WHY GET DRESSED UP?

Given the overwhelming informality characteristic of our times, and the resolute nonjudgemental attitude that most people have towards dress, it is a legitimate question to ask why one should bother getting dressed up. One reason is work, i.e. at a bank or other occupations, where appearance and decorum are important, although they are declining in number. Another is the reality that dress is the most important way one presents oneself. Another is connoted by the very term "dressing up," which implies some sense of moving towards a more rarified environment. 

Then there are times and situations where one simply does not care how one is dressed. This might be the case at home without visitors, or in the high heat of summer, or dead cold of winter, where comfort and protection against the elements trumps everything else. Obviously one is more interested in being warm than fashionable. Then there is advancing age, to the point where many people don't think much about how they are dressed and could care less. But for everyone else there are times when it is necessary and/or appropriate to get dressed up, or at least be wearing attire appropriate for the occasion. 

But in an age when goofy silicon valley billionaires give corporate presentations in casual dress, why should it matter? The first thing to note is that this casual attire is not something haphazard or accidental. It is a deliberate choice and a conscious attempt to make a statement of sorts, whether it be that they are just regular guys (they're not), or they don't care how they appear (they do, having presented themselves deliberately in this way), or they don't care about style  (which is negated by the fact that they have chosen this particular mode of dress).  Thus the feigned indifference to appropriate attire is simply a juvenile way of saying "I can do whatever I want and no one can do anything about it." But it also says “don’t take me too seriously.”

Why does it still matter then? When you get dressed you are not only presenting yourself for yourself alone, nor is it just a matter of making a good impression. It is, in fact, a signal of how you regard the people you are addressing or interacting with as well.  Being properly dressed for an occasion is also a sign of high regard for others. It is a way of communicating that you take them seriously, hold them in some degree of esteem, and that you care enough about them to want to elicit a favorable impression. It means, in the case of addressing an audience, that you respect them. 

There is a reason that people like newscasters, politicians and lawyers are dressed up. They must convey sufficient gravitas to be taken seriously by their audience. For the fact remains that the man in a suit is perceived differently from one who is casually dressed under many different circumstances. Look at the classic film actors on our masthead. They are men, and look like men in a way that today’s boyish actors, fond of dressing down, do not remotely resemble. They convey a certain authority that is impossible for today’s stars. 

Apart from questionable taste on the wrong occasions, all of this conscientious dressing down simply sets another standard, albeit far more casual. The result is casual wear that escalates in price, beyond all reason, according to fashionability. So even though the man in the suit has, in many circumstances, been replaced by more casual dress, the latter simply becomes another mode of dress with all the considerations that go into wearing a suit. We’ll explore this further next time. 

THE CLASSIC LOOK: 1. PROPORTION

The first and most important item in achieving a classic appearance is proportion. That simply means that the elements of your outfit should complement each other in terms of their size and measurements. This would include items like jacket fit,  lapels, ties, shirt collars, etc. that can be variable, and the width and length of each element. If any one of them is out of harmony with the rest it can throw the whole outfit off. In much of what follows you are going to find me somewhat out of synch with what passes for cutting-edge fashion these days. My advice is to avoid it like the plague, but you should make an informed decision based upon what you read here and see elsewhere.

For example, nowadays there is an unfortunate trend towards overly skinny lapels, as though designers are channeling the Mad Men television series. The first problem is that look was peculiar to the era circa 1962 and does not translate well in today’s world. Keep in mind that following that extreme, fashion went to the other, with super-wide lapels and ties that look preposterous to us now. In the intervening years clothing has settled within some parameters that could also have applied to the years before these two anomalous periods, and which are reliably consistent over time. If men were to go the skinny lapel route they would basically have to trash all their other clothing, in which they probably have an enormous investment.  This is not likely to happen so this particular design choice is probably ephemeral. If you buy anything with lapels two inches or less in width I guarantee you they will out in your next garage sale. 

What’s even worse is that they have come up with this jacket design without any adjustment to ties, and especially shirt collars. As a result you get a downright silly look with shirt collars that are too big and ties that are too narrow even with slightly thinner ties. The shirt, tie, and jacket are totally out of proportion and look terrible. Clearly not a classic look. 

