Wardrobe vs. Age

Allen Smithee

Allen Smithee

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fassbinder said:
what a loser. i can understand a 20 something playing dressup or a 30 something learning how to dress like a grownup, but this is the igent equivelant of the old guy in the Ed Hardy T-shirt or A&F outfit. if i'm ballsackie's age and poopoker is still my model of a well dressed man please shoot me. i'd take the king anyday over this douchebag.
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When should a man stop adopting new trends? Is the ideal to have a lifetime wardrobe such that purchases will be minimal for the last half of life?
Is the natural inclination through the years to lose vanity and move toward practical and comfortable items a good thing or laziness to be resisted?
What does it say that Fedora Lounge is filled with anachronistic youngters dressing like their grandfathers while there are men with wrinkled faces and gray hair going for a more GQ look?

Is there even such a thing as age appropriate clothing?
 
Good question. Might depend on how severe the trend is. While a quality (relative term) pair of shoes will last a long time with re-soling, I wonder if someone who chooses racing green, navy blue or museum plum will wear these for the normal life cycle of the shoe. There are many chaps of all ages embracing this trend. When will they tire of those colours or will they look silly in time coupled with their timeless suit fits?

What about the slim/shrunken suit phenomenon? Really only looks good on rail thin people and is there an age limit to that? Plus it only looks good if someone appreciates that esthetic.

Does Wooster look good or bad in his trendy attire? Would he look better or worse if he was younger?
 
JimmyRustler said:
Wooster is a joke. The fashion business is a mob front to launder money. No real people wear that shit.
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Of course he is. But people do wear the shit he wears but they are not everyday people.

Here's another thought. If you compare MC to SWD, which one is more reflective of trends?

Now take Man of Kent and his shift from MC to SWD. Does he look stranger by wearing what he wears because of his 40-something age versus how he would be perceived if he was younger?

I think it was Grand Potentate Grand Potentate who referred to his look as a British factory worker.

If a 20-something wore similar outfits how would he be perceived?

I am throwing these things out because I am still not sure if I have a complete opinion.
 
Most of the streetwear stuff is so conformist and boring I cant begin to understand it.

I do admire the Yohji Yamamoto and other stuff, like capes and asymmetrical clothes, that tries to incorporate Asian and other influences and with a modernist twist. But most of that shit is just youths** in the normal nondescript groupthink stuff of the day. It sad that an area that should offer a wide degree of freedom to experiment, streetwear, is basically blander and less fun than "tailored English influenced wear".

** this is not stuff for anyone over 35 and not in hairdressing, barista, graphic design, marketing, or call centre work.
 
Allen Smithee said:
When should a man stop adopting new trends? Is the ideal to have a lifetime wardrobe such that purchases will be minimal for the last half of life?
Is the natural inclination through the years to lose vanity and move toward practical and comfortable items a good thing or laziness to be resisted?
What does it say that Fedora Lounge is filled with anachronistic youngters dressing like their grandfathers while there are men with wrinkled faces and gray hair going for a more GQ look?

Is there even such a thing as age appropriate clothing?
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Certainly. As you age, most emotionally developed humans gravitate to longer term outlooks. It follows that clothing tends to become more timeless for older people. You also have to factor in there is time period specific trends too. Obviously this is what makes the Fedora Lounge and that one little idiot with the huge hats look ridiculous.

JimmyRustler that Larry King pic is fantastic.
 
doggy- you seem sensible - at times - what does the above post mean?
 
Well Jimmy, I would posit people who are not stunted emotionally don't feel the need to chase every little trend, and gravitate to more classic garments. Ed Hardy would not be classified as a classic garment.
 
You follow trends. We all do.

Triple pleats?

One inch cuffs?

Oh no its timeless classics for me.
Bullshit.
 
We will have to differ on our definition of trend Jimm-dog. It's pretty hard to call something that lasts over half a century a trend. You should ask Tayls.


x.

