Matzo Ball Billiards

It’s hard to believe that we’re mere hours away from 2025, and that it’s been over a year since I first published “4 New Year’s Fashion Resolutions for 2024,” in which I outlined some of my style journey goals and aspirations. Heck, this blog has been around for over a year now.

And what a year it’s been. I feel as if this was the year where I truly began to find my groove, and stopped buying literally everything that vaguely caught my eye in exchange for a more careful, considered consumption style. I still have ways to go, but I’m a lot more intentional today about how I look for clothes and what I allow myself to buy.

Partially because I don’t make a whole lot of dough, but also because my closet space is maxxed out. New purchases have to be carefully thought through. And I’m better off for it.

I’ve also seen my TikTok account reach new heights, with nearly 20k followers at the time of this writing and almost 3 million total likes.

It’s not all about the metrics though, because if anything, the part that excites me the most about the TikTok menswear and fashion scene is how it’s allowed me to make many mutuals, and even friends who share this odd little obsession with tailored jackets, big outerwear, and dead people’s clothing.

I’ve been making more of an effort to be proactive in the IRL menswear scene. I admit that while I don’t consider myself a particularly shy person per se, I do get nervous about wanting some people to like me, especially when I think they’re cool as hell.

And there certainly are a lot of really cool people in this space! I feel very lucky to live in New York, where so much of the menswear scene seems to thrive. But I’ve been fortunate to make many mutuals across the country and world to whom I look up to and respect a lot. I’ll touch on this more in my next post, but I can only hope to hang out more with fashionable friends in the coming year!

But enough of this rambly introduction. I’m here to look back on my post from last year, in which I deliberated on four fashion goals for 2024. I do wonder how each one has panned out, whether I stuck true to my word, or if I even scratched the surface.

Did I succeed? Yes? No? Sort? Let’s explore, shall we?

Reviewing Resolution #4:
Wear Better Shoes

Did I succeed? Sorta!

Good footwear has definitely been one of the more neglected areas in my style journey, but it was worse off a bit over a year ago. My daily drivers (for office wear) for a couple of years were these tan leather derbies by Rockport or something which, while comfortable, were kinda blah.

But other, more casual daily drivers of mine, like Converse Chuck 70s, are still in my constant rotation. I’m due for a new pair, but they’ll always be my favorite, go-to sneaker, I think.

I did replace those worn out tan Rockports though. Primarily, with these vintage dark brown Giorgio Armani derbies.

I wear them all the time, and heck, I’m wearing them right now as I write this.

They’re technically a casual shoe, being a derby, but I wear them with some nicer tailoring anyway. In truth, this is because I don’t currently own an equivalent in oxford form. So, I still have some work to do, clearly.

I also bought a pair of L.L. Bean boots, which I’ve featured a lot here and on TikTok. What can I say – they’re a classic for a reason!

In addition, I snagged a nice pair of Fratelli Rossetti tassel loafers earlier this year, but they don’t get as much wear as I’d like because I’ve found that my ankles are too skinny for the open nature of loafers and no amount of heel pads really resolves this issue.

I wear them around the apartment and for brief outings, but wish I could make them more of a daily driver if there’s wasn’t so much slippage. And I insist that they fit! I feel like I’m the only one with this issue, which is sort of frustrating. They’re really nice shoes.

I didn’t get too many shoes this year, so while I’ve certainly made some upgrades, I need to keep plugging away at this goal.

Reviewing Fashion Resolution #2: Become a Faux Cowboy

Did I succeed? Yes!

I’d long wanted to experiment more with western wear, and this year saw me buy my first pair of cowboy boots (vintage off eBay of course), my Buck Mason Japanese Loomstate Full Saddle jeans, a killer denim western shirt from Polo RL, and a cool western belt from Ralph, as well.

The jeans notwithstanding, all of it was sourced secondhand/thrifted.

I will say, while I do love western pieces, especially when paired with things like 70s tailoring, I’ve grown a bit more interested in other aesthetics, but it could also be a seasonal thing, as I prefer to go cowboy mode in the spring and summer.

All in all, though, I think I managed to mostly achieve this goal!

Reviewing Resolution #3:
Scottish Swag, Innit

Did I succeed? Yes!

One aesthetic that I’ve only gotten more fascinated by as time has gone on, is traditional British and Scottish country style. I’ve always loved tweeds – it’s my favorite fabric, after all. But it goes deeper than that. There’s something about the commitment to earthy tones, textured knits, and the mix between rugged and polished sentiments that really speaks to me.

I think I’ve definitely done my dues in exploring this style further. For one, I’ve been to England. I have a massive collection of tweed garments, much of it accrued from previous years, but with new entrees acquired in 2024.

Such as this marvelous, vintage 1970s three-piece tweed suit from Marhsall Field’s.

While American in origin, it fits into that niche quite well, I think. I’ve also snagged some Shetland knitwear, a Fair Isle vest, a wool tie (made in Scotland), some Lovat tweed gloves from Norwich, and more!

So yeah, I think I’ve been doing this resolution a modicum of justice. And I hope to continue! I’ve gotta get myself a Barbour one of these days…

Reviewing Resolution # 4: Fashion Murder, Inc.

Did I succeed? Sorta!

My love for Italian tailoring these days is largely fixated on 80s and 90s Armani, which is more reminiscent of old Wall Street and the Yuppie styles of that era, but I do still quite enjoy the menswear in my favorite mob flicks.

My primary accomplishment in regard to wanting to dress like a wise guy has been the acquisition of a marvelous spearpoint collared dress shirt by British brand Thomas Farthing. They’re one of very few sources who produce what is often referred to as the “Goodfellas collar,” which is a spearpoint so extreme, so pointy, that it practically swallows the tie knot when buttoned to the top.

And God, do I love this thing. It’s easily one my favorite shirts. It cost me a chunk of change, but I wear it all the time. Spearpoint collars are simultaneously very 40s and very 70s, though the way I wear mine definitely leans more into the sleazy sharkiness of the latter.

I think there’s still much more I can do to satisfy this resolution, like finding a neppy gray silk suit for myself or experimenting more with jewelry. But the spearpoint collar does a lot of the heavy lifting, and practically steals the show even when worn with some of my nicest Italian suits, like my 80s Cerruti DB and my 1990 Giorgio Armani suit.

So yeah, I’ve sort of made some waves in this area. Now I just need to get into racketeering.

Up Next:
Style Resolutions for 2025

That about summarizes how I’ve navigated my resolutions from last year, and I hope to share my newest ideas soon, likely in the next blog post. It’s been quite the year, and I do hope that this upcoming one brings new and exciting things. Good clothes, good bants, and more fun with this silly little hobby.

Cheers!