Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we'll discuss ten
things in my wardrobe that were regrettable purchases, why I bought them,
and what I've learned since then.
If you haven't seen Rafael's video on 20 things he regrets buying,
I'd recommend taking a look. You'll probably learn some things
not only about men's style but also about money management. Today's video covers
similar ground for items I've purchased, whether that be individual garments or
collections of things with one key difference from Rafael's video, I don't
actually regret buying all of them. You'll see what I mean by this in a
moment but to get things rolling, let's start with 6 things that I definitely do
regret buying. First is clinical strength antiperspirant and antiperspirant in
general. As I've mentioned elsewhere on the channel, I have a condition called
Hyperhidrosis, which is marked by excessive perspiration. Sparing all of
the details for the sake of modesty, what's important here is that over the
years, I've tried numerous products to try to minimize perspiration across my
body when it comes to my underarms. I used a clinical strength antiperspirant
for many years but because my perspiration was so persistent, all I
would end up with was an unpleasant sludge under my arms after usually just
a few hours. Also because aluminum is a key ingredient in many antiperspirants
serving to block the pores, it can corrode over time and this more than
bacteria or the sweat itself is the thing that chiefly causes underarm
stains on shirts; and with all the aluminum that was in that antiperspirant,
there was even a time or two that I set off an airport metal detector. I'm not
kidding. About two years ago, I decided that if these antiperspirants weren't
doing a good job of stopping my sweating, and if they were causing these
inconveniences besides, I might as well stop fighting
the root cause. Since then I've switched to non-antiperspirant deodorant and
while I do still sweat quite a bit and may seek other medical solutions in the
future for it, I have found that not using antiperspirant to fight my
underarm sweating has left me feeling better overall. Next up is two-in-one
shampoo and conditioner as we've previously mentioned in our video on 15
healthy hair tips which you can find here, There are a number of reasons not
to buy combination shampoo conditioners. For a start, shampoo is something that
can actually do more harm than good to your hair if used improperly. Cheap
shampoo, though it is economical, is often full of ingredients that are
collectively known as sulfates. While these detergents can help to make the
product sudsy, they also deprive your hair of its natural oils, leaving it
looking dry and brittle. To avoid these effects, you can look for a low sulfate
or sulfate-free shampoo which cleans without removing the oil completely.
Second and perhaps more importantly, You actually don't need to use shampoo every
time you shower. Constant shampooing even with sulfate-free products can strip
your scalp of natural oils and will definitely dry out your hair even if
it's already somewhat dry, to begin with. Therefore most barbers and stylists will
recommend that while you should rinse your hair every time you shower, you
should only use shampoo one to two times a week. What you should use more often
and even daily then is conditioner, which helps to protect and moisturize your
hair. All that to say these combinations or two-in-one products are essentially
making each of their components these shampoo and conditioner less effective
on both fronts, and it goes without saying here for any of those three-in-one
combination products that also include body wash, stay away.
I used a two-in-one product for years but since switching to separate
shampoo and conditioner about a year ago, I've noticed that my hair feels
noticeably healthier. I only shampoo about once or twice a
week, usually following whenever I've used a hair product. I haven't written off
liquid products entirely and switched to bar soap as Raphael has, but it may be
something to consider in the future. My next regrettable purchase is this grey
suit. I purchased the suit I'm wearing in today's video seven years ago at the age
of 18, and it was my first true suit. More on what I mean by that, later.
The trousers came unfinished so having to go to an alterations tailor to
get them hemmed made me feel like I was getting the suit to fit just right.
Little did I know at the time though that there are actually many more facets
to getting a suit to fit you well. Yes, the construction and materials of this
suit are also quite cheap which made for a low price point that was attractive to
a cash-strapped student like myself but as we've said many times before, cheap
materials are secondary to a proper fit. But of course, I readily admit that this
suit is far from properly fitting on me. The jacket is much too big in the torso
for one thing, so it looks like I'm practically swimming in fabric. The
trouser legs are also too wide for my build, but because the fabric is light,
there isn't any attractive drape to them, just ugly wrinkling. I could go on but
suffice to say that this suit definitely doesn't meet our fit criteria. I probably
could try to have it tailored further to get it to fit better, but I think a
better choice would be just to find a suit that fits better from the outset
and is of a bit higher quality. So, stay tuned for that in the future. Where did I
get this suit, you asked? The answer is the now ever-present force in so many of
our lives -- amazon.com And that brings me to my next pick for today which is
several of the other garments I've bought or tried
to buy from that website. From a sport coat that was too boxy on me and of low
quality to trousers that were far too baggy, (sensing a pattern here?) also too
cheap ties, I've realized especially since joining the Gentleman's Gazette
that buying clothing sight unseen from a cheap, mass-market retailer instead of a
dedicated menswear outlet, means you do get what you pay for, which is usually
disappointing results. Speaking of ties, the next item on the list is my overly
shiny, satin silk or synthetic ties in my wardrobe.
