Stylish or pretentious?

[cany10011]

I was on a return trip from Las Vegas last weekend and sitting in the front cabin with me were a couple who were obviously showing off their money by wearing shorts, t shirts, hat, and shoes emblazoned with the designer‘s name on it. It was so distracting because these were not in shape people… they were large and coupled with the designer monograms… i needed to put on sunglasses to shield my eyes. Thank goodness I was able to distract myself with some episodes of Borgen on Netflix. 

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by cany10011

[BSR]

11 hours ago, KeepItReal said:

As my personal glam squad - I need your thoughts.  😁

One of my young friends asked for Louis Vuitton socks as a gift. I find them rather pretentious. Am I wrong in this - are they stylish in your book?  

I just searched the US LV website.  I didn't find socks like the ones in your post, just 2 sets of 6 pairs of socks for *coughsputtergasp* $1,990(!).  To add insult to injury, the patterns are FUGLY.  Even if you're a billionaire, anyone who spends 2 grand on ugly socks needs to get their head examined.

 

[BSR]

12 hours ago, KeepItReal said:

As my personal glam squad - I need your thoughts.  😁

One of my young friends asked for Louis Vuitton socks as a gift. I find them rather pretentious. Am I wrong in this - are they stylish in your book?  

Does your young friend absolutely have his heart set on the LV socks?  1)  I don't like the socks, and 2) if your young friend is wearing a $330 pair of rather loud socks, the rest of his outfit needs to be similarly posh.  A pair of LV socks with an ensemble from Chez Tarzhay would look ... odd.

How about a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes and matching belt?  Unlike the socks, they don't scream "LV" and would match up well with any decent, not necessarily posh outfit.  Plus you could buy the shoes+belt for $400 less than the 6-pack of socks.

[nate_sf]

1 hour ago, BSR said:

I just searched the US LV website.  I didn't find socks like the ones in your post, just 2 sets of 6 pairs of socks for *coughsputtergasp* $1,990(!).  To add insult to injury, the patterns are FUGLY.  Even if you're a billionaire, anyone who spends 2 grand on ugly socks needs to get their head examined.

 

I like the flower socks, but not at that price!

[Blade9]

Agreed.  The flowers are cool.  Also like the blue with white clouds.  Will wait for someone to rip off, I mean, come up with a similar design via Amazon and buy them there.

[mike carey]

3 hours ago, cany10011 said:

Thank goodness I was able to distract myself with some episodes of Borgen on Netflix. 

Now that has class!

[+ Pensant]

20 hours ago, jeezopete said:

Wow, this reminded me of my school days when the Izod polo shirts with their signature alligator were so popular (collars up, of course). I remember saying I'd never wear one of them (and I didn't). Don't know if I knew the word pretentious back then, but I was definitely not into the preppy look.

(Maybe this belonged in the What are you old enough to remember thread? Sorry.)

I used to wear Chemise Lacoste polo shirts through my early 30’s. They lasted forever and looked even better with a few holes. In the 70’s, they were still made in France. The only brand names I wear now are in the athletic realm: Lululemon, Vouri and Arc’teryx. At least they’re fairly subtle brands.

[BetweenTheSheets]

4 minutes ago, Pensant said:

I used to wear Chemise Lacoste polo shirts through my early 30’s. They lasted forever and looked even better with a few holes. In the 70’s, they were still made in France. The only brand names I wear now are in the athletic realm: Lululemon, Vouri and Arc’teryx. At least they’re fairly subtle brands.

agree - i like j crew - no recognizable logo at all. just a quiet statement of who they are and what they represent.

[+ Pensant]

Speaking of athletic wear, I’m addicted to Swiftwick merino wool socks. They’re made in the USA and cover all outdoor and fitness uses. I’m wearing a pair right now.

