Style

Tips for environmentally responsible style

So, upgrading your style means buying lots of clothing and having a full closet, right?

Wrong.

This is one of the most common style misperceptions. The notion that to dress well you have to spend lots of money, and have a huge wardrobe.

Most of us already have too many clothes. 

Too many of the wrong ones. 

Good style means making better choices.

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Here are the points I’ll be making in this post:

• Do an inventory of what you already have.
• Repair items that need it.
• Have clothes altered if you lose or gain weight.
• Shop thrift stores.
• Buy quality items, and fewer of them.
• Natural fabrics versus synthetics.
• Recycle garments rather than discarding them.
  
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One of the reasons we have so many clothes is because they are so inexpensive.

Low prices have caused Americans to buy and own many times more clothes than our parents or grandparents had.

Inexpensive clothes tend to be cheaply made. They don’t last the way quality does–cheap clothes and shoes stretch out of shape, fade, come apart at the seams, and just wear out faster. Because they often don’t fit well, people may only wear them a few times before tiring of them and giving them away or throwing them away. Then they buy new ones and the same cycle continues.

Did you know that the apparel industry is the second largest polluter in the world (after the oil industry)?

The worldwide garment industry directly or indirectly pollutes water, air, and uses water resources at a significant rate. Synthetic fabrics release microfibers into the air and the water, creating an invisible presence of plastics in our oceans and water sources.

And what happens to all of those clothes that wear out too quickly?

Some estimates are that only 15% are recycled or donated. 85% are simply thrown away and end up in landfills or elsewhere. The garments dumped into landfills worldwide could fill Sydney harbor. Every year.

Fossil-based petroleum is used to create many synthetic fabrics. These fabrics are much more energy dependent and directly pollutant through carbon emissions, etc., than are natural fabrics. The apparel industry is directly or indirectly responsible for soil degradation and deforestation. 

On top of the environmental problems, the garment industry has long been a source of substandard conditions for workers in many countries.

I could go on, reciting data and statistics on the environmental and societal problems of the garment and fashion industry, but you get the idea.

At the same time, the garment industry also plays an important role in the global economy. With the challenge being how the industry can engage in a sustainable way.
 

So what to do?

We still have to wear clothes, don’t we? Getting dressed is one of the few things we do every day of our lives.

We may not control the reigns of the worldwide garment industry, but there are some things that we can do to exercise our influence even in small ways.
 

Tips for how you can dress yourself, curate your style, save money, and exercise social responsibility:
 

1. Take inventory of what you already have

The starting point is to take stock of the clothes you already have. Like I say, many of us have too many clothes already, and maybe not the right ones. Go through your closet(s) and take a hard look at what is there. Look all the way to the back, where things tend to hide. 

Look first for items that you know you haven’t worn or used in a couple of years or more. If it has been that long, you’re likely never to wear them. Set those aside for recycling. The exception would be specialty items such as certain kinds of jackets, shoes, etc., that you may need for special occasions or purposes.

Hold on to a few such items and use them as your “work” clothes for yard/garden work, the garage, etc. Store them where you can find them easily.

There may be various reasons you don’t wear or use something anymore. Perhaps it was a gift, and you never liked it to begin with. Or you have too many of the same kind of thing. Perhaps some things are worn out, need repair, or just no longer fit.

Note: some things that need repair or don’t fit can be fixed or altered, if you like them otherwise (see next category).

Bag up the things you won’t be using, and take them for resale or recycling. DON’T just throw them away! Remember, we’re trying to avoid adding to the landfills.
 

2. Repair items that need it

There may be items that you like and want to keep, but just need repair before you can wear them. Perhaps a missing button, or a seam that’s come loose. Make sure they’re on your “to keep” list and take them to an alterator or tailor for repair. They do you no good if they’re just hanging in your closet, but you can’t wear them. For only a few dollars for repair, some old favorites can have a new lease on life.
 

