Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

Use it or lose it – What’s your neglected purchase?

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“Ferris, my Father loves this car more than life itself.”
“A man with priorities so far out of whack doesn’t deserve such a fine automobile”

You bought it.  You love it.

And you barely use it.

It sits in your closet and you tell yourself that you’re “saving it” for when you really need it.  It could be a terrific suit.  Maybe it’s that tux you bought.  Or maybe it’s just your favorite shirt, which you swear you’ll need later on this week or over the weekend, but then you never end up wearing it for weeks on end.

We all do it.  But why?  Sure the Egyptians buried their dead with prized possessions, thinking they’d want them in the afterlife, but unless your friends refer to you as “Pharaoh,” you’re better off taking whatever Ferraris you’ve got in your closet out for a spin.

Or, maybe you just recently started to develop your personal sense of style.  We’ve all been there, and honestly, the clothes can be a little intimidating at first.  Like a cool lake on a hot day.  And like the lake, it’s best to jump right in.  Once you do, you’ll never want to get out.

Got any theories on why we all do this?  What’s your neglected purchase that goes unworn too often?  Leave it below…
And yes, it always helps to have this cranked up when you dive into that neglected suit or pair of shoes:

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Comments

  2. I bought a donaghey sweater with elbow patches that looks and fits great. But it’s as itchy as bejesus, so it taunts me daily from the place on the closet shelf to which it was banished.

  4. Would wearing a dress shirt under help? Or even a thermal or Henley if they won’t be seen?

  5. A very nice Ralph Lauren purple label silk knit tie I thrifted for a dollar. It’s red. Red makes me look sickly.

  7. My camel blazer… I thrifted it new with tags and I’ve worn it like twice. Finally figured out I don’t look good in yellow-based colors which is why I don’t like wearing it as much as I thought I would. 

  8. I do this all the time.  I wear shirts that dont fit me right that are old and tired looking, to “save” my new sharp fitting shirts to wear on the weekends or when im expecting to see people.  Problem is, i see people all the time in the old stuff, and then excuses come up and i dont go out, or i wear snazzy stuff and sit alone in the office all day.

  9. You could post it on the Dappered threads for sale. There just may be some Dappered member that would take that off your hands. I’ll even double what you payed for it! Haha

  10. This is one of the reasons my personal style leans so heavily toward workwear influences. It’s so much easier to be comfortable in something that improves with a bit of wear and tear, like jeans and workboots, than something I am terrified to ruin, like a suit or a nice pair of dress shoes.

  11. I bought a low-end Armani (called Mani) grey suit when I was nearing college graduation – probably 10 or so years ago. Long ago, I outgrew the pants and threw them away, but the jacket still fits so I kept it. I’ve always intended to use it as a sportcoat. However, it’s a 3-button jacket and it just looked goofy when it wasn’t couple with the pants anymore so I haven’t worn it.
     
    But it’s currently at the dry cleaners being pressed as a 2-button. I’ll get it back tomorrow, and I’ll FINALLY be using it again soon! Hooray for happy endings!

  12. my Strands…my workplace is pretty casual and I have been nervous to wear such ass-kicking shoes

    Also, my sharkskin tommy hilfiger trim fit.  I was bummed when I first got it because the pants aren’t trim (9.25″ leg opening!) and want to get them tapered before wearing it.  Also, never worn such a non-standard color before.

    Both of mine aren’t purchases I regret, just items that take some balls to rock in such a boring dress environment

  14. A pair of green/black tartan Club Monaco trousers.
    I purchased them last year, got it tailored and I haven’t worn them since.

  16. New french cuff shirt and links from Brooks Brothers I got for Xmas…wanted it so bad but don’t have any occasions in the near future to wear it to

  17. One pair of $250 Cole Haan shoes from when they first implemented the Nike Air line, because I ruined the heels on one pair, and wanted a backup. Turned out to be a design flaw, but I still don’t wear the replacements I bought because I don’t want to ruin them.

    A $1200 Rane TTM-57 DJ mixer for home use. Used to work as a professional in NYC for nearly a decade. Never wanted to take this “out of the garage” so to speak. Gets used approximately twice a year.

    A $300 Banana overcoat, that I love, but rarely have an occasion that warrants its use.

  18. A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT short-wheelbase California.  Just kidding.  I only wear my Ralph Lauren double breasted top coat about once a year.

  19. I hear you. I’ve had beige and yellowish dress shirts and both make me look terminally ill. Many style pundits say these are the worst colors you can wear because they bleed into your skin tone. So unless you’re deeply tanned or a visible minority, you’ll probably look terrible in those colors.

  20. As soon as I get a nice item, I immediately start thinking about how long it will last, and often neglect it out of fear of eventually having to replace it. It’s not the most logical way to treat clothing.

  21. A three piece houndstooth suit. A burgundy coat. A double breasted overcoat. Ties. A black suede Lanvin blazer. And the list goes on and on.

  23. I’m starting to get out of this habit myself.  When I got my first custom dress shirt, I loved it, but kept “saving” it and by the time it came to do laundry, I hadn’t worn it at all. 

  24. Have you ever tried the strands with jeans?  I’ve got the Weybridge from AE and they do strangely well with really dark wash jeans.

