2017 Retrospective

[bels]

[mellownyellow]

[argew]

[odradek]

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

Way more. There's way too much good stuff in the world for me to not get sucked in. I'm not mad, I like most of the stuff I got, but I turned some stuff around fairly quickly having reached "critical mass" on a type of item, however that gets classified. It makes it easier now to just pass right by when shopping, unless something is really catching me.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)

The Undercover 'Stability' coat is really an excellent piece of clothing that can be worn anywhere and seems really simple, though I've never seen anything quite like it. Can be dressed down or up, can be left crumpled in a pile on the beach. Very useful, very fun to wear.

My love affair with adidas x kolor is maybe well-known, and I like to run the gamut of product, though this is the year that I said 'hold up, you have too many fancy gym shorts.' That said, the two pairs of shorts from SS17 were both fucking stellar - the climachill/mesh doodads get worn every time the humidity and temperature go over 85, and the running shorts with the split side seams (genius design decision) are now one of my go-to pairs for playing soccer. The ultimate shorts from AW17 are also just like, really good? One of those things where you're like, "oh, you made shorts that are really good."

Also picked up a pair of wacko maria wool pants in June that I left in the drawer until November because it was too hot and now they get worn a lot. I'm always on the lookout for good black pants and these have a check pattern, but they seem to scratch the itch anyway. Really fond of the cut on their pants, seems to work pretty close to right for me.

On the cheap end, the Uniqlo Kando wool-like pants were worn almost every day in the office in the summer. Excellent, and for not very much money.

what did you buy that was a huge mistake

The Gentry closing sale convinced me to try some things that simply didn't work out for me. It was nice to get the opportunity to double check for relatively cheap but I probably would've been fine never knowing. Ganryu shirt/jacket (not a shirt jacket) thing, a nanamica coat that didn't fit, really a bummer.

While I like the thing, I probably would've been able to live completely happily without the CDGxSupreme suit. Man, that thing is loud. A server at a bar called me The Ridder and he wasn't wrong.

I bought an insulated Isaora oxford and it just doesn't fit right. It's really good for biking in the medium-cold (around 0-5C) so I'm not too mad, but I really wouldn't miss it if it were gone.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2016.

I really don't think much has changed. I'm maybe less adventurous, or less able to be adventurous, since a job change in the second half of 2016 meant more of my time was spent in clothes that have to be office presentable. I'm only just now really starting to push the limits and will probably have to rein it in sooner rather than later.

what did you like wearing?

Shorts. I'm not a big shorts guy but it seemed like I was wearing them out way more often. I wore a pair of open string shorts with a little piece of shirt fabric hanging out the back quite a lot. Varied opinions on that one but it just felt right to me.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

Jeans. Holy smoke was it humid this summer, jeans were unwearable.

what does 2018 look like from your head?

Hopefully I'm actually buying less. I have bought nothing from Undercover AW17, which is the first season since...AW11? that I haven't bought anything? SS18 looks like it won't grab me much either, which is really where most of the wallet damage happens.

I imagine I'll have even less diversity this year. In 2016 I bought items from 22 brands. In 2017: 11. I can see that number dropping to...4 or 5. Very boring.

I am completely fucking done with t shirts that don't come from concerts or like, community bike rides. Expensive graphic tees are a scam and expensive cut 'n' sew tees, well, I'm pretty well stocked.

Probably three pairs of vans are going to die in the upcoming year and that's a real bummer.

[Lorcan]

Tell me about how you did in 2017

I was fairly restrained this year. No Cop from mid May thru to late December.

CdGH ss03 garment dyed canvas wide pants
CdGH+ aw13 long wrinkly wool 1b jacket
Junya aw13 stripe pants (to make a full suit with the patchwork jacket I got last year)
Junya aw07 plaid zipper pants
Junya x Dinkelacker derbies (arrived this week)
Lad Musician floral big tee
Maillot heavyweight "winter linen" long shirt
Undercover aw04 Patti Smith tee

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

Less, but its been good to have a bit of a break. Although I didn't really save much financially as I got nice new hifi gear/ vinyl instead of clothes...

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)

The Maillot shirt was great. Pleasant surprise as I wasn't familiar with the brand. Thick, soft for linen (almost like brushed cotton), great fit, nice buttons.


what did you buy that was a huge mistake
The Junya punk zipper pants were probably a bit much. Think I got carried away after reading Jon Savage's England's Dreaming. Didn't wear them much, but still strangely pleased to own them.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.

Broadly the same as 2016, except maybe more black / monochrome stuff. Kind of regressed in late Autumn, mostly wore EG canvas fatigues and some basic sweat / knit every day. At least the fatigues now have sick fadez. Was pretty useless at taking fit pics. Chopping my hair off was probably the biggest styling change.

what did you like wearing?

Rediscovering old stuff I'd bought in 2015/2016 but hadn't worn much. Looser pants.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

Didn't wear the Junya suit as much as I'd hoped, but did wear it to a friend's wedding.

what does 2018 look like from your head?

pretty much the same :-) a few more peasantly items, some older Comme. Another Lad tee. Not buying a whole lot.