Another objectionable trend is towards impossibly short jackets that are almost vest-size and end somewhere above or at the butt, (and certain fashion magazines are even promoting this look). But to most people it simply looks like a jacket that doesn’t fit, and if you add some baggy pants to that you’ve got a look that makes Charlie Chaplin’s outfit seem sophisticated. Yet I’ve seen some young men in Manhattan walking around like this and again the overall impression is that the clothes don’t fit. If current designers want to keep raising jacket lengths why not dress like matadors then? If this trend were to stick you’d have to trash all your suits and jackets, which again is unlikely to happen. For a suit jacket or blazer to look right it should cover or nearly cover your butt; personally I prefer the longer variety. A suit jacket is not a sweater or vest and should be nowhere near as short. Consider how a vest is proportionate to a jacket in a three piece suit. That jacket is the proper length. Perhaps they’re trying to put this over to save on material costs, or simply to be “different,” but whatever it is, it is the opposite of the classic look we’re concerned with here. 

To save yourself subsequent buyer’s remorse, always avoid the latest fashion extremes. You won’t be sorry and your wardrobe will have a long and useful life. That is of course assuming you’ve stuck to some of the classic guidelines we’ll outline here. One of the first is to carefully select your clothing based on how you look, not on what it costs. A good classic wardrobe is going to cost your more than a haphazard combination of mediocre clothing will, but it is well worth the price difference. Mens fashion is not like womens. The changes are far fewer and less extreme, and the best clothing consequently costs more. Thus when shopping you should be thinking not just how this outfit is now, but how it will be, say, five years from now. You could do worse than look over the past several decades, going all the way back to the 1930s and average things out to get an idea of what is true and lasting. For as with anything you do seriously, the best advice is always to pursue moderation in all things. 

Thus the first clue as to a good classic design is proportionate components that complement each other. The combination should make sense in the simplest terms.This is not just a matter of opinion for there is a reason our instinctive reactions to visual elements so often coincide. Ultimately If things do not look or seem right they probably aren’t, and should be bypassed by the man with good taste. 

INTRODUCTION

The primary purpose of this site is to provide some basic style and fashion information to men based upon standards that have stood the test of time, while remaining free of any commercial biases or interests. This site came about accidentally, as a result of the response I received to a side comment on my main blog, mostly from young women distressed by the cluelessness of their male contemporaries. So the intent here is to lay down some basic principles about classic dress, rather than to go on indefinitely. It will probably make more sense to read this in the order written, which means going back to earlier entries if you come to this subsequently. Questions are always welcome. 

I am far from a fashion maven, and have little interest in ephemeral trendiness, relying rather upon decades of experience and observation of what constitutes a good look over time. At the outset this site will be decidedly simple and without any flash, although subsequently there may be some enhancements and pictures or illustrations to elucidate various points. All of this implies a certain formality, which may be true, but we will also touch on more informal appearance as well, in terms of a relaxed casual elegance instead of looking like a slob. 

We live in an age where it is no longer possible to tell the rich from the poor by the way they dress. This is a relatively new phenomenon historically, beginning only in the twentieth century. Prior to our own time, the class to which a person belonged was obvious by the way they dressed. From a socioeconomic standpoint this may not be such a bad thing to the extent that the miracles of markets and mass production have enabled billions to be adequately dressed. Nevertheless when you look at fashions over the ages, what you see is only the upper end; rarely do you see ragged people in hovels. Nowadays since it is common for young technology billionaires to dress down, there is no longer that much correspondence between appearance and wealth. But that also means you don’t need to be a millionaire to look good, without dressing down. Today it is not income but good taste that separates the class from the mass. Here we are focused on the former. 

From old photographs we can see how well people in crowds used to dress before going out in public well into the last century. Now we are in a decidedly informal age, and this is about standards and rules in a time without any. So why bother? The first answer is that when there is an overabundance of options there is effectively no real choice as things are too overwhelming. However, if you limit yourself to certain parameters, within those guides you can produce a fine, and still often original look, much in the way that many of the greatest symphonies were written within the constraints of the classical form. 

Second, the reality is that when you are well dressed people take you more seriously and treat you differently. I know this from first hand experience, time and again. To cite one example, I once got a ticket dismissed with a less than solid excuse when the judge clearly reacted to my appearance in room full of people otherwise for the most part poorly dressed. She paid more attention to me and treated me more politely mainly because  was wearing a three piece suit.  So putting yourself together with some thought can pay off. 

Finally, when you dress well you tend to feel better about yourself. Your appearance will often correspond to an uptick rather than a downer in your circumstances or life. I’ve also gone through indifferent, sloppy sweatsuit periods, It doesn’t take all that much time to put yourself together well once you’ve developed some awareness of how you look, and the extra mileage you get is well worth it. Just remember that whatever you are wearing is making a statement about you whether you like it or not, even to people not at all style conscious. Of course there are different looks at different times. A power suit has an impact on men, but most of the time how you’re dressed says something to women, and since most men are attuned to the opposite sex, how you’re dressed is going to govern the impression you make. These are general observations, but this site is concerned with a particular “classic” look, and that is what we will focus on now. 

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