"freedom day" does not mean freedom to be a dick
quick tips on enjoying Red (Chris Hipkins' version). plus: why you should care about watches, from a true connoisseur
Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about clothes, hospo and Tāmaki Makaurau, a city that is no longer under lockdown. This week, a few quick tips on dealing with new found freedom, and Zayyar Win Thein on why you should care about watches.
(Olivia Rodrigo voice): red lights, stop signs
This Friday, we ended over 100 days of lockdown, and headed into the long-named, occasionally difficult to understand Covid-19 Protection Framework, also known as the traffic light system. Suddenly, we can re-enter restaurants, if we want to, give our friends and family a hug, drink a coffee while sitting at a table. It’s all, frankly, quite a lot.
While this is obviously a very exciting time, and feels more like normalcy than we’ve felt since August (!!!), it isn’t free licence to do whatever you want! There’s still a pandemic happening, and your choices (yes, you too) continue to have an effect on the people around you. In that vein, I’ve come up with a few basic tips for re entry into the world.
Take it at your own pace. The government has allowed us to do stuff, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do all of it straight away. The outside world still feels a bit scary, so don’t feel like you have to be out on the town right away.
Be nice to service staff! It can suck to work in service roles at the best of the times, let alone when you have to check vaccine passes, control distancing and deal with people who still aren’t quite used to talking to people outside their bubble. This is an evergreen rule.
Get dressed up! Or don’t! I, for one, am looking forward to having things planned that mean I can dress up a bit, but if you’d prefer to hit the bar in bike shorts, don’t let me stop you.
Keep wearing a mask when you are supposed to, particularly indoors (if you aren’t eating). It bears repeating that the majority of Covid cases we have ever had since March 2020 are currently active cases right now. A thumbs up from the government doesn’t take away that reality, so keep doing your bit, and wearing a mask is an easy way to reduce spread.
Have fun! It’s been a shit year, so relish the fact that it’s nearly over.
I’d love to know your specific plans now that there’s a bit more freedom! Have you booked in a dinner or a movie? Or are you heading to your local cafe. Hit reply to this email and let me know!
clips
Thom Morison, my favourite local brand, has a new range, and it’s next level stuff. It’s all great, of course, but I particularly love this green short sleeve and this cap. If money were no object, I’d buy it all.
Also new and exciting, Porter James Sports dropped a new range of preppy bangers. It’s rich boy cosplay at its best, and I particularly rate this cotton cricket jumper and this stripy button down.
Watch out, my bank account specifically, because there’s also more to come: this week will bring new clothes from Inward Goods, Checks Downtown and Porter James.
The Spinoff broke down the numbers of the long lockdown, in what you can read as either a fun reminisce or a bleak reminder of just how much of your life has been stolen by a deadly virus, depending on how you’re feeling.
A thought-provoking read on Lorde’s album, for those of you with Solar Power up the top of your Spotify Wrapped.
Virgil Abloh, perhaps the most influential figure in fashion and pop culture in the last five years, passed away this week. This piece at GQ summed up why he was so important, whether you liked the clothes or not.
We’re reaching the end of year, and end-of-year list season. This year, I’d love to hear from you, dear reader, about the single best thing you spent money on this year. It can be anything, from a pair of shoes to a magazine to a donation to charity. Whatever it is, I want to hear! Send me an email with what it was, and why it was such a good use of money.
why you should care about watches
by Zayyar Win Thein, proprietor of Wynn and Thayne.
Watches are something we take for granted. It’s never been easier in today’s day and age to check the time. Nothing stops you from peering at your Apple Watch during a meeting, or reaching into your pocket and pulling out your phone to then get distracted by a flurry of notifications. We’ve taken our own time for granted and what it means to appreciate it. With so many distractions it makes sense to slow down, maybe even go back to the good old days.
A simple wristwatch cuts out all the noise and tells you only what you need to know. It’s a tool. We forget that throughout history there were limited instruments to calculate time. Watches were a technological advancement of human society and allowed a wide variety of uses.
For instance, in World War One it made sense to have watches on your wrist rather than having to reach into your uniform to find your pocket watch. Or the Royal British Navy divers using dive watches to calculate the time they have been underwater so they could calculate their oxygen tank levels and not pass out.
Even closer to home, Sir Edmund Hilarry and Tenzing Norgay wore Rolex Oyster Perpetuals on their climb up Mount Evereset - Tenzing Norgay himself said a watch is a climber’s lifeline to ensure you know when night is coming and to calculate distance travelled.
For me every time I look at my watch I smile. It brings back memories, emotion and sentiment. The watch I lusted over the last 5 years was a Rolex Datejust 1601, back then as a 21 year old I couldn’t justify that much on a watch. Now everytime I pull up my wrist I think about what I’ve been through from 21 years old till today. It for me marks an achievement and something to be proud of. While it’s just something that may just show the time, to me it shows the willingness to save and to have something I’ll enjoy for the rest of my life.
Big thank you to Zayyar for sharing your thoughts! If you are interested in getting into watches, or you’re already a fan and need a new piece, head to Wynn and Thayne online, or flick them a message to set up a private viewing.
That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! Have a great week, and I’ll be back here, next Sunday.