Sign of the Times...

[raiderrescuer]

I went to a Moonlight and Vines Gala at a local Vineyard featuring the Gaylon Jay Quintet (The Music was Excellent). It was a fundraiser for our Hospital and all the mucky-muks were there.

I was only in Shirt and Tie but a sad commentary was of the 200 some people there. Only half dozen or so suits were there and quite a few more in shirt and ties but the bulk of Gentlemen were wearing mostly Hawaiian Shirts and some Polos.

 

[Spatterdash]

Fear not.

There may be a bit of a cultural backlash on the horizon. College students are starting to visit the prep stores instead of the grubby joints. Banana Republic is starting to see more college age folk now that they've changed their inventory to something more like what they used to be.
Online tailors are reporting increasing business every year, men's guides are starting to point out how disheveled and unoriginal everyone looks and even the recent "untuck your shirt" crap with slacks and a jacket is starting to become passe.
Younger folk have always had some sway on fashion, for better or for worse. Luckily they may be growing tired of "worse".
Sales are down in almost every grunge-style clothing supplier and rap fashion is starting to incorporate actual suits slowly but surely.

There will always be the unconcerned slob in our midst, but they may have just lost their one moment in the limelight of fashion, thank god.
Keep in mind that people like those of us here in the forum will likely always be somewhat fringe. The one advantage we have is that when we choose to forego the retro look, we are quite capable of looking elegant to modern eyes,... well, most of us.
The basics of style never go out of fashion and the principles of good taste in the Golden Era are still accepted today in business/formal wear.

 

[RadioHead]

Not my ENTIRE life story...

I was going to start another thread, but this seems as good a place as any.

For quite some time I have been tired of seeing slobs everywhere I go. I'm not talking about the unfortunate among us who honestly can't afford to dress better, just your average slobs who appear to be virtually omnipresent. On vacation this year I passed through 23 states and many cities and towns of all sorts, and neighborhoods of all social strata.

Slobarama.

When I was younger, in the mid-to-late 1960s, men still mostly wore hats (although they were already on the way out), and women wore dresses. People cared how they looked when they went out in public. My father wore a shirt and tie for the majority of his working life, and my parents "scrubbed up well" when they went out to a function.

The neighborhood where we lived when I was born consisted of city-subsidized housing, so we weren't at all well off, nor were our friends and neighbors. But I remember all our apartments being clean, if not well-appointed, all the men of the neighborhood worked, and there was no garbage in our street or in the little common areas of our neighborhood.

Years later, that area is now a horrendous eyesore inhabited by, well... you figure it out. The "working poor" of today are not the working poor of just a generation or two ago.

In any case, it seems not to matter (or even occur) to most people that everyone looks and dresses like slobs.

Though I grew up poor, dropped out of school at the age of 16 and had a series of lousy jobs, I am now 51 years of age, with a government job I've had for 23 years and I no longer want to dress as if I were still 23, or 18 or even 30 and working as a gasoline jockey. A couple of years ago I decided "That's it for jeans and sweatshirts!" Now when I come to work I don't "dress up" as some of my colleagues have claimed, I merely dress in clean shirt, slacks and leather shoes.

I'm TIRED of being- or at least feeling like- a slob. I WANT to look my age, and I want to look RESPECTABLE at my age. That is my entire aim, now that I actually have a good life.

I live in a good neighborhood, have a loving wife, drive a brand-new car for which I wrote the dealer a check for the entire amount on the spot, I have investments, retirement savings plans and can do pretty much darn-well what I want.

I do NOT want to appear "retro" OR "vintage"; I want to appear "well-dressed". If that means wearing a tie from time to time, and a nice hat with a suit or even just with slacks and a sport coat, so be it. If people stare or make comments, it is more a comment on them than it is on me. Besides, in a town of this size, people will soon get used to seeing me, either as "eccentric" or something else. Whatever.

I firmly believe that a person who has self-respect and who takes care in their appearance is a happier person. A person who is polite and shows respect to others will, in turn, recieve respect.

Am I wrong? Is my outlook skewed? Is that a chip on my shoulder or has my shampoo stopped working?

"RadioHead"

 

[Lady Day]

Fear not.

There may be a bit of a cultural backlash on the horizon. College students are starting to visit the prep stores instead of the grubby joints. Banana Republic is starting to see more college age folk now that they've changed their inventory to something more like what they used to be.
Online tailors are reporting increasing business every year, men's guides are starting to point out how disheveled and unoriginal everyone looks and even the recent "untuck your shirt" crap with slacks and a jacket is starting to become passe.
Younger folk have always had some sway on fashion, for better or for worse. Luckily they may be growing tired of "worse".
Sales are down in almost every grunge-style clothing supplier and rap fashion is starting to incorporate actual suits slowly but surely.

There will always be the unconcerned slob in our midst, but they may have just lost their one moment in the limelight of fashion, thank god.
Keep in mind that people like those of us here in the forum will likely always be somewhat fringe. The one advantage we have is that when we choose to forego the retro look, we are quite capable of looking elegant to modern eyes,... well, most of us.
The basics of style never go out of fashion and the principles of good taste in the Golden Era are still accepted today in business/formal wear.

