The sartorial state of affairs
11-12-2020, 10:09 AM
#1
The sartorial state of affairs
I went over to a buddy's house last night. A group of us meet up every Wednesday to drink beer, talk trash, and look at cars (every now and again we even work on one or two!).
Due to covid I've been working mostly from home but still wear slacks and a polo due to being on video calls nearly every day. I had a pretty long day yesterday so didn't change into grubby working on car clothes and one of the guys commented that I was dressed up.
This got me thinking; in what way is slacks and a polo dressed up? Unless doing some physical work shouldn't that be the minimum standard of self respecting men to wear in public? I started looking around with a more critical eye and was astounded at the vast quantity of basketball shorts, stained t-shirts, etc. And these were on guys NOT working on cars. It's also something my wife and I noticed when we were visiting family in the UK. A significantly larger portion of people were dressed well, even just to do the daily shopping.
I was poking around on another forum this morning drinking my coffee and someone started a thread about flat caps and the general consensus was that unless you're a gangster, delivering papers in the 30's, or a 70+ year old guy you look like a moron.
So, that brings me to the title of the thread. What has happened with the sartorial state of affairs that taking pride in your appearance, presenting yourself to the world in such a way that shows you're proud of who you are, and if you fall outside the slovenly modern man image you're ridiculed and looked at as an oddity?
What's wrong with wearing a suit out and about? Not to say also wear a tie, or even a hat, but why are so many people comfortable with a poor representation of themselves to the world?
In sum, this is a meaningless thread where I decided to whinge for a few, though I am interested in the collective's thoughts.
Due to covid I've been working mostly from home but still wear slacks and a polo due to being on video calls nearly every day. I had a pretty long day yesterday so didn't change into grubby working on car clothes and one of the guys commented that I was dressed up.
This got me thinking; in what way is slacks and a polo dressed up? Unless doing some physical work shouldn't that be the minimum standard of self respecting men to wear in public? I started looking around with a more critical eye and was astounded at the vast quantity of basketball shorts, stained t-shirts, etc. And these were on guys NOT working on cars. It's also something my wife and I noticed when we were visiting family in the UK. A significantly larger portion of people were dressed well, even just to do the daily shopping.
I was poking around on another forum this morning drinking my coffee and someone started a thread about flat caps and the general consensus was that unless you're a gangster, delivering papers in the 30's, or a 70+ year old guy you look like a moron.
So, that brings me to the title of the thread. What has happened with the sartorial state of affairs that taking pride in your appearance, presenting yourself to the world in such a way that shows you're proud of who you are, and if you fall outside the slovenly modern man image you're ridiculed and looked at as an oddity?
What's wrong with wearing a suit out and about? Not to say also wear a tie, or even a hat, but why are so many people comfortable with a poor representation of themselves to the world?
In sum, this is a meaningless thread where I decided to whinge for a few, though I am interested in the collective's thoughts.
Last edited by F/51 LRS; 11-12-2020 at 10:12 AM.
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