[Julio]

Tell me about how you did in 2017
for the sake of brevity i'll just talk about clothes

2017 was a good year for clothes. i felt a lot of development in my taste, stumbled upon some really good deals, and received some really thoughtful gifts from people.
i've reintroduced black into my wardrobe (albeit mostly as trousers & shorts) and i've also returned to (gasp) skinnier trousers.
i did a lot of thrifting but i also felt myself settle on wearing plain tees all the time? but i also tried challenging myself later in the year.

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less
my biggest problem is that i don't really plan out or consider what i'd like to be buying for the year. this is the pattern that i currently maintain since at least 80% of my wardrobe additions are thrift buys. however, i have been trying to buy more shirting options (tees, buttondowns, whatever) but still have far more luck finding pants options. is something of a curse and a blessing all in one go. i've found some good shirts? but the good pants definitely outnumber them.
so maybe i bought more pants than i'd hoped.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)
hmm.


what did you buy that was a huge mistake
earlier season (2005 i think) junya pants that i shipped over from japan; basically drop crotch (via extended zip) triple stitch everything relaxed fit work pants. lovely pants but too small for me (comme sizing truly is chaos theory) so i instead sold them to my brother. not a huge mistake per se, but something i was slightly sad about for a bit. i also found comme homme plus denims at a thrift shop which i instacopped for obvious reasons, but they seemed like they might have been hemmed and were thus a strange kind of crop on me. i ended up selling them.
that aside, i have no big mistakes in my wardrobe. i made a few impulse purchases from uniqlo and thrift, but i've recovered by either selling them, be it for a small profit or just to break even, and sometimes simply giving them to friends: it feels nice to share jawnz.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.
like i said: lazy. living in the tropics limits what i can do beyond wearing a tee, and thus it was mostly the aforementioned uniqlo boxy tees with whatever pant/shoe combo i felt like. if i wanted to be a little less lazy about it i would throw on any of my short sleeved button downs. i've basically made it a point to dress very relaxed. towards the later half of the year i felt like i'd been too lazy so i started going back to my long sleeved button downs and a jacket whenever weather would permit (most used would be either my EG expedition jacket or my uniqlo chore coat thing), but the slouchiness was usually still there due to my sudden abundance of drop crotch things, and a moving towards more straightforward sneaker options, mostly of the vulcanized sole type.

what did you like wearing?
drop crotch shapes. i'd made it a point to keep an eye out for them in thrift shops and thus found quite a few, of all sorts. it's quite interesting how many ways there are to execute a drop crotch pant or short. i'm really into it again.
i liked wearing whatever linen things i could find in my closet.
again, uniqlo oversized boxy tees (some of the collars got so bacon-y i went ahead and cut the collars off) + uniqlo u spread collar shirts, and i still love using my ct70s deck stars. slip on life is good.
i used my half cabs a lot, too.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?
some of my denims, in particular the uniqlo u ankle cut "wide" (but really they're just tapered smfh) denims. great pants but i don't always like how they look on me for some reason? i feel too tall in them sometimes and i'm also irked by how the inseam flare on the right leg is slightly more pronounced for some reason. i also didn't use the relaxed climbing pants as much, either, but i'm glad to have the denim climbing pant option.
i also thought i'd use my levis red 1st standards more, but there's a part of me that feels a lot of reverence towards them and thus doesn't want to wear them TOO often????
basically, a bunch of my denim options.

what does 2018 look like from your head?
more shirting, definitely. i'm also going to clear out my wardrobe. it will probably be painful and difficult but i know there are some things i can let go of, even if i've let go of a good deal this year to begin with. all the thrifting makes the accumulation pretty intense, tbh.
more basics, plain tees and such. i'm more than okay with the uniqlo boxy tee.
i would also like to finally get my ideal junya wide pant; the junya dickies i found could have qualified but they're a size L and thus have to be cinched to hell. not a bad thing but not something i can wear ALL the time. otherwise i imagine i'll be easing into a clearer pattern, more of that relaxed reinterpreted workwear.

i want to get more of my life together, and get the ball rolling on some long-overdue plans, too.

belated happy holidays to you all
and an advanced happy new year

[posh_somme]

Tell me about how you did in 2017
i spent too much money on clothes! but really i spent better because i have bought a lot of crazy stuff in the past that i’ve sold quickly. this year i feel like i’ve bought a lot of sensible stuff that i’ll have for a long time (which is the bad reasoning i always give myself for spending too much money on clothes). off the top of my head i got:

lots of muji t-shirts
i worked there for a while and got most of them on sale for £5. no brainer
arket t-shirts
t-shirts are a pretty good benchmark for a brand so i tried them on out interest but ended up liking how they fit me. happened to need black/white/grey and they’re now probably what my torso has worn the most this year
work clothes
i also liked the arket tailored wool trousers a lot and i wear these to work most days. i think they’re still on sale for £30 or so which is a steal. they fit me perfectly
the 3 cos shirts i bought are made out of a nice stretchy material but they were too expensive in retrospect and hold onto their creases no matter what

