Thursday is the only day where I'm not going to the gym/playing tennis/riding my bike a lot so I had carte blanche to get dressed this morning. I was also feeling crappy so didn't feel like putting on the uniform. (xpost to no cop but is it really OK to, when you're feeling bad, want to wear nicer clothes than normal? Why not invest in a method of feeling better that's free? I don't know but whatever)
After getting dressed I realised with the exception of my shirt (Uniqlo +J re release) everything I was wearing was easily over a year old and a lot of them were some of my favourite things I owned. So:
Aspesi M65. Bought for #125 on 09/07/2012
One of the first "fashion" things I ever bought and one of the best ever. The outer is super microft which is a Japanese softshell I think. It's never wet through on me. The lining is one of the thermore fills that are meant to adjust the amount they insulate depending on the weather. Anecdotal evidence from me suggests that it does actually work. Five pockets (used to be six but I cut away the inner mesh glove pocket because it was grating away at my knits) for the storage of almost everything I could need.
It's "just a dark blue m65" really which you can get from GAP if you want but if something happened to this one I'd buy another Aspesi at retail without skipping a beat. Small details like the chunkiness of the zippers (salmi) and the fleecy lining on the inside of the hip pockets set it apart, as well as the silhouette and patterning. It has become a pleasure to pull it out of my war chest every winter. I can't think of a time I've ever worn it and felt like it was the wrong jacket.
Cos Wool Trousers. Bought for #38 on 13/01/1994
Dark blue (nearly black) trousers that are generally too warm for me, but on cold days they're great. Flat fronted and quite a textured wool. There's a poly blend in there which apparently makes them machine washable too. I was a bit surprised they still fit me but I think they were slightly too big when I bought them. They fit fine without a belt now though. These days I maybe would have hemmed them with a bit of a fuller break but I'm not really bothered. Clean breaks are fine. Could do with a lint rolling though...
Barker Black Derbies. Bought for #27 on 30/12/2012
I always say that these are half a size too big for me, and they are but I still keep wearing them all the time. Dainite sole means they work in all conditions. Like slightly more refined docs. I don't have the strength to do the kind of hardcore ebaying that I did to get them these days but I'd do it again if I had to. It's hard to quantify the proportions that make a shoe last visually pleasing (and it's woefully subjective) but there's something about a well structured derby that I really like. The shape on these is as great as any I've ever seen. People sometimes think they're Alden and frankly I couldn't account for the differences in last.
Don't know why people don't talk more about Barker. Probably because they have some dicey lines that show up in shops (like Loake and Grenson).
Cos Merino Silk Jumper. Bought before January 1994
Couldn't find an email receipt for this one but first photo proof of it dates it as before 1994. Maybe one of my rare in store purchases? It's a merino/silk blend which doesn't really come across in the photos well but has a melange effect and a sheen to it. Very thin which suits me as I'm always warm. Sometimes you can see the outline of buttons and things through it which is a bit annoying. I think that's because it's a bit too small for me these days but I'd never get rid of it because it's too useful for when I need to look like a nerd.
Addendum: Here is me wearing many of these items in 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:31 pm