3. Do alterations if you lose or gain weight

Likewise, some items that you want to keep may still be in good condition, but simply don’t fit anymore. Most commonly for midlife guys, things become a bit tight around the middle. This problem can be solved by losing some weight, or by having something re-sized. Ask yourself which is most likely to happen, and act accordingly. Losing weight is probably the preferred option, but realistically? In the meantime, just take some of those favorites that don’t fit in for alteration. If you do lose weight, just have favorite items taken in accordingly. You’ll get some use out of them, and improve your look in the process.

The point is that rather than buying new things, you can often make use of what you’ve already got. Fix or re-size items that you really like, but haven’t been wearing. This is an environmentally responsible thing to do, and you’ll feel like you’ve got a new wardrobe.
 

4. Shop thrift stores

One way of upgrading your look is to stop in your local thrift store now and then. This makes you an environmentally responsible participant on the other end of recycling. You can find some quality items in thrift stores, but you have to be careful. You can easily end up with things that are a great deal, and you thought you might like, but you still never wear. That has happened to me a number of times, but I’m learning.

Thrift store shopping is actually not for beginners. It helps to have some sense for styles, fabric types, cut, quality, etc., before you can spot the items that have merit. Otherwise, you end up buying more junk.

Thrift stores are better for some items than others. Don’t even bother looking at shirts. They are usually worn, stretched, faded, stained, or damaged in some way. I’ve almost never bought a shirt in a thrift store.

Your best options in thrift stores are sport coats and other jackets and outerwear. It is hard to find full suits that come close enough for fit, and that don’t have other problems. But you can find the occasional nice tweed type jacket that can upgrade your look.

If you do find something in a thrift shop, make sure that the fit is close, and then plan on taking it in for alteration. You will almost never find something that fits correctly without alteration. Actually, that’s true of most things you buy new, but that’s another topic.

Jackets and outerwear are another item you can find in thrift stores. These are harder to alter for fit, so make sure it fits before you buy. Look closely for stains and damage. But if you’re careful, you can find some great items. I have a new condition Eddie Bauer goose down jacket that I use in the coldest weather–and paid only $5 for it.
 

5. Buy quality items, and fewer of them

One way to avoid ending up with clothes that wear out, stretch, or that you just don’t like, is to spend extra for quality. Spend more, but on quality things you really like and that will last. This is a good principle in general, but especially with consumables like clothing. 
 

Remember this…

The most expensive items you’ll own are the “cheap” ones that don’t last or that you don’t end up wearing.

You should only own clothing items that you’ll actually wear.

Think in terms of VALUE rather than initial price. 

How much use and how many wearings will you get out of it? Something that you wear or use hundreds of times over many years is a better value than a cheap item that you only wear a few times because it wears out, doesn’t fit, or you just don’t like it.

In midlife, you’ve reached a point where what you put on your body makes a statement about your knowledge and judgment of what is cheap and what has value. After 50 or so years of living and getting dressed every day, you should look like you know what you’re doing. Like you know quality and what looks good on you.

You are far more likely to get years of use from quality items, thus reducing environmental impact, and save money in the long run. Plus, you’ll look and feel much better in the process.

Buying quality will usually cost you more up front, but it doesn’t have to be ridiculously more. There are ways to get affordable quality, and that’s a subject for future posts.
 

6. Natural fabrics versus synthetics

In general, natural fabrics have less environmental impact than synthetics. Plus they often last longer and look and feel better.

There are two sides to this, of course. A case can be made that cotton, a natural fiber, uses water resources and involves fertilizer pollution at a high rate. At the same time, quality cotton items can last longer than synthetics, and thus make less overall impact. Synthetic fibers often involve fossil fuel resources, and create pollution from manufacture and disposal.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect option here. We have to dress ourselves with something, and there are environmental problems no matter which way you go. The main thing is to be aware, and make the most responsible choices you can.