;)
 
Allen Smithee said:
When should a man stop adopting new trends? Is the ideal to have a lifetime wardrobe such that purchases will be minimal for the last half of life?
Is the natural inclination through the years to lose vanity and move toward practical and comfortable items a good thing or laziness to be resisted?
What does it say that Fedora Lounge is filled with anachronistic youngters dressing like their grandfathers while there are men with wrinkled faces and gray hair going for a more GQ look?

Is there even such a thing as age appropriate clothing?
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When you accumulated enough clothes or wealth to no longer give a fuck.
 
I wish I could wear Yohji.

I do think people should dress their ages, though it's most egregious with older folks dressing younger.

College kids should dress like college kids, and there is a wide range of options there. Late 20's to mid 30's probably has the most options available to it.

I doubt I'll ever wear a tshirt with shorts ever, except around the house or for sports. Feels too young for me.
 
Chorn said:
I wish I could wear Yohji.

I do think people should dress their ages, though it's most egregious with older folks dressing younger.

College kids should dress like college kids, and there is a wide range of options there. Late 20's to mid 30's probably has the most options available to it.

I doubt I'll ever wear a tshirt with shorts ever, except around the house or for sports. Feels too young for me.
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I thing you pegged it; older people dressing to young looks the worst, especially casual wear.

Anyone trying to start their own trend by wearing period clothing look like cartoon characters. Hello, Tibor
 
thruth said:
So I guess I should leave the goth/ninja look to Pauly Chase Pauly Chase
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I wear toned version of gothninja. I think geographic location is also a contributing factor to my wardrobe.

Yohji, unlike some of the other "ninja" brands, can be worn by any age group. YY himself is 70 years old and he wears his own clothes, and rather well IMO.
 
doghouse said:
Certainly. As you age, most emotionally developed humans gravitate to longer term outlooks.
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Ding ding ding. This is my take one it, essentially. As a kid, what you see around you, and especially promoted in the media, is all that you know. As you live through trends, and see them come, go, be scorned afterward, you become wary of this pursuit and see it as ephemeral and masturbatory.
Mr. Mellor does raise the interesting climate vs. weather notion that there are longer and shorter term trends, and unless you wish to look truly anachronistic all are ultimately subject to the longer term trends. Very, very little remains iconic in an unchanged way for half a century. The differences may be minor, but they will be perceptible in some way.
The current case is that finding khakis that are not lower rise and narrow legged is near on impossible. A few years back, it was a lesser nuisance to do so.
Oh, adulthood and stopping growth has something to do with this, as does not having mommy and daddy paying for your stuff. When you outgrow your clothes each year, style is in the now. When resources are less limited, frivolity is more tolerable. But also, we grow resistant to change. Mostly, it's for the good, I'd say.
 
Russell Street said:
Ding ding ding. This is my take one it, essentially. As a kid, what you see around you, and especially promoted in the media, is all that you know. As you live through trends, and see them come, go, be scorned afterward, you become wary of this pursuit and see it as ephemeral and masturbatory.
Mr. Mellor does raise the interesting climate vs. weather notion that there are longer and shorter term trends, and unless you wish to look truly anachronistic all are ultimately subject to the longer term trends. Very, very little remains iconic in an unchanged way for half a century. The differences may be minor, but they will be perceptible in some way.
The current case is that finding khakis that are not lower rise and narrow legged is near on impossible. A few years back, it was a lesser nuisance to do so.
Oh, adulthood and stopping growth has something to do with this, as does not having mommy and daddy paying for your stuff. When you outgrow your clothes each year, style is in the now. When resources are less limited, frivolity is more tolerable. But also, we grow resistant to change. Mostly, it's for the good, I'd say.
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^this. The older you get, the more trends you've seen come and go. There are some "old" designs that you want to wear forever because they are as close to timeless as you can get.

I like to think of it as eras versus trends. Sometimes trends grow to define an era - good or bad.
 
JimmyRustler said:
Brb gonna go shop at Baby Gap.
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I have no idea what that was supposed to mean, but it does raise the point of teen rebellion and young adult "finding your unique style" or whatnot. And then at some point, as an adult you find what works (which really should be the time-tested classics unless one is particularly brilliant and inventive) and stick with it. Also, one does figure how to dress like an adult without looking generic and old, hopefully.
 
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