An Interchangeable Wardrobe (Travel Wu-Wei)
Looking Sharp Without Hassle
I’m sure you know that philosophers aren’t the best of dressers. From Socrates who wandered around Athens barefoot in a ragged toga, to modern-day philosophy-rockstar Slavoj Žižek with his shabby T-shirts and crummy jumpers, deep thinking and dress sense don’t seem to go together. For full-time thinkers this isn’t really a problem. After all, we only expect them to sit in their studies alone and think deep thoughts. If, however, that philosopher also happens to be the face of a boutique consultancy and on a regular basis needs to meet with CEO’s and civic leaders, this becomes a whole different matter.
Moreover, I’m not only a philosopher, I’m also Dutch and the Dutch are arguably the worst dressers in the known universe; put a 5,000 dollar bespoke suit on an Dutch man and it’ll instantly resemble a sloppy ready-to-wear hand-me-down. Luckily for me, my travel planner, Dîan Dharmawijaya, is also my defacto stylist. She’s amazing when it comes to finding me well-fitting clothes and teaching me how to properly wear them. However, keeping things within budget and making it possible to travel with an extensive wardrobe isn’t quite that easy!
Then Dîan pointed out to me a video by American style guru Antonio Centeno about the interchangeable wardrobe (see heading of this article). In it he outlines how you can create 120 different outfits with just 14 pieces of clothing. A new outfit everyday for four months! I watched the video and was immediately onboard. 14 pieces minus what I’ll be wearing will easily fit in my carry-on!
Together we chose the materials and colours for the two jackets, five shirts and three pairs of trousers that would make up his new ‘business’ wardrobe. We then set off to the Picadilly Tailors to have everything tailor-made to a perfect fit. With this done, we added two pairs of shoes, a couple of ties and done!
Antonio’s video really marked a watershed in my professional life. With my wardrobe carefully thought out I now look smart and fresh, unrumpled by travel. This wardrobe allows me to travel without trouble and get dressed for any occasion.
[T]here you are.
References:
Centeno, A. (2015). 120 Outfits From 14 Pieces Of Clothing? The Interchangeable Wardrobe. Real Men Real Style. (video) Retrieved 27 Feb. 2016, from Youtube: http://ow.ly/DWWH308shi0.
