Welcome to Signals, my attempt to package up some of the interesting bits from the past few weeks.
I. Out of the Loop.
One of the things I’m doing this year is to stop trying to be fully in the loop. I’ve come to the conclusion that knowing what’s happening in every news cycles in the world is fairly pointless. I could do much better for myself by using the time I spend trying to know the exact details of everything to exercise, to meditate or just go for a walk. There’s no prize for knowing every detail of the news story, or every new restaurant that’s opened. The return on the time spent acquiring this knowledge is almost nonexistent.
There’s a connection in the fashion space for this desire to be out of the loop. It’s the idea that something is good enough. The sweaters I buy are good enough. Maybe they aren’t the absolute best or the cheapest, but they work. Having a uniform works and it frees you up from having to care about the next new brand or the fashion media. It’s refreshing to be let go from these false pressures. if you like fashion as a hobby then it’s good for you to be engaged with what’s happening — it’s an escape and that’s fine. My feeling is just that being fully in the loop is a waste of time.
II. Rocky Mountain High
My buddy told me I should do a story about the Yellowstone wardrobe and I have to admit I was skeptical but the show is pretty good. Kevin Costner’s outerwear is especially solid — the above retro western jacket is probably the best thing going. There’s also plenty of Carhartt, Kimes Ranch, Wrangler, Levi’s, Filson and a lot of other good stuff all over the place.