2017 - the year of the trouser
finding the perfect pair of trousers is an impossible goal, and pursuing it costly. i experimented with all kinds this year and am satisfied with the panoplie of trew at my current disposal:
- a kind of guise classy pant, seersucker (black)
these are lovely and i got them second hand in perfect condition. much like our legacy i don’t think i could ever bring myself to pay full whack for AKOG but i’ve a lot of time for the brand. these are probably the ideal baggy/cropped/tapered ratio for me which is why i have gotten so much wear out of them
-other shop white denim trousers
bit of a wildcard, these are very white and very wide. i bought them kind of on a whim, helped by the fact i tried on some more expensive MHL ones earlier in the day. hard to wear but pretty fun to wear too
-fanmail trousers
wide and cropped again in kind of an off-aubergine. these are fine but not very interesting
-cos relaxed stitched seam trousers
i wanted a pair of relaxed/formal trousers and these are somehow those albeit for a high price than necessary

tres bien pink&white long sleeve
i wanted to wear pink still despite its abundance and saturation. i think this is possible if the pink is not modal but complementary to the garm
our legacy flame/floral/tribal print shirt
i can’t wear this without getting comments from literally everybody about how loud it is but i really love the shirt. it’s def a statement piece but i don’t think the pattern itself is overbearing
our legacy black suede zip shirt
i want to collect every OL zip shirt there is i adore them. this one i got for mad cheap second hand and it’s luxurious
our legacy hz jacket
this thing is really thin and retails at a hilariously high price. i got it half off and still probably paid too much. nice type-2 style jacket tho
YMC black knit jumper
it’s a black knit jumper, a good thick one at that
norse projects moss green sigfred sweater
the colour of this is gorgeous, such a great understated piece
ebbets field flannels grey wool baseball top
i love to wear this it feels very relaxed but still distinguished
riceman olive drap front zip t-shirt
this is a weird thing i bought on a whim and have barely worn. it’s a bit too big really and even if it fit i don’t think i like it. additionally it’s a japanese brand i don’t think anybody knows so i have no chance of reselling it

our legacy black suede mono runner
these are a dream to wear and beautiful at that
good news striped hi-tops
i wish i wore these more and i will try to. stripy creps!
trickers derbies
these are very expensive shoes that i bought at a reduced price with the knowledge they should last me the best part of forever. they are beautiful and after over half a year of wearing 5 days a week still look new

i bought a fair bit more than this but these stand out as worth mentioning

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less
more! it helps i’ve had more money this year but i should have been saving it. i am irresponsible and nobody in my real life knows how much i actually spend on this stuff

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)
the fit pics will come eventually but it has to be the green norse projects jumper and the our legacy monorunners

edit: the jumper

what did you buy that was a huge mistake
the riceman top and some trousers in TK Maxx i thought i could flip but never bothered to

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.
i’m all about baggy cropped trousers, understated but interesting tops and understated but unique trainers which is a surprisingly hard target to hit when you’re as fickle as me. colours i use are usually either black, grey or olive drab which is boring but i think the longer i’ve been doing this the more i like the idea of a uniform. i’ve seen some turmeric coloured stuff i’ve really liked this year but haven’t pulled the trigger on. in general i’m more about silhouettes than anything else and it mostly comes down to the trousers for me

what did you like wearing?
all my lovely new comfy trews and everything our legacy makes

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?
corduroy. i spent the year thinking about i but never pulling the trigger

what does 2018 look like from your head?
hopefully less spending, but realistically calming down on frequency and saving for clothes i’ve always admired but found too expensive i.e. lemaire, story, AKOG

[titkitten]

[e0d9n0b5]

i had a good year bels thanks for asking =]

[hharrissonn]

Tell me about how you did in 2017
I did ok I guess? I bought a lot but I also sold a lot and ended up with things I'm very happy with. I'm sort of moving away from certain things/styles I feel like I've outgrown or don't interest me anymore and have got back into "fashion" in a way that I had sort of fallen out of in the past few years. Still not totally satisfied with where I'm at, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.
I've officially quit buying Supreme and sold off everything I had except for my backpack, but still follow the brand and honestly it's more fun as a spectator. Moved away from graphic tees in general in favor of plain stuff from Uniqlo/Noah that I'm much less fussy about wearing and is much more versatile. I bought a pair of jeans that aren't skinny and I love them, and have made myself wear chinos sometimes and am starting to appreciate non-denim pants more.

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less
Yes and No.
I sold off all of my Supreme tees and used the $$ to buy a few of the Supima Cotton tees from Uniqlo, and one Uniqlo U tee. I regret not stocking up on the U tees because I really enjoy the weight and fit. I also bought three Noah pocket tees, two ls and one ss, and they're probably my favorite top to wear at the moment. Nice weight, useful pocket, easy to care for, and look better with every wash. I'll probably buy a few more next season. I also got a Uniqlo U knit that I like despite how itchy it is, and a Ganryu Polyester Cardigan that I got on sale at Union. Also bought a couple patterned oxfords from Muji that I quite like. I prefer the fit to my Uniqlo oxfords, but the fabric isn't quite as substantial.

