I was thinking today about how I’ve been very pleased with my most recent set of work boots today and thought it could be interesting if anyone else had any particular favorite clothing items that they have really been enjoying.
Clothes are a very personal choice, as we’re all built differently and do different things, but I’m curious to see if any trends show up in what we like.
I got the Keen Braddock Low Tops almost a year ago. I had a previous pair of Keen’s imported boots a while back, and my new job makes us go through their provider instead of me getting reimbursed for buying my own boot of choice, and I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of buying safety toes without getting to try them on first, as some can be pretty uncomfortable. I saw they had the US made Braddock though, which I had been wanting to try to see if it was an upgrade from the now discontinued boots I had from them.
I like Keen’s because my old ones held up tremendously well. The thick rubber toe may look a little odd, but it doesn’t scuff up like a leather cap boot, and it’s asymmetrical so it fits my big foot better than many safety toes where both caps are the same shape. They feel very sneaker like, which is nice since my feet don’t need serious protection from a super stiff and tall boot. I like the design is enough to be interesting, but nothing too wild.
These have been holding up very well, though I have 3 pairs in my rotation now, I also have a pair of leather CAT steel toe low tops and a pair of Carhartt composite toe fabric low tops. They each have their ups and downs, but the Keen is my all-arounder. It’s not as light as the comp toe, it’s a little bulkier than the leather boot, but it’s the most comfy and feels to be the best built of the 3.
Edit: Just noticed the rules say the post needs to end with a question mark…
What is your favorite clothing item and why?
I made the mistake of taking on a DIY construction project when the outside air temperature was 105℉ (40 C) and the UV index was incredibly high (no cloud cover, very direct sunlight, and an elevation of 4200 ft (1.2 km)). This meant that I was sweating like fucking crazy, which is bad for sunscreen. I got this moisture wicking UV blocking hoodie and it fucking saved my ass. I didn’t wear sunscreen once but never got sunburned, even though I was doing 12 hours days of digging 36" (91 cm) deep foundation footings, mixing and pouring concrete, digging out a shitload of turf and dirt for a gravel foundation, or moving 3 tons (2.7 metric tons) of gravel into that foundation. UPF 50 fabric is dope.
I fucking love that shirt. I bought two more of them since I was washing the one I had multiple times a week.
Honorable mentions go to my work pants and Red Wing boots. I don’t know the brand of the pants rn, but they were so good. They’re really thin but didn’t get damaged when I scraped the shit out of them on rocks, and they had lots of useful pockets. They were much cooler than denim and also gave me much more mobility. I got them while shopping for work pants with my partner who was very dissatisfied with the options available in women’s sizes. She saw them and was so happy with them that I felt the need to get some as well.
The boots were also fucking great. They’re expensive and are made from leather, but I got some that can be resoled so I should be able to wear them for decades. As a bonus, the soles are oil resistant so they won’t get all weird and fucked up out in my machine shop.
Oh wow, the hoodie is much less expensive than I was expecting. My brother is a concrete precaster, so this might be something nice to get him. I think I have a couple REI bucks to spend anyway.
I really love mine. It’s probably not the hardest wearing material out there, but my shirt held up well. My only gripe is that you’re not supposed to use any form of bleach (even non-chlorine) which can make stains a bit hard to remove. Stains on a work shirt don’t really matter, but I try to keep my shit looking clean if possible. No oxiclean makes that tough sometimes.
EDIT: and yeah, the price really isn’t too bad. There are also frequent sales. Lemme look up what I paid for mine.
EDIT: Looks like I paid $35 for the two shirts I got later on. I paid the full $50 for the first shirt I bought.
Your mom.
Wait, that doesn’t make any sense.
Wait, it not masking any sense has never deterred anyone from making a your mom joke, so it’s fine after all.
Wait, that’s actually a pretty grim appraisal of the state of what is considered to be humorous.
In that case, I’ll go with my sweatpants instead, if I may.
Wait, that doesn’t make any sense.
You’ve never worn a hat?
I have gray stretchy cargo joggers from athleta that I like so much I found a pair on their resale site (they sell off returned items cheaper) when mine wore out and I am babying this pair.
Also bought almost every color of Unbound Merino V neck T shirt, became my work uniform because they are so ridiculously good and comfortable in many temperatures, so walking to work then sitting in the FL air conditioned office is reasonably comfortable. They are cool when it’s warm, warm when it’s cool, and never stink. Sweat wicking fabrics don’t work here (humidity), these come the closest though and dry right away once indoors.
I’ve been rediscovering wool as a year round material recently. Haven’t gotten to try any merino yet.
I’m so thankful the wicking stuff still works up here, I am always hot all year, and being able to be significantly dryer than with most other clothing and it’s made such a difference!
Bought an old navy denim jacket when I was 8, I desperately wanted one but they only had men’s large and I decided I’d grow into it. I did, 6 years later. Now is 22 years later and it still my favorite jacket. I’ve dyed it every 10 years to a match my current style and it still fits me like a glove. Doesn’t even look a year old, I guess old navy used to be a lot better quality.
