Welcome to clipboard, a semi-regular newsletter about good shit and Tāmaki Makaurau by me, Reilly Hodson. This time around, we’re discussing uniform dressing, without dressing the same every time. If you enjoy clipboard, share it with your mate that bought a Laneway ticket but hasn’t heard of any of the acts.
in search of a fashion philosophy
I’ve been reflecting a lot recently on clothes. I’ve always been someone who cared a lot about how I dress, and I’ve written in various forms about fashion for years, but recently I’ve been reframing slightly my relationship with my clothes, after reading a few instructive pieces of work that have clarified things that I’ve never put words to (see below).
Part of the discomfort I have with “fashion” is its focus on consumption, and the foregrounding of shopping in a way that suggests it’s a game to be won. It’s a view that I continue to be guilty of, but getting dressed isn’t just about being the best at shopping and spending money.
Fashion tragics might tell you that they way we dress is primarily about self-expression, but the ability to wear whatever you want all the time is a luxury afforded to precious few. For the rest of us, how we dress is dictated by our means and the contexts we find ourselves in - I can’t wear the same thing to my corporate office that I do to coffee on a Sunday, likewise I’ll dress differently for dinner at my parents than I will out with friends.
Through all of those contexts, though, I’m the same person. My interests are the same, and I continue to derive my confidence and a sense of self from the way I present to the world through outfits. So essentially, I’m on a constant search for a way to present consistently in different contexts, more so than for the perfect black pants, or whatever.
Twentieth century Japanese menswear experts followed a set of rules structured around Time, Place and Occasion (TPO). The idea was that the appropriate outfit could be deduced from the time of day and season, the location, and the specific occasion you’d be attending.
It seems simple, but putting words to things that people pretend are intuitive provides structure on those frequent days when pure inspiration is lacking.
I don’t support broad fashion rules - nothing is universal, navy works well with black, and white trousers are a great way to inject fun into a winter wardrobe. However, I’ve been developing some personal rules for myself, putting words to the nebulous concept of personal style, and I thought I’d share them, not as rules to be followed, but to demonstrate the way that I’ve been building a consistent wardrobe that walks in multiple worlds. It’s a sort of uniform dressing, but not in the Steve Jobs turtleneck sense.
Here are my “rules”, accompanied by a few fit pics, included so you’ll see the benefits of following them:
Make an effort
This is the most important of the rules. I feel better when I make an effort to get dressed. Sometimes that’s picking nicer shoes, or pairing a collared shirt with my shorts instead of a dirty tee. It’s better to have swung and missed than to not swing at all.
No skinny trousers or shirts
The 2010s for menswear were dominated by oppressively slim, tight-fitting outfits. For some, that’s the height of elegance. For me, it’s uncomfortable, looks weird, and takes away the magical ability of an outfit’s proportions to change the way your body looks on a given day.
Limited colour palette
This doesn’t necessarily mean monochrome, or all black, architecture office vibes. Instead, it means that I’ve picked a few colours that look good with my skin tone and other clothes (black, white, dark greens, blues and the occasional pop of orange), and mostly stick to my lane on that. Having a consistent palette means you can try new silhouettes or fabrics without wondering if the purple is a bit much.
When in doubt, lean classic
The way I see it, if a style of clothing item has survived for decades, it’s for good reason. I’ll succumb to the odd trend, but if I’m choosing between a couple of options, I’ll take the classic style 10 times out of 10. This is particularly a point for shoes - all of the styles of shoes I own have been around for a while.
Get pieces that go with your wardrobe, but not everything in it
There’s a persistent idea that everything in your wardrobe should go with everything else. I understand that approach, but it also leads to boring outfits. New clothes should fit into outfits easily, but some pieces are context specific, or only go with a certain pair of trousers, and that’s fine.
Don’t take it too seriously!
The world sucks, and is full of stress and anxiety. Don’t stress yourself out trying to follow rules with clothes, too, they’re supposed to be fun. That also means not following all the rules all the time, it’s not really that deep.
A bit of additional reading for inspo:
That’s all for clipboard this time, thanks for reading! If you enjoy clipboard, send it to your mates. I’ll be back next week with the clips for October, and you can find me in the meantime dancing like a fool to ‘Oh, Caroline’ by the 1975, on Instagram or via email. See you later!