Bought Noah denim on Grailed, and after experimenting with the cuffs for a while until I was satisfied with where they hit, I absolutely love them. Heavy denim, dark wash, straight leg, button fly. Made in Japan. It's been a while since I've bought denim that wasn't the same pair of Uniqlo Slim Stretch Selvedge (I did buy another pair of to replace my old two), and I can see myself wearing the Noah pair as often if not more often than the Uniqlo. Bought Uniqlo Wide Fit Pleated Chinos in black and olive, and though I haven't worn them a lot yet, I expect to when I'm working more. The fit is nice, hem is juuuuuuust above my ankle which I love, and they can be worn casually fairly easily. JWA x Uniqlo Work Pants were another step away from my regular skinny denim, and I really love them. Bought a size too small unfortunately, but I just ordered another pair in my correct size, and once they come in, they'll get a ton of wear. Squeezed myself into the old pair fairly often.

Shoes are where I overspent. I bought two pair of Vapormax, one Asphalt Grey and the Tripple Black. They're a fun shoe and I honestly love them, but I don't wear them nearly as often as I should. I've toyed with the idea of selling them, but haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet. Almost every time I've gone to wear them, I just go with checkered Vans slip-ons instead. I bought a pair of Yuketen Country Loafers for a good deal on Grailed, and I still don't regret that purchase. They're beautifully made, comfortable, and with the crepe sole just weird enough for me to feel like they add something to an outfit that a pair of Weejuns or something wouldn't. JWA x Converse Glitter Chucks are by far my favorite shoe purchase of the year. They're loud and stupid and I love them. I'm going to thrash them and probably wear them at least 3x a week until they fall off of my feet.

I bought two hats from Noah, and I like one of them. One is black twill, and I can wear it with everything. The other is navy shaggy wool stuff and the fabric is beautiful but I feel like it looks weird on my head. I should probably sell it. Sold my Supreme shoulder bag I bought early in the year and bought a Patagonia Atom 8L, and I think that was a good decision. Much more utility and much less C L O U T.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)
Noah Denim: I love these jeans. I forgot how much I love heavy denim. Kind of starting to develop fades/honeycombs now and they're only going to get better with wear. I probably wear them 4-5 times a week, and don't see that changing.

Noah Tees: They're comfortable and well made. I wear the long sleeved ones once a week each. I'd love to have more.

Ganryu Cardigan: I had been looking at it on the Union website for a while, and it happened to be on sale when I was visiting LA, so I bought it. It's heavy enough to be worn like a light jacket, and surprisingly comfy/spongy, almost like neoprene. The buttons are (probably faux) mother of pearl and it add's a nice glossy pop to the already sort of shiny poly knit. Great with a tee, great with an oxford. That's basically all I wear so I'm golden.

JWA Glitter Chucks: These are so fun. Like I get kind of giddy every time I put them on. The glitter is surprisingly easy to work into otherwise very plain outfits, which is exactly what I had hoped for. They have a leather insole that is super comfortable, and the 70's outsole/toecap has definitely lived up to the hype for me. I can see myself getting another pair of 70's this year when I need to replace my Vans. Jonathan just gets me.

what did you buy that was a huge mistake
H&M Black Skinnies: I'm never going to wear these. I told myself I would but I totally won't. The wash isn't dark enough, the fit isn't as good as my indigo pair from Uniqlo, and I don't feel like they mesh with where I'm trying to take my wardrobe.

H&M Studio Cropped Chinos: They're neat but I'll probably never wear them again. Just not feeling them, but I guess not a HUGE mistake since I got them on pretty steep sale. They'd be nice on someone not quite as tall as I am.

Every Graphic Tee I Bought: Can't do it anymore. I need to just appreciate graphic tees from afar I think. Sold my Have A Good Time tee after wearing it like twice, and have an unworn Noah x The Cure tee in my dresser that I might never get to even though I love the idea of it. 2018 I won't buy any, even if it's a collab I like or something.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2016.
I was super unhappy with what I was wearing in 2016. I was trying too hard and buying stuff that I had convinced myself that I liked because it was hard to get. I'm trying to not do that as much anymore. I was just staring to get back into clothes as a hobby in 2016, and basically picked up where I left off in 2013 but with slightly more expendable income, which... wasn't exactly great, at least in my mind. I feel like maybe I'm maturing a little? I just bought a casual blazer so like maybe. I like where I seem to be going.

what did you like wearing?
Solid tees, oxfords, denim, khaki chinos, a hoodie. Small Black Beanie or black cap. Vans and JWA Chucks. I think that isn't going to change much in 2018.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?
Skinny denim I guess? Idk I'm getting too fat/old to only do skinny denim. Not mad about it. I also thought I would buy corduroys and wear them all the time but I never did. There's a pair by MHL that I like a lot and will buy if I can find them in my size/at the right price.

what does 2018 look like from your head?
Perfecting the style vision of myself I had in my head when I was like 17. Looking more adult but still having fun with clothes. Wearing lots of Navy and Black and Khaki. Maybe buying a suit? Corduroy, Waxed Cotton Canvas, Cable Knits, Pebble Leather. Wearing stupid fun things out to clubs/bars with friends. Being comfortable and unconcerned. Trying to limit myself to buying things I not only genuinely like but will wear regularly.

