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I say I'm a materialist because I care about things: what they are, where they came from, who made them, where the materials are from, and most importantly, how they make us feel. Most men have been slow to learn that clothing can be a great source of daily pleasure, that spending a bit more time on it and a bit more money can be extremely rewarding. Of course I can blame society for some of this, right?--that we think caring too much about your clothing makes you womanly, or gay, or some sort of dandy. But name a "real man" from each of the last 15 decades and I'll bet they looked good, and it wasn't an accident--it shows respect for yourself. Every man has a favorite item or two in his closet, something that makes him feel good when he wears it. For one of my friends, it's a tattered Star Wars t-shirt. For Jerry Seinfeld, it was "golden boy." For others it's a pair of shoes found on sale, or a brand new suit saved up for and finally purchased. Think about one of your favorites and realize that everything in your closet can be that good if you really try. You will look better, feel better, and carry yourself better. This will not go unnoticed. I have worked for five years in the men's clothing industry: from retail to wholesale, at the highest end. The industry as a whole is doing well, very well, and it's because most manufacturers and retailers (but definitely not all) have given up the good fight and instead realized that the easiest way to make a sale is to convince you through marketing that you need something. I'm here to say that you need to learn more, develop your own style, and resist being turned into a lemming by marketing efforts. It's easy: 1) Realize that it's okay to think about your clothing, to ask questions, to go shopping, to want to learn more. 2) Open your eyes. Pay attention to what other men wear, to what you like and what you don't like. Go shopping at stores you have never been to, but walk out with nothing. (Don't feel pressure to buy yet, if you don't want to.) Start to figure out what you value. 3) Get involved. Try things on. Ask questions. Be wary of sales pitches. Learn about fit and quality differences, and about the manufacturers, about where your clothes and the fabrics were made. Don't be too cerebral here--you can analyze all the passion out of it if you're not careful. But you should know what you wear. 4) Buy it, wear it. And try something new every once in a while. And enjoy every bit of it. Thanks for reading, |
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content throughout this site, unless otherwise noted, is written by and copyright © 2007 j. d. erickson |