Wait, What?

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It’s always fun to read men’s fashion articles from the Wall Street Journal, since I always find them so over the top.

Well, today I saw two headlines, with brief descriptions, that caught my attention:

4 Menswear Trends That Could Be Bigger than Tie-Dye
It’s time to move on from ubiquitous, hippie-ish swirls. Experts predict what new looks will prove as pervasive.

The Secret of the Sub-$1,000 Suit
Yes, you can find quality tailoring for less than four figures—if you know where to look. Here, our men’s fashion editor’s top 3 picks.

So, which one to read first?

The first story was tempting because I was curious what the latest trends were in menswear, particularly trends that could be bigger than tie-dye. (I must have missed the fact that tie-dye was a trend again.) I knew whatever those trends were, they would likely be outrageous )both in look and price).

But then the second article piqued my interest because I didn’t know that you couldn’t find a quality men’s suit under $1,000. I could buy four men’s suits for that price. Maybe a lot of guys really don’t know where to look.

I opted to go with the first story, but I never really made it to the four trends, because the first paragraph stopped me in my tracks:

Tie-dye has waxed and waned in Western popular culture since hippies made it a psychedelic staple of the 1960s, but it’s been surging in popularity since roughly 2019. From hoodies and bucket hats to t-shirts and swim trunks, tie-dye seeped into nearly every facet of the menswear market at nearly every price, from Louis Vuitton to Zara and everywhere in between. Even today, you can buy an Elder Statesman tie-dye sweater that will set you back as much as the monthly rent on a West Village apartment, or you can buy a fast fashion t-shirt for the cost of a large latté.

Now I have no idea what the rent is on a West Village apartment, but I’m guessing it’s more than the $40 or $50 I might spend on a sweater.

So I had to look up these Elder Statesman sweaters, and the photo above is what I got at the top of my Google results.

My first reaction was “wait, what?!?”

A sweater for $1,905?! I’m guessing whoever would buy such a sweater is the same guy who can’t find a suit for under $1,000.

At least it makes the $1,450 sweater seem like a bargain.

So I felt no need to read beyond that opening paragraph.

I got my outrageousness fix, and I was good to go.

Of course, feel free to click on the links to those two stories if you are curious as to what the latest trends are in men’s fashion or if you want to find out where you can get a men’s suit for under $1,000.

But I hope to get two more articles out of this embarrassment (literally) of riches…

P.S. By the way, I just found a Craft & Soul suit, sold exclusively on Amazon, for under $100. That’s right, there’s one less zero…

 

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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83 thoughts on “Wait, What?”

  1. This is incredibly comical to me. I especially like the notes on some of the bottom of the selections. I’m picturing the conversation with my wife. “The sweater is only $1,905, and the shipping is free!” 🤣 Who knew that paying $1,590 for a sweater would be a “special offer?”

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  3. Hi Jim!
    “Snob appeal” and a lot of psychological crap at play for folks to pay that much for what looks like should cost $40!
    But thanks for sharing this – it was crazy to see those prices – and I agree with suits being available at different price points –
    Oh and not to always be suggesting shows to you – but you have to add another one to your list
    Lauren Greenfield’s “Generation Wealth”
    – I need to watch it again but I think it connects to this post!
    Oh and I actually follow a blogger’s who has the handle “embarrassment of riches” so
    Your ending thought reminded me of her

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  5. I always thought tie-dye was what accidentally happens when you color Easter Eggs while wearing a suit. I suppose if I was a billionaire, I’d think nothing of spending nearly 2-grand on a sweatshirt. But since I’m not, I’ll pass.

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  6. I used to work with what I called the “fashionista 3”. They are wealthy The OC women who didn’t blink at spending over $500 on a BELT and $3,000 on a PURSE. I used to tease them with, “hmmmm… should I buy a used car for a low income family or get another purse?”

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      1. I know they all give to charity but they could clearly give more. One paid $47,000 for new carpet and I was upset she didn’t offer me the old carpet. It would never occur to her… but I’m certain her old carpet looked better than mine!! I’m still using the 2nd hand stove and washing machine given to me in 2002! Hate the stove. LOOOVE the washing machine!

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  10. my class will be making tie-dyes in may, and they will be under 2 dollars each with free shipping (me carrying them outside) and will now be known as the way younger statesmen and women in my school.

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    1. the sweaters don’t bother me as much as the price tag. I know a few people who could afford such a sweater, fortunately, at least to my knowledge, they have not bought any of these ittems…

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  12. My fashion sense priority goes in this order: does it fit, how much does it cost (better not go past 2 figures), and do people laugh at me while I am wearing it (I do have a small sense of shame).

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  13. Couple of thoughts: 1) I haven’t seen a man wearing a tie-dye in at least a year. 2) It’s nice people have so much money to waste on clothes. I just wish the funds would trickle down to those who need it rather than pay the salaries and dividends of people already making millions a year. I seriously have a hard time talking myself into spending more that $10 on a t-shirt.

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    1. a friend of mine is a big Grateful Dead fan, so I do see him wearing the occasional tie-dye shirt. I’m like you ; to me t-shirts should be three for $10, and jeans hould be less than $40…

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  18. The really sad part is I bet people who buy those tie dye sweaters probably only wear them a time or two. To show you how uneducated I am about fashion, I was visiting Palo Alto, CA and needed a basic light jacket and wandered into the first store I saw in the mall. It was Nieman Marcus.🤣

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  20. I bet the Amazon suit is okay. The clothes I have bought there certainly are. When the sticker price is one less zero, common sense has prevailed. There are people who just can’t let go of the 60’s and have $$$.

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