and planned obsolescence, and realizing I am furthering the cause by playing exactly by the rules imposed externally was a big moment for me. For example, seeing my closet full of clothes I had worn barely once hurt. Moreso when I factored in the lack of quality and quirky, seasonal design. And most of all when I figured there was no cohesion in there.


These days, my style philosophy is largely different, and defined for the most part. I know I want clothes I can wear, LOVE and LIVE IN until they are torn apart. I know I want them in black (and/or generally achromatic). I have taken steps to a better wardrobe as well, with some clothes donated and other passed to family members, some new ones bought and others being made to measure, respecting the local artisanship and skill, slowly building to a small but effective wardrobe.

So here I am. And that's it. In a nutshell.

[DudleyGray]

Don't get me wrong, the more extreme side of Rick resonates strongly with me. When I'm wearing that stuff, being an individual doesn't even matter. When it looks and feels like that, I don't care if it's wearing me or if I look like a fashion victim. It's a really decadent, selfish, and petty pleasure, and it feels like the only look that does justice to my inner weirdness.

But I don't live in a vacuum, there's no practical benefit to looking like a loon when I'm too old and content to be telling the world who I am.

Faust, elegance is a good word. In the US, it's undervalued and connotates femininity, but everyone could benefit from it.

[Arkady]

I have a similar philosophy with Rick stuff in particular -- his more say "advanced" pieces are beautiful but I am not interested in clothes that wear me. I've recently divested myself of all the voluminous, impractical pieces I wore by InAisce and Obscur and switched over entirely to Zam Barrett, Lumen Et Umbra, CCP and Sruli Recht.

Almost everything I wear has some utilitarian bent. I value build quality and durability above all and am most fascinated with pieces whose brilliance isn't immediately apparent -- I am a huge fetishist for discovery. I equally value houses that produce their pieces as ethically as possible by hand and cultivate a lifestyle brand that takes care of their workers.

Because of this, the pieces I wear often represent my politics to me but do not telegraph them to others. I am most interested in wearing pieces that evoke a truer me rather than selecting the more powerful / symbolic wearable sculptures people like Rick put out -- they often seem to have an agenda separate from my own. For me clothes are part of the endless process of Becoming, and I am always shifting underneath.