Hi I'm Ian! When I was growing up, I wasn't raised destitute. I always had a roof over my head and food in my belly. However, my family was not of particular means, and so I grew up wearing a lot of used clothes from places like Goodwill.

My mother wasn't the most fashion forward, she was always busy at work, bringing home the bacon as they say. My brother and I din't have a sense of fashion when we were younger either, we just wore what mom bought for us, personally I hated clothes shopping and saw it as a chore. In this environment I came to be someone who either paid absolutely no attention to the quality of clothing they wore, and even became someone who disdained the idea of nice clothing as something that was only made to differentiate people with money from those who didn't have it.

It was only later in life, actually quite recently, where I started to appreciate and better understand the qualities of clothing and other natural materials like leather. I have always had an appreciation for well-made goods, and I've always wanted to understand how well-made goods are put together. In the past, this interest had been more focused towards electronics and machinery, however now I have come to turned my attention upon that which I previously completely ignored. The realm of fabric, clothing, and fiber. A realm of weaving, knitting, spinning, and tanning.

While these might not necessarily on the surface seem as technical or as complicated as, let's say, a washing machine, But they are certainly more complicated, nuanced, and interesting than I expected them to be. I think what helped spurn me to this recent interest is a combination of having more formal events such as funerals that need attending unfortunately becoming more common in my life, and the fact that I am seeking to one day work in a more white-collar industry than I have in the past (since I am studying IT at KSU).

As such... I am in the process of upgrading my wardrobe, and exploring more of the options that are out there in nicer clothes. I've always tended to dress relatively conservatively with polos and such because I've felt that when I wear things like band shirts or logo t-shirts, that I look like a hobo, but he realm of dress, shirts, leather shoes, and nice trousers, beyond what I wore when I was in the Navy for six years are outside my comfort zone.

I also recently discovered that I have been wearing sneakers and work shoes that are one and a half sizes too large for me. Although it is embarassing to admit, I apparently had little concept of how shoes ought to fit my feet. It seems obvious to me now, but apparently if you can wiggle a pair of dress shoes or work boots on without having to undo, let alone loosen the laces..... your shoes are way too big.

Thanks for reading of my experiences! I hope a piece of info or a least a fun fact stood out to you on my blog!