For those that know me, I like a fair bit of control. Whether that relates to what I’m working on, my daily schedule, what I’m going to eat tonight at dinner, etc etc etc.  About the only person who can wrestle that control away from me is my wife…except for clothing.  And, maybe that clothing piece will change with age, but I had this exact conversation with a colleague yesterday: “Does your wife shop for your clothing?” His response was, “sometimes”and “because she likes to”.  But, he also indicated that he liked to pick out some of his own stuff because it’s important to him to be in charge of his own style. I would say that’s in line with my thoughts and my clothing adventures with my spouse, though she definitely gives me clues on what I should look at if we’re not shopping together.  However, I am by no means a fashion snob, but yeah, I want to be confident in what I’m wearing.

Then, I signed up for something called Trunk Club.  In part, because I noticed this 4 plus minute video of the Trunk Club process on All Things Digital and thought I would give it a try. My dorky IT operations mind made me wonder exactly how they (to steal the title of the video) are “changing the way men shop for clothes”.  In part, because the 100 degree plus days in Texas should end in the next few weeks and I need some new clothes for Fall.  I had also noticed the side bar ads on Facebook for the last 6 months and even started to sign up once before. Though, I aborted that exercise at the time because I was unwilling to commit to yet another online task/service I would have to manage. Believe me, I was ticked that Netflix dramatically shifted their pricing and business model last year (see blog 1, blog 2, blog 3), but I do really enjoy not having to go out and groom my queue now that we’re just streaming customers and can access a myriad of options real–time.

One phone call, 30 questions and 20 minutes later, someone who I have never met is now constructing a “trunk” of clothing for me to review and try on.  I learned during that time that I’m somewhere between preppy and casual in my preference. Though, comfort reigned supreme in my final decision making. I don’t really like black shoes or belts unless what I’m wearing is black (which I’m happy to report my stylist agreed with!). And, I probably need a few more light weight blazer options. For both casual dinner events as well as fitting in with the Dallas Uptown crowd.  Severe sarcasm on that last item.

And, now the fun with Trunk Club starts. I’m allowed to provide feedback, and even send back if I don’t like it. My trunk will be here in 3-4 business days. Maybe it’s something I will like. Maybe not. Regardless, I felt like I might have given up some of that style control. And, similar to the Netflix experience, I might like it.