#it's too long

[intertche]

gonna start posting my metaphor screenshots as an archive actually

(strohl edition)

enjoy i suppose

[sachermorte]

Roland, it's been too long since you talked about fashion.

What are your fashion do's and don'ts?

And what fashion rules are bs in your opinion?

I could have sworn I talked about fashion fairly recently but looking back, it was last month already. That simply won't do. Obviously from a menswear perspective. If you're looking for more traditionally femme advice I can do my best, but no promises. Cut because I wrote too much.

Fashion Don'ts

❌ artificial fibers ❌

Take a look at the two blazers below.

They are, upon first impression, quite similar. Two buttons. Notch lapel. The same pocket flaps, the same seams down the front to contour to the body. Even (roughly) the same color.

Look closer. You see the strange sheen to the jacket on the left? The way the thread cuts into the fabric, causing it to almost look puffy on either side? The odd cast to the draping? How it almost, just a little bit, looks like it's been sewn out of a parachute?

The jacket on the left was sewn out of polyester. Now, polyester has a number of benefits, such as water and fire resistance. That's because not even the water or the fire really wants to touch it.

Now look at the jacket on the right. It drapes well, yet maintains its structure. It doesn't pull any funny business around the seams. The texture adds an interesting detail to the rest of the outfit and anchors it firmly in the textile tradition. It's warm. It's comfortable. That's because it's made of wool.

Unfortunately, plastic clothing is not only cheap, it's increasingly the only option available. Even luxury brands use it, and extensively at that. But if you're aiming to look stylish, if you want someone to look at you on the street and go "oh wow, that person looks truly lovely", there's no reason to choose polyester, acrylic, or nylon over natural fibers. Cotton, wool, linen, silk, angora, cashmere, leather. These are your friends. I promise you, they're your friends.

❌ slim fit ❌

There was a time (a dark and terrible time) when people thought that it was acceptable and fetching to go out in public looking as if they'd been shrink-wrapped into their clothes. This is one of those fashion trends that comes back every few years alongside other truly gruesome horrors, such as plucking your eyebrows too thin or wearing capris. It's all very mid-2010s. All very r/malefashionadvice, the pants cut so slim you can hardly sit down in them, the jackets that pull uncomfortably at the buttons.

This is not attractive. They look uncomfortable. It unbalances the frame, for one. The gentleman on the left looks like he's about to hulk out of his shirt (and his tie is too short. for shame!). The gentleman on the right has skinny little toothpick bird legs.

Contrast these gentlemen from the 1980s and 1990s.

Perhaps the shoulders are a bit large for our modern sensibilities. Perhaps the pleated trouser causes you to raise an eyebrow. These are matters of personal taste upon which reasonable minds can and do differ.

But look at the cut. Look at how breathable everything looks. The jacket gives you room to maneuver. The pants aren't about to cut you in half every time you take a seat on the bus. These gentlemen are wearing their suits as opposed to being imprisoned by them.

If pre-y2k men's tailoring interests you, I invite you to watch some films and shows from the 80s and 90s. You'll really develop your eye for these sorts of things and can apply what you've learned to your own wardrobe.

❌ athleisure ❌

Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. The American need to wear sweatpants and workout gear everywhere they go, come to haunt and infect us all. It's the drawstring waists on suit pants. It's the insistence on the most hideous running shoes I've ever seen with every outfit. It's the "performance" fabrics on clothing you're going to wear to the office or to a wedding.

If I have to see fits like this for very much longer they're going to have the in the motherfucking Hague. They will. I promise you they will.

Anyway. Now that we have that out of the way.

Fashion Dos

✅ dress up ✅

Next time you have somewhere to be, work or school or a party or just walking around town doing nothing of any consequence, dress one or two levels above where you normally would and see how you feel.

You can start slow with this. Wear a tie and some corduroys with your usual casual jacket and sneakers. Try a blazer with your jeans and graphic tee.

People, at first, may say "oh, what are you all dressed up for", but after a while they just get used to it and stop commenting on it. I regularly wear full suits to my teaching job where my colleagues wear jeans. It's just my thing. They don't know me any differently.

My life noticeably improved when I started dressing to impress for more or less every occasion. And it makes me feel great, besides.

✅ buy secondhand ✅

As I mentioned before, the Polyester Plague is among us. It lays heavy on our backs. Even formerly nice or luxury brands are beginning to adulterate my (dear, beloved) natural fibers with this crap. I saw a "wool blend" coat being sold in a shop the other day. You want to know how much wool was in it? Seventeen percent. 17. One-seven.