  25. A blue pinstripe Brooks Brothers suit in the Milano fit.  Made in Italy, looks stunning on my skinny frame.

  26. A 2011 Harley I bought in September and have yet to ride. Will be a year old before I get the time!

  27. I have a friend who does that with fresh veggies and fruit.  He says he always buys the stuff but never eats it until it’s on the verge of spoiling.  Then he eats the old stuff, but has already purchased new primo produce.  Why not just use it while it’s fresh?  Same thing with any other purchase, buy it only if you are gonna use it…now not for some unknown- what if…

  29. i have a unstructured Harris Tweed blazer that i picked up from ebay for super cheap. But i’ve only worn it twice this fall/winter because it’s been in the mid 80s here in L.A. :-l

  30. That’s funny that you mention ‘saving it’ in the article. That’s exactly
    what I’ve been doing with the Blank label shirt I bought with the half off deal months ago. I haven’t worn it once because I’ve been saving it.

    Also, I’ve only worn my AE Strands twice since I bought them 2 or 3 months ago. Love them but still nervous to mess them up. Will have to wear them going out one weekend.

    Thanks for the reminder. Nice clothes are supposed to be worn.

  31. I’m kinda embarrassed by how much of my wardrobe has never been warn. From where I’m sitting at my desk I can see about 10 pair of shoes that have never been laced up. My closet is full of shirts and a few blazers that I’ve never warn.

    I bought them during my last year of uni (2010-2011) in anticipation for some super plush white-collar job that never quite panned out. Now I’m in a [hopefully] temporary job where it would be completely inappropriate to dress any less casual than I already do. So I guess I’m saving it for a possible career change and for those rare nights out where I need to not be a total schmuck.

    I do get a bit desperate to wear this stuff sometimes. Once, I put on a sports coat and a bow-tie to go grocery shopping (seriously). I figured, “Hey, no one knows where I came from before shopping or where I’m going after, so they’ll never know how truly over-dressed I am for the occasion”.

    Don’t judge me.

  32. LOL.  I originally bought the strands in walnut, and realized I was too terrified to wear them out because they were so loud looking with jeans.  Sold them on styleforum.

    Just ordered a new pair in dark brown, and they are a lot more muted.  Going to break them in this week and see how I feel in them.

  33. Items in my closet that have never been worn:
    – 2 pairs of chinos from LEC (forest green and khaki)
    – 2 shirts w/ french cuffs.
    – a grey linen blazer (this will change soon though)

    Overall, I realize that it’s hard to dress up when 99% of your friend base always goes out in super casual clothing.  You just feel awkward.

  34. I put on my nicer/nicest clothes whenever I leave the house and errands are the most common reason I leave the house! Nothing wrong with that. It’s nice to get nice looks and sometimes chatted up.

  35. I have a merino crew neck sweater from BR that has about 1.5 inch thick alternating light green/dark green horizontal stripes.  I’m a teacher and I wore it to school one day.  Long story short, my kids said I looked like the guy from Blue’s Clues and now I only wear it once around the holidays and on St. Patrick’s Day.

  37. My white chinos from LEC. I bought it months ago, but wore it for the first time yesterday. I know I broke some kind of rule, but it was amazingly 70 degrees yesterday so I had to do it.  

  38. I’m a bit heartier and I just got a cashmere blazer in the regent fit. Nothing has ever fit me so well. I feel like BB’s new fits are really stepping up their game.

  39. Honestly, I’ve become the “well-dressed” guy in my group of friends. At first it was somewhat off-putting since we are all still in college and everyone else is generally in t-shirts. Now, some of the other guys are starting to pick up on the trend since I seem to get more attention at the bars than they do.

  40.  Don’t underestimate dressing up just to go out and run errands. It’s a pretty big confidence booster to get the elevator eyes when you’re just out grocery shopping

  41. definitely going to dress up more for errands. couldnt agree more! “elevator eyes” nice 🙂

  42. my ludlow sportcoat from JCrew that I got tailored. Fits me like a glove. Only worn it maybe 4 times since new, since it’s a little more dressy than the places I venture. I’ll need to dress it down somehow…

  44. Love this question! Most of my “Love it but never wear it” clothes are the dry clean only pieces. Which, ironically, are the nicer things I own. I just wind up standing in front of my closet thinking, “But if I wear it, I’ll have to take it to the cleaners…” after which I immediately pull out a cotton t-shirt, jeans and whatever else is machine washable. 

    But! I’m trying to start wear my *nice* things more in 2012:) We’ll see how that resolution goes..

  45. I have a gorgeous Armani black velvet jacket I bought at an outlet and wore once to my wedding.  I keep thinking I can wear it to the office with dark jeans and a white dress shirt, but haven’t quite worked up the nerve.  It’s expensive velvet, after all.

  46. I have a gorgeous Armani black velvet jacket I bought at an outlet and wore once to my wedding.  I keep thinking I can wear it to the office with dark jeans and a white dress shirt, but haven’t quite worked up the nerve.  It’s expensive velvet, after all.

  48. “But it’s currently at the dry cleaners being pressed as a 2-button.”

    This is a thing? That’s awesome! How much was it? I don’t have any 3-button jackets, but if it’s cheap to do, I won’t be so hesitant about buying like, a thrifted 3-button I find.