uniform, lately

I had a moment where I pretty much stopped wearing long-sleeved shirts for a while, because the weather has been so damned hot (last year was the hottest year on record and this year isn't much cooler). It still is, but in the last couple of months, there have been days where the temperatures are a little gentler, and it's nice bring out the shirts again, albeit only the lighter ones.

I'm also compromising by wearing the shirts untucked. I'd always preferred tucking them in for work for a tidier silhouette but it's nice to let the longer ones billow for a slightly different feel.

I've been favouring this slightly oversized cotton one from Uniqlo, and another one with a tiny daisy print (they're so small they look like polka dots) from Paul Smith that I bought about 5 years ago. There's a clean finish to these shirts that make even ripped, oversized jeans look polished. Plus, they don't wrinkle.

Meanwhile, I was reading this post on Put This On as I was putting together this post. It goes:

"So Billy is less of a metaphor for how we settle for unexciting design in many aspects of our lives, but one for how we can use a framework that’s not inherently exciting to build and tell small stories of ourselves.

Likewise, when you’re building a wardrobe, it’s less important to pack your closet with showpieces or 'grails', than to find stuff that’s easy, comfortable, and not too much of a reach, budget-wise (say, a blue oxford), and then to use it as the background for the truly dope shit you find along the way."

I was taken by this idea of "acceptably good" being applied to clothing, because it appears to run counter to the "buy the best" sentiment that has become the hallmark of consuming with care, whether we are talking about design, or quality or manufacturing ethics and practices.

Leaving out the weighty issue of ethics aside, from a style perspective, I agree with the writer. I think it's easy to get caught up with the "perfect" item, but perfection is overrated in personal style. It's often what you do with basic things that speaks volumes about who you really are.

Reading the post led me to circle back to what I wore, and how else I could wear the same items. "Acceptably good" are shortcuts to looking "fine", but sometimes, it's more fun to play around with things, and get a little more out of what you own.