Perhaps your particular style leans toward athletic and outdoor wear. In this case, much of what you’ll wear involves synthetic fabrics. It is hard to rock this look in natural fabrics like cotton and wool. 

My own style leans toward classic looks where I have more options for natural fabrics.

Again, in either case the main principle is that less is more. You are better off buying fewer, higher quality items that you will use over and over.
 

7. Recycle garments rather than discarding them

Once you’re done with something, what to do with them? Keeping clothes or shoes forever does no good. Things eventually wear out, or become unusable. Even quality items run their course after years of use. 

When garments and shoes reach this point, don’t throw them away. At the very least, donate them to your local thrift store. Useable items can be re-sold. 

Some thrift stores will have a separate recycling program. See if yours does. Some other retail stores and malls now have recycling bins as well.

This way, items that aren’t suitable for re-sale can be taken for recycling, which may involve shredding and repurposing for things like carpet padding, insulation, etc. It is better than just throwing them in the trash and going into a landfill.
 

Call to Action

• Less is more. Having good style doesn’t mean buying more. 
• Do an inventory of what you’ve already got.
• Recycle or donate what you don’t need or can’t use.
• Think VALUE. Buy quality items that will last.

You can’t solve environmental problems all by yourself. But you can do something, with even small and reasonable steps, and look and feel better in the process!
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Related posts: https://cliffordberger.com/what-do-i-mean-by-life-and-style/

Sources:

The Paro Store: Eleven brands tackling waste in the fashion industry: https://www.parostore.com/blogs/news/waste-of-fashion-industry

Drew, Deborah, and Genevieve Yehounme. “The Apparel Industry’s Environmental Impact in 6 Graphics.” World Resources Institute, 16 Jan. 2020, www.wri.org/blog/2017/07/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics.

Martin, Maximilian. “Creating Sustainable Apparel Value Chains: A Primer on Industry Transformation Industry.” Impact Economy, Dec. 2013.

McFall-Johnsen, Morgan. “The Fashion Industry Emits More Carbon than International Flights and Maritime Shipping Combined. Here Are the Biggest Ways It Impacts the Planet.” Business Insider, 21 Oct. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10#many-of-those-fibers-are-polyester-a-plastic-found-in-an-estimated-60-of-garments-producing-polyester-releases-two-to-three-times-more-carbon-emissions-than-cotton-and-polyester-does-not-break-down-in-the-ocean-8.

Why are we drawn to things that have visual and tactile appeal? 

Our style and appearance–why should we even care?

Note: This is a longer post–here is an overview of the topics I cover:

• Men’s style across time
• First impressions
• Why the resistance?
• Style isn’t just about clothes
• Style doesn’t always mean “dressing up”
• What style and appearance can do for you–and why you should care
• Upgrade your style, change your life

We enjoy looking at things that are well-designed, look good, and function well. We like looking at a well-designed sports car more than a 1998 Ford Taurus. People pay a fee to see the Grand Canyon, but not to look at a landfill.

Humans appreciate beauty and things that appeal to our senses.

“Aesthetics” is a sub-discipline of philosophy. Companies spend millions of dollars on the design of products, and even on the design of the package they come in. That’s because our eyes are naturally drawn to good design, and we make quick value judgments based on those appearances.

Virginia Postrel, in her book The Substance of Style, explores the way appearance and design is fundamental across all aspects of culture–not just in fashion, but in real estate and architecture, politics, economics, etc. She argues that appearances drive our decisions and our perceptions on how we eat, drink, what we drive, where we live, how we invest money, how we vote, and yes, even how we dress.

And yet, many men have been conditioned to think that their own appearance doesn’t matter, or at least shouldn’t matter. They believe that a “real man” doesn’t care how he looks or what others think of him.

Why is that? Why the resistance to being intentional about our appearance? Our style and appearance–why should we even care?
 

Men’s style across time

This resistance is actually a recent phenomenon. Throughout history, men across nearly all cultures have paid great attention to their appearance and style. They knew how it conveys confidence, status, and authority. 

