Sweat Pants and Dressing more like yourself. A (pseudo) manifesto.

Let’s talk about sweat pants shall we.  Lots of ink (cyber-ink at least) has been spilled about they’re ruining modern society and nobody cares about how they look anymore.  I agree with most of this, sort of.  Here’s the thing though, I don’t like sweatpants for a different reason.  Most of what I’ve read bemoans the fact that the art of getting dressed has been lost but I disagree, I think what’s been lost is any sense of personal expression.  I’m more offended by the content than the form (but I am offended by the form).  So now it’s time to say my piece I feel like my main thoughts about personal style have not really been articulated, and I endeavor to do that here.

Your style, above all else, should tell me who you are. 

Or hell, one look
your entire lifetime.

I care how I look.  I always have.  Even when I was in 11^th grade and wore jeans with huge holes in the knees, a black zip-up hoodie and a brown leather bomber jacket every day, I cared.  Hell, if you commit to one outfit for 11 months you have to.  

But behind caring how I look was telling other people who I was back then.  

--I was a willful outsider. (way more carhartt jackets than leather bombers in southern VT)

--I was into classic "I don't give a fuck" style. (jeans, chucks and leather)

--I was over the top (HUGE knee holes, the same jacket/sweatshirt every single day)

some of these even hold true today.

If you know me you know that I have volume issues.  The reasons for that are many, but it’s become a defining characteristic of who I am, and I have embraced it.  When I dress in the morning I want to tell people the following,

a) I am loud.  (my predilection for bright colors and bold patterns)

b) I am an rugged, northeastern-y type. (my prediction for generally wearing hearty fabric like denim,corduroy, tweed, or boot leather instead of lightweight cotton, worsted wool, or polished calf shoes)

c)I love to converse… Forever...  Sometimes even when people don’t really want to converse with me.  (hence things that might start those conversations)

d)I would not mind being the center of attention. (understatement of the year?)

So I wear things that communicate that.  Often nice things, often nice things that fit correctly.  Do I go overboard sometimes?  Sure.  But that’s who I am.  And I make no bones about that every time I leave the house.  To dress like an esquire illustration from the 1940’s is fundamentally opposed to who I am and how I want to present myself to the world. 

This is nice, just not me.

All of which (in a long roundabout way) brings us to the problem with sweatpants.  When you wear them outside and say ‘who has time to look nice’ what you’re actually communicating to the rest of the world is this

“The primary things I want you to know about me are the following,

a) I wish I was still in bed

b) I carry myself in such low regard that I do not warrant 5 minutes to put on real clothes to do anything

c) I hold you in such low regard that you are not worth 5 minutes to put on real clothes.

d) [THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE] The words my clothes would use to describe me are dumpy, bed-ridden, slovenly and boring.

If you asked 10 people wearing sweatpants outside what words they would use to describe themselves, do you really think they’d use those words?  Would you want to know them if they did?

People could benefit from perspective.  For instance, many consider appropriately stylish dress to be sober, professional, and businesslike.  This is absolutely fine, if it is your desire to be perceived as sober, professional and businesslike.  That is not my desire, so if I dressed that way every day it wouldn't be true to myself.  I like to look good, but my standard of what looks good does not follow those guidelines.

That said there are some rules to dressing well, just not as ironclad as you might think.

A well fitting suit
is nice to have

--Your clothes should fit.  Generally this means paying attention to(and, more importantly, caring about) how long things are, how tight they are, how much cuff to show, etc... There are extremely good guidelines to give you a shorthand (I might even post one someday).  But  remember that what is an appropriate fit changes amongst different groups.  5 minutes in a music subculture, or reading about where your pants should break and this becomes abundantly clear.

--Your outfit should be visually interesting. (again different groups think of this in different ways.  You have color, texture, weight of fabric, fit, and many other elements to help these things.  But if you are looking to blow peoples minds with your forward thinking it will not work in a classic business environment, or vice versa.)

A pretty good representation
of me.

--You have to care about what you put on and want to express yourself in your dressing.












That's style to me.  As long as you've spent your time thinking about it, wear it.  As long as I get a sense of who you are, you're on the right track.  And once you've started getting comfortable with how you really want to express yourself, you'd be surprised what things (like not being afraid of slim fits, wearing ties, and updating your shoe collection) can add to your look.  The problem with most of what I see on the internet these days is that people have forgotten that getting dressed should be fun.  You should enjoy it because it helps you express yourself.  Not because it gives you a chance to feel superior to people who you don't think look as good as you.

So there’s the first (and possibly only depending on how this is received) brief essay of my actual thoughts on style, I hope it inspires you to dress more like yourself.