The Seven Not So Deadly Affordable Style Sins
Above photo credit: Steve Snodgrass
1. Buying something just because it’s on sale
Do you need it? Do you really even want it? Do you already have a similar item in your closet, or hell… are you wearing an almost identical iteme at that very moment? Then set it down and walk away.
2. Not taking care of your clothes properly.
You need garment bags for your suits, shoe trees for your shoes, and wide shouldered hangers for your blazers and sportcoats. Those cardboard covered pants hangers are fine for your jeans and chinos, and plastic works well for regular shirts. Never hang up your sweaters. Those go in a drawer with a couple blocks of cedar.
3. Being overprotective of your clothes, shoes, etc…
Taking care of your stuff is one thing, freaking out if a speck of mud gets on your pants is another. Remember how anal retentive Uncle Jesse was on Full House about his hair? Right. Don’t do that when it comes to your Italian loafers either. Enjoy what you’ve worked hard to get. Don’t walk around scared that someone will spill something on it.
4. Getting your hair cut by someone different each time.
Speaking of hair, your hair is the one thing you wear every single day. You’re going to want to find someone that knows how you like it to look, and someone who you can be honest with if you weren’t exactly thrilled with how they cut it the last time. Sure you want a talented stylist / barber. But you also want the same one, each time.
5. Not having a tailor
Getting sick of hearing this yet?
6. Getting on a plane looking like you just rolled out of bed.
Those pilots? The one that see you when you get on the plane? Those are the same pilots who are keeping you from crashing into the ground. How’d you like it if you stepped onto a 737 and the pilots were wearing flip flops?
7. Thinking about what you’re wearing after you leave the house.
Having a sense of style and looking good is a means to an end. It’s not the end. Feeling your best, having confidence, and being taken seriously by anyone you deal with is the point of all this. So after it all goes on? It should pretty much wander out of your mind. Because now the real fun begins.
Additions, feedback, etc… all goes in the comments section below…
Where does one find a real tailor in a not-so metropolitan city? Even going through sites like Yelp, it’s mostly filled with dry cleaners that do alterations… Which I’m sure is fine for hemming pants and what not; but I’m not sure I’d trust them with more detailed fitting… Or am I totally way-off base?
fit-challenged – I think the best thing to do would be to ask around. Friends, colleagues, just to get a feel for where other people go. Another good place to ask would be your dry cleaners, I would just check to see if they had a recommendation on a good tailor in the area. Also, if there are any local boutique stores, they would have a relationship with someone in the local area.
Hope this helps.
Agreed with you Matt. Asking around at work, and not limiting your asking to just the guys, is a good start. A lot of the best tailors work out of their homes and their client base is entirely created through word of mouth. My tailor works out of her home, and I found out about her through one of my wife’s former female co-workers. Might be worthwhile to ask a couple of the sales people at say, a Macy’s, but you want to get face to face with the person. Not get pinned up by the sales rep and then have it sent God knows where.
@fit-challenged – I’m originally from a rural town. It was hard to find a good tailor there but, it wasn’t impossible. Do not go to the cleaners! They will almost inevitably be out of practice or inexperienced with your “detailed fitting.” Once I got in touch with Bruce (tailor) and with Caldwell (for leather + shoes) I realized how worth it it was to find the right help. I’ve got a new tailor now but I still go to Caldwell even though he’s 80 miles away.
The argument for #6 needs work. I don’t show up to my work in flip-flops, I wouldn’t expect them to, either. They are a white-collar profession and are looking to command attention and respect for keeping you aloft at 38,000 feet so they should wear something befitting their position.
If I were a pilot, I wouldn’t care that you were wearing flip-flops. You’re obviously going on vacation. Your toes are going to get stepped on, most likely, and dirty as all hell. Those two would be good arguments, as would, say, “flip-flops are just a bad choice in general.” Which they are. -shudder-
Personally, I like to dress up and put my best foot forward in public, especially on airplanes. I don’t care if the person next to me is in sweatpants, however. I would actually be more horrified if the person was in a badly-fitted suit.
Have to agree. Good points overall, but this one is weak. They are working; I’m not. Why would they wear flip flops because I am? That’s like a judge dressing like the gangbanger he is sentencing or something.
It really about how people perceive you. I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum of dressing when flying (business and vacation) and the way people react to you is completely different. You are going to get a lot more respect if you look like you mean business (no pun). A lot of people look like they seriously just rolled out of bed…you aren’t heading to the supermarket for a gallon of milk. You are traveling with over 100 other people and will run into more people at the terminal. Have some respect for yourself and others and put your best foot forward. And if that’s too much to ask, put your second best foot lol.
That’s why I’m starting the clothing line International Bachelor (facebook.com/InternationalBachelor) because I think people can A) look good and most importantly B) be comfortable while traveling.
Is that a female former co-worker, or a formerly-female co worker? The answer might drastically change the type of alteration you end up getting…
LOL
(sorry It’s after lunch on a Friday)
It’s not just being anal about your hair or clothes… don’t be an Uncle Jesse in any way, shape or form.
See where good clothing stores go for tailoring. I found my tailor because they were used by the local Club Monaco.
It’s worth mentioning that even though most of your coworkers go to a specific tailor or seamstress, be sure you know why and what for. Half my coworkers went to a seamstress in town, swore by her. She was very qualified at sewing the perfect hem into the uniform pants every uniform correctional officer wore, and blousing the shirts for the pregnant uniform officers. For anything beyond that, you’d best not be attached to the article of clothing.