Clothing

[King]

So I'm cleaning out my closet now and I come across some American Eagle and Aeropostale polos. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to donate these or keep them in my rotation. I don't wear them much anymore but I try them each on and they seem to look fine on me. I don't know that much about fashion. I am 27 years old. Is it appropriate for a 27 year old to be wearing American Eagle and Aeropostale or not really?

Appreciate your advice.

[Bhp91126]

Appropriate - shmappropriate. If you still have the figure to wear them and they don't look weird with the rest of your wardrobe, just go for it. It's not as if polos are high fashion that's 'out' 3 months down the road when the next season rolls around.

[Steve]

If they look good on you keep them. American Eagle clothing is made well and holds up to wear and tear. Meanwhile Aeropostale is soon discontinuing it's logo line of apparel. Enjoy it while you can.

That's just me. I try not to waste much, even if my jeans are seasons out of style. That said, I won't hesitate to dump anything on Goodwill that makes me look like Richard Simmons or Elphaba Thropp.

[LJay]

From Himself's Fashion Advice Column:

Well, apart from the question of whether one should wear clothes at all, there is the basic economics of it. If it looks good,wear it. If nothing else, older clothing that fits can be worn for odd jobs like changing motor oil or making brownies when you tend to lift the mixer out of the bowl too quickly. Such items are also good for parties where you may be apt to become involved in impromptu mud baths.

The perfect lesson for an aging (HAH!!) 27-year-old to pick up on is that logos might well become more sparse in your closet as you get older because clothes will last longer and it is great to have money to spend on other things.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

1. Are the clothes comfortable when you wear them?

2. Do you actually wear the clothes, or are they just sitting in your closet taking up space?

If you answered no to either question, then its time to either donate the clothing, or to make rags out of them.

[King]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Until recently they were just taking up space but I've started to wear them a bit when I'm not doing anything particularly important (if I'm just going for a walk in the park or to chill at a Starbucks, who cares?), and they look and feel fine. So thanks for the advice, guys! I've made my decision =)

[WolfEyes300]

After reading this thread, I got thinking ( scary thing for me to do ha ha )
And a question kept popping upin my head; Why do we as humans actually care about what clothes are actually in fashion or not huh?. Or why do we care about whatever other people think in the first place?... I guess it's self acceptance and acceptance within a community, I dunno... just thinking out loud and somhow I managed to write this comment and press send without even thinking about it ...
Hi by the way...
Wolf...

[larafan25]

I think part of what we find visually appealing/ acceptable/ cliche (for lack of a better term) relies on what most people find visually appealing. It's sort of this mass cognition which decides what is or isn't in style, and as much as we can deviate from that norm, we tend to do so while still following certain criteria.

It's weird.

But yeah, where what you feel you look good in.

For me, what I wear is not about whether it is in or out of style, but whether it is in or out of character. As I look back on my life and who I've been and what I've worn... it's interesting to see how I felt about myself, who I thought I was. Sometimes I even find myself going back to an old piece of clothing to see how it contrasts with my current style, and maybe even wear it again if I feel like a throwback.

lmfao that emote is called a ppface

[cunningluvr]

Clothes are another form of self-expression. I hang out with a lot of creatives, and I've got that creative bent myself as a musician and photographer, and clothing is more art than uniform to me. If you think those polos are cool, and you want to wear them with paisley harem pants and flip flops, just do it if that's you.

I'll admit to conforming to overwhelming societal convention when it's in my best interest; if I have clients to see I'm in a suit, but I will have the smartest tie in the meeting. Otherwise I'll be doing my own thing.

C'mon, there's a stereotype that gay and bi men are on the leading edge of fashion - don't fight it, work it!

[Iceblink]

I always found it funny when young people seeing a person over 30 wearing Abercrombie, Hollister, or American Eagle clothing would comment the person was too old to be wearing that and looked ridiculous when the collections consisted mainly of tees, polos, henley shirts, hoodies, cargo shorts, cargo pants, khakis, all stuff people were wearing long before these younger people were born. It was more like, you took old people clothing and put a trendy brand logo on it. Btw, like Aeropostale, Aberchrombie is dropping the logo from most of its clothing. When your selling point of your clothing is the name brand and logo instead of the clothing itself, you know eventually you are going to fall out of fashion when the next generation does not want to be seen in your brand.

Really though, you should wear what you want. If you're 27 and you want to wear it, go ahead. If you're 50 and you want to get a mullet cut and wear the zippered parachute pants you wore in 1982, go ahead because why should anyone else or trends dictate what you should wear and what you should like?