Trends and Fashions are effectively tides of widespread popularity in the way we dress but also, perhaps more importantly, in the thoughts we express and hold. At any given time the thing that is “in” is the thing that, let’s say, the “cool kids” are doing – be it bell-bottom jeans, skinny jeans, eating the rich, or what have you. The changes in these Fashion Trends reflect popular culture in that they are the generally accepted principles for which a majority of people operate within – holes in shirts = drip (if you live in 2016).
When a New Trend, a “Bossa Nova” if you will, arises, it is worth taking a quick look at it. There are always innumerable ways in which we can fail and not know things that we do not know. Any chance to expand the perimeter of our ignorance by increasing the area of our understanding is a chance worth taking. If a new and better solution is being provided to some problem, then huzzah! We have gotten a bit more good. If not then at least we understand that another local optima has been discovered and we can act accordingly. That is great for generally open minded people that consider things seriously, but “better” is more often than not, not the metric by which people adopt new Fashions, what comes into and out of fashion seems to be; rather arbitrary or hype driven. (things that do not actually improve upon the prior state-of-the-art)
So why then follow a system that does not have good metrics in it’s targets? Maybe don’t.
Take a bit of time to figure out what it is you like wrt. all of the Fashions you find yourself interested in; Clothing, Technology, Philosophy, etc. kNN is a great baseline but if we want to learn something new or arrive at conclusions that do not already exist, we need a different mechanism than the popular vote.
Why have a Usual Fit?
Uniforms are kind of good, yes you do not want to be batched in with folks whom you do not agree with or like – as might be the case within a school system. But to have thought about your own fashion-sense, to approximate something like your current solution for it and then to embody that Aesthetic actually looks really good. There is a certain respect that gets added to life when you consider things seriously, it shows in your physical appearance but also comes through in other ways. (like your code, slide decks, driving style, and the way in which you walk) That is brilliant to have, not for the sake of getting respect from others but because you start to respect yourself, which is one of the primary goals you should consider working towards if you wish to have a meaningful and productive life. Here are a few more reasons;
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It’s Showtime: the show time effect is the effect experienced by those folks who get into costume to then go on stage. The ritual of donning your gear for a particular job; the NVGs for Special Forces, the Makeup for the Broadway Star or the Suit for a Corporate Executive. Simply the act of getting ready to do something helps you prepare for it and having your own Uniform builds that state of mind that you return to whenever you Don your gear. (I cannot find the link to the initial article but this point holds anecdotally)
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Direction Looks Good: Being disheveled or not put together due to negligence or inconsideration does not feel good any more than it looks good, you should not aim to be an Instagram Model 24/7 but you should also not live life entirely haphazardly without respect for your well being. Figuring out what works for you (a clean white t-shirt & jeans, a suit, just underwear, etc.) and then sticking to it looks good – if you choose untidiness then own it, but making that directed decision looks great.
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Simplicity: Now you should think critically about how you want to live your life and with what gear, but you do not want to necessarily spend too much brain compute on figuring out how to get dressed (it is like reusing code, you have already solved this). Having a usual fit simplifies that process and opens up RAM for solving AGI, determining how you will live your life in a manner that you will not regret and enjoying leaves when a breeze rustles them.
What then is Real Fashion?
If the widely accepted fashion is something like a kNN vote across purchases of clothing or paying of attention to ideas, that many people opt into without any thought of a possible alternative – we may refer to this as an involuntary or unwitting fashion. Real Fashion might then be the thing which you choose to represent with your ideas and clothing after surveying what is available and then picking what fits you. This looks good because it is authentic and people, particularly you, deserve to live as their most authentic self.
Authenticity looks Good because it is Good.