Broke and Bespoke

acutestyle:

putthison:

New York Times: The Case for Spending a Little More Sometimes

I think the most important part of this story is what is shown above and not what is mentioned in the article.  Buy good things.  Good things don’t necessarily have to be more expensive things.  

Finding good things takes time.  Not everyone has the time to go try on every pair of pants in Barney’s.  You have a new job that starts tomorrow and you just don’t have the time for perfection, but you still need some pants.  

Once you find “perfection”, how do you know they’re perfect until you own them.  I bought a few pairs of pants from Brooks Brothers with great reviews that didn’t hold up nearly as well as my Dockers.  They cost more, but I thought I’m going to buy better.  Sometimes you buy big and win, but you can also lose.  I’ve heard of several bloggers buying nice pants and getting crotch blowouts.  I don’t really know what a crotch blowout is, but I’m certain I’ve never had one before in my cheapo pants.  

I think more than anything, expensive or cheap, take care of your clothes.  Wash them properly.  Rotate them frequently.  Store them well.  Get them tailored.  I have a pair of black watch pants that I adore.  I wear them only 4 or 5 times a year and I take very good care of them.  I plan on having them for a very long time.  They were $20 on eBay.  

I want to emphasis the tailoring portion here as well.  Find a good tailor.  That $10 shirt could look like a $50 shirt with a few alterations.  I tailor almost all of my clothes and love the way the look afterward.  The clothes I don’t wear are the ones that don’t fit me well: expensive or cheap.  

Bottom line: buy good things.  The price isn’t as important as how much you like them.  Don’t buy crap, but you don’t have to buy the most expensive item in the store.  You can buy low and tailor up.  And always take care of your things and they will take care of you.