Blog this, rant this already and most people kinda know how I view style or to put it in better words how the way I dress myself. Its probably somewhere hidden beneath all of my previous posts. Yesterday another friend tried to upgrade my wardrobe again. He said he wanted me to dress better and have a sense of style. He was rambling on an on about a "sempoi style", a street style, a "cute" style and among other things. He also told me not to condem his choice of of stuff for me to wear. Little does he know about the thing he is about to get himself into.
As we were rummaging The Mines shopping centre, we went store hopping and looked at the stuff on display and went to countless racks of clothing. He explained to me how match the shirts and trousers. How the length of a shirt should never reach below the rear pocket of your jeans, if the pocket is external or sew on the trousers. If the pocket is hidden inside the pants, its okay for it to be a bit longer. Cartoons or graphic character on a T-shirt fits should be matched to jeans. Short trousers should be slightly below the knee. Inseams of jeans should be longer and loose. Jeans should have a faded wash. I think phase out when he was talking about colour and what colours are old looking and what are not.
Of course he was doing all these references on his 60kg, 162cm body and not my 94kg 161cm body. So what happened was, not many things fit properly actually and he was kinda frustrated. It made me feel good, because only now he knew why I wore certains things certain way. The challenge was to find me stylish clothes that could fit me now. The easy way out was to tell me to loose 10kg so that clothes fit me better, which like the advice of every stylish person I know.
I read this one book, a very clever written book, but it was only targetted to women, which is too bad really. If I am not mistaken, the book is called What Not To Wear? or is it Wear According To Your Body Type? either way its basically a book helping women of not just typical Pear, Ladder or Hour Glass shape, but those with a vase shape, lollypop shape, cone shape and etc. Its great because now truly every women of every imaginable shape could wear something that is flattering to them.
Me? I am hard person to style. I am short, about 161cm, I have a 40 inch waist that can go up or down an inch depending on the time of day, I have a wide shoulder and smaller hips which means most of my weight is carried about my waist. My hair is very curly, almost "old chinese ladies perm" curly. I have a huge head which is a problem when it comes to finding glasses and hats. I have blacken elbow, knee and the joint at the side of my feet while the sole of my feet is rough, dry and cracked, way beyond what you see in cracked heels cream.. Yes its a challenge to style me, many people have tried and got frustrated.
I am actually quite open to the options that they gave me, and most of them thought I would cringe at their choices. However once they say the style they have in their head, does not actually fit me. They will think twice.
So far these are the advice my stylish friends gave me, perhaps you know them already.
- My sister told me, when buying an article of clothing, accesories or shoes, look at the details of them. Details makes the item interesting and stylish.
- Friend A told me to find shirts that has the line or stiching that connects the shirt to the sleaves falls on my shoulder that connects to my arms and that sleaves should not reach below my elbow
- Frienemy B told me shoes define a person, if you actually paid attention to nice shows, somehow you are already paying lots of attention to what you wear.
- Friend C told me the bottom of T- shirts should fall between the rear exposed pocked, if the pocket is hidden, it can fall lower. Buttoned shirts with a square bottom should could be worn untucked with khakis, however you can only wear jeans with buttoned shirts with a rounded bottom.
- My mother just told me to stop wearing clothes that looked like that have been worn a million times...
- Friend A and C told me I should stick up plastic into my eyes each day (wear contacts lenses instead of glasses)
In the end, friend B asked me want I do usually looked when I buy clothes. I said, comfort, then he replied, "you just don't care how it looks don't you". Afraid not. The only thing I am really concerned about my clothes, is whether its stenched of B.O or damp dirty cloth, followed my whether its stained or not. You can be really good looking and dressed like you just got out of a photoshoot, but if you stank like hell.. its not worth it..
Kevin James is the proof that black and loose colored clothing are a large man best friends and beautiful women do appreaciate a man's sense of humor