Look at pictures of Maasai warriors, paintings of British kings, at NBA players, or even the cast of Peaky Blinders.

Not that you’d want to actually dress like any of these guys, but you can’t deny that they paid attention to their appearance. They were intentional, and knew what they wanted to accomplish.

These men knew what they were conveying with their appearance, what story they were telling. These are examples of men who wanted to communicate power, wealth, influence, perhaps to intimidate their foes.

That may not be your story, or mine, but how we dress and how we present ourselves does tell a story, whether we intend it to or not. The question is whether we take ownership of our own story and identity, and are intentional about how we tell it, or whether we surrender our story for others to tell, based on their assumptions about us. 
 

First impressions

If you google “first impressions,” you’ll see some sources claiming that people form a judgment about others within Seven Seconds of meeting them. The timeframe may vary a little, and the kinds of decisions people make about you are not as uniform as some claim, but I think we can agree that first impressions matter. And people form those impressions very quickly. After those first impressions, everything else we do or say is about confirming or reframing those impressions.

This extends to products and not just people. Companies spend a great deal of money on packaging. In the grocery store aisle, with so many choices for one product or another, we often make choices based on what catches our eye. 

A common proverb, one we’re taught from childhood, is “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is usually meant as a metaphor for not making quick assumptions about people. As a rule, it is good advice. First impressions may not tell a complete, or even accurate story.

And yet, realistically, people do judge books by their cover. We can’t help it. With actual books, in fact. The way a book cover looks is our first impression, and may instantly inform whether we pick it up or not. A great design for a book’s dust cover can make or break its success. Publishers invest heavily with time and money to create compelling designs for book covers, because they know it matters. Even digital books on Amazon have a thumbnail photo of the cover, and it influences whether you spend more or less time looking at it. There is a direct connection between covers and sales success.

It is not a matter of whether people should make judgments on appearances. It is simply that that we do. We can argue and resist that all we want, but style and appearance matters. 

To be sure, a book’s cover is not more important than its contents…

…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important at all.

And with regard to our own appearance, our style is not the most important thing about us. Not even close. Our character, our beliefs, our actions, our words–these matter much more.

But that does not mean that style and appearance is not important at all. Especially style for men in mid-life. 

This is sometimes the false dichotomy we create. That it has to be all one or the other. All style and no substance. Or all substance and no style. 

Why not some degree of balance? Our style is not an end in itself. It can simply be a tool we use, with some intentionality, to give the rest of our characteristics a chance to shine. As I noted in an earlier blog post, our style is part of our Ethos of Leadership.
 

So why the resistance?

Suggesting that style and appearance matters is controversial. People, especially men, can react defensively, even angrily. I get it. Some may be angry with me even for posting something like this. Our style and appearance–why should we even care?

Some men will say things like:

Real men don’t care how they look

Rules don’t apply to me

My wife picks out my clothes

I have my own style

Comfort is the only thing that matters

I don’t care what others think about me

Appearance shouldn’t matter

Caring about style is girly or effeminate

Attitudes and statements like this are a pretty recent phenomenon. Prior to the 1970s or so, men across the socioeconomic spectrum gave attention to their style and dash. 

Consider even these Working Class Guys from the 1920s or so. They’re not fancy or pretentious, but there is a certain rugged style and intentionality to the way they present themselves. They look confident and cool.

Or take a look at this photo of my dad (on the left), my uncles, and grandfather from the early 1960s:

Their look is casual, but not sloppy. Even my grandfather (on the right), is wearing the working man’s “uniform” of the time. His clothes are dirty and worn, like he just came from the tractor in the field (which he probably did). But he somehow still manages a put-together style and attitude. He’s even got a pen in his pocket–because the farmer/businessperson never knows when they need to shift from using a wrench to signing a contract. 

I can’t imagine any of these men saying they don’t care how they look. 

We could only hope to look as cool. And the car! How sweet is that?

