I’ve said before that developing taste or hobbies won’t help you dress better.
That is still true.
But what’s more frustrating is how confidently the idea is presented.
It’s usually framed as if you’re slightly behind and just need to catch up.
Catch up to what, exactly?
What that advice avoids saying is that “taste” is usually just a signal for class. Or more precisely, a particular environment.
If you’re already around that environment it will feel natural. If you’re not, you can feel disconnected.
So “developing taste” often becomes a fairly expensive attempt to close the gap.
Thats when things start to get uncomfortable for you.
You are no longer responding to your actual conditions.
I was thinking about how the cabbage jacket could be interpreted in different ways
For some people it will read as “poor taste.”
It’s too loud, literal and a bit strange.
But that only makes sense if you’re measuring it against the wrong reference point.
It does not come from “good taste” environments.
It comes from gardening.
Unfortunately, once your reference point is fixed, everything that doesn’t align is not just different.
And I’ve never liked that way of thinking.
If you spend enough time online, you realize that most people aren’t really trying to improve their taste.
They’re just trying to fit into an environment they’re not actually a part of.
In many cases, clothing simply serves as a way to gain entry into those spaces.