Either I have a short attention span or my ability to juge my situation is lacking. I was about to walk out of the house yesterday, wearing my old brown jeans and a baggy t-shirt.
Mrs. M stopped me. "Are you going out in that?" she asked. Not a judgement, just a reminder. And I stopped cold.
Did I not JUST post an entry about changing my image? Did I not just rave about how inspired I was, to have a goal for improving my self-image, to put some effort into how I looked? To raise the bar, kick things up a notch, BAM?
"...I WANT to clean up my house, re-arrange things, and "straighten up" -- pardon the pun-- my wardrobe. I want to get rid of all my schleppy jeans and baggy sweaters and create a frickin' LOOK. Take some friggin' PRIDE in myself."
Was I kidding myself? Or did I just stop paying attention?
In my mind, I was only going across town to drop off a cheque in someone's mailbox. I wasn't even going to be out of the CAR that long. So in my mind, not worth dressing up.
But that's the whole point; leaving the house? WORTH dressing up. (Except this morning when I had to return two DVD's to the video store before they opened. I'm not even really awake at that time; I'm not going to dress up for THAT. So yeah, there's a little bit of leeway here.)
So I hauled my butt back upstairs, threw off those old jeans and comfy t-shirt, and put together an outfit I could wear outside and be ready for any occasion. I chose basic black. I made sure my hair was coiffed with product. I even used a little fragrance ('Spray, Delay, then Walk Away') and -- yes -- I went back for a second juge.
Feeling confident now, I went downstairs. Yes! The look on Mrs. M's face told me all I needed to know. I can create a "Wow" when I want to.
(I got a WOW from Mrs. ACK later on, although she was overwhelmed by the extensive use of BLACK. Well, that's what happens when you don't have a wardrobe YET. I'm working on it. "One does want a hint of color." -- Albert, The Birdcage.)
Point is, I looked good and I felt good and I had made the effort to follow my own damn advice-- even if I needed to be reminded to do it. But that reminder served, in turn, to remind me why I wanted to make the effort in the first place: It just FEELS good. Taking the mundane and making it just a little better. Making just that much more effort. It's like working out; while you probably won't DIE if you don't, you feel so much better about yourself when you do.
And although there could be some argument as to just how much fashion and a decent hairdo can affect your health, I'll say this: It sure as hell improves my mood. And that, as Martha herself might say, is a Good Thing.
I just have to remind myself that when I have these ideas, I really should follow through with them. Practice what I preach. Because practice, kids, really does make perfect.
Posted by Agent M at October 23, 2003 10:10 AMIt probably has something to do with my obsession for comfort but I find dressing up to be a chore more than anything. After work I head to the gym, work out in my gym clothes, shower, and immediately change into my comfy jeans and cotton work shirt. I carefully fold up my "professional" clothes and carry them on top of my gym bag so they don't get crammed in with my sweaty gym clothes.
I'm careful with my work clothes because they cost me money and I'm required to wear them. However, if I wasn't required to wear them then I'd live in my jeans 24/7.
But, again, that probably has a lot to do with "dress" clothes generally being confining and uncomfortable on me. And before you begin to advise me on how to shop for "better" clothes please note that there are only three stores in Calgary that have some clothing in my size: Mark's Work Wearhouse, George Richards, and Zeller's.
Mr. Big and Tall has stuff too, however every article of clothing I've ever bought from them has fallen appart with a month or two so I've since chosen to boycott them.
Moores used to have stuff in my size, but these days if it's from there and it fits then it's all polyester. I don't go there.
I wonder if "Queer Eye..." will ever do a show about someone over 180lbs?
Posted by: Rook on October 23, 2003 10:52 AMI do not own white shirts or brown jeans. :)
I do own some ratty T-shirts--one in particular I wear when Kyle bleaches my hair, so that only that one is getting slowly destroyed. But I don't leave the building in them.
That being said, unless that shirt and jeans were dirty or stained or wrinkled, I think they look passable just to go the post office. You're tucked in, you've got a belt. Wouldn't go to DINNER in that, though.
