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What's an Objectivist Fashion Style?

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I recently turned 30 (old I know, don't remind me) and I am considering replacing my wardrobe because I don't know if my current Abercrombie style still suits me. I was thinking about going Bananna Republic or J. Crew style. This got me to wondering if anyone has an opinion on what an objectivist style would be when it comes to one's wardrobe. I absolutely hate wearing dress socks though... ugh.

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I recently turned 30 (old I know, don't remind me) and I am considering replacing my wardrobe because I don't know if my current Abercrombie style still suits me. I was thinking about going Bananna Republic or J. Crew style. This got me to wondering if anyone has an opinion on what an objectivist style would be when it comes to one's wardrobe. I absolutely hate wearing dress socks though... ugh.

30?? I've got clothes in my closet older than you. Hell, some of them are so old they are actually coming back in style. Generally speaking, my wardrobe gets an overhaul every time Fedex decides to upgrade its uniforms.

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I recently turned 30 (old I know, don't remind me)

Just you wait til you're 40.

This got me to wondering if anyone has an opinion on what an objectivist style would be when it comes to one's wardrobe.

There's no such thing as an Objectivist style of dress. I'd advice you to go with comfortable clothes appropriate to your work, with a style that you judge makes you look good. If you don't trust your skills in putting a look together, hire an adviser or ask for help from a salesperson at a store.

I absolutely hate wearing dress socks though... ugh.

I don't like them, either. I need more cushioning than none. So I wear cotton socks, sports type socks. The trick is to buy them in a variety of colors and not just white. Black works for most occasions, light gray can serve sometimes, too.

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Rand seemed to have a habit of describing the style of clothng her altruist characters wore, so I wouldn't say that it's necesarily an "anything goes" subject.

Sure, but that still doesn't mean that there's an "Objectivist style" either. I mean obviously you want to won't want to express a negative theme (such as "I'm a slob who doesn't care about anything because anything goes!") with your dress, but that doesn't make any particular positive style "Objectivist."

There was, at one point, a Q&A or lecture on the ARI website that specifically addresses the difference between Objectivism as such and The Good in general. I can't seem to find it, though.

Edited by Inspector
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I don't know what an Objectivist style of dress is, but I just try to buy classic, timeless pieces that I can mix and match. I buy trendy accessories (jewelry, shoes, purses, coats, etc.) to mix things up a bit. I don't know if that's helpful advice for a guy, but it has worked for me.

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Rand seemed to have a habit of describing the style of clothng her altruist characters wore, so I wouldn't say that it's necesarily an "anything goes" subject.

Well, let's realize that a novel is not the same thing as philosophy. As a part of the characterization of a character, such concretes as manner of dress serve to use culturally accepted concretes to give you a recognizable impression or judgement of the character. It is true that Rand used the specifics of dress to give one an impression, but the aspect of fashion specifically is not one of them. Empire gowns are not inherently Objectivist. There is no Objectivist fashion, no Objectivist favorite color, no Objectivist theme song. These things are not of the perview of philosophy, and asking about it is putting the effect ahead of the cause.

I think the most one could ask is, does the way one dresses in any particular context serve to further one's values, or to hamper them. That is, are the aspects of your dress, in a given context, consistent with your values or not? In order to evaluate that, you need the context. If I'm trying to win a piece of business with a new customer, and I'm making a presentation to them, I wear a suit and tie (usually "one step" more formal than my customer is wearing). At home, you're more like than not to find me in a t-shirt and flip flops (even in the dead of winter). I think I can say for sure that it would be absolutely wrong to reverse that choice of dress and be consistent with my values.

Beyond that, wear whatever the hell you want.

Edited by KendallJ
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I recently turned 30 (old I know, don't remind me) and I am considering replacing my wardrobe because I don't know if my current Abercrombie style still suits me. I was thinking about going Bananna Republic or J. Crew style. This got me to wondering if anyone has an opinion on what an objectivist style would be when it comes to one's wardrobe. I absolutely hate wearing dress socks though... ugh.
Thirty is not old, but I personally would recommend updating your wardrobe if it is mostly Abercrombie. Abercrombie expertly markets to the 18-24 age range, and not surprisingly that is the age most people associate with the clothing. So, chances are you might look a little out of place to others, if that is something that you care about, and that affects your everyday life. (At this point, I think Abercrombie is more of a fetish than a fashion brand, anyway).

If you aren't especially fashion-forward (read: you don't care about clothes all that much), you probably have the right idea by choosing a store like Banana Republic (stay away from J. Crew, their new designers suck) from which to emulate a style. Those brands try hard to make their clothes look generally acceptable. But if you want to go a step beyond, with a little practice it can become easy, and fun, to form your own ideas about your wardrobe. The two most important things to think about are: how the clothes fit your body (not the body of anyone else who you've seen wear them, or how you'd like them to fit), and how the colors go together. With colors, pay attention to what you like, and try new things out when you feel like it. Clothing styles for men have little variation, but feel free to experiment as you feel comfortable, and as fits with the rest of your life.

Later down the line, if you're interested, you might come to recognize and favor certain kinds of fabrics, too, but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself!

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Lol I was totally joking about the "old" thing. I was being sarcastic.

I felt old on my birthday, you blink and you're half way to sixty it seems. :P

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The state tells me how to dress. :P

Me too :D With clothing form follows function... which is why pilots look cool in Flight Suits, Soldiers look cool in ACUs and battle gear, bankers look cool in suits, and doctors look cool in scrubs. I disagree with others who say you should wear whatever. There is a whole science to fashion (e.g. if you're tall and thin you should wear light shirts), the ultimate goal of which is to look cool. Imagine Hank Rearden in a lame t-shirt or wearing a pink polo.. yeah right!

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I felt old on my birthday, you blink and you're half way to sixty it seems. :P

You know, regardless of age, I'm periodically surprised that I can remember back an additional decade every so often. Back in high school it would be "Hey! that was ten years ago!" Now it's "Wow! That was thirty years ago!" Or you're talking about the first time you did something, or the last time you went somewhere, and it's amazing so much time has passed.

So, yes, basically you blink and you're that closer to sixty. At least it can feel that way.

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