Sorry for the lack of pics but I realized I didn't take that many this year (at least not until like 3/4 through). I'm gonna try to be a lot more active on here this year and make it a personal project to really refine what I'm wearing and truly appreciate the things I have. Happy New Year love u all.

[wrong]

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less
bought more than I had planned but also sold much of what I wasn't wearing.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)

mostly winter things here, my absolute favorite summer items were these women's muji linen shirts.
ll bean rug is neat
story short on time
supreme paisley flannel
LL Bean fishman sweater ($3 thrift, i love u new england)
supreme utility jacket (pens readily available on my armpit)
story shirt
fuji x100
apc scarf (really really comfy)
the plant was a gift but i really love it
costco socks


what did you buy that was a huge mistake
i had all three pairs of the acronym nike af1s, fell out of love with them really fast. sold all three.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2016.
i wont buy shoes, 3 boots and a pair of af1s are all i'll wear.

what did you like wearing?
i wore less and less sneakers so I want to say boots made my 2017 neat.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?
nike mars yard

what does 2018 look like from your head?
i want to get into marques almeida, at least a shirt for the summer would be nice.
some lemaire knits would be nice.
more story!

[npuox]

Tell me about how you did in 2017
Really good - very good

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less
I don't know to bee honest - I think I bought about so much so I belived I would:)


what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)
A & F flannel/chamois shirts and News Balance CRT300

what did you buy that was a huge mistake
a few t- + polo shirts that are a bit to big for me :( however I`m bulking to become Big like kyriakos grizli:) so they`ll Fi Me Very Soon Lads (smiling))

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2016.
I hade very small amounts of clothes in 2016 - I was also a very thine men and cloths did not fit me well:( however I am a big men now:)) The clothes fi better

what did you like wearing?
bomber /( harrington jacket, tapere jeans , pf flyeur all americano hi monochromo ) and flanner t-shirts (smiling) and ocbd + china pants (smiling))
what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

what does 2018 look like from your head?

very good - i will become 200 poundes and Very Strong and Powerful - wear many polack shirts and nice pants wi/ good shoes

[chazwiz]

Tell me about how you did in 2017

2017 was the year i moved on from supreme, i sold most of my pieces and i didn't buy a single item (okay i did, but quickly sold it as it didn't fit). It has been nice branching out to new brands, and working at a menswear store helped with this, as well as funding my purchases.

Here's what i bought:

cdg ganyru long sleeve tee
raf simons trousers
ultra boosts
70s converse
champion hoodie
nike mecurials
mhl trousers
our legacy fleece
our legacy zip shirt
our legacy long coat
our legacy puffer
stone island swim shorts
sun buddies sunglasses
nike sock dart
adidas sliders
raf simons x eastpak backpack
maharishi snopants
stone island charity tshirt
margiela tshirt
j.w anderson jumper
doc martens mono 1461
prada trousers
jwa uniqlo scarf
unqilo beanie
uniqlo tees
cdg homme shirt
raf simons turtleneck
raf simons x adidas spirit


did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

I definitely bought a lot, but I was hoping to completely renew my wardrobe, get rid of the stuff i didn't want anymore and replace it. Having more disposable income also helped me cop more expensive items.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)

MHL Trousers


J.W Anderson Jumper and Our Legacy Coat


what did you buy that was a huge mistake

-no huge mistakes this year, i bought a pair of supreme cargos that didn't fit, and i wish my raf x eastpak was more comfortable.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.

-I totally stopped wearing jeans in 2k17, i'm not sure if i just don't like the ones i have, or i've just gone off them but i can't see myself wearing them anytime soon. I found smarter trousers and wider trousers are what i feel good in at the moment.

what did you like wearing?

-Smart trousers, ultra boosts and it felt good to join LCM.

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

-my 70s cons, they still rub on my toes after a few hours so i never like wearing them to uni or work.

what does 2018 look like from your head?

-maybe less big buys and try to spend my money on other things like a camera, may splash out again tho

[bels]

If you read last year's purchase diary it may be possible to detect a hint of mania. I think that if we're honest I was in the grip of a shopping addiction. It was a pretty crap year and 2k17 was also pretty dark. However at least I was slightly more aware of my pathologies and took steps to avoid them. I also took a much more frank look at my finances and realised I was actually in debt and took steps to start paying that off. This year's list should be a lot more sober but lets have a look see if all those radical acts of self care have paid off


Uniqlo

MEN Dry-EX Knee Length Trouser
This is just gym shorts. They're good gym shorts though. I have two other pairs. Also they have good enough pockets to store tennis balls in so they're two in one kind of.

MEN Ultra Stretch Dry Ex Ankle Length Trouser
These are Ok but very polyester feeling. I can really only wear them in the gym, extended wear gives them the stank.

Packable Bag (Backpack)
Just can't resist a packable bag that can pack away, pack into a waist pack, and then turn into a full backpack. Never been worn but maybe this summer will be it's time

4 Pairs Airism Boxers
You know about these. They're alright though I find they ride up my thigh a lot and turn into yfronts? not a big deal I guess but i probabl ywon't buy any more.