You know, I came into this thinking I didn’t particularly like clothes, but now I think it’s just clothes shopping I don’t enjoy.
I got a Starter windbreaker type jacket around 98-00 and I still wear it every spring and fall. I got a new and upgraded zipper on it a few years back and I just rewaterproofed it last year and it’s still awesome. That is probably the oldest clothing item I have and it’s something I enjoy at least as much, if not more, than when I bought it since it’s been through so much of my life with me.
I prefer to be nude as much as possible, but when I’m forced to wear clothing, my favorite is definitely a nice sarong, as it’s as loose as possible while also being secure.
Our skin is the only covering we have coming into the world, and it’s with us the whole time, so we may as well enjoy it!
It covered us screaming on the way in, and will cover us screaming on the way out.
Compression leggings for my ashtanga practice. I have had them for years and the texture, grip and colors are still great.
I like how they don’t roll down at the waist and how their length is a tad above the heel of my foot while still covering the ankles.
They have a Wide range of sizes and designs. luleåmindulf is the brand.
You really nailed what kind of description I was hoping to hear: that specificity. A lot of things that make something great can be hard to put into words, but in your case it’s very clear what these leggings do that you love about them.
Minor has shorter sleeves, but:
My Brooks Ghost 15 shoes saved me from double heel spurs, double flat feet and a bad knee.
I am on my third pair in two years, I wear them all year round, from 30C to -20C, and they are fantastic.
I need extra wide shoes, inlays and a soft sole.
Sure, they don’t last long, but the earlier shoes I had put me in a bad way where I for months cried out of pain when dragging myself back home from the bus after work.
Yikes. My brother works a hard large job and is full of aches and pains and I still see him buy mostly crap footwear and it blows my mind.
My girlfriend has never quite understood why I spend more money on shoes and boots than actual clothing, but now she started working 12 hours shifts at the hospital on her feet the majority of the day. Guess who started with one pair of Brooks, but now has 3 pairs of Brooks? 😁
Somewhat boring, but I just love my merino wool t shirts. They don’t have any logos or swag, but they are incredibly comfortable, don’t smell and you just air them out every evening instead of constant washing. They are also expensive as he’ll for those considering them
It’s hard to pick just one! I have a pair of Todd Snyder x LL Bean “utility cargo” sweat shorts that are a nice soft texture and a pleasant heavy weight. They are one of my go-to pairs for wearing around the house or when doing errands. The quality of the fabric and construction really stands out to me and I enjoy them every time I wear them!
The other one that came to mind is a lightweight linen long sleeve button down shirt in dark blue plaid that I also got from Todd Snyder. It was my first linen shirt and as soon as I wore it I realized that linen is my favorite fabric for warm weather because it breathes so nicely and feels great on the skin.
I had a linen shirt once, and this super hot summer this year had me wanting to give linen another go. It’d be nice to have at least one for occasions that are a little nicer during the summer.
My favorite shoes are Yuketen Maine Guide boots - I actually have two pairs, a lighter brown rough-out and a darker brown leather. The leather quality is fantastic and they’re easily the most comfortable boots I own.
My favorite piece of outerwear is a light gray Monitaly shawl collar peacoat.
The Yuketen stuff looks very impressive! I got a kick out of their “Land Jordan” shoe. 😁
My cashmere sweater from Nadaam. I have several and they’re comfy, stylish, and super warm. Their OG sweater (of which I own 3) are under $100, but the one I’m talking about is a recycled cashmere (made from leftovers of other products) which is thick and soft and fuckin amazing
Those look nice! I’m surprised the OG one is in the somewhat reasonable splurge price range. I was expecting closer to the price of the recycled one.
When I saw you say it was made of the leftovers, I was picturing something like the Cotopaxi Del Dia stuff, but it probably makes more sense what it actually is where it’s normal colors. 🤪
My favourite article of clothing is my pink cape by Review Australia. Since buying it we moved to the tropics so I never get to wear it, but I love it so much.
There’s just something about it.
I like the collar and bow! It looks very modern while still having some age of knights and damsels in high towers charm.
Over my life I’ve had several shoes and other clothes that I wish when they wore out I could have bought more. Thankfully my favorite shirt right now I can. It is a tshirt from Hot Topic. It says it is the Dark Phoenix but I know it is Kitty Pryde using shi’ar tech to look like the Dark Phoenix and it amuses me to wear it. I have several times worn it and said “Do you like my Kitty Pryde T-shirt?” And people being confused. The shirt is also very comfortable.
I would have also been confused, but then enjoyed the explanation!
It is a very cool looking shirt though!
I bought a massively oversized NASA t-shirt the last time I had to go to JCPenney’s and it’s so fucking comfortable that I’ve literally worn holes into it.
My ex-girlfriend complained that so many of the pictures that we had taken together had me in this shirt. It was just a comfy shirt and I still have it but it’s probably time for me to find a new one.
My ex-girlfriend complained that so many of the pictures that we had taken together had me in this shirt.
I always got told by my ex it looked like we did everything in one huge vacation since all our travel photos had me in the same few comfy shirts! 😁
