4 ms·

Dressing for nerds

6 points by seshagiric 17y ago

Mz 17y ago
Can someone tell me what the point of this is? Are they poking fun? Giving advice on how to replicate "the look"? Something else I haven't thought of? It seems lame and pointless to me. I don't understand why this was posted to HN. If anyone can enlighten me, please do. Thanks.
- Confusion 17y ago
  I believe this is some internet meme of blogs consisting only of similarly themed images, where the collection of images is uninteresting-but-strangely-fascinating-and-often-inaptly-described-by-the-blog-title. I've seen something similar with Burt Reynolds and something with bats recently.
  - Mz 17y ago
    Thanks. Can't say I really get it, though. :-/ I happen to like both clothes and nerds. I had wildly dumb hopes that this would be something good and lead to meaningful discussion. :-D Apparently not.
- jodrellblank 17y ago
  Because it can lead to interesting discussion: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136261 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136261
  - Mz 17y ago
    Unfortunately, I missed that thread 30 days ago. And this particular link does not look to me like it has potential to generate good discussion (as I have already said: I would have liked that). Thank you for the link to the other thread.
- olavk 17y ago
  It is just pictures of really cool, well-dressed personalities, and then (in the small pictures) information about what they are actually wearing and where you can obtain the items. I suspect it is mostly interesting for fashion-nerds who appreciate the detective works gone into finding what kind of shirt John Huston is wearing on that particular picture taken 40 years ago. It is probably not that useful as a general guide to fashion and for dressing sharp, since it is clearly the personalities that makes the clothing items cool, not the other way around. It may be pointless for people who aren't obsessed with style, but I don't think the site is poking fun of anyone.
  - Mz 17y ago
    Thanks! I missed the tiny type with the names. The only one I readily recognized was Robin Williams (listed as "Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Awakenings)". That makes more sense. I actually like "fashion" (dressing well), but my personal relationship to the topic has changed a lot over the years. I still find the topic fascinating and I still exercise my skills in that regard, but to a somewhat different end these days.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
blots 17y ago
I'd love some dressing tips for nerd women. All I ever wear is jeans, polo shirts and knitted pullovers. No glasses though, I prefer contacts. I don't even know how to dress otherwise or how to use make-up.
- Mz 17y ago
  I don't use make-up. I'm allergic to everything. So no tips on that from me. As for clothes: Pick up a copy of David Kibbe's "Metamorphosis". Learn what clothing shapes, patterns (stripes, polka dots, etc) and colors work best for you. Get a good hair cut for your hair type and face shape. If you have any health issues, work on those. Healthy people look better, regardless of what they wear. Once you have some idea of the shapes, colors, etc you need to focus on, try on lots and lots of clothes but only buy those things that are both very comfortable to wear and are also flattering. (With practice, it gets easier to shop once you know what works for you. You can eliminate most clothes in the store without trying them on once you have this knowledge.) If you are physically comfortable in your clothes, it helps you pull off a sense of "style" in the eyes of others. Elegance is not just about the clothes you wear but about how you move and that is enhanced by being physically comfortable. If you have self image issues negatively impacting your clothing choices, the best solution to that is probably having a positive intimate relationship with the right person so you Get Over It. If you want to learn about power dressing, there is only one book that I know of which is based on actual research into what works: "Dress for Success" by John T. Malloy. It's apparently been updated a few times. Searching for it on Amazon brings up "New Women's Dress for Success". I've read a lot of clothing books over the years. A lot of them don't have much value. If you want good results without investing a lot of time and effort into it, those two books are must haves and most of the rest can be ignored.
  - blots 17y ago
    Thanks, for some reason it didn't occur to me that there could be books on that. Honestly, I can't stand shopping for clothing, you can waste an entire day and not find anything that's "both very comfortable to wear and [...] also flattering" and making people take you seriously.

6 points by seshagiric 17y ago

Mz 17y ago

Can someone tell me what the point of this is? Are they poking fun? Giving advice on how to replicate "the look"? Something else I haven't thought of? It seems lame and pointless to me. I don't understand why this was posted to HN. If anyone can enlighten me, please do. Thanks.

Confusion 17y ago
I believe this is some internet meme of blogs consisting only of similarly themed images, where the collection of images is uninteresting-but-strangely-fascinating-and-often-inaptly-described-by-the-blog-title. I've seen something similar with Burt Reynolds and something with bats recently.
- Mz 17y ago
  Thanks. Can't say I really get it, though. :-/ I happen to like both clothes and nerds. I had wildly dumb hopes that this would be something good and lead to meaningful discussion. :-D Apparently not.
jodrellblank 17y ago
Because it can lead to interesting discussion: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136261 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136261
- Mz 17y ago
  Unfortunately, I missed that thread 30 days ago. And this particular link does not look to me like it has potential to generate good discussion (as I have already said: I would have liked that). Thank you for the link to the other thread.
olavk 17y ago
It is just pictures of really cool, well-dressed personalities, and then (in the small pictures) information about what they are actually wearing and where you can obtain the items. I suspect it is mostly interesting for fashion-nerds who appreciate the detective works gone into finding what kind of shirt John Huston is wearing on that particular picture taken 40 years ago. It is probably not that useful as a general guide to fashion and for dressing sharp, since it is clearly the personalities that makes the clothing items cool, not the other way around. It may be pointless for people who aren't obsessed with style, but I don't think the site is poking fun of anyone.
- Mz 17y ago
  Thanks! I missed the tiny type with the names. The only one I readily recognized was Robin Williams (listed as "Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Awakenings)". That makes more sense. I actually like "fashion" (dressing well), but my personal relationship to the topic has changed a lot over the years. I still find the topic fascinating and I still exercise my skills in that regard, but to a somewhat different end these days.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

blots 17y ago

I'd love some dressing tips for nerd women. All I ever wear is jeans, polo shirts and knitted pullovers. No glasses though, I prefer contacts. I don't even know how to dress otherwise or how to use make-up.

Mz 17y ago
I don't use make-up. I'm allergic to everything. So no tips on that from me. As for clothes: Pick up a copy of David Kibbe's "Metamorphosis". Learn what clothing shapes, patterns (stripes, polka dots, etc) and colors work best for you. Get a good hair cut for your hair type and face shape. If you have any health issues, work on those. Healthy people look better, regardless of what they wear. Once you have some idea of the shapes, colors, etc you need to focus on, try on lots and lots of clothes but only buy those things that are both very comfortable to wear and are also flattering. (With practice, it gets easier to shop once you know what works for you. You can eliminate most clothes in the store without trying them on once you have this knowledge.) If you are physically comfortable in your clothes, it helps you pull off a sense of "style" in the eyes of others. Elegance is not just about the clothes you wear but about how you move and that is enhanced by being physically comfortable. If you have self image issues negatively impacting your clothing choices, the best solution to that is probably having a positive intimate relationship with the right person so you Get Over It. If you want to learn about power dressing, there is only one book that I know of which is based on actual research into what works: "Dress for Success" by John T. Malloy. It's apparently been updated a few times. Searching for it on Amazon brings up "New Women's Dress for Success". I've read a lot of clothing books over the years. A lot of them don't have much value. If you want good results without investing a lot of time and effort into it, those two books are must haves and most of the rest can be ignored.
- blots 17y ago
  Thanks, for some reason it didn't occur to me that there could be books on that. Honestly, I can't stand shopping for clothing, you can waste an entire day and not find anything that's "both very comfortable to wear and [...] also flattering" and making people take you seriously.