Thursday, May 14, 2015

Fad,fashion or foolish

 I have never been one much for fad and fashion. Oh, I have purchased certain articles of clothing that would fall into that category but I'm speaking in general terms. I have pretty much adopted my " style " of dress and seldom deviate from it. Jeans and a tee shirt or for more formal occasions, a shirt with a collar. Dress slacks are for my " black tie " events like funerals or weddings, also for attending church services of any kind. My wardrobe hasn't been updated since the 1980's. Following my retirement from the Navy I took to wearing a ball cap. I still wear one everyday. A hat is the one accessory that I am always looking at. A man should have a good hat. I just have not decided upon a style. Now Merle Haggard always has a great hat. Doesn't matter if it is a fedora or a stetson his hats always look cool. It is one of those mysteries to me, how does he get such great looking hats ? Must be something to do with being rich,famous or a great songwriter. I'm none of those so maybe that is why no great hat. And it is this acquisition of a hat that led me to thinking about fashion.
 Is there an age where we shouldn't wear the current fad or fashion ? Is there a point where you just look foolish ? I have always been a bit self conscious about what it is I was wearing. Clothes make the man you know. Well clothes do give the first impression, even before you speak. Appearances can be deceiving. As for me I don't want anyone being deceived by my dress. What you see is what you get. Or is it ? That was the moral of the story in Clothes make the man. We are what we believe ourselves to be. In fad and fashion however it is what we want others to believe about us. If I want you to think I am a certain " personality " I can alter my dress to appear as that. Am I current and cool ? For me, I really could care less. It does seem to be of importance to some people and I wonder why. Is it a lack of self assurance or esteem ? Perhaps it is an abundance of both. I just don't know.
 Working in retail I see a parade of people every day. And believe me it is a parade and it includes clowns ! That website, the people of Walmart is an excellent example of what I'm talking about. Do some people not own a mirror or have an honest friend ? I can find no other reason one would go with the appearance that they do. But putting aside the outlandish I am thinking about fad and fashion. Take yoga pants as an example. Certainly body type plays an important role in pulling off that look. Would age play a role also ? Even should that " mature " lady have retained the shape would you consider it, shall we shall, less than discreet ? Would you form an opinion based on that decision to wear them ? What about a fifty something guy in skinny jeans ? That is the type of thing I am thinking about.
 The clothes we wear certainly influence what people think about you. I don't think anyone would dispute that. We hear it all the time, dress for success. The way we dress may get us the job and much more. Is that fair ? Probably not, but few things in life are. I think for me though that altering my dress to impress you would be practicing a form of deceit. It would take an effort on my part. I would feel a certain degree of discomfort in doing so. I admit if I had the funds to do so I might give it a shot, as an experiment of sorts. Move to a new location where you are unknown. Change your dress and manner of speech. Might be interesting but very difficult to pull off.
 Back to my original thought. Is there an age where we should avoid the current fashion ? I think so and for only one reason. I believe at some point we should become comfortable with who we are and what we appear to be. Of course I could be completely wrong about the whole deal. Maybe you should. Maybe it is a reflection that you are constantly changing and adapting to new ideas. Maybe it shows the world that you are current. Or maybe it just makes you feel young. If that is what you choose to go with, more power to ya ! Me, I'm comfortable just the way I am.  

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