I have no idea what fashion is. I was, in fact, unaware that wearing flip flops with pants wasn’t ok until this morning, when I read something on GQ by an (apparently) fashion-forward man named Justin Fenner, who doesn’t like how Laird Hamilton dresses.
“Summer’s most beguiling fantasy is that when it’s this hot out, the sartorial rules we follow in cooler climes can go right out the window,” he wrote. “In particularly oppressive heat, even the most stylish men can be tempted to throw caution to the wind (if they can find any wind, that is) and break every regulation that keeps guys looking reasonably good during the rest of the year. This is the fate that has befallen iconic surfer Laird Hamilton.”
And then they ran a photo of the poor guy wearing flip flops and (gasp!) pants in an airport. Which, to me, says, “sometimes airplanes are cold, and shoes are uncomfortable.” It makes perfect sense!
But, like I said before, I’m probably not the best person to write about what looks good and what doesn’t, because I have no idea. I have no idea because I couldn’t care less about clothes. For the most part, I wear things that I can get dirty without caring too much about, and things that, when worn in public, don’t embarrass my girlfriend too much. Just this morning, in fact, I greased my ball-joints, then wiped the excess off on the shirt I was wearing (on my truck, pervert), because it was a three dollar shirt and I don’t give a shit. And I did while wearing a pair of pants with flip flops! That was the fate that befell me.
Sure, I probably wander around looking like shit most of the time, but I’ll be damned if I ever spend $300 on a scoop neck tee-shirt that makes me look like Kelly Kapowski, only with smaller breasts. That’s a lot dumber than wandering around looking like shit, because you could’ve spent that money on something fun, like a surfboard or beer. The people that care about it are the ones with the problem–caring too much about fashion is the biggest waste of time, unless you’re a fashion designer lining your wallet with the money that people who care about it. Otherwise, you’re an idiot spending your money on something completely and totally useless.
But none of that means that people DON’T care about fashion. GQ, in particular, does. And they hate Laird’s style, in the most public of ways!