Prayer works.
[angel]

LD

 

[LaMedicine]

Only half dozen or so suits were there and quite a few more in shirt and ties but the bulk of Gentlemen were wearing mostly Hawaiian Shirts and some Polos.

I thought Hawaiian Shirts were formal wear...in Hawai'i.lol lol lol

 

[Slicksuit]

Don't get me started!

I can only hope that the trend is leaning towards more tailored dress. Why is it that t-shirts and jeans are like a uniform for the public? It's even more gastly if it's one of those free promotional T-shirts. And for dressing up, everyone seems to think that polo shirts and chinos are the zenith of dress. Ugh! Don't people realize how boring the polo and chino uniform is?

I work part-time at Banana Republic, and like to 'dress up' quite often. Sometimes I get looked at weirdly...it's almost like dressing well makes one a subject of derision nowadays. Whatever. If a guy can walk around in a T-Shirt with a big picture of Moe of the 3 Stooges on it, I will not think twice about wearing what I like to wear.

Fashion (read: mainstream clothing choices) tend to be cyclical. I read recently that Generation Y is starting to take interest in more dressy clothes, as they want to differentiate themselves from their more sloppy parents. Yes, sales of tailored clothing are on the rise, and corporations have made their dress codes less casual than they did in the dot-com era. I'm not sure how far back the pendulum will swing to dress clothing, however.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I was born in 1961, and so my idea of how an adult male dressed was formed during the 1960s, when gents still wore suits and, to a lesser extent, hats. In my mind, when I put on a suit, I'm dressing like a grownup.

 

[Pilgrim]

If I were going to a fund-raiser such as you describe, if it were an informal event such as a wine and cheese event with music, I'd probably be in a polo shirt or hawaiian shirt. To me, such events are times to relax and enjoy yourself. I wouldn't feel out of place in a shirt and tie, but to me, such events are informal and a wide variance of dress is appropriate.

If it were a sit-down-dinner fundraiser, I would wear a shirt, tie, and coat.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I firmly believe that a person who has self-respect and who takes care in their appearance is a happier person. A person who is polite and shows respect to others will, in turn, recieve respect.

Am I wrong? Is my outlook skewed? Is that a chip on my shoulder or has my shampoo stopped working?

"RadioHead"

I quite agree! :eusa_clap Also, I think that people that care about how they look tend to be more intelligent and self reliant. They are not easily led, especially by fads and "fashions". They think for themselves, as opposed to letting peer pressure dictate what they think.

 

[Air Boss]

It depends

I like my jeans and long sleeve tee shirts; they are comfortable. I like my khaki's and bowling shirts; are comfortable. I like my shirt & tie/sportscoat/ suits; they are comfortable. What I wear depends on what I am doing and who I will be dealing with. However, I find I'm getting more formal as I get older.

 

[Twitch]

I don't know, and outdoor venue at a vinyard, no less, doesn't exactly scream dress up. Did the invites say a certain attire was required? You mention the men. What about the women? Do they get a free pass since none were in evening dresses? How were they dressed?

I've been involved in many situations with WW 2-era ace pilots and their wives and they don't dress semi formal for BBQs, fish fries, mixers, entertainment and whatnot. The formal dinners state formal attire required on the invitations. If men don't have a dress uniform or tux a dark suit is quite acceptable. Again the women get by with tasteful outfits that are difficult to classify as formal, semi-formal or business dress.

Today we rarely require a dress code be included on written invitations for some reason so why are we surprised?[huh]

 

[Paisley]

I WANT to look my age, and I want to look RESPECTABLE at my age. That is my entire aim, now that I actually have a good life.

Wow, I'm not the only one! I don't try to look vintage, either (although I'm wearing a vintage suit today). I go for a timeless, classic look.

The irony today is that people who try to dress as if they were 15 or 20 years younger than they really are just end up looking older.

At the other end up the spectrum, those pictures of little JonBenet Ramsey tarted up and vamping for the cameras were hard to watch.

 

[raiderrescuer]

Ladies...

Most all the Ladies were in Dresses or Skirts with only a few fancy Slacks...not one female in jeans (there were 2 men in jeans)

It was at the fanciest place in town and they did serve all the fancy snacks like petits fours and had a Silent Auction.

Fat Tire Beer was the low end of drinks served.

Dinner was Hazelnut Encrusted Halibut.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Hazelnut and Halibut... wasn't that a Strawberry Alarm Clock song?

 

[RadioHead]

A couple of years ago I decided "That's it for jeans and sweatshirts!" Now when I come to work I don't "dress up" as some of my colleagues have claimed, I merely dress in clean shirt, slacks and leather shoes.

What I really meant to say was "That's it for jeans and sweatshirts in public."

At the moment, sitting on my couch in front of the TV, I'm wearing blue jeans and a Green Bay Packers t-shirt. I will still dress comfortably and perhaps a bit sloppily in private, but in public... not any more.

"RadioHead"

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Oh yeah, the back yard is fair game, especially with the high concrete block walls that are a San Fernando Valley staple. T-shirt, chinos, flip-flops and a top hat... only at night. lol