My Favorite Item

To start off the discussion concerning staples, I wanted to detail what is my personal favorite article of clothing, easily being both my most versatile and most worn, seeing almost everyday use. This item is shared with me by many men for its comfort and casual appearance and has held its place strong in men's fashion since it's popularization by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. As you might have guessed, with that hint, this item is a pair of jeans.

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Now, I don't think I have to persuade anyone or go into detail about the positives of wearing jeans. Enough men wear and love them for me to assume that this ground is covered. However, not as many people are enthusiastic about the sort of jeans I enjoy. I am a fan of slim fit, raw (or dry, for another term), selvedge, indigo denim.

When it comes to denim, most (and when I say most, I mean the vast majority) of the jeans you will find in a department store has been run through a washing process. This serves to shrink and soften the fabric, and it removes most of the excess dye while sealing in the color. You will also find that a good portion of jeans are pre-distressed. This gives the jeans a rugged and worn appearance immediately.

Raw denim jeans are jeans that do not go through any distressing or washing after the dying process, though many employ a process known as sanforization to minimize shrinkage, allowing for a more accurate sizing upon purchase. However, in most cases with raw denim, you're left with a stiff fabric that carries a good deal of excess dye. For the first few wearings, the jeans will be rather uncomfortable, and for even longer, they'll be prone to what's called 'crocking.' As well as that, if you size the jeans correctly, what will happen is the jeans will be a bit tight, too, and you'll have to wear them a few times to stretch them out. But that's not the worst part.

To get the full desired effect of raw denim, while you might have a pre-soak if the denim is unsanforized, many of the instructions for owning raw denim recommend not washing for a period of months. In fact, I've seen it more often recommended that you wait 6 months to a full year (honestly, though, this is hardly even a guideline, in my opinion), and you hand wash them. Thus far, I'm not making a good sales pitch, but here's where it gets better.

As the jeans stretch out, they will stretch out according to the figure and activity level of the person wearing them. Because of that, they actually morph to take on the shape of the individual, becoming the closest thing to a perfect fit you will ever find. Also, the longer you wear the jeans, the crocking process of the dye bending and shifting around as you move will create creases and fades unique to you. Essentially, they become your own personalized jeans. And the effects can be beautiful.

Even more, in the long run, these jeans are also more cost effective than many of the pre-washed, pre-distressed jeans you find in stores. As it has neither been washed, nor gone through any distressing process, the denim retains a lot of its initial integrity, making it more durable and longer lasting.

Now, as for the other terms, indigo and selvedge, these are a bit easier. Indigo is essentially the dye they use for jeans, both the type of dye and the color. Indigo is quite genuinely the dye used for most jeans for their gorgeous blue color. For me, I prefer my jeans to remain this color instead of trying out the more varied options. Keeps it simple, and it will still look good when these jeans start to fall apart on me after 10 years.

As for selvedge, have you noticed how a long of people today are rolling up their pant legs? When they do that, you can see the stitching on the inside seams. Now, something you may have seen, especially within the past few years, is that some of these jeans have a white edge around the stitching. This is called selvedge. Essentially, it's an edge that keeps the seams from fraying. Small detail, but it makes it lasts longer and, quite frankly, is cool to look at. You won't find all raw denim to have selvedge, and not all selvedge is raw, but it is something I personally prefer in my jeans.

Now, when it comes to raw denim, pricing is all over the place, but generally will be a bit more expensive than some store-bought denim. While many denimheads will praise the jeans that can hit categories in excess of $200-300, some going even into the four-digit range, there are a good many options for people like myself who think this is ridiculous.

There are some brands I would check out first, even if you don't want to hit the three-digit range. Levi's 501 STF, color 'Rigid,' is recognized as raw, and was my personal first starting pair, which I still wear. This one is especially good for learning how to care for raw denim. Another brand to check out in the affordable price range is Uniqlo, which sources from Japanese mills that used U.S. mills. This tends to be a good quality denim, and their price is hard to beat. Unbranded also has a good reputation.

