Photo: LIFE
A young man wrote the other day that he never finds an occasion to wear a suit, and feels awkward when he does as the people around him don't wear them.
To that I say that a man is who he is, and his clothing should reflect it. For the majority of men have never dressed well and to do so is going to be uncomfortable for a week or two. But, after feeling conspicuous for that little while, the suit-wearer realizes that no-one else is looking askance. And his appearance is so much better.
In this 1990 photo, the 81 year old Douglas Fairbanks Jr. poses with Jeff Goldblum and Tommy Tune. Though none of the three is an actor of the first rank, Fairbanks is remembered as one of the very best-dressed men of his generation. The others, closer to us in time, are rarely thought of at all.
Wear a suit.
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11 comments:
And shave.
Jeff Goldblum has appeared in many great films after this photo was taken.
A example would be "Igby Goes Down" in which his character is dressed in fine Trad clothing. He is remember and revered, even if you don't hear about him often.
Tommy Tune looks to be wearing a suit as well. Maybe you meant to say "suit and tie"
I agree. Suit up!
If you lived in a small desert town with an arid and very hot environment, would you still wear a suit?
An important part of dressing well is knowing when and where to wear certain items. There are plenty of places when a suit is unnecessary or, more importantly, inappropriate.
For the young man whose plight spurred this post, his lack of opportunity to wear a suit may reflect his work environment. If he's young and interested in moving upward within that same environment, he'd do well to dress neatly and professionally WITHIN the confines of sartorial acceptability in his office.
That is, if one's 62-year-old boss regularly wears a t-shirt with "tell ur gf 2 stop texting me" silk-screened on the front (mine does), then a bespoke, precision-tailored, fine-wool suit is probably inappropriate for the office. Instead, one should probably wear a well-fitted button-front shirt and tan khakis or dark jeans (I do).
It's about balancing the often-conflicting goals of looking good, sprezzatura, and fitting in a particular environment.
Donna, in a place like Palm Springs I'd wear sports clothes during the day and evening clothes at night. It's only when those habits are carried over to Los Angeles or New York that they are too casual.
I don't understand the cheap shot at Jeff Goldblum.
Totally agree.
I concur with Percy C. I am a hardcore movie/cinephile (I just watched Brief Encounter this weekend) and I can't remember Douglas Fairbanks in a memorable film save Gunga Din. I love Goldblum. There are much better examples of why one should don a suit in the last five years, e.g. NBA players getting off a bus pre and post Sterns mandate.
p.s. youtube "Jeff Goldblum Wafers"
Surely we'll always remember Goldblum at least for his early appearance in the Hollywood party in Annie Hall: "I forgot my mantra!"
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