If you walk through Berkeley, you will probably see more people in hoodies and sweatpants rather than jackets and ties. So, as a menswear enthusiast based in the Bay Area, I frequently get questions about what got me into suits and ties. So, I figured I’d write about this here.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandpa. As a former high school principal, Grandpa was accustomed to projecting authority through his clothes, and a wardrobe to match. Specifically, I remember he had four separate suits. The first, bought for cheap, was the suit he wore for going shopping to the open-air farmer’s market. The second, slightly more upscale, was for going to supermarkets (i.e. the indoor ones) and picking me up from school. A third suit would be for “general use,” such as photos, greeting guests, and attending social functions. The last suit was reserved for “special occasions only.” A 60th birthday gift from his children, the suit was from China’s then-top-designer and had a sticker price worth a few months of an average man’s salary. When I asked Grandpa to show it to me the last time I was back in Beijing, he informed me that the suit was safely locked away in a suitcase, and will only be brought out “when the occasion is right.”
However, I liked sweats and hated shopping as much as any other kid. It was an eye surgery during high school that finally exposed me to the more “respectable” parts of the menswear spectrum. After the procedure, doctors warned me to avoid pulling garments over the eye. This meant for a month post-surgery, I could only wear button-ups – I was forced to explore what I could do with them, and the habit eventually became stuck. I found that I was beginning to wear collared shirts by choice, rather than simply to protect my eye.
To make things arguably worse, I soon discovered the world of “thrifty menswear,” a community of men who seek treat purchasing menswear with the same attitude some have towards cars – “let someone else absorb the cost of buying new!” After all, quality, well-maintained suits or ties should last for decades. Furthermore, frequent sales and deals could bring the cost of new garments close to that of a “club fundraiser” t-shirt. As a result, my wardrobe grew, and we all know what happened next. Today, I own over 50 ties, write my own fashion blog, and teach workshops telling engineers how to dress for an interview.
Interesting how things go, isn’t it?