My personal favorite brand is a bit more expensive, as well, but as I wear it pretty much every day for casual use, I didn't mind spending a bit more, and it didn't cost as much when I bought it as it does today.

There is a lot more detail to cover, but hopefully, this whets your appetite to dig more into it. I understand that it isn't for everyone, but for people like myself who tried and fell in love with the whole process, these jeans are amazing.

Disagree with anything, or have your own preference of jeans? Do you have a personal favorite staple? Let me know in the comments below! Until next time!

Starting Out

There's obviously balancing act when it comes to having a versatile, yet stylish and minimal wardrobe. With having a large amount of clothing in your closet, obviously you have an enormous number of options to choose from. However, when it comes to menswear, an overabundance of clothes is rather impractical and redundant, not to mention expensive. Outside of the expenses or purchasing and maintaining them, I would argue that it's a waste of time, money, and space for men have a closet packed full of items, most of which they don't wear or wear very little.

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On the flip side, it is also practical to have enough to allow you to wear clean clothes between laundry sessions and not be recognized as someone who always dresses in the same thing. Believe it or not, it is possible for people to question your hygiene, if you wear the same thing every day.

This is where having a collection of key, fundamental items in one's wardrobe comes into play. The nature of the items allow them to be combined with numerous clothing articles, including one another, allowing for an array of outfits. And, because of how wide their application is, this also reduces the need for additional items to make a coordinated outfit, allowing you to keep your collection leaner.

To me, to fit into the description requires that an item meets four criteria:

1. The item fits well. Really well. There's nothing wrong about having other items in your closet that fit okay, though not perfect, but these have to fit spot on or close to it. Even a loud and hideous item can make the wearer look good, if it fits well, but these are to serve as the foundation.
2. The item is simple. There is not much about the item that stands out beyond being just what it is. It doesn't capture anyone who isn't paying attention. It is meant to emphasize the figure wearing it and compliment the other articles that figure has on.
3. The item is classic. By classic, I mean what most people mean by timeless. Not only should it look good next week, it should look good next year and in the years to come, and does not fall into the rapidly-changing tide of trends.
4. The color is neutral and solid. There's nothing wrong with bolder palates, but by keeping it neutral, it can be combined with almost any alternative color or pattern.

There is nothing wrong with the statement piece, if that's your thing, but these are to have minimal restrictions on how they can be worn.

Also, as the staples of one's wardrobe, these can be unique to each individual, and so what mine are may not suit someone else. As an example, one of my staples is raw denim jeans. I love breaking them in and having them develop 'fades' unique to me over the period of months and years. Plenty of guys aren't willing to go through that process. It's entirely the preference of the person.

I will cover some of my own personal staples in the future. For now, however, I just wanted to cover my personal most effective means of maintaining a minimalist wardrobe.

Are there any items you consider your staples? Comment below!

A Minimal Wardrobe

When it comes to a functioning wardrobe for men, I am an advocate of taking what I consider a minimalist approach. By this, I mean the idea stocking one's closet with quality clothing relevant to their lifestyle and reducing excess. However, as this is still a somewhat vague definition, I hope to use this post to further explain.

But, to clear the waters as to what this minimalist approach is not, it is not owning as few items as humanly possible. While that's one interpretation, it is most certainly not this one, and this should be further demonstrated later on.

Each person's situation is unique, and this includes their lifestyle. And, while there are a significant number of influencing factors in regards to this, those that strike me as the most relevant to clothing are one's professional and social activities. Now, as each person's professional and social life is unique to them, while there are general items that can be incorporated into most wardrobes, it is impossible to give one general formula for what every man's complete wardrobe should look like.