MEN Stretch Wool Jacket + MEN Stretch Wool Slim Fit Flat Front Pants
Very nice little suit! Bought this for a wedding that I didn't want to go to. I don't have any pics but it fit well and the stretch does actually make it quite comfortable. (I didn't try riding my bike in it but I'm sure I could)

3x MEN UNIQLO U CREW NECK SHORT SLEEVE T-SHIRT
These were good. Nice and thick, nice and boxy. Good big sleeves. Kind of nice collar. Got them for £12 each which seems just about reasonable for a thick tee. Not as good as the pocket tee I had from Uniqlo x Lemaire, but we can't have everthing can we.


MEN UNIQLO U U WOOL BLENDED WIDE TROUSERS + MEN UNIQLO U U WOOL BLENDED BLAZER
A more fun suit. Again the fit is pretty decent, though it does seem to be made out of school uniform material. It's a casual blazer that's cheap enough to wear casually. doesn't look awful with a tshirt. I had to get rjbman to import me the blazer because it sold out, but it still came out cheaper than ordering full price from the UK so not too bad a deal.


Maharishi

6141 LOOSE TRACK PANTS
These cost £50? Damn they rule and I love them! Nice lightweight sweatpants basically but made from a cotton poplin not a jersey. With cuffs and a drawstring waist and everything


Yoox

MAHARISHI Casual trousers - £70
They're a raw finished, pleated, cropped trouser made from some wildly thick ass wool. They have an interior elasticated waistband which can be adjusted. So they kind of look like big boi trousers but fit like sweatpants. The only issue is that the wool is so thick and textured its sort o a puzzle as to when to wear them. They're nice though. Wish I'd got the matching blazer but hey that's yooxlife for you. If I could take a decent pic of them they'd probably be WAYWT gold

ADIDAS by KOLOR Bermuda shorts - £78
I got these with the yoox birthday code as a birthday present to myself. I love Adidas kolor. it's the only gym wear that makes me feel it's worth paying for. But honestly those prices are just out of this world bananas. And at the rate that gymwear gets worn out, it really isn't worth it. This was just a treat to go with my Kolor tshirt. They both get worn and perform adequately.


eBay

BNWT RRP £795 MENS PATCHWORK CHUNKY WOOL JUMPER NICOLE FARHI SKIING HOLIDAYS - £60
If you look at last year's charts, you might notice that I spent a lot of time and money on eBay. I actually totalled it up after writing that recap and realised that I probably kind of definitely had a problem. Anyway I bought this in January. This jumper is very cool bu like everything I own, I never wear it.


6 PAIRS LOT MENS LAMBSWOOL WINTER MERINO %100 WOOL SOCKS HUNTING TURKEY TURKISH - £25
That's 4.16 per pair of THICK lambswool socks. solved my "I only wear vans slip ons an it's winter" problems in a single stroke. I approve of this sock purchase and will make another one post haste

ADIDAS X KOLOR CLMCH TEE T SHIRT TOP NEW RARE MENS MEDIUM - £12
The only reasonable price I have ever managed to find an Adidas x Kolor item for! I think this was the last Item before I gave sknss my ebay password. See kolor shorts for fit pic. I think this was the last item I bought before giving sknss my ebay password and telling her to lock it down.

Rapha Merino Sweatshirt Medium Bnwt. Grey. - £84
Ahaha! But then i asked sknss for my password back so I could buy a bike. I did buy the bike but i also "snuck in" some "innocent purchases" lik this jumper. which I actually like very much but it'sa bit too slim cut on the waist for me. Which isn't really something I'm used to. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I owned a siz L of it. But i doubt i'll find one, and the current season Rapha merino sweatshirts don't have the cool wooly pully nylon reinforcements on the shoulders and elbow so they aren't really as attractive to me.


Old Town Unity Navy Merino Lambswool Shirt S E H Kelly MHL + Old Town Unity Navy Merino Lambswool Trousers S E H Kelly MHL - £130
Still on my scheming shit I purchased this wool unity suit. I had always felt this was an ultimate grail and it kind of is? But two issues mean I still tend to be wearing my cotton unity suit more often:
- despite the sizing being the same, the trousers are significantly tighter than my cotton ones. I'm not sure if the cotton have just stretched or whatever, but wearing this tucked in or with a thick tshirt is out of the question
- The wool is kind of itchy? Not full scale mega itchy but it doesn't have any lining or anything so... It isn't mega comfortable.
Still a great purchas that I get a lot of wear out of (especially in the wretched winter months)


Size L Maharishi Long Kaftan Shirt Navy RRP £149 ORGANIC - £72.50
Anyway, then a solid 4 months passed when I bought literally nothing from ebay. Then this Kurta shirt which matched my loose trackpants mentioned above appeared and I got a second email address so I could register for another ebay account. This is some pretty pathetic behaviour and ths level of scheming against my own best interests should give you some indication of how bad things are for me sometimes.

