I have not been wearing suits every day these past few months. The California farming town where I have my studio does not see many of them, and I am still not comfortable with how I have been dressing on the days I am working there.
The other day, that wavering resulted in a linen cap, a linen jacket worn over a chambray shirt and a silk neckerchief, light-weight twill trousers and my current favorite shoes, a pair of suede Sloop slip0ns. I fit in better at the local coffeeshop - there are no suits but there are odd jackets around town, particularly during the recent graduation season - and the combination lets me remove my jacket and roll up my sleeves when I get to the studio. But I am not accustomed to wearing casual clothes for serious pursuits. Instead of putting on my clothes and forgetting about them, I wonder periodically during the day whether I am doing the right thing.
I should probably be wearing suburban suits like flannel glen checks, tan gabardines and mid-gray frescos. I haven't decided yet, but now that the hands-on work of setting up the store is completed that is how I am leaning.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Undecided
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9 comments:
Yes, you should probably be wearing the suburban suits like flannel glen checks, tan gabardines and mid-grey frescos you are talking about. Possibly a few Italian leisure suits too. Maybe when people get to know you in the coffee shop they realise that your personality counts more than your outfit anyway, and you would not be compromising good style. I trust the coffee is a good Arabica blend?
You realize there are very few men as interested in their dress as you are in yours. From following your blog, my belief is that it affords you great pleasure and satisfaction. That for you, it is a form of artistic self-expression and realization. And I think that is wonderful. In short, you dress to please and express yourself, but in a manner you deem appropriate.
Some time ago, I recall an entry of yours in which your described a dinner in a fine resteraunt and noted, I believe, that you were the only man wearing a jacket, much less a suit. If the issue is whether your appearance is appropriate within the context of your social environment, the reality is that you will almost always be dressed better than those among whom you find yourself. I think odd jackets entirely appropriate, but so are country suits. And the answer to your question is probably to wear whichever mode pleases you best that day. Rather than one or the other, why not select either as your mood takes you.
Great ensemble, by the way, though I don’t care for the glasses.
"Instead of putting on my clothes and forgetting about them, I wonder periodically during the day whether I am doing the right thing.
" - So do I. I quite often fail to act upon late Hardy Amies' dictum and spend some time, as you say, wondering if I am doing the right thing...
Ease up Will! You look fine either way. I happen to like the more casual look on you. You have great clothes for every occasion, so don't worry about them -just wear them. Follow your own advice and be comfortable in your clothes. If you start rationalizing / blogging about virtues of the wife beater t-shirt and jogging shoes -we'll let you know that you have indeed relaxed your public standards a bit too far.
designprofessor
According to my calculations, when you (Will) wear a suit, you are better dressed than 99.9995783% of the population. When you wear something like today's outfit, that drops to 99.9984496%. Odd jacket and tie brings it up to 99.9989957%.
Great outfit. I like the glasses. I can see this going even more casual/summery with lighter-toned pants, hat, & shoes.
Putting aside for the moment the undecided question, on its own merits that is a great look and the cut, fit, and drape is very flattering to you.
Dear Will,
One of the great things about your blog is that it understands the difference between style and fashion. Style is important; it is part of good manners. Having style means showing respect for yourself and for others. Fashion, by contrast, seems pretty trivial and uninteresting.
You have great style so, honestly, just trust yourself. You always look great.
However, I do think there is another challenge, which this post brings up. I'd love to hear what you and others think about it:
If a person has really good manners then sometimes when that person is around people with bad manners his good manners will make them feel uncomfortable, which is bad manners on his part. It's a paradox.
The same is true for clothes, isn't it? If he dresses really well around people who dress poorly, it can interfere with his ability to have effective relationships with them, which defeats much of the purpose of his dressing well in the first place.
Any thoughts?
Matt,
Rather than letting ourselves be pulled down to the lowest common denominator, we should always strive to do our best, whether in manners or attire.
I work for the Federal government, which has no dress code. In my office, I was the only one who wore a jacket and tie every day. Now, most of the men in my office wear at least a tie every day, and one of my coworkers, one who still sometimes wears jeans and T-shirts to the office, also wears a tie 2-3 times a week.
Perhaps I made my coworkers feel bad for underdressing. If I did, I think it's a good thing. We have enough men who dress like teenagers; let's continue to show the world that it's possible, even desirable, to dress like an adult.
Lose the glasses, Will.
Out of curiosity, what is it you do in your studio that can't be done in your (presumably city-based) office, hence leading to the suburban-wardrobe vacillation?
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