There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
For me, what works is this. 1. Look at a product (either in stores or online storefronts or in outfit pics by people) and go "wow that looks nice but I'm not entirely sure if that would work with my style". 2. Keep looking at other outfit photos, from shoots or other "normal" people. 3. Whenever you see something (that you've taken note of earlier) being used in a way that you think matches your style, make a note. My brain does that for me subconsciously. 4. Once you've done step (3) multiple times your brain would say "OKAY YOU NEED TO BUY THIS THING RIGHT NOW", or something to that effect.
Note that these steps happen pretty much in the background - I do not intentionally make note of products and look for patterns, it happens on a subconscious level. This is not essentially a good thing for your wallet because these are basically wants, not needs.
As an example, this has pretty much made me a lover of balmoral boots over time, and now I lust for one. Also, watches. Even though I might not like "store" product photos of watches, looking at people's own photos sometimes makes me want to buy it right away.
I guess in one word this method would be called "inspiration"? I can't believe I wasted all that time writing this comment when I could've just said "I buy something after I've been inspired by others rocking a style similar to mine with that product".
Argh.
For example, I dislike loud jackets; I don't really feel comfortable with them, and if I were to compile a list of my 100 favorite outfits, I doubt a loud jacket or suit would make it on there. But early on, a few folks regularly wearing loud jackets stood out to me, and I liked it when I saw them. I definitely purchased a few that I never wear, culminating with a beautiful bespoke linen windowpane from B&Tailor, a jacket which to this day I consider my biggest mistake. Had I really paid attention to the outfits I most regularly like, I would have noticed there isn't a single loud jacket among them.
What I was implying was that for someone just starting out, and for someone who doesn't have any idea about their own style, and who wants to discover what *style* he likes, your method would work well. On the other hand for someone who already has a defined sense of personal style it might not (of course, the thread is about an approach to defining / discovering your style). So my comment could be considered fairly OT to be honest, haha.
I was just pitching in on / trying to make sense of how I personally make purchases; I don't even know if it'll help anybody else at all, really. I'd never given thought to the process itself before, writing that comment made me think about what really goes on in my head (or what I *think* really goes on in my head, or maybe what I *want to think* goes on in my head - any psychologists here? :) ).