Versatility - Topic of the day 8/27/23
Today let's talk about versatility in clothing. What is the most and least versatile piece in your closet and why? How much do you consider versatility when making purchases?
104 Replies
My white minimalist sneakers. Cant go wrong with it. I’ve got artisan lab but any similar brand should work
Most versatile: 1) a good pair of jeans. 2) white sneakers 3) plain tee in any conservative color.
Versatility is not a property of an item of clothing, it is a joint property of an item of clothing and a wardrobe.
In fact, that's a solid outfit right there
So the answer to “what x is the most versatile?“ is always “depends what you already have”.
Well, the question was posed in the context of YOUR closet and MY closet, not some hypothetical wardrobe.
True, just putting it out there that versatility is not an inherent property of clothes
Even though in MFA Classic it was often discussed as though it is
4) blue OCBD
Because of an underlying assumption of some version of the basic bastard wardrobe
I don't care about versatility literally at all
Not a factor when buying clothes
I care about it quite a lot, but I aspire to care less.
Concern about versatility inversely proportional to your ability to style hard pieces
Because when initially (re)building a wardrobe, you need things like "pants" and "shirts"
Yeah, and I am still developing that skill
It’s a hard skill, takes a lot of time looking at and thinking about fashion
I’m at the point where I buy stuff purely if I fall in love with it
I did that for the first time recently. Feels good, man
I want to reach that point but I'm still falling into the trap of wanting to buy "essentials"
Hot take, but minimalist white sneakers can usually be replaced by not-minimalist white sneakers (e.g., chucks or club c’s) with no loss of versatility and significant gains in coolness
Any plain sneakers would do
Are chucks not minimalist sneakers
"fuck it. I love it, I'm buying it. I know I can figure out how to wear it"
I’m interpreting “minimalist” to mean “common projects clone”
Dinosaur Chucks aren't. 😁
Resist
I guess I think about versatility from the other direction, I’m like “this fit would be so much better if I had x and I can imagine a ton of other fun fits to do with x too”
I think versatility can be important to people who are building up a wardrobe or want to look good but are not that deep into fashion
I originally thought my lemaire twisted jeans would be kinda weird or hard to style, but over time they’ve turned into by far my most worn pants. They pair with basically everything I own, can be worn cuffed or uncuffed, and I can leave the self belt hanging or wrapped around my waist.
Ok, but you're also wearing a plain tee in most of these fits. Why did you pick the pants and not the tee?
It’s cooler to pick a designer piece than a Uniqlo u tee
I’m literally wearing a plain tee in 4/7 of the fits and the jeans in 7/7 dude
white tee is as versatile as wearing underwear that they’re basically the same
I think “power users” are probably a little divorced from the experience of a median beginner who’s trying to learn about dressing intentionally, and is scared to have to throw away their old stuff
Some people will have the financial/other resources to fully dive in to whatever particular aesthetic they’re interested in, but that’s not most people
Yeah, this is super interesting. It's like "versatile" is being reinterpreted as "exotic high-end piece that I actually wear a lot"
And so it’s not a bad idea to have some good basic jeans you can still wear with your overwatch graphic tees (or whatever)
I think it’s a perfectly valid interpretation
Depending where you are in your fashion “journey” or what your fashion goals are, the importantance of versatility can vary
And probably a more eye-opening one for people.
Yeah, you're right. Just a matter of perspective. I should have said "interpreted" not "reinterpreted"
Sorry did I walk into an argument? I just wanted to share my cool jeans
No, it's all good. I just find the different perspectives interesting.
This should be the tagline of the MFA discord. 🙂
I thought the point of this thread was just to answer the question for your own personal wardrobe
It is important to me, versatility is wearability otherwise all I have left are statement pieces or bricks. The most versatile piece in my closet is probably my chelsea boots though pants are normally the anchor for my outfits. I wear them with straight and slim fit pants. I don’t think they are as versatile shoes in general but that have been for me. Conversely, Nike blazers have been my piece that I can’t get it to work with anything in my wardrobe
I think if you see someone that has an aesthetic you’re interested in talking about a piece they find particularly useful/versatile, that can be a great stepping stone in to that aesthetic
Versatility is still very important to me - I think of a versatile piece as having multiple styling options. I can wear my bomber jacket with collar down or stood up - the jeans cuffed or uncuffed - the shirt as inner or outerwear - even my tee shirt with sleeves rolled or hanging. I can also appreciate easy to pair materials - the black denim above being an obvious choice, the bomber above being more difficult because it glitters in light and reads as more luxe
I’m the guy who owns a grand total of 3 pants, 3 shirts, and 4 pairs of shoes, so just because I buy fairly high end stuff doesn’t mean I don’t take it into consideration
This seems like a great thing to aspire to.
Probably my most versatile item is my fatigues (MFA meme answer), work with streetwear, prep, workwear, just super easy to work with, and I can wear them year round (some summer days are rough though). I got them later in the winter so theres not a ton of winter fits and my older fits are worse imo, but I'm confident they will be a year-round staple.
Now I finally have some jeans that hit what I want so I suspect those will become just as versatile for me too lol.
Versatility is semi-important, to make sure its consistent with the rest of my wardrobe, but dependant on item.
speak for yourself lol
I would hate that
Yeah, I think it’s easy to fall in to the interpretation that versatility is the endgame for garments. This is the ethic of the basic bastard to an extent
well I'm certainly not speaking for anyone else. 🙂
Who are you talking about here
@smiiles. and @closedbookexam are making me realize...I need better pants!