Some of these were purchased from Amazon, such as the bow tie I'm wearing here
today and others were purchased in person from stores, but the common
denominator here is that they're blindingly shiny finish, and often bright
loud colors make them look like cheap, low-quality ties almost immediately. They
were at least tolerable for a young man just getting into menswear, but since
learning about the hallmarks of a quality tie, especially like those from
Fort Belvedere, these shiny ties don't see much use for me anymore,
outside perhaps of a Halloween costume. Similarly cheap and low-quality dress
shoes are my next item here. Before joining the Gentleman's Gazette, I've
viewed dress shoes in a way that's similar to many men out there which is
to say that in today's fast fashion, society shoes should be purchased for a
reasonable price of around $100 or so, worn until the materials wear out and
then thrown away and replaced. Some examples would include the pair of
loafers you're seeing here and the Darby shoes I'm wearing in today's video.
The truth about men's dress shoes though is that if you're willing to spend a bit
more at the outset, say something in the two to four hundred dollar range you're
going to be able to find shoes that are made of higher quality materials and
with better construction. Take for example, the Park Avenue from Allen
Edmonds. For a sticker price of $395 but often on sale for less, you'll be getting
a shoe made from quality leather in both the
upper and the sole, rather than a cheap shoe with a cheap leather upper, and the
sole made from rubber plastic or particleboard. And also, of note here is
that shoes with a Goodyear welt or a blake stitch can be re-soled by a cobbler.
So, if you maintain the upper properly, they can be worn for years, if not,
decades. Meanwhile, these cheap shoes had their heel blocks worn down in around a
year's time and because the soles are just glued on rather than stitched, they
can't reasonably be repaired. In addition, the cheap leather uppers are showing
discoloration in an unattractive way and because the shoes are slightly too big
on me to begin with, they're also wrinkling unattractively.
So, those are the six things that I truly regret buying. Next up are four things
that I could regret but don't, at least not entirely. The next four picks that
round out my list today are things that could be considered regrettable but for
one reason or another, I'm still glad that I bought them. First up is my fairly
extensive collection of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts, such as the light blue one I'm
wearing in today's video. Why would these be considered regrettable? Well, in one
word, the answer is fit. All of these shirts are much too big on me in both
the torso and the arms. Because they were my first foray into online
made-to-measure, I selected slim-fit not knowing that for
someone as light and thin as I am, this would still be much too big on my frame.
Also, I started collecting these shirts before joining the Gentleman's Gazette,
so I didn't have a complete picture of how a dress shirt should actually fit.
Why don't I regret buying them then? Well as I said they were my first experience
with made-to-measure and I appreciated going through the process and having
something that was made for me, even if they aren't true bespoke. Furthermore,
I now most often wear them underneath jackets or sweaters, so their
too large fit is somewhat obscured, and therefore they still work for me for the
time being as I look toward the future to upgrade my shirt wardrobe. And as I've
mentioned before, I do still get plenty of compliments on them as well. Finally
here learning that something doesn't fit well on you is still learning. Style
should be an ever-evolving journey and these shirts have played an important
part in mine. Also, the difference between these and something like my gray suit is
that while I can find ways to still make the shirts look reasonably good, the fit
of this suit is immediately apparent, so it's really a no-go for me at this point
in time. Speaking of which you'll recall that toward the beginning of the video, I
mentioned that my gray suit was the first true suit that I owned. This is
because the first suit that I had wasn't really a suit at all. What do I mean by
this? In high school, I participated in Forensics which is to say Speech and
Debate teams. At least at that time, the standard uniform for men was a black suit.
Being young, inexperienced in the ways of menswear, and on a budget, I
simply picked up a black jacket from a department store and paired it with a
pair of black trousers that I'd already had for years.