Size L Maharishi Upcycled Arc Crew Sweat Tech Top White RRP £195 - £42
I mean once you've relapsed you might as well relapse properly right. Except all of this felt pretty restrained of course. i was paying way less than what I'd have paid on the maharishi website so... kind of a win in the smallest possible way.


Size M Maharishi Travel Shirt Terracotta Orange RRP £145 - £43
I've been after a maharishi travel shirt for a long time. This one is a nice colour. Nice papery cotton. Not much to say really. Has the really good maharishi pocket zipper. Packs down nice and small, good bike fit.


Maharishi Officers Shirt - £50
basically a wool kurta shirt but with a collar. i actually bought this because saw it on the website in January and felt like it would be the perfect thing to wear in Jerusalem when I visited in February. I didnt buy it then but the idea of having a wool kurta remained appealing. Have worn it a few times and it always pleases mes, though it's a bit hard to move around in.


OTHER

Bleu Du Chine - Gift
My rule for this year was that I was going to entirely cut out eBay but buy anything else I wanted. By my calculations that meant I'd spent 50% less thanlast year. Anyway I didn't end up buying that much outside of online retail. I didn't buy this french work suit but it was given to me as a gift by my dear friend sknss! I've worn it a very large amount of time. It's the perfect thing to wear in summer, lightweight, good pockets. It's fading nicely now and I'm tempted to get another one. They cost sweet fuck all off eBay and Azzedine Alaïa used to wear one so they come highly recommended. The pic is me in my garden. If I displaced my manic clothes shopping into one area it was into manic gardening (and garden shopping, but there's only really so much of that you can do.) Shout out to @oucho for doing the overall garden design, helping me with planting and overall being my horticultural consultant.


Story MFG Tracksuit - Can't remember, £200?
I pre ordered this from the upcoming story SS18 collection and I'm very excited for it to arrive. I'm going to get my ear pierced and wear a vest and this tracksuit all summer. Pic is me in the defunct story studio trying on the blue version (also very nice) but I've ordered the floral one. I think it's due any day now.


Helly Hansen Dungarees - £20
I wear these to work in the garden but honestly think they look pretty buff? Lots of pockets too.


Muji Crewneck Sweatshirt and Trousers in marled grey - £20
Bought these for lounging around the house. Elevated housewear is crucial for winter when you spend all day in the house. Got to look aesthetic just in case kinfolk bust into your house and start taking pics.

So overall... I didn't buy much at all. Although I feel pretty bad about getting back on the eBay I think I've replaced the eBay scouring habit with other ones. (not that they're much more productive, hello day trading crypto currency) But they're definitely better than what I had. Getting a new eBay account definitely helped me out. I don't have my insane cornucopia of saved searches, saved sellers, huge feedback and etc. And additionally I've closed the tab on countless things. Make 2018 the year you close the tab on everything that ails you! All your shitty overwrought potential purchases, yoox bargains, rakuten saved searches, faulty relationships, emails you're never getting round to, longreads, bullshit ass social media algorithms. Just close the tab. Close that shit and I'll see you in July when my garden will be in full bloom and I'll probably have bought a size XS vexed generation parka that doesn't fit me for £2000 and will be obsessed with I don't know, Distributed Ledger Hasumi Porcelain. There's loads on eBay! Loads!

[simonalia]

It was the best time to move one step a head

[simonalia]

Also they have good enough pockets to store tennis balls in so they're two in one kind of.

[radicalbusiness]

This has been a very minimal year for me in terms of clothing. I’ve been very happy with the look / functionality of lots of what I’m wearing!

jackets

red north face synthetic down jacket
tan maiden noir 70/30 barn jacket
dark teal filson light cotton field jacket
navy exofficio rain shell (gift)
otter green filson wool vest (gift)

tops

grey uniqlo undercover oxford
hemmed my grey striped vintage lands end oxford
black and white micro houndstooth polo ralph lauren shirt
charcoal grey thrifted wool, varsity style zip up cardigan
khaki maiden noir military style shacket
black smartwool heavy LS shirt

bottoms

tan light cotton MHL pants
thrifted big, black, heavy chinos that I love
thrifted chocolate brown linen shorts
repaired my Folk tan linen shorts

shoes

black clarks creepers

misc

upgraded a bunch of destroyed wool costco socks with icebreaker medium crew hikers (the best)
ibex wool gloves
dope black wool cap from worknights!

did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

Tbh I’ve been very broke this year so just about everything I’ve bought has been a screaming second hand deal that I just couldn’t pass up. I probably spent less than 200 on clothes total - likely net zero dollars since I sold some stuff this year too.

what did you buy that you really love

Love my black pants so so much. I’ve been looking to wear more loose cuts and it just feel so right every time I wear them. I definitely thought I would sell the uu oxford shirt but I last second decided against it and it’s now in the ‘inner circle.’ Also liking my new clarks - they were pretty uncomfortable at first but they’ve broken in nicely at this point. They all look great together too!

what did you buy that was a huge mistake

Honestly there isn’t much I regret. Probably the ralph lauren shirt but it was probably the cheapest purchase yet. I’m sure it’ll find a better home soon enough.

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.

My styling was pretty focused on function throughout the year. Aspects of my day like formal environments/presentation, if I’m biking or not, etc. were big drivers of my style choices. In general I felt more physically and psychologically comfortable this year while maintaining a look that’s unique to me. I definitely I’ve moved towards the NW hiking style so I probably blend into the crowds here in Seattle a bit more.

what did you like wearing?

I loved wearing looser pants this year. I wore both my filson jackets a lot. I also definitely rediscovered my new balance 420’s and birkenstock clogs (although those are very seasonal for me) Most of all I loved wearing my wool tees - especially in winter (sorry sheep and vegan friends - most of it is bought used at least!)

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

I can’t think much in particular because I sold most of what I don’t wear. Maybe my wool pants and long coat because neither are super versatile or good to bike with.

what does 2018 look like from your head?

well I’m living out of a 65L backpack for the next two months in Kathmandu so this year is definitely off to a minimal start. I’ve already been here for three weeks and still feel completely satisfied wearing what I’ve packed (1 pair sneakers, 1 pair boots, 3 pants, 2 sweaters, 2 LS shirts, 2 SS shifts, 3 jackets + base layers) Based on this, I think I’ll reduce a lot when I’m back home. Everything new will need to be compatible with biking (except big pants of course).

[Ques]

sorry this is late and too long

Tell me about how you did in 2017 & did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

2017 felt like three different years to me. i think moving forward i’m going to conceive of time in terms of individual seasons. at the moment, i change too much in the span of twelve months to really associate with the myself of a year prior. during the first 5 months of 2017 i was very happy with my life, content with my clothes, and made targeted purchases that i’m (mostly) still happy with. then i moved to beijing, realized i had no summer clothes, and went to muji and uniqlo and bought a ton of stuff that i didn’t really like but needed to survive the heat/wear to work. then i got really depressed after some personal stuff happened in my life and, since i had a full-time job for the first time in my life, lived out the retail therapy lifestyle and spent far too much of my budget on a ton of clothes i didn’t even really like. oops. feeling better now though, so i’m excited for this 2018 ~winter~

after going through every photo i took in 2017 to find fit pics, i decided that the best way to explain my year of clothes was to do it chronologically with photos of me wearing things in situ, since i didn’t really take many fits pics last year. i’ll spoiler everything as it’s going to be quite a lot of very personal bad photos

—
winter/spring

—
summer

—
fall

—
december


did you buy more than you had hoped/planned or less

far more than i planned to. i didn’t realize that pollution made everything seem 15 degrees hotter so lots of emergency summer clothing purchases were necessary. i also need to do a better job of separating purchasing clothes to fill an emotional void from purchasing clothes to fill an aesthetic void. the latter i think i am OK with.

what did you buy that you really love (post fit pics)

top purchases of the year were the muji pants (both times), all the turtlenecks i’ve bought, my scarf and bag from T&F, these great COS relaxed elastic(?) waistband pants that i shamelessly purchased immediately after minkhoi posted an incredible fit pic with them but that i still don’t have photos of, and the red wool overshirt i thrifted. wore each of those pieces a lot AND felt good about myself while wearing them. what more could you want!

what did you buy that was a huge mistake

literally everything else lol smh

and to focus less on buying — look back on your styling in 2017.

mostly a mess, but i think there were a few gems in the ruff. honestly i was having such a bad time emotionally/physically that i didn’t have the time/energy to devote to thinking through getting dressed in the morning most days, so i just defaulted to a uniform of sorts. on days when i was going out to see a friend or something though (read: going downtown and parading myself around the expensive malls hoping to get people to stare at me and gain some perverted sense of self-objectification?), i felt like i was pretty successful.

what did you like wearing?

everything that had elastic or was really loose. taking this as my guiding light in 2018. thought i wouldn’t like turtlenecks because i can feel claustrophobic easily, but in actuality i really enjoy the sensation of wearing one. so more of those going forward as well.!

what did you expect to wear more often than you did?

collared shirts. they used to be my staple, but i just didn’t have the energy for that shit in 2017, buttons were OUT for me. Also, I bought a ton of new pants throughout the year, many more than i’ve posted here, but i ended up wearing the same rotation of four: uniqlo faded black skinny jeans, MUJI cigarette pants, dana lee dad jeans, and cool COS elastic black wool pants

what does 2018 look like from your head?

more shoes. i only own two pairs of shoes (the docs and CP derbies don’t count because i have worn them once each this year): my af1s and some adidas campus 80s, the latter of which is approaching its 6 year mark with me and literally falling apart but i refuse to replace them. i think i want to get a long black coat and a pair of chelseas or black side zips to pair with all of my dramatic turtlenecks and call it a year. i was planning on forbidding myself from ever going back to uniqlo because they basically stole each of my paychecks, but as soon as the cookbook for the next uniqlo U season was dropped it was already too late… so 2018 is probably more uniqlo, too

the most exciting part of 2018 is that i am getting out of this toxic-waste-dump masquerading as a city and starting law school in the fall, which means new people to try to impress by dressing up and lots of fun opportunities to wear my T&F scarf to fancy occasions, so on the whole I am very excited looking forward!