I have no idea how this came up, but I was talking to one of the women with whom I work and we got on the subject of the type of footwear/shirt a guy "should" wear. First, I didn't realize there were any rules.* But just for sake of discussion, let's assume there are.
Under this. . .paradigm? Yeah, under this paradigm, I've been doing it wrong for years. Well, my whole life, it seems. She says that the only time it is "okay" to wear running shoes is if you are actually working out, or going to or from same. Well, this blew my mind. Although she has never seen me outside of work (where I always wear suits, a la Barney Stinson), I almost always wear running shoes, jeans and a T-shirt (and I add a longsleeve T-shirt when it is cold, and will forgo jeans in favor of cargo shorts/Utilikilts in the summer). My coworker says that she is embarrassed even to wear running shoes to the grocery store--where she has no problem wearing Yoga pants and a T-shirt. . .with freakin' flip-flops of all things.
-->Let me interject here that I have a powerful dislike of Flip-Flops. I hate the name, which--appropriately--rhymes with "slop"--and I think under most circumstances they evidence an absence of care for one's appearance. I think I mostly hate them because they strike me as the most impractical type of footwear ever invented. Flip-Flops are the D students of the footwear world. I submit that they *barely* even qualify as footwear. Anyway, I'll do an entire rant on them one day perhaps.
She believes that a guy "should" wear an Oxford type shirt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_shirt) and brown "dress shoes" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_shoes) (I have to note the hilarity I perceive in the fact that this wikipedia page recognizes 7 "possible" colors for men's shoes. So. . .the other colors are *IM*possible? Interesting). So, even if I'm just hanging out with my friends, I "ought" to be wearing: an Oxford shirt, dress shoes and jeans. Interesting. (If this blog were a train, I'd sound the whistle a couple of times and yell out, "NEXT STOP: Fakeville" ("Sorry, ma'am, the train doesn't actually stop at 'Pretentious Heights,' but you can easily take a cab from Fakeville")
What this actually leads me to conclude is that I am more out of touch with Normals than I had previously believed or even suspected. I suppose this is how Normals see the world? So, although they think it is awesome when one wears a suit, they think my typical (non-work) appearance is sloppy? Do most of them really think there are particular things one "ought" to wear? Apparently a sweater ("jumper" for some of you) is also okay. I sometimes wear sweaters, but never with an Oxford Shirt, which is what I think she was presuming. I also think that unles your name is "Chandler Bing" you have no business wearing a sweater-vest.
Anyway, color me surprised. Apparently I'm something of a "way-too-casual" dresser. Why didn't anyone ever tell me? :-)
Anyway, that's a nice bit of frivolity for one day. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Agree/Disagree? Have anything to add?
[I just remembered, we were talking about some restaurants in town that (apparently) have dress codes which would preclude my ability to enter (absent advance warning).]
*Barring the obvious social mores when it comes to all things sartorial.
I guess comfort is key. For me, I guess it is more about the style of shoe. A blinding white New Balance 803 is not cool. But there are athletic-type shoes that I would find perfectly acceptable. And if you are dressing to the nines every day for work, I can certainly understand your desire to go very casual on your days off.
ReplyDeleteStyle is a personal thing, and it is not universal across the board. Be you.
W.:)
Thanks, Wendy! It is funny--I used to feel like I wasn't "being myself" whenever I wore a suit. Now I've gotten so used to them that it doesn't feel fake. I guess I now see it as simply "me in a different mode" (such as "work mode" or "wedding mode," and so forth). Of course, Barney Stinson (the character played by NPH on HIMYM) says that "suits are the sartorial equivalent of a baby's smile."
ReplyDeleteIn considering that, I almost have to agree with Barney. If there could possibly be such a thing, what else could it be but a suit? (Hawaiian Shirt, possibly? I don't own any. What am I, Hoban Washburne?) I welcome input from you guys if you have a better suggestion than a suit.
I think you hit it right on the head when you say that there's probably a connection between my regular attire and my work clothes. Although I no longer find suits as oppressively uncomfortable as I used to, I do find them to be the least comfortable attire imaginable (with the exception of plate armor, naturally. . .alright, or a kevlar vest, modern body armor, etc.).
So, yeah, I like to be comfortable when I'm the one making the decision (hence the jeans, shorts or UKs). Although--in *my* opinion--there's nothing "improperly" casual about my normal garb. I'm thinking, "yeah, it's jeans and a T-shirt, what up?" I admit, I don't give much thought to any particular "image." I just wear what I like and what I think looks and feels right. For me, it's the stuff I mentioned above. *shrug* I do select what I think is "me."
I definitely think athletic shoes are perfectly acceptable as daily wear. Pretty much the only time I ever think someone looks "sloppy" is if he's wearing sagging pants (get a belt! Or suspenders. Or both.) or clothes that are just way too baggy. Oh! Also, when someone wears his hat askew. That just looks absurd. When I was a child I really enjoyed drawing and whenever I wanted to depict someone as incompetent or foolish, I'd draw him with a hat worn in that manner. I never would have guessed at the time that some folks would willingly be seen in public like that.
Also, and maybe some of those who know me can chime in, I think my friends would wonder what was up if I showed up somewhere in fancy shoes and a dress shirt. And I expect that I don't own a single pair of the type of jeans my coworker was imagining. Dress shoes would just look silly with my faded jeans.
Anyway, I could go on, but I think that sums it up.
Kelvar