On being an adult , Part one - It's style, not fashion mind you, but style.

 There's about ten things wrong with this photo and I should have changed my shoes.

It's really only come to my attention that I am an adult sometime in the last nine or ten months. I know when my twenty first birthday was, I think I was at a Rush concert. That was sixteen years ago, give or take. I could go on and on about all the adult sort of things that have gone on in my life. The point is...
there was never any event that took place that signified a shift from whatever stage of life I was in to adulthood. Until now. Or the last nine or ten months or so. I'm still not sure what went on other than the culmination of everything. I may expound on this later but since the ship has sailed and I'm an adult whether I like it or not it's time to start acting like one. Not only have I come to the realization that I am an adult I have been trying to figure out why I'm not happy with the way I dress. Wow, just writing that down I feel guilty. I know, I know, we can all argue back and forth about the issue with aesthetics and it's importance in real life and all that. I'm fully aware that folks in New Orleans still don't have homes, there is a war there are always many wars going on, and Haiti will be pretty much fucked for a very long time. I'm not so self absorbed that I'm going to write a blog post about clothes and pretend that stuff does not exist. I'd like to say I don't have to justify my vanity with a disclaimer but I just did now didn't I? Some time ago I ran across the blog The Sartorialist. I 'm not sure what it was about it but I liked it enough to check on it on a regular basis. It must have been the photography, which is not earth shattering, but it really serves the content of the blog well. I like it enough to have a link here. The Sartorialist is definitely fashion oriented. I am not concerned in any significant way with fashion. I am now, and at least passively, have always been interested in style. I am writing here about style as it applies to my way of dressing. In my case I am making an effort to not dress like a teenager. That's pretty much it for now. It can be easier said than done but after a few trips to the thrift stores and a few well spent dollars at my local Target, I'm on my way. I will not offer advice here on what someone should wear. I used to own a T-shirt that said "Elvis had a stinky butt" so it will be awhile before I am allowed to offer advice. Baby steps... If you are a man and looking for advice go over to Putthison. If you are put off by that, you are either a lost cause, or a fashion victim. Those guys really seem to hit the nail on the head. After checking out a few style guides from the library I figured out what to buy. That helps when shopping. It's really simple, actually. It has a lot to do with restraint,a little to do with knowledge, very much about fit, and not so much about money. I have been shopping thrift stores since I had a driver's license. Now, armed with a little knowledge, I can go in and snag some quality gear for a few bucks and have cash left over for the camera fund. This is a good thing. A decent shirt here, a sport coat there, and on Date Night I'll be the best dressed guy with a sucker stick stuck to the back of my pants from the two year-old.  Seriously speaking, finding a personal style is going to be a work in progress but I'm looking forward to it. I work in an office, in a machine shop. The chance of me getting very dirty exists every day. I also have meetings with vendors and actual engineers not just Ravioli and Dessert Engineers such as myself. I have to wear safety shoes, and can't wear a tie. Hell, the owners of the company don't wear ties. If I was to show up in a sport coat or odd jacket I would be fielding questions about who died all day. I am sort of forming a plan and fortunately I don't have to do this overnight. If done right no one will notice me anyway. That's sort of the point, just to look good but not stand out. I'm not shooting for dandy. Although I must admit I do admire the ability to pull off a look. I saw a guy in a department store one time wearing a fur jacket. No fucking way, on any day of my life will I ever be able to pull that off. He loked great. I can't explain it. Fur jackets are stupid and this dude was just killing it. Well done. Before this becomes the longest strangest post I have ever penned I had better wrap it up. I have been reading "1001 rules for my unborn son" by Walker Lemond. I'm really enjoying it and taking some of these rules to heart. One is: Always keep a recent photograph of yourself on file in case of emergencies or unexpected notoriety. Indeed. I will be referring to this book as I continue my posts, I'm sure. That's about enough for now. If you see the odd photo here of a piece of clothing take a look, it might be something more than meets the eye.
 UPDATE: It occurred to me that I may get the "I'm just a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy" sort of replies. Yes, I am too. I am just moving over to plain, solid color t-shirts that fit well. I do not wear a blue blazer on a daily basis; I wear it to portrait sittings in my front yard while being devoured by mosquitoes that I hope are not carrying the West Nile Virus. Have a great weekend.