A Man (or Two) After My Own Heart

fashion, humor, Wall Street Journal 1 Minute

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “We Asked Men on the Street: How Much Would You Pay for a Flannel Shirt?”

The title is self-explanatory, and I was curious what the responses would be.

I am far from being a clothes guy, I’m happy to wear a t-shirt (most of which are more than 10 years old) and Costco jeans everyday. I believe a t-shirt should cost no more than $10. I know I’m out of touch with the price of clothing these days, as I’m usually stunned when I check the price tag of a shirt or jacket.

So if someone were to ask me how much I would pay for a flannel shirt, my first response would be that I don’t wear flannel shirts. But if I were to buy one, I wouldn’t pay more than $30.

So what were the responses of the six guys asked the question?

  • guy 1 (24 years old): Upwards of $200 or $300.
  • guy 2 (79 years old): 20 or 25 bucks.
  • guy 3 (27 years old): $90.
  • guy 4 (65 years old): I have no idea. I get given them as gifts, I don’t buy them.
  • guy 5 (25 years old): About $120.
  • guy 6 (47 years old): Up to $60 or maybe $100.

You can guess which two guys think like I do. And it definitely seems like there is an age gap here; us old guys must think alike.

But I can’t criticize the young guys too much. At least they’re not out there buying the type of flannel shirts that are mentioned at the start of the article. Here’s an excerpt:

Our value-minded shopping columnist recently managed to justify an almost-$600 specimen refined enough to style with a suit. That’s hardly the upper limit: These days you can find cashmere versions by Italian luxury players—or God’s True Cashmere, a brand co-founded by Brad Pitt—for north of $2,000.

$2,000?? For one clothing item?

I don’t think my entire clothing budget for the past 15 years combined has been $2,000.

But maybe that’s why I’m able to afford the finer things in life, like those Costco jeans for $12.

*image generated by Meta AI, using the prompt “imagine a flannel shirt with dollar signs”

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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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52 thoughts on “A Man (or Two) After My Own Heart”

  4. Clothes shopping is one of those things I have little patience for. My wife, ever the efficient shopper, knows I tolerate about one hour of clothes shopping per year. When I was teaching, we’d get it all done for the year in that time period. When we hit the 45 minute mark, she knew I was about done.

    By the way, I own one flannel shirt. My answer would have been the same as yours. No more than $30.

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  5. As the owner of precisely zero flannel shirts I don’t think I’d have been a helpful responder to their question. I hope they got the President-elect’s approval before running the piece.

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  6. I do wear flannel shirts and I’ve tried them from walmart, old navy, cabellas and ll bean. The quality of the shirt makes a huge difference. LL Bean shirts are by far my favorite, and the walmart shirts were pretty much a waste of money. Much like ‘guy 4’ , my ll bean shirts have been gifts from my daughter who is in her low twenties and believes clothing should cost what it would take a worker making $18-$20 per hour to sew. I can’t guess how much this year’s shirt from her cost but it it really a thing of beauty and quality. The only clothing I’m able to buy myself without balking at the price is running shoes, where I typically drop $150 once per year and then wear them hard. Great topic. If we old folks want social justice across the world. We really need to be willing to spend more on clothes.

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    1. you and your daughter offer a thoughtful perspective.

      and how nice that your daughter buys you quality shirts on a frequent basis.

      I don’t think I’ve bought any clothing from Walmart, but I have been quite happy with the quality of clothing I’ve bought from Costco.

      and I agree with you on the shoes. I’m happy (well happy may not be the right word) to pay a premium for a good pair of shoes/sneakers. Love my Brooks Ghosts…

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  10. I’m with Guy 2 or 4. Where I grew up a flannel shirt was just a work (maybe play) shirt for outdoors. I do remember working in the clothing store and we sold Pendleton shirts that were 100% very fine wool that were over $100 back then but that’s not flannel and I never bought one.

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    1. it seems flannel shirts are starting to creep into the business casual category.

      I’m not sure I’d like a shirt that is 100% wool, but what do I know about clothing. I might be wearing such a shirt right now…

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  14. The young guys just haven’t realized – yet – where they should spend their money. Clothing becomes low on the important list for us wise oldsters. Hey, I still look semi-cool at school with the 30-year-olds.

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    1. I was lucky (I think), in that clothing was never that important to me. I doubt if any of my students think I look semi-cool, but at least they have a good idea of what I’ll be wearing each day 🙂

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