1915: In the Levi's Pavilion at the Pan American Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco, workers showed how Levi's were made over 100 years ago.
People looking to buy some new clothes fall into two categories: those who want to enhance their physique and those who want to disguise it. The majority are looking for a disguise, a cover up, a deflection from their physical flaws. But fact is, someone with a great body can wear virtually anything. Clothes look best on a fit body, a truth all the men’s magazines ignore for good reason: because they’re in the business of making money, and that means peddling clothes, especially expensive trendy “must-haves,” to the entire spectrum of body types.
My habit, save for a brief “trendy” period in my late teen years, has always been T shirts and Levi’s and basic classic American items. Astoundingly, many classic items that were around 100 years ago are still in fashion, such as Levi’s 501 jeans, Lacoste polo shirts, rugby sweaters, tank tops, military and cowboy-inspired looks, and much more. I really do get the attraction that the trendy and right-now have for us, but I’ve weathered enough decades to be able to look back and cringe at a lot of (formerly) hot fashion.
What I knew I looked good in were basic all-American fashion, which most of the time was cheaper than the latest trendy items. Yep, some fitness model guys do look good in skinny jeans, but in the 2020s we’re going to look back on everyday people wearing skinny jeans and cringe—maybe. Or maybe not, as I wrongly predicted in the early 90s that cargo shorts were so ugly that nobody will be still wearing them come Y2K. And yet here we are.
I currently own more clothing items found in thrift stores, vintage shops, garage sales and on eBay than I purchased new. The oldest item I have is 72 year old pair of Levi’s 501 jeans. Workmanship and quality these days is throw-away, but for around the same price, as I browse selectively, I can find beautifully made vintage wool shirts, sporting uniforms, Wrangler and Levi’s denim items, classic Lacoste shirts and more. While others are swiping thru Instagram, I busy myself referencing my curated list of bucket-list items and search for them on eBay, Etsy and the like.
Most of us mourn a favorite clothing item that got worn out, ruined in the wash, or was lost. My tip for you is never use a clothes dryer. Line dry instead—your clothes will have 4X the lifespan. And wash fragile items by hand. Washing machines can destroy a beautiful item, but a clothes dryer will absolutely destroy a beautiful item, whether it be a vintage cotton T shirt or a new Brioni polo.
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