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On the slippery slope here!

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,944
Location
London
For most of us, it never ends. I can think of one guy who found the perfect jacket for him and then left his place, but that's a rare exception.

In a way it's good that A1 exists, it shows us that this story can have a happy ending...
I still think of him sometimes, wondering if he will ever come back and show us what he has achieved during his time away.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,081
Location
London, UK
I think this is great advice. In my experience buying more than one jacket at a time always leads to a letdown. I find that the least favorite of the two is immediately pushed aside and all of my attention goes to the one that I like the most. It’s almost like I would’ve been better off not buying one of them at all, whereas if I had waited and bought them separately I would’ve admired them each individually for their own qualities and attributes.

Funny thing, I've noticed over the years that I can be a bit like that with all sorts of items. The kicker is, though, that so, so often, over the long term, the one that wasn't my initial favourite turns out to be the one I love all the more, whereas the initial 'star' I still enjoy, but it's not the favourite over a longer period.

in action figure forum some people would buy 10th ironman figure, or 5th storm trooper that to my eyes look slightly different but not enough to buy another. But for some other it matters more.... and kept previous one as comparison. Same thinking process we find here or denim forum, or fountain pen or elsewhere, some people would buy and use and some other member would buy and accumulate their collection, both types would enrich the forum and thankfully not all people are alike. I used to have comics collection and toys from my childhood that i kept for sentimental value sake, when i did renovation on my house 6 yrs ago, i threw away all that and purge my living space and style and to stay very conscious of material things i bring home to not stuff the house. So i now solely collect things digitally.

My wife often refers to the "male aspergers" thing. Her brother is extreme on the spectrum, but she reckons - and I believe she's right - that the vast majority of men are somewhere on that line of obsession, hence the way we collect things as opposed to women. Women I know who enjoy music have all the records by a band they love. Men will collect ten copies of the same album just to have the slight differences in cover or label or whatever. I've become very aware of my own tendencies in this regard in recent years as I've been dealing with a bit of a hoarding issue.

For most of us, it never ends. I can think of one guy who found the perfect jacket for him and then left his place, but that's a rare exception.

Oddly, whether it's leather jackets, hats, guitars or whatever, the more satisfied I am with what I have, the more interested I am to see something different on forums and the more I enjoy that without thinking "Oh, I want one of those now".
 

AeroFan_07

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,726
Location
Iowa
My wife often refers to the "male aspergers" thing. Her brother is extreme on the spectrum, but she reckons - and I believe she's right - that the vast majority of men are somewhere on that line of obsession, hence the way we collect things as opposed to women. Women I know who enjoy music have all the records by a band they love. Men will collect ten copies of the same album just to have the slight differences in cover or label or whatever. I've become very aware of my own tendencies in this regard in recent years as I've been dealing with a bit of a hoarding issue.

Edward - appreciate your honestly/transparency. Sort of a short derail here but indeed, "hording" can and often does creep into our lives un-announced. I was blessed growing up to get to help clean out a great aunt's home as well as grandparents' homes as well. Each had been in thier homes for at least 40 years and, let's just say, each home was packed pretty full with stuff. None of them could exactly have been described as "horders" per se' but indeed, there was a massive amout of items that had been long forgotton, tucked away in an attic, and then found 20 - 30 years later as it was discarded or donated. This was a lesson learned for me at an early age.

Exactly one time in my life have I actually been in the home of a horder. It was not a pleasent experance, but it was memorable. I do not think many if any person on here could fit into that catagory, nor would we want to. I believe the "self realization" or "self awareness" part of our minds takes over long before then. From the outside of this particular home, you could not directly see anything wrong. However once in the front door - it hit you full force that this was not a normal situation. I do indeed hope this family was able to pull it together and begin to remove the literal debris that was in every quarter of thier residence.

All that to say - I do not think the OP or anyone else on here is moving down that track. We're all just very invested collectors who are learning our boundaries, limits, and intrests. I could get to this point with several other hobbies in life (cars & farm equipment being two big ones) and therefore have chosen homes and locations such that it is not possible to amass a collection of any of those items.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,422
In a way it's good that A1 exists, it shows us that this story can have a happy ending...
I still think of him sometimes, wondering if he will ever come back and show us what he has achieved during his time away.
I would love to see how that jacket looks now... but maybe we would all be disappointed to find that he didn't even have it anymore.
 
Messages
17,509
Location
Chicago
In a way it's good that A1 exists, it shows us that this story can have a happy ending...
I still think of him sometimes, wondering if he will ever come back and show us what he has achieved during his time away.
Based on its last seen trajectory, the jacket might well be invisible.
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Messages
17,509
Location
Chicago
The unique thing about this hobby (and many others) is the motives that drive the participants. Some look for perfect fit or flawless construction. Others for wearable history/cultural significance. I think I understand my motives. That said, they certainly do change. The important thing is that I am always learning, about myself and the jackets. I have gone from vintage to repro, to a combination of both and back to vintage. I absolutely enjoy the journey more than the destination. I don’t think I’ll ever stop having a carousel of jackets. I don’t believe in “perfect” fit, “perfect” construction or a “grail” piece. There’s a million jackets to fit that bill. To think a single jacket is the end all be all in any regard is ludicrous. I just give jackets a ride. Some go on longer rides than others. I should hang a sign in my closet:

“Don’t get too comfortable”.

That said, for the first time in a long time, there’s nothing I want to sell. There are however, pool noodle hangers sitting vacant. I will fix that.
 

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