My friend is a brand-a-holic. (Is that a word?) From his Cole Haan dress shoes, to his YSL socks, pair of Ice Jeans pants, Armani Exchange belt, Faconnable shirt, On-line tie, and up to his Diesel jacket, it's like he literally stepped out of a high-end lifestyle and fashion magazine. Accessories? Oh, yeah, he wears an Oris diver's watch and a Morellato men's designer bangle. Sounds made up? I assure you it's not. He is sitting beside me while I am writing this post.
I wrote a post yesterday that tried to touch on (even for just a little bit) the relationship between fashion and happiness. According to my best buddy, he is an exception. I asked him to explain how. This is what he said, "if dressing up well is already a way of life then how could you tie happiness with fashion?
"Happiness is a state of mind. Therefore, rather than an end result, it's actually a means to achieving your end."
Cryptic. He had it backwards, don't you think? I really couldn't comprehend what he is telling me. Probably because unlike him I was born in a modest family. Any new item of clothing bought by my parents for me is a happy occasion. I remember being ecstatic in receiving new shirts. I could also remember the happiness of my little brothers when they receive new clothes and shoes that are not "hand-me-downs". Somehow in these past scenarios, my siblings and I developed that mentality about fashion and how it is tied, no matter how loose, to happiness.
I remember the first time I went to work. Darn, this was nearly 20 years ago. I was what you would call in the 80"s, "baduy" (grossly out of fashion, and geeky). The first real slap on the face is when I conducted a training-seminar for a commercial bank client roughly a year after I got hired in my first job in a Japanese software house. The bank people looked at me from head to toe as if I should bring them coffee instead of teaching them how to set-up and program their host security module. I was thankful that my boss at that time (God bless her) was kind enough to teach me how to properly and smartly dress up.
Through the years, I've learned to buy clothes of high quality that are even though pricey, would definitely look good on me and would last for a long time. My best buddy influenced me to invest on designer clothes. As it turned out, when I look at my closet, my clothes now although not very many are all designer pieces. Did they make me happy? To be honest, yes, for a few minutes after I bought them. I feel that I am blessed and very much grateful that I have the means to buy them. Then I forget about the feeling afterwards. Then when I wear them, again, I feel happy. I feel confident that I am wearing something nice that I bought for myself (and to tell you frankly it's more on because the clothes are nice…).
Okay, I am coming out of the closet. Are you ready? Drumroll please. Mom... Dad... ladies and gentlemen... I am... a brand-a-holic! Woooh! That's a relief. He-he-he. But, not so much as my best buddy who could afford to buy a single piece of clothing the price of which is almost the same as a minimum wage earner's six months worth of salary. Yes, that's the Ralph Lauren Italian-made denim blazer. The blazer's tag is posted above.
So, what's the most expensive piece of clothing in your closet? Are you a brand-a-holic, too???
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