Versatility is different for everyone - I would find Levi’s 501s extremely difficult to style with my wardrobe, while one of my current goals is to pick up needles hd pants, which I’m confident will work well with what I own despite being ostensibly weird or unusual
100% it's contextual to your wardrobe
No one in particular
I think there’s some basic groundwork - my lemaire jeans work the same way as Levi’s 501 functionally in that I can wear them to a nice dinner or on a casual hike, but aesthetically they are quite different
I think @charlie's way of approaching the question makes the most sense for this thread. If versatility doesn't affect their wardrobe that's also a very valid way of constructing a wardrobe. You can construct an eclectic wardrobe that's sick, or you can construct one around versatile basics with statement pieces added on. I think the eclectic way is somewhat more advanced, but not like inherently better or worse. It's all different approaches! I'm personally in a moment where I'm getting a lot more interested in the types of wardrobes not oriented around basics although mine still is in a lot of respects. I can also see this as a useful thread for beginners for like what pieces turn out to be useful in different aesthetics. To then answer this question for me: I wear my grant stone loafers literally all the time and in fits with a ton of different vibes. same with the OG107 fatigues. i mean my aesthetic definitely is in the like EG/ametora trend so it's deeply unsurprising
i gotta get me some fatigues one of these days.
mfw i type a rambling answer and people articulate the same idea better in 1 sentence 
theres cheaper options than orslow as well lol, though the ones I have are orslow
But some people have the resources to shop in boutiques and give a specific aesthetic a try with little care, while some are sweating over what’s the best $50 mall jean because that’s what they can afford that month
I do give considerable thought to the functional versatility of what I own. I just returned a beautiful pair of studio Nicholson pants because I realized the material would be just too warm for me, someone who runs extremely hot. Even though they would have fit into my wardrobe aesthetically well, they would have lacked the functional flexibility i demand from everything I own
Tread carefully lol
tried stan rays - weirdly tight in the hip area below the belt. Trying UW Fatigue pants and I’ll see how that goes. I particularly like that it has side adjusters. Just waiting for it to be delivered now
I living with Charlie genuinely made me think that versatility is more about the person than the piece, not 100% but a big chunk
vintage og107s for sure are the move. i went through the same progression with stan rays
Because you can do a lot of weird shit with any piece of fabric and make it work in a lot of different ways
I proxied the orslows so the price wasn't bad at all, think they were like $150 converted (not including the shipping spread out accross the proxy order)
Taking a slightly different approach to the question, I enjoy stuff that is designed to be worn as several different garments, like my turtleneck/dress thing.
yeah i mean seeing the way that @charlie uses shirts is another dimension of versatility. less like "these stripes go with everything" and more like "this garment can be used in many different ways in my wardrobe"
course they were too big in the waist so i had to get that tailored in but i actually like how it turned out in the legs, though i think the tailor borked the seat slightly
Is that a cutout in the centre?
JAS?
Nice. Gotta get that centre cleavage.
He’s doing a pop up soon, gonna be cool to see it in person
🥺
Bubble pants are goated
i mean that as a complement! finding different uses for a garment is cool
I took it as a compliment! Thank you
parsing tone over emoji moment 
Nice. Im just patiently waiting for an ebay search alert I’ve got for orslows
My Barbour bedale jacket is I think one of my most versatile in my wardrobe. I’m able to dress it up or down and wear with different styles
Least I think for me are my Issey miyake pleated pants. I love them tho and try to wear them whenever I can
the versatility of a single garment is kind of defined by the rest of your wardrobe
All my pieces are pretty boring and versatile lol. But probably a blue chore coat or fatigues are a good bet
Versatility used to be important to me, I got into fashion with a minimalist everything goes with everything style. Now I'm picky and only buy stuff I really love, and they happen to be versatile as a bonus.
Buying a white OCBD because it’s versatile 
If you love it and you wear it a lot, sometimes in different contexts, it’s versatile 🤷♂️
Buying a white OCBD because you love it 
caresses collar roll
caresses collar rollfr
Ya if you love something you'll find excuses to wear it
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Imo, the sneaker market is the best example of balance of mens fashion. It's diverse. It has practical and affordable options. It has minimialism. It also has lots of creative, stylish and takes risks. No matter who you are or what you're looking for, if you go at a sneaker store, you'll find something that fits exactly who you are. I wish this were the case for shirts, pants and outerwear too.
tbf this thread is honestly
exactly how it would be
even if the sub existed in its old state
Something i have found super versatile and works within the whole spectrum of what i feel my style is would be a western denim shirt. Super easy to throw on with almost anything i wear and have it make sense
I dont tend to think in terms of versatility when im buying stuff anymore but it does help to have a few of those pieces that you can consistently grab and go and feel good about
Sneakerheads say this then put together the worst fit you've ever seen
Others would be my black and brown sidezip boots, my guncheck polo jacket, and my tan flannel pants
Wym $$$ sneakers = 🔥 fit
an outfit comprised of my most versatile items
At this point, I don’t really consider versatility as much as “will I wear this more than 3x a year?”
That said, my most versatile item is probably the snap denim shirt I have from Wythe. Least versatile is my Byborre sweatsuit
black skinny jeans.
Versatile: orslow jeans
Not versatile: massive dries coat
most versatile: boxers. they go with anything
least is this pink crepe suit i got way before the barbie movie and have since only been able to wear to see the barbie movie
or my tux which there's literally only one way to wear a tux!
most versatile: Straight leg dark blue Edwin jeans.
least: digi camo milsurp overshirt. I'm sure I can get something going with the Big Parka once it gets cooler though.
Digi cam worst cam (for fashion)
It's my 'I can fix her' piece
I see versatility in the context of your own "dress code" and how much you can stretch it when needed. In my case, my usual dress code is smart casual, however, I have some pieces that can extend itself into a passable business casual outfit when needed and would also look at home when I need to be in a super casual environment.
If I were to relate this concept into an item, it would be someone who's favorite shoes are Tyrolean shoes and how they find ways to make it wearable with suits or even with shorts.