I will likely elaborate on the different facets of this in future posts, but this is a brief summary of the process I favor. To start, you evaluate your current situation, identify the sort of image you wish to present of yourself, and proceed to work towards that goal. As you improve your image, you'll get a better understanding of what items suit the image you're looking for, and you optimize your wardrobe further. You'll find that you gravitate towards certain articles of clothing more than others, and there will be items that you'll realize you never or rarely use. When this happens, purge your closet of the things you find unnecessary. If your circumstances change, such as moving to a new city or changing jobs, simply adjust accordingly, rinse, and repeat. This is a cycle, and as it goes on, you'll find that your closet will naturally adjust more and more to contain clothing that you enjoy wearing, and the excess will diminish. This is what I mean by minimalism.

Now, should you try this, there are a few tips I offer that I learned, sometimes the hard way, listed below.

 

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1. At first, buy cheap. If your experience is anything like mine was, you'll find a lot of items that you think will work well or look good, but the longer you have them, you'll find more and more you dislike wearing it or tend not to reach for it. If you buy higher-quality items to begin with, when it's time to purge, you'll have a much harder time getting rid of items that you barely did and probably won't use.

2. Buy clothes that fit, or that you can have tailored. Fit is the most important aspect of how any article of clothing looks. Regardless of it's price, regardless of the fabric used, regardless of who made it, if it fits poorly, it will not look good.

3. When you are comfortable with the type of clothing that suits your goals, buy quality, especially over quantity. Quality items will tend to last you longer, thus saving you money, and you'll enjoy wearing them more.

4. Buy what's within your price range, but buy value. I am a big supporter of finding higher-quality items for as inexpensive a price as I can find, and even then I'm picky about how much I'm willing to spend. Learn brands that make quality items, or that you personally prefer, and then keep an eye out for them in thrift stores or on eBay. There's a certain point when the price of an item well exceeds being reasonable.

Any tips you have of your own, or anything you personally disagree with? Comment below!

Getting Started

In recent history, more specifically within the past decade, there seems to have been a revival of interest in classic men's style. Yes, as with each decade, there are trends that we will look back on in the coming decades and cringe, and there still are the faint-but-lingering shadows of a disdain for the idea of men dressing up and dressing well. However, with the widespread use of the internet and the popularity of a number of television sitcoms (the most obvious being Mad Men, but there are certainly others) we are seeing a growing number of men showing an appreciation for menswear and striving to dress better.

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But why should you care?

While your motivations might be different, I personally have two reasons as to why I enjoy attempting (sometimes failing) to dress well.

First is it improves our social interactions with others. The immediate examples that I'm used to hearing would be in making a good impression with a potential employer or on a first date. But, in my opinion, these examples, while important, are only a small part of the overall benefits and themselves reserved to a select few occasions. In truth, how we present ourselves does have a good deal of influence on how others perceive us, not just in these select few occasions, but in general, and clothing is a part of this. When you dress well, people treat you better. And while research is limited, there is even reason to believe that it influences how we feel and behave, which I think many people, myself included, would agree with based upon experience alone.

Second, and this is actually my own primary reason, is that I find it fun. There is a wealth of information available to explore, and I enjoy scanning through, learning more and trying out new things. From the history of clothing, spanning its evolution over just the past century, to modern trends and their relation to these vintage styles, there are seemingly endless options to review.

I enjoy the conversations that it's inspired. One of the very inspirations for this blog was the number of men that have approached me on the topic or the amount of times that the idea of fashion has emerged in conversation, even over something so small as a friend of mine wearing a nice watch or colored shoelaces. Everyone I've met, whether man or woman, has an opinion when it comes to clothing, and it's fun to observe the ideas that arise.

And finally is the feeling of it. As I partly hinted above, when you dress well, you feel good. You feel more confident about yourself. There is something about dressing in an outfit that's put together and fits you well that causes you to stand a little taller. At first, when you're trying it, it can feel a little different and awkward, and to tell the truth, I've heard of cases where many men return to their old clothing because of this, but if you keep going, it is a great feeling as you start to see the benefits it provides.

With these things in mind, the purpose of this blog is to serve as a means through which I can share the things that I've learned and the opinions I've acquired over time, and hopefully, you will come to see why I enjoy it so much. In future posts, I will expound upon my ideas and what I aim for with these, but for now, welcome!