I don't miss the overalls, by the way. I was very happy to see the overalls go.
Posted by: Mike on October 23, 2003 10:53 AM... and on another note, the more I look at the photos above the more I have to say I prefer the "drab" over the "fab". It probably has more to do with the lighting and the flash, but the first photo seems to highlight the weight you've lost while the second one looks like you might be gaining it back.
Just me.
Posted by: Rook on October 23, 2003 10:54 AMMy GOD you are a handsome son and I do love it when you are dressed for success!!!
Posted by: Your Mom on October 23, 2003 11:10 AMEr... The new look is fab, I do agree. Unfortunately you've won the battle only to lose the war. The baby swing in the background kills the effect you're trying to achieve.
(Attention to detail is a good thing...)
Posted by: Sean on October 23, 2003 11:15 AMIt's more like, "I could spend an hour photoshopping this" or I could get on with my day. I'm committed to writing a blog entry every day; spending time getting the photo just right really isn't up there.
(For those of you that didn't know, Sean is a photographer. An AHHHH-tist, don'cha know. :) )
Posted by: Agent M on October 23, 2003 11:22 AMI could spend an hour photoshopping this" or I could get on with my day.
Where's the fun in that?
Posted by: Sean on October 23, 2003 01:18 PMI seem to remember your brother being quite the fashion -er- queen in Jr. High (before going all "rocker-come-almost-billy.")
I can see some new lovely looks on you now. Crew necks in jewel colours on you.
I can see a nice blue crew neck, or a lovely polo-a-la-banana-republic with and a nice pair of straight legged grey pants. Show off that height.
Get away from those "relaxed fit" pants. They aren't bad on you, but a nice straight leg would flatter your height much better.
Men always forget to look to see how a shirt looks hanging off their shoulders from the BACK. You have a lovely back I seem to remember. Good posture usually too. I bet a nice modern untucked polo type shirt would show it off wonderfully.
See, I'm already in the mood for slowly changing Sean's wardrobe, and your general frame and colouring is similar. *I* have IDEAS! ;>
Posted by: BrandiMommyGal on October 23, 2003 02:28 PMI'm glad you're using the "spray, delay, walk away" method of putting on cologne, but still try to be careful with the stuff. There are a lot of people who are very sensitive to scent. I'm one of them. It's a migraine trigger. As a result, I very rarely wear perfume, and I become very critical of those who DO wear scents. I'm also more aware of ambient scents...like our ladies' washroom at work. It's not the smell of antiseptic bathroom that gets me...it's the vanilla. They're piping a vanilla scent in there, and while it's only supposed to be a "hint" of the stuff, I find that it reeks. Some nights it's not bad, but when I'm heading to work with a headache, it's a real pain. Almost suffocating. It's gotten to the point where I've told Robin that if he wears aftershave, he may wish to use less and try a good moisturizer instead.
Another thing I've noticed is that people who wear colognes and perfumes regularly become desensitized to it quickly. They build up a tolerance. Thus they will sneak into the bathroom or somewhere "out of the way" and give themselves another spritz. Don't do this...it just makes it worse for those of us who ARE sensitive to it. And there's a lot of us. Most of my co-workers are sensitive to scent, and only part of that is allergy and migraine driven (came in handy one night when we had to find an office monitor that blew its tube and started smoking. 5 people suddenly looked up and asked each other "do you smell burning? Good, I'm not having a stroke. Let's find the puppy responsible for this".)
So go ahead and stink pretty...but keep it light and breezy.
As for colours...don't be afraid to try and track down a colour consultant. They're a bit rarer now than they were in the 80's, but a good colour consultant can tell you just what colours will perk you up or make you sallow. If you're going for waking people up to what a dynamic guy you are...you want the perk. Don't trust store lighting. It sucks. When you find colours that look good on you, make a swatch book with fabric samples of those colours in it. That way you can compare colours in weird store lighting :)
Lookin' pretty good so far...keep it up!
Posted by: Maire on October 23, 2003 07:16 PM