Used to be, I would go window shopping even in budget stores like H&M and it would be an absolute struggle to not spend money I didn't have on things I didn't need. It was a discipline exercise for me. I was sweating each and every time.

Now? Not so. There's nothing in any of these stores worth buying. Nothing at all. This is why we buy secondhand. We have Humana and Carla and Vintage Shop as chains here in Vienna for fairly decent prices, alongside a smattering of independent stores. With a good eye and a thorough education in 80s and 90s television shows, you too can pick up some truly glorious finds.

But watch out! Even in our thrift stores, some of this shit is still SheIn. Be watchful.

✅ intentionality ✅

I know so many people with a closet full of clothes. Good clothes, nice clothes. But so, so often they lament to me that they have absolutely nothing to wear.

This is because they have clothes. They don't have a wardrobe.

Which colors do you like wearing? What places can you be found in your everyday life? Are there clothes you just won't wear, either because of the color or because of a fit issue? Thank them and let them go. Are there things you'd love to wear more often but you have no idea what to wear them with? You might need more basics.

If I can give you any hard and fast rule here, it's this:

Never buy a piece of clothing unless you can imagine three different outfits you could wear it with.

I want to buy a chocolate brown blazer? I could wear it with a white shirt, patterned brown pants, and brown boots. I could wear it with cream trousers, brown loafers, and a tan turtleneck. I could wear it with green trousers, brown boots, and a cream shirt. Don't make up hypothetical pieces of clothing. Everything above is something I already have in my wardrobe. I could take home that brown blazer today and wear it for half a week straight, minimum, just with things I already own.

Also, if a piece is "off", in some way, if it's just a hair too tight or the shoulders are a little weird or the color washes you out a little bit or it's kind of itchy, and you think that it's fine, it's not that big of a deal...

Put it down. I mean it. Put it down. Never take home a piece that you aren't happy to wear as it is here and now, unless you're literally going to take it to the tailor that very weekend. You'll never touch it again. It'll rot in your wardrobe, gathering dust.

Fashion Rules (that are BS)

1. Outfit repeating. You have clothes to wear them. You have a washing machine. Of course you're going to repeat outfits. Especially if you really liked how you looked in them. If someone calls you an outfit repeater ask them why they're an outfit rememberer.

2. Silly color rules. Any color combination can be made to work if you're intentional about it. Of course if you go wearing brown shoes with a black suit there's not a force on earth that can save you from my wrath. But if you intentionally combine brown and black, that's always lovely. "Don't wear white after Labor Day" (which is in September in the US for some reason)? Angelic all-white winter looks steal my heart away every time. "Blue and green should never be seen"? What are you talking about? They look wonderful together.

3. The idea of "timeless dressing"

People think it's "old money" now. Sad beige. White. Gold. Oversized t-shirts. A few years ago, everyone's idea of timeless was totally different. Swinging from minimalist capsule wardrobes to "fifty pieces everyone's wardrobe should contain". It's all made up. It's all capitalism. Wear what you like. Wear what makes you happy. Wear what's functional for you and your wardrobe. You don't have to answer to anyone as long as your clothes work for you. Even me.

Although I might judge you.

Just a little bit.

[ranbling]

Tim Nash might be dead but my beef with him is not

[bobfloydsbabe]

I'm getting a haircut tomorrow!!!

I usually get a blunt bob with the same length all around, but I'm thinking I might try some face framing this time around. We'll see if I dare lol.

[itsjaywalkers]

all the violence that i swore you could have back

happy (belated) valentine's day <3

[clarascuro]

Think I'm gonna trim my hair tonight

[kanade-yoisaki-official-archived]

about my um. neck

doctor said it wasn't anything too serious? i just put too much strain on it because of how i was.. seated at the computer.

if i'm careful and let it rest, it should recover nicely

[anime-scarves]

It's time for more GBVSR! I'm picking things up quicker than I expected to but I have a feeling B is going to be a brick wall for a bit.

[fazcinatingblog]

Sophia said the budget for the week is $38k (most ridiculous target she's ever come up with) and I did that and she didn't mention if she was pleased with it or will she just continue giving me ridiculous targets every week like $40k then $50k then $103k and then if ever I don't meet her dumbass target, I get fired that's it, it's that easy

[ottobasso]

[leclerdelune]

How's there still 10 laps left?

[lakanakana]

war never changes

[yumenikkii]

just another average day in gravity falls

[thankstothe]

folk hero really

[kedreeva]

Following the author of The Last Unicorn on Facebook is the only thing that makes being on that site worthwhile.

(source)