[+ Charlie]

1 hour ago, Pensant said:

I used to wear Chemise Lacoste polo shirts through my early 30’s. They lasted forever and looked even better with a few holes. In the 70’s, they were still made in France. The only brand names I wear now are in the athletic realm: Lululemon, Vouri and Arc’teryx. At least they’re fairly subtle brands.

Lacoste polo shirts were the thing for gay men when I was young. I went bar-hopping in my new Lacoste with a friend in NYC one night when I was 21, and found myself in the Harbor Bar, which turned out to be a leather bar. When my friend went to case the joint, two big, older men in leather gear soon sat down on either side of me at the bar, and started to chat me up, then suggested that I join them outside for a motorcycle ride. However, my friend returned at that moment and strongly informed me that it was time for us to leave, so I never got to find out what those men were interested in doing with me🤔

My spouse, who is 87, still wears a Lacoste polo when he wants to look dressed up.

[LookingAround]

Do you guys really think anyone in their 20’s cares what a bunch of 60’s to 80’s yo guys think about fashion?  Waste of time. Move on. 

[MscleLovr]

I beg to differ @LookingAround

I’ve ALWAYS cared about how my young men dress. I like a young man to look very clean and smart. And if a preppy young man devotes himself to pleasing me, I’m happy to take him shopping for clothes - everything from good underwear and swimwear to cashmere blazers and formal wear.
 

I see it as a gift to myself as I can enjoy how he looks when we are out together. Indeed, I get almost as much pleasure from smartly dressing a nice young man as I do from undressing him 😎

[pubic_assistance]

On 8/11/2022 at 1:03 PM, jeezopete said:

Don't know if I knew the word pretentious back then, but I was definitely not into the preppy look.

"Preppy" was only pretentious, if you didn't attend a Prep School and your parents didn't have money.

Middle class kids from working class families and/or "ethnics" ( which was anyone who isn't blond hair/ blue eyed Euro ) wearing the signature of upper class wealth was pretentious.

But if you "belonged to the club" these were their standard issue uniform. Brooks Brothers, Izod & Fred Perry ( for the tennis court ).

[Guest]

I think that a lot has to do with the way one was brought up. My beau "Chris" will see a woman and be impressed, telling me she's wearing $15,000 in clothes (to which my usual response is "What kind of a self-absorbed idiot would spend $15,000 on one set of clothes?"). When my mother saw someone like that woman, she'd whisper to me "My goodness, how positively vulgar!". 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

4 minutes ago, Unicorn said:

I think that a lot has to do with the way one was brought up. My beau "Chris" will see a woman and be impressed, telling me she's wearing $15,000 in clothes (to which my usual response is "What kind of a self-absorbed idiot would spend $15,000 on one set of clothes?"). When my mother saw someone like that woman, she'd whisper to me "My goodness, how positively vulgar!". 

This. 100%. 

I was taught growing up that 'money screams and wealth whispers.' You immediately make yourself a target when you dress in label from head-to-toe. 

That said, expense does make some people feel better about themselves and give them the confidence boost they need to get through life. As long as they're not being shitheads about it, I say live and let live. 

As to the socks, I think they're atrocious. 

[+ Pensant]

11 hours ago, Charlie said:

Lacoste polo shirts were the thing for gay men when I was young. I went bar-hopping in my new Lacoste with a friend in NYC one night when I was 21, and found myself in the Harbor Bar, which turned out to be a leather bar. When my friend went to case the joint, two big, older men in leather gear soon sat down on either side of me at the bar, and started to chat me up, then suggested that I join them outside for a motorcycle ride. However, my friend returned at that moment and strongly informed me that it was time for us to leave, so I never got to find out what those men were interested in doing with me🤔

My spouse, who is 87, still wears a Lacoste polo when he wants to look dressed up.

Well, at our college they were de rigueur!

[Lazarus]

At least he is wearing socks. I really do not like the no socks with loafers & a suit look. In fact, I don’t like loafers period. 

