Wear Your Clothes
April 15th, 2024
Text: Bryan Law
Text: Bryan Law
I write this fresh off of a trip from New York, extremely under the weather with a virus I’d rather not delve into. Being into clothes and adjacent interests for the better half of my life, I realize I am drawn to things that last long. This will sound slightly corny, and although I have dabbled in the occasional trend and experimented with my personal style - I feel that I am now finally settling into being truly myself and comfortable with what I wear on a daily basis. No more Track Sneakers from Balenciaga. The cropped drawstring wool pants from Rick? Sold em’. Acronym... Who is she? Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme Oxblood Denim from 2005? Okay those are hard, maybe I’ll keep those.
After years of editing my wardrobe, constantly adding and subtracting via Grailed, eBay, forums, and flea markets - I can safely say that I’m happy where I’m at right now. My wardrobe consists mainly of well worn Levis, vintage band tees, some functional outerwear, and lots of vintage military. Pepper in some designer I accumulated over the years and it’s a good mix.
Another thing is that I mainly buy used. Because who in their right wage-earning mind will spend ~$600 (USD) on a Lemaire poplin shirt? Clothes are meant to be worn. It is truly insane to me when people want their clothes and accessories to be pristine. Maybe if it were an Hermès lambskin leather coat that costs a down payment on a crib. But your other shit? The occasional stain, the wear and tear, the creases, and frayed edges all contribute to your personal history. Wear your clothes to death.
An image that I find myself referring to whenever I think about how my possessions age is Jane Birkin and her namesake bag.
I mean, even the way she carries it because she knows that if she were to use the handles - she wouldn’t be able to put as much stuff into it - is indicative of how you’re just not supposed to baby all your possessions.
That’s another thing, buy high quality and it will pay off in dividends. I’m not saying go out and buy an H.A.C. 50, but instead of buying many things that are cheaply made and likely to fall apart in a few years - invest in a singular thing that is made with better materials and a higher calibre of craftsmanship.
This approach and way of thinking isn’t anything new, I just feel more strongly about it than I did before. The way I approached clothes in the past was more from a collector’s standpoint. It consisted of a lot of mass-buying and thinking something would rise in value so I could potentially resell it in the future (it didn’t). It would be treating clothes like objects to be precious with, and probably skipping out on a few dinners so I could afford an Undercover bomber made of silk, true story.
Nowadays I treat clothes like tools. The obsession and interest is still there, but the approach is different. Living life comes first, the clothes are merely a vehicle for the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I still do be copping - I just be copping with a more level-headed mindset.