Monday, May 14, 2007

It's the clothes that make the man . . .

Welcome to an extremely random and unpredictable series of posts in which I (for no real reason whatsoever) decide to display photos of my clothes and tell you any possible story that might come up regarding those clothes.

So, let's get started, shall we?

Why don't we begin with these two items--a fir green wool baseball-style cap and a leather braided belt.



These two items are, to my knowledge and memory, the two oldest items of clothing that I currently own. I know for certain that the hat was purchased from the JCrew catalog in 1989 and the belt was bought at about the same time. The belt, in fact, once belonged to my mother and I had a very similar one that was a slightly different color (both belts were also from JCrew). But, somewhere along the line, probably during a visit home during a college weekend, I switched belts with Mom. Why, exactly, we did so is probably lost in the sands of time (unless Mom remembers or corrects me).

I wore lots of JCrew clothes back in high school, but I soon phased out of that as I transitioned into college. This hat and this belt are about the only remaining vestiges of that wardrobe era.

Here is a better view of the cap and belt. This hat, it just so happens, is identical to the style of hat (though not the color) that Michael Stipe wore in the R.E.M. video for "Shiny Happy People." That is NOT the reason that I bought the hat, though you are excused for thinking that thought--especially during that latter high school phase of my identity.

I wore hats quite a lot in high school and into college. It was sort of my "thing" for a while, a sartorial crutch that allowed me to self define who I was in relation to everyone around me. I'm sure I do similar things now, but not quite as overtly related to clothing. More likely, I'm the "TV guy" or the "blogging guy" or the "Harry Potter" guy.

But, I have always like this hat and the belt has always held up my pants with sufficient tension and necessary style. But, when I have worn the hat throughout the years (around EIGHTEEN at this count), I have usually worn it backwards, like so: . If I have waited a long while between haircuts, my thick hair makes it harder to fit snugly on my head. During those times, I often wear it backwards and turn the bill up in the back. That allows it to tighten a bit and grab hold of the head a bit more.

Well, that's it for now. Who knows what item of clothing I'll choose next?


4 comments:

flipper said...

There's nothing I like better in a belt than sufficient tension! Will you one day tell the story of the purple tie . . . ? (I could be a guest blogger for that one!)

In the meantime, revel in the fact that you're the kind of guy who can get away with wearing a woman's belt.

Anonymous said...

You're actually the "Sweater Vest Guy".

This is from Lulu. It's been so long since I've blogged that I have forgotten my blogspot password! Maybe I'll get that right now....

David said...

Oh yes!

By all rights, I should write entire chapters about my sweater vests, but it probably be only half-hearted paragraphs tossed in in odd moments between dinnertime and bathtime.

The stories they could tell that will forever be locked up within their woven hearts!

Anonymous said...

a fine series of posts.
i'd like to see a deconstruction of your shoe choices, your science fiction t-shirts, and your seersucker dreams.