Perhaps personal style and appearance shouldn’t matter. But it does. Saying it shouldn’t doesn’t change that. It matters. Our brains are wired to process visual and sensory input, and to make judgments based on that input. The question is not whether it matters (since it does), but whether you are in control of this part of your life. You can respond by resisting the importance of appearance, by saying you don’t care. Or you can exercise control and intentionality, and make it work for you. Being intentional about how you present yourself is simply leveraging another tool in your box of resources to help you accomplish your goals.

Getting dressed and putting on clothes is one of the things we will do every day of our lives. If we’re going to have to do it anyway, why not educate ourselves a bit and do it as well as we can?
 

Style and appearance isn’t just about clothing

Some assume that “style” refers only to clothing and fashion. Style and fashion aren’t even the same thing. “Fashion” is fleeting and trendy. “Style” is personal, timeless, and conveys identity. And it is so much more than clothes.

Style doesn’t have to mean dressing up, and wearing a suit or tie. This is a common misperception. The men in the photo above are dressed casually, yet with style. We dress and present ourselves for all kinds of occasions and activities. Why not be intentional about it?

Here are several aspects of style that go beyond clothing:

• Manners and demeanor–how we speak, our tone of voice, how we greet others, and treat others, our manners and etiquette, these are all part of our style, of the way of being that we are known for.
• Attitude and confidence–being positive, confident, and humble at the same time–these are the things that have always been admired in people of influence. You get to choose the attitude and demeanor you present to the world. 
• Physical condition–Our clothes are what people first see, but the clothes reside on a body. How we care for our body matters. We don’t have to become a ripped physical specimen, but it helps our overall appearance and lifestyle if we care for ourselves as well as we can. Exercise and diet make a difference.
• Being interesting!–You know the gentleman in the Corona beer ads, the “most interesting man in the world”? Besides the fact that he wasn’t real and was just a character in an ad–How did he become so interesting? He did stuff, he knew things, he had been places, he had interests. You can add to your personal style by simply being informed, reading, having interests, and taking an interest in others.

What others would you add?
 

What style and appearance can do for you–and why should we even care?

• Attention to detail–learning a few basic principles around style and the way we present ourselves can help you gain attention to detail. Little things like matching your belt with the color of your shoes, paying attention to how things fit, shining shoes when they need it, knowing when to tuck or untuck a shirt, trimming things like your fingernails, your eyebrows, and your freakin’ nose hair–things like this show attention to detail, and communicate that you probably care about other details in your life. This matters to employers, your mate, and others around you.
• Self-awareness–when you learn to pay attention to your clothes, grooming, and other elements of style, it spills into self-awareness in other ways. You become more aware of your inner life, your thoughts, the words you say. 
• Confidence–when you know you look good, you feel good. You know you’re presenting your best self, and this gives you confidence. This helps you perform better and accomplish your goals.
• Personal responsibility–taking responsibility for your appearance and how you present yourself helps you increase in responsibility in other areas of your life. Learning enough about clothes so you can develop a personal style, rather than just defaulting to whatever clothes are given you. Keeping track of shoes that need shining, or buttons that need replacing, spots that need to be removed–these are as important as caring for your tools, or keeping your car clean. More important, actually, since most people will never see your tools or the inside of your car. But they will see how you present yourself every day.
   

Upgrade your style, change your life

Your style and appearance does matter. It is how you present yourself to the world. This includes your clothes, your grooming, and overall demeanor. These are the first things that others will see and notice about you. Like it or not, people will make decisions about you based on these things. Taking ownership of your style is a way of having control over your own story, telling who you are in your own way. Style is not the most important thing about you–not even close. But paying some attention to it can give the rest of who you are a chance to shine.

Tell your own story, create your own Ethos. Upgrade your style, change your life.

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Note: see my post on “What do I mean by Life and Style” for more perspective on this topic: https://cliffordberger.com/what-do-i-mean-by-life-and-style/