You’ve finally found the perfect shirt. Or the perfect pants. Or the perfect shoes that match everything in your closet. This, of course, never happens. And so, you immediately start thinking that you should buy at least one extra pair. Or in the case of this redditor and the perfect shirt he found, eight extra pairs. “What can I say: They fit so well and felt so good,” he writes. “They were on sale, so I thought I’d grab them.”
The agreement in the r/MaleFashionAdvice (MFA) thread where he first celebrated his bounty was more or less universal. “I do that with basics that I wear often, but need to be washed frequently like T-shirts,” one commenter wrote in response. Another added, “Sure, why not if it’s something you like and you may never see it again in the same fit?” A third had no shame whatsoever about going whole hog on the same exact item(s): “I bought five Club Room sweaters from Macy’s. They were on sale for $11 each. Fuck yea, I bought every color. I do that with the Club Room button-up shirts when they’re on sale, too, because they’re a good shirt for cheap.”
Yes, it’s true that many of these guys bought the same thing in a different color — which kinda, maybe doesn’t make it technically the same thing — but some of the MFA subscribers I spoke to say you shouldn’t be afraid to buy an extra in the same color, too. After all, one of them could get ripped or damaged or shrink in the wash. They add that pants in particular lend themselves to such bulk purchases, especially if you’re an irregular size. For example, one guy said he bought two pairs of black Levis in size 34/36 because he claims, those are “pretty rare.” Meanwhile, another redditor has explained that he buys duplicate suit pants since “they wear out a lot faster than the jacket, and are a pain in the ass to match later on.”
The only real drawback it seems is that you run the risk of entering Steve Jobs capsule-wardrobe territory. “I’ve found that it makes my wardrobe less versatile,” a rare naysayer opines. But even then, he admits, there are workarounds — and not just by buying up multiple colors. “The key for me is to buy similar yet slightly different cuts. You’d be shocked by how much a 1-inch length difference can be helpful at times.”
And so, doubling up on an item of clothing that you love is less about seeing double and more about getting double the enjoyment out of it.
Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is a staff writer at MEL.
