Joe, you can't write about clothing as self-expression and not give us an album of your looks sometime in the very near future. Don't be a tease.
I think you're basically right about how people signify group identity through their clothing, but I know an exception. Some very busy people develop a simple uniform that they wear to minimize …
Joe, you can't write about clothing as self-expression and not give us an album of your looks sometime in the very near future. Don't be a tease.
I think you're basically right about how people signify group identity through their clothing, but I know an exception. Some very busy people develop a simple uniform that they wear to minimize the role of clothing in their lives. One example was Steve Jobs. I know he didn't choose frilly pink shirts as his uniform, but his main goal was simply to get dressed in the morning as quickly as possible. Sometimes, I think about my own clothing choices, “Look world, I have clothes on. Be grateful for that!”
Just as some people are asexual, some have a profound indifference to clothing.
The book I mentioned, Status and Culture by W. David Marx, examines how virtually every choice like this is about signaling to others whether it's intentional or not. Jobs is actually a perfect example, his lack of diversity in his wardrobe signals to others he is purely about *business* and not luxury. Same thing goes for King Charles, who wears old, patched and repaired suits he's owned for decades.
I'd say that is a possible interpretation of the behavior of Jobs and King Charles, but I think there are other possibilities. There is a cultural habit in the English upper classes to repair old high quality goods rather than throw them away—that goes back into the 19th century. One documentary on TV said that Buckingham Palace had tablecloths going back to the reign of Queen Victoria.
Then, I saw the example of my father— who always dressed appropriately but had little real interest in clothes. However, he always had a favorite shirt and he would hang on to it until it literally fell apart. I think it was for him something like a security blanket—it was an old trusted thing.
Here's another possible explanation for Jobs—he knew he looked good in that outfit and it became a place of safety for him. Andy Warhol wore the same thing every day but I don't think he was trying to tell the world that he was all business. This is just my guess, but I think he presented himself as a neutral camera grasping the strange reality around him.
However, I'm absolutely convinced that people wear clothing to stand out from each other as well as fit in with each other. People wearing expensive clothing are usually saying I belong to the tribe of wealthy and hip, but I am the absolute best member of that tribe. Part of my disinterest in clothes is the fact that no matter how much I spent on them I don't think I would ever win that competition. Looks are not my category of competitive advantage.
That you know different situations require different wardrobe choices perfectly illustrates my point. We care about our clothes and how others perceive them and there's nothing wrong with that!
No worries. I don't wear their stuff, they will help me shop. No, I do not feel like an imposter, I don't mind dressing up at all, I just don't "care" enough about presentation on a daily basis to put any effort into it. I kinda have a "uniform" so I don't have to spend any real time thinking about choices.
Joe, you can't write about clothing as self-expression and not give us an album of your looks sometime in the very near future. Don't be a tease.
I think you're basically right about how people signify group identity through their clothing, but I know an exception. Some very busy people develop a simple uniform that they wear to minimize the role of clothing in their lives. One example was Steve Jobs. I know he didn't choose frilly pink shirts as his uniform, but his main goal was simply to get dressed in the morning as quickly as possible. Sometimes, I think about my own clothing choices, “Look world, I have clothes on. Be grateful for that!”
Just as some people are asexual, some have a profound indifference to clothing.
The book I mentioned, Status and Culture by W. David Marx, examines how virtually every choice like this is about signaling to others whether it's intentional or not. Jobs is actually a perfect example, his lack of diversity in his wardrobe signals to others he is purely about *business* and not luxury. Same thing goes for King Charles, who wears old, patched and repaired suits he's owned for decades.
I'd say that is a possible interpretation of the behavior of Jobs and King Charles, but I think there are other possibilities. There is a cultural habit in the English upper classes to repair old high quality goods rather than throw them away—that goes back into the 19th century. One documentary on TV said that Buckingham Palace had tablecloths going back to the reign of Queen Victoria.
Then, I saw the example of my father— who always dressed appropriately but had little real interest in clothes. However, he always had a favorite shirt and he would hang on to it until it literally fell apart. I think it was for him something like a security blanket—it was an old trusted thing.
Here's another possible explanation for Jobs—he knew he looked good in that outfit and it became a place of safety for him. Andy Warhol wore the same thing every day but I don't think he was trying to tell the world that he was all business. This is just my guess, but I think he presented himself as a neutral camera grasping the strange reality around him.
However, I'm absolutely convinced that people wear clothing to stand out from each other as well as fit in with each other. People wearing expensive clothing are usually saying I belong to the tribe of wealthy and hip, but I am the absolute best member of that tribe. Part of my disinterest in clothes is the fact that no matter how much I spent on them I don't think I would ever win that competition. Looks are not my category of competitive advantage.
I am one of them.
Clothing is functional to me. I am 65, I still wear the same things I wore in my 20’s.
Jeans, button downs, cotton T’s, turtlenecks in the winter….
I just can’t be bothered by putting effort into getting dressed.
When I have a “function” I call my sisters, both of them are very stylish.
That you know different situations require different wardrobe choices perfectly illustrates my point. We care about our clothes and how others perceive them and there's nothing wrong with that!
Just a nosey question. Please ignore me if you like. Do you feel imposter’s syndrome when your sisters' clothing? Or do you find it enjoyable?
No worries. I don't wear their stuff, they will help me shop. No, I do not feel like an imposter, I don't mind dressing up at all, I just don't "care" enough about presentation on a daily basis to put any effort into it. I kinda have a "uniform" so I don't have to spend any real time thinking about choices.