Presuming Mr Xu’s permission, I present a brief slideshow of the motley stages of his sartorial experimentation and evolution (since I met him, of course). Since Xu is easily one of the best and most assiduously dressed people I know, having sported many different variations on a general theme that I will call “retrospective Western intellectual,” there is much to learn and be inspired from in his various sartorial phases. I encourage him or others to do the same of myself and others.
Phase 1: ’90s Science Nerd
Interpretation: Potentially right wing
Date: 19 December 2003
Phase 2: ’70s Marxist
Interpretation: An inchoate Marxism professor of Norwegian origin
Date: 30 June 2004
Phase 3: ’90s British Environmentalist
Interpretation: Going to an environmental ethics class in London
Date: 11 December 2004
Phase 4: ’40s Kentucky Wild Man
Interpretation: Banjo-toting, southern U.S. weirdo or rebel
Date: 9 March 2005
Phase 5: ’00s San Francisco Video Artist
Interpretation: On coffee break at the studio
Date: 20 October 2005
Phase 6: ’80s Harvard Student
Interpretation: Getting a business degree
Date: 8 November 2005
Phase 7: ’00s German Designer
Interpretation: Berlin typographer
Date: 26 May 2007
Phase 8: ’90s Scottish Bike Courier
Interpretation: Cycles through Edinburgh and tours pubs
Date: 29 December 2009
Phase 9: Timeless Swiss Taxonomist
Interpretation: Reminds me of the Life Aquatic; Jacques Cousteau chic
Date: 3 July 2010
Phase 10: Timeless Architect
Interpretation: Current and highest manifestation of his (and my) sartorial ideals of formal, urban, New Yorker-mascot-esque, Charlie Chaplin-era minimalism. If I saw such a person on the street I would feel an almost inexorable desire to meet them. It’s the sort of look that casts a wave of depression over me to think I’ll never get to be their friend. I inevitably would think about them for the subsequent month with great sadness.
Date: 2 October 2011
I laughed at a lot of the phase names, particularly Timeless Swiss Taxonomist. Also, I would suggest the alternate name of "'70s Cock Rocker" for the "'40s Kentucky Wild Man" phase.
ReplyDeleteAnd the hat plus yellow sweater plus big round glasses combination in San Francisco Video Artist is adorbs.
Oh, and also my favourite hair is the most recent incarnation I think. I wish mine could half-emulate that incredible lively side-sweep.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteOn a whim, I did an inventory of items I'm wearing in these photographs:
ReplyDeleteThese are really interesting to look at. From my perspective, it represents about four phases: the first picture is from the high school phase, then there are two university phases, characterized by long and short hair, with slightly more conservative, formal attire accompanying the more recent, short hair phase. Then there is my current phase, which I see as kind of a proto-finished phase of how I would ideally dress.
For fun, I did an inventory of items in these photographs.
90s Science nerd:
glasses - discarded
sweater - in active use
shirt - rarely used
scarf - lost
70s Marxist:
glasses - bottom of lake Nelly
jacket - in a closet in Pickering (not mine)
90s British environmentalist
glasses - not in use
jacket - in a closet in Pickering (not mine)
shirt - converted to short sleeve
40s Kentucky wild man
suspenders - lost
Video artist
toque - lost
cardigan - lost
shirt - converted to short sleeve
Harvard student
shirt - unknown
vest- in active use
German designer
shirt - unknown
glasses - current
Scottish bike courier
hat- in use
seater - in use
shirt - in use
Swiss taxonomist
shirt - very occasionally used
Architect
all items in use
Amazing post Alex- Zicheng, just amazing. They need a really great word for when men in (mostly) non-sexual male relationships know each other this well.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha! Zicheng, what in the world is Lake Nelly (it's the funniest name ever of a place for you to be)? And, if it really is some kind of "lake", how did your glasses come to rest beneath its depths?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great blog post. Unfortunately it doesn't capture some of the most extreme Xuian fashion moments, but it's a pretty good primer on his shifting style nontheless.
ReplyDelete