I think as humans we love to be reflective. If you allow me to be a bit heady here for a moment… it’s wonderful to be able to look back at such things and ponder whether or not we were the same person we were last year, or not. Through photos you can see small moments of your lives, memories of who you were at that moment captured in a still image. The idea is the same with style.

Now, I’m a little late, but I figured while I was thinking about it so much recently, it’s better late than never.

This picture above was taken not too far off last year from when I am writing this. I think it was a bit warmer during this hangout with my good friend Nick. I like to think I haven’t changed much in the way I dress, nor have I in the manner of what interests me. But sometimes it’s a little easier to notice such things or make that distinction through photographs. I’m lucky enough to have the time to document such things for myself, and know many good friends who are willing to take photos for me, too.

The outfit above is still something I’d 100% wear today. Well, weather permitting. My hair is noticeably different, as I cut it early this year. I was tired of the longer style and managing that in general. Before anyone says anything – yes, of course; hairstyle is definitely part of your style as a person. You can know so much about someone through their hair. How they wear it, the length, color, style, etc. It’s a massive marker of ones’ personality. I figured the longer hair wasn’t really going with the image I had for myself eventually, hence the change.

That being said, I do enjoy the shorter hair, and it does fit whatever ‘aesthetic’ I’m going for. I personally think so, at least, and that’s really all that matters at the end of the day. This is purely boiled down to personal opinion. More often than not, I do enjoy a longer hairstyle on men as it’s a bit more ‘risky’ you could argue when it comes to men’s heritage fashion or amekaji, as it might not fit the ‘style’. This is what steered me towards cutting it short again. Also comfort, but that’s an entirely new subject. Now onto the subject of change, the image above was from this very early spring this year. I don’t see a whole lot of change when I see this photo. It’s something I would have worn last year, too, during some colder weather.

Something I can say in reference to this snapshot of that days outfit is that I have been more in the mindset of dressing more in tune with a 1930’s to 1950’s style. I would like to say that I have this in mind still for most of the outfits I’ve put together recently, too. It’s slowly started to interest me more. The garments from that era were phenomenal and interesting – one could even say they took more artistic liberty, especially in the 1930’s pre-war stuff. I had a great conversation about this the other day with a new friend who collects and sells vintage. His favorite era is 1930’s but he dresses more modern for comfort. This is something I definitely do myself. You’re not gonna see me walking around in a suit half of the time like they did back then; it wouldn’t be entirely practical for my personality or lifestyle. Of course, I still like to dress like I’m a 1950’s handyman or a 1930’s cowboy sometimes, but I wear what I wear in practicality unless I am feeling free to be a little ‘extra’ that day.

On that subject, something that has changed has been my personal confidence when it comes to my expression through clothing. Even last year I would have days where I was worried of stares when wearing my 1950’s Stetson but I started to care less and less the more I wore it. I think gaining this confidence is something you must do yourself because, simply put, if you’re not dressing for yourself, then who are you dressing for? And if you’re dressing for others, then why are you dressing at all? I believe that would be entirely pointless. The reason for ones’ fashion choices should be to show personality, like previously stated, and through this you should not find yourself bending to the will of societies ideas of what you should wear or what is considered normal. Life is simply to short for that nonsense. Of course, I know what I usually wear is not considered to be average or normal by any means by the general public, but that’s what makes it fun. What I wear is uniquely me, and by every means I support others in doing so themselves. This makes the world a much more interesting place.

All that being said, I’ve felt that in the previous year I have been able to be more expressive with my style and clothing choices. I’ve leaned towards more classic brands with a honed interest, but I’ve also spent time experimenting with certain brands I wouldn’t normally go for, but still are in the same ballpark. I definitely have found what I like more than what I have not liked in 2023 and feel much more confident in my choices. Going into 2024 – I feel even stronger in that sentiment and all I’d like to hope for is that the rest of this year I am able to collect more garments that bring me joy while also honoring the ones I love and have in the rotation already, and of course, learn more about each one.

thanks for reading.