Fortunately, the dyes and weaves of the two garments were similar enough, that to
the casual observer, they actually did appear to match. But as we've discussed
numerous other times on the channel, a suit is made from a jacket and trousers
as well as an optional waistcoat that are all cut from the same fabric. As with
the gray suit, the black jacket was much too baggy on me. Why don't I regret this
ensemble then? The answer is because it made me feel confident and in control, as
a suit ideally should. It wasn't strictly correct by the guidelines of menswear,
but it was for me a suit of armor that helped me feel more comfortable giving
speeches in front of people, something with which I had struggled earlier in
childhood. In fact, if I hadn't joined these Speech
and Debate teams in high school, I probably wouldn't have been confident
enough to eventually find my way to on-camera speaking, or joining the
Gentleman's Gazette. I'm not saying that this black suit was directly responsible
for this, but it did probably play a small part.
Another black item next, the black wool felt Fedora you're seeing here. Around
the same time as my purchase of my black suit, I was a teenager just getting into
the world of menswear. I really didn't know much about fit yet, that of course
would take a while, but I knew that I wanted a hat to go with my suit as such.
I found a black wool felt Fedora online. Now, it wasn't a cheap trilby
bought from Target, which were quite popular around 2011 or so, but in fact a
genuine Fedora purchased from a hatter and while it was
pretty soft in construction, black wasn't a flattering or versatile color for me
and the brim was too wide for my face, this hat did still give me confidence. I
wore it often with that black suit in high school and even with non-matching
outerwear for my first few years of college. Once I started looking around
for vintage Fedoras on eBay and in secondhand stores, however, I started
building up my current collection and this hat stayed on the rack. As you can
see though, I still haven't gotten rid of the old hat yet, because it holds
a special place in my wardrobe. And who knows, maybe for ultra-casual outfits or
doing things outdoors where I'd still like to be wearing a traditional hat, and
black works in my wardrobe, it could still have a place. To round out my list
today, I've got one more cheap black item, a pre-tied bow tie. As regular
viewers are no doubt aware, we here at the Gentleman's Gazette recommend that a
man learn to tie his own bowtie whenever possible. A pre-tied bow tie is
cold and sterile in its perfection and it immediately gives off a juvenile,
unprofessional look. But in fairness, I first purchased a
pre-tied bow tie at the age of 15, when I was still a juvenile and a
non-professional. I needed it for a makeshift tuxedo of sorts, so I wore it
along with a borrowed black jacket and those trusty black trousers, to serve as
master of ceremonies for a school concert in the spring of 2009. My lack of
regret for purchasing this bowtie comes from the fact that it did make me feel
confident in front of a crowd honing my skills as a presenter for really the
first time, even before later joining the speech team. There's my list for today
then. Six items I can honestly say I do regret buying, and for that while
objectively regrettable, have played an important part in my own style journey.
Your takeaway from today's video then can hopefully be this: While abiding by
the traditional guidelines of classic menswear is a surefire way to get
yourself to a stylish wardrobe, don't be afraid of experimenting when you're
first starting out in that world no matter how old you may be. We can all
learn through trial and error with the ultimate goal of becoming more stylish.
In today's video as you've probably noticed, I'm wearing several of the items
that were featured on my list today. Chief among them is this grey suit which
as I said fits pretty poorly, it's a fairly standard model with two buttons,
notched lapels, flapped pockets, and side vents the trousers are uncuffed and you
can see how they flop around because of the thin fabric. I'm also wearing a plain
light blue shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt, and one of my cheap, overly shiny bow
ties. You can see how much the ends have been fraying over time. My other
regrettable item today is, of course, my cheap tan Darby shoes, which feature some
broguing as well. What about my outfit don't I regret then? Well as you might
have guessed, it's all of the Fort Belvedere accessories I'm currently
sporting. These would include my cufflinks, which are our platinum-plated sterling
silver eagle claw designs featuring Lapis Lazuli as the stone, and my shadow
striped socks which today are in navy and royal blue. The boutonniere is in a
prototype design in a blue color and the pocket square is our light blue linen
model featuring a blue hand-rolled x-stitch. You can find all of these
accessories in the Fort Belvedere shop, with the exception of this specific
boutonniere, though we do of course have a wide array of other attractive models
to choose from.