Film Noir Buff Style Forum / Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

Rip Rig & Panic · 2010-07-10 07:46:13

I do like wearing stuff that no-one's ever heard of. In England, of course, in 2010, that isn't too difficult. Then, of course, you end up sporting the polo player because you know yours was made in the USA instead of Sri Lanka, and the game of musical chairs begins all over again. It's still an aspect of one-upmanship - like having the rare vinyl so dear to the hearts of our Northern Soul-loving friends. Import - it's still important. Old and of supreme quality - also important. Stir it all up and it's a great modernist/mod mix to make Hewitt's head spin.

Cardinals5 · 2010-07-10 08:38:22

I'm a fan of the obscure - nice, quality old stuff that went by the board long ago. Must admit the hunt for the obscure stuff is just about as fun as wearing it. I'm in the woods, sack in hand, just waiting for those Nettleton suede tassels

Joey · 2014-12-15 17:29:27

I certainly love feeling at least a little unique. It's a little paradoxical seeing as the style for which we strive was once among the dominant styles in America.... Imagine there being a website in 2060 for connoisseurs of "normcore" or somesuch. Where men of the future dress in vintage 2014 hockey jerseys and neon Surgical appliance sneakers and yearn for a simpler time. But I digress.

I think the feeling of exclusivity is important for me on a couple different levels. Locally, it's easy to feel exceptional wearing quality TNSIL wear because nobody else has anything like it.

Here on Talk Ivy, everyone dresses more or less in the Ivy vein. But somehow I think we all maintain a level of individuality. In my case, for example, I seem to be the only collector of the casual Pendleton "vented Topsman" sport coats. There are a few other Pendleton/Americana enthusiasts here and we have our own little club, but even among them it seems there's minimal interest in what I think is a near-perfect jacket. Which is wonderful because there are fewer bidding wars on Ebay and in any case, variety is the spice of life! There is the crowd of Keydge enthusiasts (as well as a group of Keydge denouncers) which I've always felt connected to because the Keydge jackets are similar in numerous ways to the VT (the biggest difference being the number of people interested in the jackets!) but we're all still unique anyway.

Now I'm starting to sound like an after school special so I'll cut myself off, but I think the dynamic is great. We all share common qualities that separate us from the crowd, but we also have many different sects among us so it's rarely boring.

Worried Man · 2014-12-15 17:43:49

Yuca and I apparently being the sole members of the Topcoat Terrors. Yet he and AC are both members of the Makers Maniacs, and AC's successfully indoctrinated me. I also love my old Pendleton Topsters and one Topsman, plus my old mackinaw and board shirts. I do realize today, after Bop's great thread, that I've never been into the blucher mocs.

Last edited by Worried Man (2014-12-15 17:44:54)

Joey · 2014-12-15 18:11:07

I love the look of camp mocs but I don't like the blucher mocs either.

It really is funny how cliquey this place gets. It's not so much like high school with people fighting for no reason, but there's (mostly) friendly debate about such peculiarities! There was a thread a while back with pages of people taking sides whether navy or black was the most functional knit tie (it's black, by the way).

I'm the sole member of the VT Vaqueros. (An acronym, by the way, I'm still hoping takes off, at least until I learn if there's a real name for the damn things)

stanshall · 2014-12-19 12:02:10

Please guys stop wearing blucher mocs. They are horrible. Because if you all stop wearing them, and I continue to do so, I might end up with unique footwear ....

Blucher mocs on girls are total field hockey .....

I time-traveled for a second there ... back to the dorm room of a beautiful young lady, fellow student at a college in the Northeast ... there I noticed her Bean camp mocs, no socks and beautiful ankles .....

just by habit I happened to be wearing my old Co-Op blucher mocs ..... we were about to change to go for a swim in the secret beautiful antique pool in the basement of the house .....

that's when her roommate busted in wearing a pair of stank Birkenstocks .....

the point is that I had a great time all the time .....

-----------------

I don't care at all about the rarity or exclusivity of any of my stuff, just about the style and quality and place of origin ....

except I do like vintage as the good vintage I get is a quarter to a tenth of the price of a comparable new garment .....

some people are collectors by nature, they love the hunt, that's cool, it's fun to score something you've been seeking a long time ....

I know a lot of collectors of art, etc. ... that's what they're thinking about ... their main collection and their side collections, whether to augment, or dump, or winnow, or go eclectic, or change interests, e.g. art periods, completely .....

so I don't need obscure myself, just a fresh supply of the good basics like full-cut USA ocbds, 8 oz. khaki cotton USA chinos, poplin summer weight pants from the USA, wool sweaters from Scotland, Aldens, and other good boots and shoes from the USA and England. And France if anybody wants to give me Paraboot Michaels, I'll try them, and Sanders Playboys too, I never saw them here once in the flesh.

Also, I don't mind about the sneakers coming from overseas as long as they're old-school and comfortable. same with the Clarks.

I only ever shopped at a small number of shops because I like clothes but hate shopping. Like many other dudebros.

it's interesting as hell though for me to look at pictures of the rarer items and to see them for the first time, e.g. when Tom comes up with a pair of Sportoccasins ......

I'd rather wear new clothes and break them in for myself ...... but I buy a good amount of vintage ....

but wait it out, some once-available stuff I kept around for years is obscure now and I love that too .... it just became obscure, it wasn't obscure when I originally got it .....

now I've got to go do some work on Friday afternoon ... another J. Press afternoon in the office, with Cuban coffee!

Bop · 2014-12-19 13:13:02

Just get some jeans, some moc bluchers, and some ragwool socks. You'll understand

Worried Man · 2014-12-19 14:02:32

#1 2010-07-10 07:46:13

Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#2 2010-07-10 08:38:22

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#3 2014-12-15 17:29:27

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#4 2014-12-15 17:43:49

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#5 2014-12-15 18:11:07

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#6 2014-12-19 12:02:10

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#7 2014-12-19 13:13:02

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

#8 2014-12-19 14:02:32

Re: Obscure: Does It Do It For You?

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