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Oxford Abundance



Some guys keep a tight, small wardrobe. I think there is a virtue in that. You really know your pieces and you have a narrower field to choose from which is both easier when it comes to throwing together an outfit incredibly quickly yet also the minimal wardrobe can function as an inspiration for creativity. If you don't have 100s of pieces to choose from, you will end up being a bit more creative in your pairing. I think there is something very nice about this. I think that restriction can be very good for us and I think limiting yourself can help you discover some new outfits and new pairings that you wouldn't have discovered if you had the whole world at your fingertips.


On the other side of things however there is the world of abundance, the closest of many oxfords. I have many OCBDs. I have many shirts in general. I have almost an embarrassing number of OCBDs. A benefit of having many shirts you love is that you will simply wear all of the shirts less than if you had fewer shirts. This obviously results in extending the life of your shirts. This purple ground stripe OCBD in the photo above is going to last me forever. I have absolutely no doubt that 15 years from now I am going to be wearing this shirt and it will still look fantastic. Granted, this is a shirt that I wear less often than many others. It is a unique shirt. Nevertheless, this idea still applies even to the most commonly worn shirt, if one has multiples of it.


The one downside to having a closet of many oxfords is that it takes many more years for your OCBDs to get that ultra worn-in beautiful rugged oxford look. It takes longer to get the small fraying here and there, the rough edges around the collar and cuffs. They will come one day of course, just later than we may secretly want. Of course a key to all of this is having lots of shirts that you love, not a few shirts you love and many shirts you don't really like. If you have a closet made up of two tiers, the shirts you actually like and the shirts you don't like, you will never wear the shirts you don't like, they will end up being given away or gathering dust and the shirts you do like will wear out at the same rate as if the closet was only full of those few select beloved shirts.


I am not encouraging simple consumerism for consumer's sake or buying many shirts just so you can "feel" like you have many. I am not talking about any of those less natural or "true" inspirations. I am talking about having a closet full of shirts you love, that you acquired through a reasonable approach because, for your style approach you would rather have a wide range of choice, rather than a more minimal selection. Even though I have maybe too many shirts, I haven't bought them all new and certainly not all at full price. I also acquired them slowly and shockingly affordably. Goodwill, eBay, thrifts are loyal friends.


As for this particular outfit, it is a bit on the bolder side. Busy and a bit daring with a large butcher stripe and this colorful check, although no tie. It isn't bold due to terribly bright colors, It's bold due to the patterns. For my more minimal approach, this is a lot going on, despite there being no tie. Nevertheless I think it works wonderfully in the right place. It is Friday and it's a busy day here getting ready for Shabbat. A bit hectic, a bit busy yet not overly serious and sitting right on the edge of the weekend - a sense of thrown together-ness, busy-ness seems just right.

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