The Conquest of Cool talks about men’s clothing, and how it has changed over the years. This is similar to what we discussed in class. In class, we talked about how and what affects the decisions we make. These decisions include clothing. Clothes were first invented as a means of protection of the skin from extreme weather conditions, but they soon turned into fashion statements. Similarly, shoes were invented as a weapon to wear to keep feet from getting hurt from the sharp objects on the ground. Today, we see shoes as a fashion statement. For example, I never buy New Balance shoes, and almost always buy Adidas due to their designs on the shoes. So how did we become a society wanting clothes that were the most comfortable and jackets that were the warmest to one where we cannot wear anything that doesn’t have a Lactose alligator or Prada printed on it?
This change started to occur when clothing companies spent billions on advertising, and telling people that their clothes makes them more likeable or more attractive. In class we talked about things like peers, media, and parents influencing our decisions. All of these components contribute to our clothing. Every time I turn on the T.V., many of the advertisements are about buying certain clothes to make you look more appealing to the opposite sex. In middle school, all of the cool kids wore Abercrombie and American eagle. So of course I had to be cool as well. I soon found my closet filled with these two brands of clothing. I would only wear these brands exclusively for a period of over a year. After middle school, I became less brand conscious, and didn’t really care as much about brand name. My parents also influenced my clothing decisions. Since my father only wears regular underwear, I too only wore plain underwear. It wasn’t until the age of ten when I found out about boxers. Once I tried them, there was no turning back. The boxer’s felt a million times better than underwear. He also wore Ralph Lauren shirts. Naturally I grew accustomed to wearing them as well. People are also influenced based on price tag. Instead of looking for the sales, we often buy things because they are more expensive. I admit that I even buy certain brands because they are more expensive. I have bought Armani jeans that cost triple that of my Wranglers, but they looked exactly the same. The brand makes it more expensive. What would be so great about a Rolex if it cost fifty bucks? Its price makes it rare, and that is what makes the watch more appealing. My grandpa gave me one of his Rolex watches, as well as a Citizen. I often wear the Citizen to the movies or restaurants, but only wear the Rolex on special occasions. It’s not because I think the Rolex looks better, in fact I like the look of the Citizen much more. It is because of the price of the watch, and often times that is the sole reason we buy things. Maybe we should stop focusing on purchasing things because they are more expensive, and start looking for clothes on sale.
This article references the change from monotonous clothes to unique clothing. It also mentions how our clothing style has moved to more comfortable clothing. It talks about how we are “permitting a freedom of movement absent in traditional suits” compared to our predecessors. In the U.S., we value comfort. We are willing to sacrifice a bit of fashion for comfortable clothing. Everyone owns jeans and t-shirts because they are comfortable. We talked about how in European countries, people would only wear t-shirts if they were exercising, and never to school. Here, many schools even have a PJ day, and half of us wear sweatshirts and sweatpants to school every day. We also talked about how America values individuality. Whereas in some countries we might be expected to be uniform, here we are allowed to wear what we like. Public schools don’t have strict dress codes and many clothing designs include flashy or sparkling colors. The article states that instead of wearing the same things, we “are expressive through our inner nature rather than molding into a uniform appearance.” Another example of how clothing is a statement is shown by the use of hats. People bought hats to protect their head from heat and rain, but today, while still used for those purposes, we purchase hats and caps based on their brand or to show which sports team we support.
The title of a Men’s Wear article in 1966 was “Break the Rules”. This once again shows how our culture has shifted to a more expressive mentality compared to a reserved one. We are also a society that wants to look nothing like their parents in terms of clothing. While our parents might influence our decisions as young children, as we grow older we have our own style. One of New Suit’s claims is that they are “different from the standardized styles your father once wore.” Phoenix clothes also advertise “a wow of a word that immediately takes you away from the ordinary.” Once again, standing out is viewed as a positive.
Many people purchase clothes based on a group or click they belong to. Jocks might dress a certain way, and Goths dress differently to show that they are different. The thing about brand name clothes is that everyone and every group want them. “From the rock stars, to the students, to the hippies”, everyone cares about how they look. I liked the quote about the typical man. “The typical man wears a Bill Blass suit, plays golf at the country club, and drives a thunderbird which he thinks is a sports car.” This sounds just like the typical man. The idea is to break away from this concept of normal. Pepsi states “Youth is an attitude, not an age now days.” People often wear certain clothes to make them look younger as well.
As I mentioned before, advertising and the media plays a crucial role in our decision of clothing. Companies aren’t crazy to pay people like Michael Jordan millions for a thirty second commercial in which he just has to wear a Hanes undershirt. These tactics work very efficiently. I was reading an interesting article yesterday about Tom Brady. Audi gave Tom an A8 for free. They obviously did this so he could be seen driving their car, and in turn want consumers to want it. He crashed this free $130, 00 car, and Audi did not get angry. In fact, they gave him a brand new one. Yes, I was shocked as well. It turns out that there was a lot of the publicity, and it helped increase sales for Audi. Someone debating between the A8 and BMW 7 series might have bought the Audi because they heard Tom Brady drives it.
Today, we live in a world where everyone worries about what they are wearing. I cannot go into my own backyard without thinking about what I’m wearing because the neighbors might see. The final major influential part of clothing is price. People are also influenced based on price tag. Instead of looking for the sales, we often buy things because they are more expensive. I admit that I even buy certain brands because they are more expensive. I have bought Armani jeans that cost triple that of my Wranglers, but they looked exactly the same. The brand makes it more expensive. What would be so great about a Rolex if it cost fifty bucks? Its price makes it rare, and that is what makes the watch more appealing. My grandpa gave me one of his Rolex watches, as well as a Citizen. I often wear the Citizen to the movies or restaurants, but only wear the Rolex on special occasions. It’s not because I think the Rolex looks better, in fact I like the look of the Citizen much more. It is because of the price of the watch, and often times that is the sole reason we buy things. Maybe we should stop focusing on purchasing things because they are more expensive, and start looking for the sales like common sense tells us to do.
Well-written, thorough and thoughtful, as usual. I always enjoy reading your blog entries. Thanks.
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