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What "Style" do you WISH you could pull off, but know you can't?

Jon Crow

One of the Regulars
Messages
236
Location
Alcalá De Henares Madrid
Because we live in the UNESCO city birthplace of Miguel De Cervantes, Don Quixote, we some years join in on the week long Renaissance fair haha :D all good fun
 

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Messages
19,498
Location
Funkytown, USA
For what it’s worth I have seldom or never seen another person, either in real life or on here, and felt they did not pull off their outfit. I tend to be delighted by effort and consideration in clothing regardless of whether it’s to my taste or not.

I think the idea of clothing reflecting an internal ‘truth’ more or less effectively is insightful though. If you accept that all clothing is a costume (a plain T-shirt is no more ‘natural’ to wear than a C18th French court suit, it’s just far more common—and admittedly less hassle) it just becomes a question of whether the costume is doing the work we want it to. I wear a lot of cross zip jackets that have loose origins in the us police forces. If that was the only association I would feel very weird wearing them—I’m grateful that film-rebels, rockers, leather gays, punks and fashion trends have broadened the associations of the garment enough that I don’t feel like I’m wearing a cop or a Brando costume when I wear one. OTOH, influenced by this forum I have tried Aero Highwayman and halfbelt jackets which many would regard as an easy style to pull of, but these always make me feel like I’m cosplaying a straight white dad with a medium to large dog. In other words, the costume makes less sense to me!

That said, I feel most self-conscious in a jacket when it advertises a physique I can’t back up. When a jacket has too exaggerated shoulders or ballooning biceps it makes me feel more self conscious than anything else, except possibly straining seams, though that is more of a comfort issue.

"Everybody in this room is wearing a uniform, and don′t kid yourself." - Frank Zappa
 

zebedee

One Too Many
Messages
1,925
Location
Shanghai
I think I've now been wearing leather jackets for so long that people would be shocked if I didn't wear one with smart casual wear twice a week. I also wear suits more often that colleagues. In Hong Kong, however, leather jackets are fairly normal in the colder three/four months.

I like Engineer boots, but I can't pull them off, style-wise. William Lennons and Blundstones are much more me. I find that, at 46, I can get away with most styles of leather jacket as long as they aren't over 29" at the back (I'm 178 cms tall) and or cross-zips. I think the trick is for jackets to look quite battered up.
 

Khilij

A-List Customer
Messages
346
As for me, I think I'm here to have fun and wear what I enjoy. I definitely do cater to some sense of dressing for other people, but thankfully I'm starting to worry less about what people think and dress primarily for myself. Absent other considerations, of course. It's a mentality I've begun to pick up from some of the fine people here, and it's done wonders for my self confidence. Thanks y'all.
 

zebedee

One Too Many
Messages
1,925
Location
Shanghai
As for me, I think I'm here to have fun and wear what I enjoy. I definitely do cater to some sense of dressing for other people, but thankfully I'm starting to worry less about what people think and dress primarily for myself. Absent other considerations, of course. It's a mentality I've begun to pick up from some of the fine people here, and it's done wonders for my self confidence. Thanks y'all.
Formal wear for work seems to have persuaded my colleagues that I can pretty much wear what I like when I choose to, but HK has so many odd and transient fashions that even a Simmons Bilt V2 in Mahogany (i.e. orange/tan or an Aero CR in tan steer hide) is reasonably conservative :) B2543E51-059A-4330-8EF0-632E6F018E9E.jpeg
 

Team_Feisar2

New in Town
Messages
2
High waisted pants.
I'm 6'7 with long legs and a short torso, when I wear pants at my natural waist, it's looks absolutely imbalanced bordering on comical.
At least wearing pants at hip level still ends up with close to a 2:1 ratio between bottom/top.
 
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Messages
11,209
Location
SoCal
I wish I could pull off anything seriously.
I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter how intentional or formal I go, it all ends up looking like “goofy-old-me”. I gave up trying to be stylish, and now I wear what I want- a lot of olive colored stuff with colorful shirts. Black is out!
 

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