midweSTYLE: Bridge

REAL TALK: I rarely have a very good reason to wear a tie. Honestly, events that necessitate ties in my life are few and far between. I mean, outside of the occasional wedding or sorority formal, opportunities to appropriately don neckwear are fairly infrequent. That means that when I wear them, it's typically for no reason at all. I'm not going to the office, I'm just going to class. If Mizzou were a little more Ivy, that may be normal. But in a place where T-shirts and sweatpants reign supreme, I figure most people just assume I'm a professor.

Now, switching gears, the comment we tend to get most when it comes to buying from thrift stores or vintage resale shops goes something like this: "I just don't have the patience to sift through all the inevitable crap to find what I'm actually looking for." While thrifting often leaves you frustrated and empty handed, I think I've come to realize why I genuinely enjoy it to the degree that I do. The prices are obviously the biggest draw, yes, but there are secondary elements to the thrift store experience that make it something that is, while tedious at times, still very worth while. For me, I love that it harkens back to a time when United States manufacturing was still king, before outsourcing apparel construction became the new black. There's something strangely satisfying about putting on a piece of clothing whose tag reads, "Made in the U.S.A." You guys know what I'm talking about, right?

LASTLY: Sorry for going YouTube crazy. Also, we're a handful of followers short of four digits on Twitter. Lets do this, team.

On Cameron: Blue oxford (thrifted, $2) made in the U.S.A. by Arrow Brigade, 15.5 neck; striped tie (gift from a lovely woman) by Kincora Irish Tweeds; brass tie bar (thrifted, $2); woven belt (thrifted, $4); chinos (UO, sale $10) by Dockers, size 31; desert boots (Christmas gift '09) by Clarks, size 10; "Preston" eyeglasses (online, $95) by Warby Parker; rope bracelet (homemade).

Photography by Jarred Donalson