>In general I think it's a mistake to follow "fashion."
That's a relief. Not that I was considering it, but its nice to be reassured that I have avoided a mistaken path.
> It's just a sure guarantee that everything you buy will be out of date in five years. Or two.
>I guess my recipie would be
>1) figure out what colors look good on you. Use those.
Look good to who? And why bother? Really, who cares whether it looks good?
>
>2) when in doubt, understate
Bland probably suits me. Though someone once told me I was over-doing it a bit. I tried to work out how do do it in an understated way, but it gave me a headache so I lost interest in analysing the problem.
>3) go for fewer, better quality clothes
or, if you can't afford the better quality clothes, even fewer cheap and shoddy.
>4) avoid extremes in lapel size, tie size, pant shape
I've never found any need for ties or lapels.
>5) make sure your pants are a good length -- for guys this usually means making sure they're long enough.
Huh! There's another way of determining a good length for trousers?
>6) go shopping with someone who knows how to dress
Better yet, find someone who cares whether you look vaguely human and let her go shopping for you. (It will always be a her (mother, girlfriend, spouse, daughter, etc) in my experience. But I'd be interested to hear of exceptions.)
>7) take your time
This is good advice. Never buy clothes today if you can put it off 'till tomorrow. Those socks may have holes, but what does it matter? As long as your boots don't have holes as well (at least not on the same foot) who's going to even notice? Likewise singlets. (Though one should be a bit more careful about boxers, it can be dangerous to risk the tackle getting twisted up in ragged undies.)
That exception aside, just because items of clothing have worn through somewhat, doesn't mean they are necessarily unserviceable. Its probably only the elbow or the knee and unless the weather is really bad your body can cope with a bit of exposure to the elements. There's plenty of social occasions when such ragged clothes will do the job fine. Even make you feel more self-confident, being free of the fear of damaging an expensive new pair of jeans. Plus I could drop dead anytime, so what's the point of having heaps of clothes on hand when you might never even get full value from them?
Also, don't wash clothes any more than is absolutely necessary, they will last a great deal longer if not subject to excessive wear and tear in washing machines. When they start getting thin and frail is the time to start exercising extreme caution. Look it over, give it a sniff, does this shirt really need washing, or would it 'resting' it for a few days suffice for present purposes?
Tragically, even the most loved shirt or pair of jeans will eventually simply fall to pieces. (Unless the damn thing never fit properly anyhow, then they NEVER seem to wear out.) The loss of this faithful companion can be an emotional time, memories of old times together will flood back and almost bring tears to your eyes. It will seem cruel heartless to toss the old friend aside as if it was, well, a dirty rag. My solutions is to carefully stow it on the bottom of the wardrobe "for a rainy day". The day will never come, but its the thought that counts.
>8) buy cotton, linen, wool, or silk...possibly rayon. Forget everything else.
>9) don't underestimate the value of a good haircut
The extravagant prices they charge for haircuts these days shocks me. Again, this should be put off as long as possible. However, if you aren't too fussy and are prepared to endure the odd cut around the ears, it doesn't take long to train a willing family member to perform this simple task. When I was a boy, mother always said the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut was only a week at most. Wise words indeed.
>10) exercise
There's no need for profanity.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas