I want to talk about fashion this morning. Okay, not exactly, but bear with me. What I really want to talk about are strange attractions — finding yourself drawn to a particular content area (in any media) even though it makes no sense for the type of person you are. For me, that topic is fashion.
That's right, yours truly loves to dig through the yearly fashion issue of the New Yorker. I watch reality TV shows like TLC's What Not To Wear and Bravo's Project Runway. I can't get enough of that Tim Gunn guy, and even though I forgot to watch Tim Gunn's Guide To Style last night, I'm sure to catch a repeat. It's just not right.
Now, you might think that I enjoy this stuff because the articles and shows are full of gorgeous models. No, that's not it. Come on, you can find beautiful woman all over the place, and you don't have to sit through an hour of prima donna fashion designers with nose rings and sideways haircuts to see them. The truth is, given my personality and my fashion habit, this makes no sense.
Did I just say "fashion habits"? I don't have any. Wrangler jeans in various colors (um... blue and black), black and grey tee shirts from Carhart, and short sleeve overshirts from either L.L. Bean or this cool outfitters store not far from me. That's it. You'll find no formal wear in my closet (the blackest jeans count as dress pants by my rules): no suits, no ties (wait, I think there's a Jerry Garcia tie in there somewhere but it's crumpled up underneath the old work clothes on the top shelf), no fancy shoes (unless you count Doc Martens, two pairs!, black and brown!). Then there's that summer clothes/winter clothes thing. Is that when you wear long sleeve shirts more often? Oh, and shopping? Forget it. It's a once a year excursion at most. Spending money on clothes feels like a direct attack on future music budgets.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
You sound like my
older"more mature," unrelated twin, Mark. If it weren't for mandatory "professional dress" days at work, I wouldn't have a single tie in my closet. Neither do I have a suit - nor reasons to wear one.What Not To Wear? Guilty, too. But I actually wouldn't mind going on there . . . maybe just for Stacy and Carmindy, however.
2 - Mark Saleski
hmmm, you do have a point about those two.
i'll let the "more mature" thing slide....
3 - Mat Brewster
I have loads of ties, mostly purchased by my in-laws for Christmas and birthdays. I think they believe if they fill my closet up with them eventually I may actually put one on and look respectable. Once in awhile I actually do wear them, but mostly they just sit on their rack, looking pretty.
My wife loves all those shows too, I usually escape to the back room when they are on.