072 : Sartorial Genius : Confessions Of A Dopeness Addict
I've been addicted before. Has menswear got me hooked?
A life based around buying clothes is really no life at all.
But a life lived without any sense of personal style is even worse.
Given the mechanics of the modern world, it’s almost impossible to separate style from consumerism.
And yet, I’m dumb enough to believe that buying - and more importantly, styling - the stuff that makes you feel heroic and comfortable in your own skin can and should be an organizing principle of a well lived life.
I see it as an authentic path to self actualization - a way to maximize the pleasure of being one’s self.
Is that insane?
What am I smoking?
These days, nothing.
But I did spend a solid 21+ years as a hardcore stoner.
I know the addict’s mind well and I can feel it merge with mine every time I’m looking to score some primo vintage Ralph online.
Still, I can’t resist the siren song of getting fresh.
But I’m not ready to check into Sartorial Recovery (ReFab?) yet.
And if I’m being honest, I don’t need to.
When I quit weed back in 2018 a lot of my friends who were still slaves to the pipe asked me why.
I could have told them about the panic attacks or the horrible effects it was having on my self esteem and my business but I gave them the simplest, most honest answer: the drug had been taking way more than it was giving by a very large margin for a long ass time.
I don’t feel that way about clothes. They’re still adding value to my life.
If anything, my mini shopping sprees (we’re talking a couple of hundred bucks across multiple bargain eBay scores and J. Crew 75% off sale purchases) allow me to experiment with new looks - the leading edge of Elzness - for less than the price of a decent steak dinner.
It’s more of an investment in personal “branding” than a numbing agent.
Also, as a style expert, it’s a tax write off.
I see a lot of folks in the style space struggling with their relationship with consumerism. I think it’s a conversation more of us should be having.
We’re all raised to be addicts in the modern world, it’s just that the dealers hide in corner offices.
The images of dope fiends lining up on Avenue D to score their gear back in 1979 are pretty much symmetrical to the ones of folks today waiting outside KITH to score some viral New Balances.
But who am I to judge?
I know what it’s like to want to drop out.
It’s just that it’s more fun to dress up.
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