156. Clothes and Stuff

I have a strict policy with my what clothes I buy. I have to support the message that I am portraying with the clothes I put on. Since i am a principled person who has to dissect and analyze the meaning of things, that probably explains why I haven’t made a significant upgrade to my wardrobe in about two years. 

I thought about that as Jack and I walked through Chicago Cubs souvenir shops in Wrigleyville. I thought about purchasing a t-shirt or a hat, but I couldn’t pull myself to do it. Even though I like the Cubs, their stadium, and their manager, I wouldn’t call myself a fan. I only tepidly follow their scores and the day-to-day goings on in the organization. Although I think I do look good in blue and red, and wearing a Cubs hat seemed to be a cool thing to do. 

I like to think that I’m going to wear “shirzeys” (“shirt jerseys”, t-shirts that have a players name and number on the back.) These are ones I can recall having: Twins’ Johan Santana, Pirates Roberto Clemente, Celtics KG, USMNT Clint Dempsey, and a Red Sox Tim Wakefield. The only one I wear on a regular basis is my Wakefield one, mainly because I like the way it fits. I would consider the Red Sox my second favorite team behind the Twins and I like Tim Wakefield. He was a respectable player for the Red Sox with a bit of a quirk—he threw a knuckleball. I also bought it for five bucks at a Fenway Park pro shop clearance sale. I don’t really end up wearing these much. This is because I usually like to wear a hat when I leave the house, and I think wearing the logos of two different teams is a bit gauche. 

Back to Wrigley, I ended up not buying anything because, first, there was nothing cheaper than $35. I thought that was a ripoff for a shirt that cost a few pennies to make. I also didn’t want to make a fashion statement with my fandom. I feel that if you wear Cubs gear, you should know a few things about the team. Well I do know a few things, I wouldn’t consider myself a diehard expert or anything. (Maybe I contradicted myself when I bought a St. Paul Saints hat. I don’t think I could tell you their starting lineup. But I’ve wanted a hat for a long while.)

I also have started to tune my sensibilities to know if I’m going to enjoy wearing something or not. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good sense of that. Sometimes I’m wrong and I start wearing something a few months after I purchase it, but I know that if I’m not excited to wear it immediately, I probably won’t be excited to wear it down the road. 

I remember that one time I refrained from buying a Rolling Rock t shirt from Target. I don’t hate Rolling Rock, but I’m glad I didn’t buy it. if you’re wearing a t-shirt of a mass market beer, I probably think you don’t have great taste in beer. (I did for a time refuse to purchase beer t-shirts, but I’ve sense relented. I’ve got a handful of them from different breweries. I like wearing them because they’re comfortable and tastefully done.) 

I don’t understand how people can have closets upon closets of clothes. I’ve got enough dress shirts to get me through the week, some functional clothes, and enough t shirts that I enjoy lounging around in. Maybe I don’t know enough about fashion, but it’s sure as heck saved me a lot of money throughout the years.