MY HIERARCHY OF IMPORTANCE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER AN OUTFIT

My hierarchy of importance for putting together an outfit. Utility is at the base as the most important piece. There is a Norwegian saying that reads, “Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær!” which translates as, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!”

An alternative title for this post could be, “Things I Consider When Getting Dressed.” If you think whilst reading this, “I don’t have that much time to think about my outfit,” you should be giving it SOME thought. Clothes are a second skin. They are quite literally a part of you for a period of time. As menswear designer Alan Flusser once said, “Never underestimate the power of what you wear. After all, there is just a small bit of you sticking out at the collar and cuff. The rest of what the world sees is what you drape on your frame.” Therefore, I think some thought is a good thing when getting dressed. Also, any habit will take more time and effort at first. It did too for me, but now it comes naturally and that was before having a concrete framework. So in fact, you are ahead of the curve.

This framework, inspired by CrossFit’s theoretical hierarchy for the development of an athlete, has resulted in me feeling like my outfits are consistently appropriate for what my day holds. The shape is a pyramid with the most important on the bottom and the least important on the top. If you disagree with the order, change it up for you. If you think that one category should be dropped in lieu of something else, add it in. The point is having some personal framework or guidance for putting together an outfit will result in better fits more consistently.

Click the audio file at the top of this post to listen to my hierarchy of importance for putting together an outfit.