[KeepItReal]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:43 PM, purplekow said:

I might consider buying them if he wore as a cock warmer and the LV was because it was Very Large.  Otherwise give him a gift card and left him buy his own ugly socks.  

 

On 8/11/2022 at 1:40 PM, azdr0710 said:

I don't know how well you know your "young friend", but you may want to subtly try to instill some self-confidence in him, suggesting that logos and stuffy labels sometimes suggest insecurity in a person and may indicate a need for self-validity.......I may be entirely wrong in this case, I realize.....

   

 

On 8/12/2022 at 11:57 AM, MscleLovr said:

I beg to differ @LookingAround

I’ve ALWAYS cared about how my young men dress. I like a young man to look very clean and smart. And if a preppy young man devotes himself to pleasing me, I’m happy to take him shopping for clothes - everything from good underwear and swimwear to cashmere blazers and formal wear.
 

I see it as a gift to myself as I can enjoy how he looks when we are out together. Indeed, I get almost as much pleasure from smartly dressing a nice young man as I do from undressing him 😎

 

On 8/11/2022 at 11:08 PM, Blade9 said:

Agreed.  The flowers are cool.  Also like the blue with white clouds.  Will wait for someone to rip off, I mean, come up with a similar design via Amazon and buy them there.

I took in all your advice and decided to test his resolve. We went to the store and looked the socks over. He confirmed that he liked them and wanted them. So we walked over to the ATM and I pulled out the cash - it was a nice thick bundle of Benjamins. I handed it over to him and said: "Feel the cash in your hand. Now go feel those socks. Do you realllllyyy want to spend this money on those socks. The cash is yours, whatever you decide." We went back to the store and he promptly backed out!!!  Dave Ramsey may be right - it hurts to spend cash, swiping a card it doesn't hurt like physical cash. 

I then took him down to Canal Street where he found knock off versions of the socks (and a few other items he liked) from the street vendors. Walked away having spent a fraction and still satisfied. Gonna let it sink in a bit and then we will have the "cost vs value" discussion. He's a smart young man - he will do okay! 😎

[LookingAround]

2 hours ago, KeepItReal said:

 

 

 

I took in all your advice and decided to test his resolve. We went to the store and looked the socks over. He confirmed that he liked them and wanted them. So we walked over to the ATM and I pulled out the cash - it was a nice thick bundle of Benjamins. I handed it over to him and said: "Feel the cash in your hand. Now go feel those socks. Do you realllllyyy want to spend this money on those socks. The cash is yours, whatever you decide." We went back to the store and he promptly backed out!!!  Dave Ramsey may be right - it hurts to spend cash, swiping a card it doesn't hurt like physical cash. 

I then took him down to Canal Street where he found knock off versions of the socks (and a few other items he liked) from the street vendors. Walked away having spent a fraction and still satisfied. Gonna let it sink in a bit and then we will have the "cost vs value" discussion. He's a smart young man - he will do okay! 😎

Until the colors disappear after the first wash 😂😂😂 and the synthetic material scratches his skin. 

[keefer]

and, as if they're reading this forum, the Guardian has timely advice today....

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/aug/16/how-to-buy-socks-that-last-give-the-legs-a-stretch-and-look-for-reinforcement

Edited August 15, 2022 by keefer

[jeezifonly]

These socks are pleasing to look at, when worn with nothing else, and the fine stitching of the heels visible close up on either side of one’s face. 😏

[MassageDrew]

I don't particularly care for brands names. If you can look good in anything then the brand doesn't matter. But to some it's all about the brands. I know a few guys like this. They look ridiculous but they love it. 

[+ Oliver]

I feel I should be paid to wear the brand if the logo is large and noticable.

[+ azdr0710]

5 hours ago, Oliver said:

I feel I should be paid to wear the brand if the logo is large and noticable.

I see a position as the newest social media influencer in your future!........

(ha, my auto-correct flagged 'influencer'.....really happy to see that happen......lowest form of life on Earth!)