City and Country Dressing

I write about city this and country that quite a bit, and a reader wrote back asking me to discuss the relevence of city vs. country clothes in a time when a man in a country style tweed jacket may be dressed more formally than the majority of men on the street in a major city. Great question, and the simplest explanation is a single word: color.

Every man, even one whose wardrobe does not extend much past shirts and trousers, looks more natural in colors that are related to his surroundings. Most people, men and women alike, wear lighter colors in the bright light of summer, darker ones in the depths of winter, and black after the sun sets. It makes equal sense to wear greens and browns for a walk in the country, and grays and blues amidst concrete and stone.

Things do not need to get more complicated than color but compounding the city vs country distinction are the application of common sense to different degrees of formality and functionality. City situations tend to be more formal, and city clothes tend to be more formal as well. Country clothing, on the other hand, tends to be more functional, in that much of it is designed for sports.

And so we have Esquire's city man making his case to a jury in a navy suit and black cap toed oxfords. He is in stark contrast to his Apparel Arts cousin who is watching a hunt in a gabardine shooting jacket, checked flannel trousers, and brown shoes.