The Role of Style

If you decided to go looking for it, you might notice that my prior post on this subject was deleted. Basically, that's because I felt I did not do the subject justice upon addressing it. I was not having the best start to the week, and so I just published it more because I was tired than because I thought I did an acceptable job. Thus, while it's still fairly fresh, I'm revisiting it to try to better explain what I mean. Below, the introduction is the same, but I will advance from there.

In contemplating the content for this blog, as it's main focus is on presentation, I am going to intentionally avoid material that does match with the character of the blog. Thus, if the blog can seem a little fashion obsessed, that's because it is, as that's its purpose. However, taking this into regard, I wanted to take a little time to emphasize what I consider the role of presentation, as I consider it a small subset of something much larger, with facets that are significantly more important than just what I put on in the morning.

To me, the field of clothing is fun, and as you can tell, I enjoy discussing it. That said, it also functions as a tool of social interaction. It actually does grant us a level of social respect and/or admiration from others. However, while this can mostly be a good thing, truth be told, it should compliment what is already there. Unless it's your very profession, it should not be the focal point of your interactions with others.

The role of clothing is to help present a positive image of yourself towards others, and that's just it. It helps to present you. You are not a mannequin upon which these things are worn, but a person. One of my favorite examples of this philosophy is Cary Grant. You saw a stylish man, but your focus was on the person and not the suit he had on.

Traits such as confidence, humor, intelligence, health, etc. all play a much more important role. Presentation can be helpful. It makes it easier to meet new people. It help you feel better about yourself and how you are perceived. It can be a fun way to express facets of your personality. But in the end, it's just clothes.