Perhaps this a testament to my personality–overindulging in good things. I think we’re all a bit guilty of this to a certain extent. In the sartorial sense, though, I’m definitely a culprit. I find a well-cut, perfect-fitting, great looking something and I buy it over and over again in every color available. Well, not every color… just all the good ones. I mean, as much as I like to shop, I really hate shopping. What it all comes down to, really, is getting that perfect end result, nothing else is more important. The perfect fitting ____. The ultimate pair of ____. I just want that end result. I can do without the time wasted searching racks, the awkward encounters with store clerks (“Sir, do you need any help?” “No. No I don’t fucking need help. I’m here every weekend and what are you trying to say? I can’t dress well? I’ll crush your soul in my hand if its indeed palpable, infidel.”), the inevitable run-in with someone you don’t want to see, or just plain having to hold a shopping bag for the rest of the day. I say this all to justify what I am about to reveal to you in this post. My mild hoarding problem.
Case 1: Dress Shoes.
4 pairs of the same cap toe shoes.
Left to right we’ve got the brown and black ones I take regular care of, as I wear them to work 4/5 days of the week. Third pair are for leisure, as you’ll seen in the pictures to follow, they’re in need of some polish and have been given the rubber sole treatment to solidify their semi-laid-back demeanor. Last are the untouched, black patent leather version I’ve yet to wear. I’m saving these for a special black tie affair, at which point I’ll also need to buy a tuxedo.
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4 pairs of the same cap toe shoes.
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trusty work shoes, clean and maintained
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the leisure shoe, notice the rip
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formal shoes again, fresh out of the box
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formal shoes, never touched concrete
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work shoes, about time for another polish
All in all, I just love the way these shoes look, fit, and feel. I also like that they’ve been discontinued (which may be the reason for my scrambling to get 4 pairs in a year’s time) and they’re (in my mind, at least) my signature look.
Case 2: Jeans
I’m not buying into the idea of $100+ jeans. First of all, I can’t afford to. Second of all, I fail to see what benefits I’m receiving from spending suit-money on leisure/work wear. For $40 ($30 on Tuesdays, sometimes) H&M has provided me with more than enough denim to last me a decade. They’re tough enough to withstand a long wear-in period and develop their own natural aging. My favorite cut, the “Sliq” is slim, trim, and yet does not create a ‘civil war de la crotch’ if you know what I mean (choosing sides… you get it now). I used to wear them day in and day out during my manual labor contracting days, 2 years ago, without so much as a rip or busted rivet. Please, fashion snobs, snuff me all you like, but I love my trusty $40 jeans–all 6 pairs of them.
Only 5 pairs shown--was wearing the 6th. Sue me.
Case 3: T-shirts
Similar to my jeans, I buy all my t-shirts at H&M as well. I can’t justify $20 a pop for everyone’s organic, sacred virgin, ringspun, cupid-blessed, dragon-slaying, dream-weaving cotton undershirts. It’s a bit ridiculous for a plain t-shirt. I don’t care how soft it is. I’m a grown man, I can manage having some “un-pure” less than semi-precious cotton against my skin. Plain white undershirts I wear under my dress shirts for work everyday, I buy in a 5 pack from Hanes–simple. For plain t-shirts that actually see the light of day, I go with H&M’s $5 v-necks. Half of the time they’re making some kind of organic, natural, something or other claim like their $20+ superiors, all the while remaining at a cool $5-6 a pop. They’re soft, versatile, and shrink about a 1/2 size down as expected. Plus, I don’t have to change my t-shirt when I actually want to get my hands dirty with something around the house or fixing the bike. Amazing, I know, a t-shirt you don’t have to be careful with. I have upwards of 10 of these things, and I pick up another almost every time I walk in the store.
plain old t-shirts
