March. Spring is coming, thank God. This winter has been long, and where I live, we still probably have a bit more of it coming. Yet we will have some soggy days in March, we will see some snow melt and maybe even have a few days worthy of a raincoat...hopefully. These past 2 months every year is such a difficult time for style. It is hard to feel excited about what you are wearing during this time. It is hard to feel much life, much joy. You are in a long haul, in a sort of dirge. March however feels like we are moving toward spring. Even if it isn't yet time for pastels, and even if the weather is still rather crummy, there is at least some feeling of movement out of the winter. And even if it isn't obvious movement, at least there is a glimmer of hope.
What do I change in this month to reflect this? What do I add to my wardrobe? What do I put away? Well, where I am, I still need to wear warm sport coats, sweaters and thick layers. The change mostly comes in patterns. The serious winter patterns I put into storage. The plaid sweaters, fair isle sweaters, wool ties, and anything that feels outwardly wintery. I still need warmth, but I don't want to convey or feel "winter". Yes, it's cold and damp, not quite bright, but we aren't in the totality of winter deep freeze any longer, or at least if we are still lingering there, we aren't moving deeper into it. We are moving toward warmer days.
In March I start to cautiously move in the spring direction. More rep ties, some brighter colors here and there, some motif ties with non-winter themes, no more overt winter patterns. March is still soggy, it isn't the brightest month of the year. But it is moving in the direction of summer and after months of winter, some early anticipation is okay in my mind. This reminds me of how every spring in the midwest you always see guys wearing shorts in April when it is 50 degrees outside. This is how you know you are a true midwesterner. There is still some snow on the ground here and there, but the temperature is 50 after a long winter which means it feels like what 75 degrees feels like in June.
I am also reminding of a photo of my son and I last March. We were visiting family and it was a beautiful day, I don't remember the temperature but it was warm enough (after winter) to have no coat on. My son was playing in the grass, running around with no shoes on. In the photo you can see some lingering piles of snow in the background. This is classic and hilarious midwest march energy.
As for this beautiful green tennis motif tie. I found this vintage J. Press at a thrift store for just a couple bucks. Incredible. I don't know the exact year this tie was made, but if you look closely at the tie, you can see that it lists San Francisco as a location. The San Fransisco store closed in the early 1980s which says to me, even if this was made with a left over tag after the store closed, I can't imagine this tie is any less than 4 decades old.
Long time readers know that I talk a lot about colors, the seasons and choosing an outfit based on more than just "simple look". Some guys may dismiss it, many guys don't put as much emphasis on the season or mood that comes with a certain setting. That is okay, but in my opinion clothes mean much more than just the temporal look to the eye alone and clothes can change much about what we really see and feel and what others see and feel. And even when it seems like it doesn't particularly impact what we or others see or feel, there are certain times for certain pieces, certain colors and certain approaches and other times for other pieces, other colors and other approaches.
There are rules of the seasons, of the times of the year, rules of how the world works, when the leaves fall and the flowers bloom, rules set by God. We adopt rules as well based on the rules of the world as made by God. Even in our aging, in our lives, over many years we see the rules in action. We are young and flippant. We are spry, we are fresh and full of youth. In our activities, our joviality, what we wear, what we do. In all of this, in these elements of our youth our spirit compliments this. As we age, we grow and mature and turn into something a bit different, a bit more weathered, a bit more serious. This is just as it should be. We have all seen men and women who are trying to live or look like they are in their 20s when they are much older. It is uncomfortable and unbecoming. We are embarrassed by it. Why? I think it is because we know in a way that it isn't going along with the true rules, the ultimate setup. It is really kind of going against nature. It isn't in it's right place. It is a square peg in a round hole. In my opinion when we do certain things in certain seasons or wear other things in other seasons, when we do certain things in certain stages of our lives and other things in other stages, we are developing and living our own little ways, our own little rules that compliment and go right along with the true nature of life, growth, time, season and the world, creation.