The levels of involvement with fashion - Topic of the day 11/4/24
To what level or degree do you consider yourself "into" fashion: someone who wants to just be clothed, a hobbyist, someone in the industry, or something in between? What factors led to this choice (cost, knowledge, environment, etc.)? How does this impact the way you talk, think about or consume clothes, either online or in real life?
34 Replies
definitely somewhere in the hobbyist tier i think
i care about how i look but i also want to reach a level of knowledge about construction and such that helps me really know what things are for and what fabric weights mean
bc i like also helping others
It sounds fun to own my little menswear shop that carries stuff that I think is cool and people that think what I think is cool would come in and buy stuff but I don't think that's really how it works
Solidly in the hobbyist tier. I like to nerd out about garment history, I would love to get further into sewing embroidering my own stuff etc.
On the other hand at least part of my motivation for being into fashion is to get my gender expression figured out and nail that part through fashion. So at least some of my engagement with fashion is not about fashion as a thing in itself but kinda utilitarian I feel.
YEAAAAH GENDIE
Yet another hobbyist. I like wearing stuff, looking at stuff, chatting about stuff. Zero desire to work in fashion as an industry.
idc about runways and shit but i like clothes and talking about clothes and putting on clothes
I'm probably less knowledgable end of hobbyist tbh I like putting together little outfits and finding new clothes but i don't know a lot of like the industry or actual construction or stuff
I consider my personal involvement in fashion to be an expression of art...I am very deliberately trying to explore and communicate something within a specific range.
That being said, I don't consider myself a particularly good artist!
I don't even think of myself as a hobbyist in fashion if I'm completely honest. I like putting on clothes in my own little niche and trying to find ways within that to look cooler to myself when I look at my outfits.
Aside from that I don't look at any fashion content or pay attention to runway shows, lookbooks or trends. I just like hanging out here with everyone I guess.
I don’t know if I’d call myself a hobbyist? Maybe a half step below that, trying build a sense of style/wardrobe and being a little more experimental. I’m being more intentional than just being clothed
Hobbyist seems right
I like cool clothes, i find them exciting, i like when people want to talk about them with me
The only step further than that id ever want to go would be like selling in a vintage store or at a flea
It would basically be a captive audience to chat about clothes with and also id get to collect outside of my size
Maybe im a collector
I think people on here are kind of downplaying their level of interest in clothes. I mean, yall are active members (not even lurkers) of an online fashion forum. That’s in itself more involvement than the vast majority of the population
Yeah but thats still hobby level
I run a 700 discord person fighting game discord and put on 200+ people IRL tournaments, its still a hobby
I was more referring to those who don’t consider it a hobby
I came here literally just trying to find clothes that fit me. Then I got Andrew pilled, and I’ve been slowly sliding down the rabbit hole ever since
I’m at least at a point where getting dressed is thoughtful and enjoyable—and the same with generally thinking about and finding my style.
Getting a sewing machine and learning how to use it feels like the next step in interacting with clothes, both creatively and practically.
I’m probably somewhere solidly in the middle, or maybe swing back and forth wildly between like “I just like neat clothes n feelin pretty or handsome n maybe creative” and not caring about the circus of capital F fashion
To watching runway shows and reading all the gossip about which director is going where or what media person said what etc etc and coupled with feeling it’s an amazing way to engage with art and culture in a tangible way every day
Maybe those feelings aren’t so at odds
Knowing about garment construction and stuff I feel like is just a good life/adult/domestic skill
I like spending money
I just got here. Just looking to make sure I don’t look too dumb
Used to consider myself a hobbyist, but now not really. I've been around in online fashion now for nearly a decade and a half. I like the history trivia of fashion and the ways to build outfits like building blocks. I suppose in all I'm more partial to the community side of fashion rather than fashion itself. With the now dead subreddit and now the lovely discord.
I've amassed a wealth of knowledge and ways to think which is fun. But ironically I'm quite indifferent to it day to day.
IFUCKINGLOVECLOTHINGILOVERUNWAYSILOVENEWCLOTHESILOVEOLDCLOTHESILOVEHISTORYOFCLOTHESILOVEYOUGUYSILOVETHINKINGABOUTCLOTHESILOVEOWNINGCLOTHES MAN THIS SHIT RULES
Just getting started. Don't feel I have any right to call myself a hobbyist quite yet. More of a curious outsider. Managed to go 40+ years without any arrests for indecent exposure so I think I've got "I want to be clothed" covered but maybe "I want to be clothed more deliberately and thoughtfully than just grabbing the cheapest thing at Macy's that fits me"
This may be sacrilege here, but honestly, if I could hire a consultant for a reasonable sum of money who would tell me what things in what sizes to buy to match "my" vision of looking good so I could build a wardrobe and never think about it again beyond replacing things when they wear out, I would do it in a heartbeat. My trust in the services out there is exceedingly low though ...so here I am. Basically trying to DIY it myself, trying to figure out how to engage to make it more enjoyable, etc.
I think many come in to this with a similar feeling to what youre describing and thats definitely what the basic bastard served as on reddit
But i think theres a strong chance that whatever that person may prescribe for you wouldnt end up being actually what you want
Having worked in suits for a short while ive realized that dressing other people in a way they like is a herculean task
So long story short i think youre actually going about it in the best way you can.
If you decide you like it as a hobby then great! If you dont then thats ok too
It is HARD to achieve someone else's vision and that's exactly why I decided to DIY here. I encounter this all the time in completely different areas of life. Asking my employees to draft documents never yields quite what I want even with extensive guidance and multiple rounds of edits. We hired a designer to help with one room of our house and were almost $1000 in before we realized it was a complete waste of money. It was more work to explain the vision then to just find it and buy it yourself. Even after explaining it, they would still be "not right" and we would just go find examples and show them what we wanted....so why pay them at that point?
I am curious to see where this goes. It's good to know my starting point is not unusual. I think I just have it in my mind that most of you all were "fashion people" by age 10 and/or had some deeper motivations when you started later. I'll be the first to admit my approach and engagement is still extremely superficial
I feel this. I recently got down bad for Drake's new look book. All I wanted was some advice for my day to day clothing - now I'm desperately trying to stop myself spending $400 on a scarf. Someone save me.
this scarf is probably better bought on sale
or secondhand down the line
I just enjoy things sometimes idk
Drakes scarves are neat but your 400 can go a lot farther tbh
yeah you can find loads of cool nice scarves on ebay for <$40 if you look in the womens section
BUT THE UNICORNS!
(sorry, I'm going off topic)
Its sick you should buy it 👿
honestly i'm surprised by how much i engage in fashion :xd: when i was younger there was an element of peacocking and then of figuring out how to dress well to get a bf/friends/etc.
now it's more a case of clothes and fashion as a outlet of creativity, personal expression (and maybe personal growth) as i don't typically experience that through my usual 9-5.
i'm grateful for all the people i've engaged with, both on and offline, especially those not in the industry, as it removes some of the stigma of discussing this
I feel like I used to be “into” fashion way more, but I still have retained a lot of the knowledge re: construction and fit, which is probably more than most non fashion folks know
But I def haven’t kept up with runways or anything at this point