style

Building a new wardrobe

Since I’ve been a functional adult, fashion is something that doesn’t really appeal to me.  The entire concept of spending a lot of money on things that are hot right now but that I probably won’t be able to wear in a year seems kind of silly to me, even though I can appreciate a well-dressed person and the time it takes to look good.  But while fashion doesn’t appeal to me, style does.  My personal belief is that having style is something that’s always in fashion, whereas almost all fashion goes out of style, if that makes any sense.

Truth be told, I’ve always struggled with my wardrobe.  Some of this struggle had to do with my weight fluctuating almost 40 lbs in the last 8 years, and another part had to do with a general anxiety about shopping.  Long story short, I’m one of those guys that had to stop going to malls during Christmas season many years ago.  I just can’t take the big crowds, the feeling of pressure, and the general anxiety that comes along with spending significant amounts of your hard-earned money.  As a result, I barely had the patience to stay in stores long enough to try on clothes, which ultimately led to the accumulation of lots of clothes that didn’t fit me too well, but that I didn’t have the patience to return (because of the anxiety that caused me to buy them in the first place!).

Over the years I’ve gotten a little more patient and managed to pick up a piece here and there that I’ve felt really comfortable about–a sweater here, a cool pair of slacks there–but nothing consistent enough to consider part of a wardrobe, or even a look for myself.  But in the past year or so I’ve started to identify where I wanted to go with it, and I think I’m ready to start the process.  I’ve also been inspired by some friends with great style that gave me some tips about how they achieved it.

So I’m going to build a new wardrobe, basically from scratch.  It’s not like I’ve got much worth keeping anyways.  I will blog about it here and post the things I learn along the way for those interested in the same undertaking.  My guess is that there are plenty of men who feel like I do; who want to look good, but don’t want to pay $40 for a ten deep t-shirt or $100 for one pair of jeans that don’t really work for you anymore.  If so, we can go through this process together.

If any of you have done this before, please feel free to share some tips in the comment section.  Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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