This post/rant has been brewing for a while but a number of events over the last few weeks have brought the subject to the front of my mind again.
Firstly, I recently spent a few days working in a well known tailor and gentlemen's outfitter. The whole place had the air of a country house with wood panelling, antique furniture and a roaring fire. All it really needed was a sleeping labrador to complete the look. Anyway, I digress, the place was full of absolutely beautiful men's clothes ranging from tweeds and moleskins to sharp suits via some rather nice velvet smoking jackets and dinner suits. Not only this, but they had a fantastic range of accessories; pocket squares, cufflinks, collar bars, braces, etc to compliment the main items. I was particularly taken by some of the silk linings for jackets available in the tailoring section. All of it combined to give gents a classically elegant look but with plenty scope to add twists and flourishes to show a bit of personal style. Since I'm a bit of a dandy at heart, I spent a large amount of time there compiling a mental shopping list for when I actually have money.
During this assignment, it emerged that I have a bit of natural flair as a salesman. I certainly wasn't flogging snow to eskimos but I did manage to shift a fair amount of stock. I would love to say I knew how I did this but I think it was mainly due to my natural enthusiasm for the products (i.e. I was sounding convincing because I would have happily bought virtually every item I sold). Never the less it was quite satisfying, especially with the younger chaps who came in and who were asking for help navigating the world of smart menswear. I don't claim any great expertise but those around me seemed to think I knew what I was talking about and left happy.
The icing on the cake (if you'll excuse the hyperbole) came in the form of feedback from my manager who complimented me on my personal presentation. Apparently I got brownie points not only for showing up in a suit but for wearing it well. Now you would think that, if you were working in a tailors, you would show up fairly smart. I know not everyone owns a suit but certainly you would go with smart trousers, leather shoes, a shirt and a tie. Apparently not. The manager was telling me of some guys who turned up in jeans, t shirts and trainers. Another problem he encounters regularly is men turning up to work not really knowing how to wear a suit and therefore it ends up hanging off them and looking dreadful; usually not helped by the tie being worn with the knot half way down the chest and the top few buttons of the shirt undone.
The second incident that prompted this post was as a result of attending a formal event with my girlfriend and her parents. Her mother was complimenting me on my suit and my tie which lead to a conversation about how lots of young men don't know how to dress and even when the do put on smart clothes they look like schoolboys wrestled into the attire.
The trouble is, it's not just young men that can't dress. Middle-aged men really can't either. Let's call it the Jeremy Clarkson effect. You know the look; ill fitting jeans coupled with a shirt and some form of shapeless jacket. The usual accompaniment to all of this is a pair of manky old shoes or even worse... trainers. This isn't just casual, it's a combination of teenage boy statement casual and just not giving a damn. The clothes are there for the dual purpose of covering nudity and providing warmth and that's it.
I think this is a bit sad really. To me, it shows a certain lack of self-respect. Fair enough, a tie isn't suitable for all occasions (although my late grandmother would fiercely dispute that point) and yes apparently scruffy is "cool" but surely everybody should be able to scrub up if they need to and without looking like a sulky teenager about it. If nothing else, if you are going somewhere that requires more formal presentation then it is usually some sort of occasion. Surely as a mark of respect to the other people there and to the occasion itself you should toe the line.
Now I will admit, I do like wearing more formal clothes. I enjoy wearing my suits and wearing them well. I feel comfortable wearing them and in return, they give me confidence. Along with these I have a treasured collection of cufflinks amassed in the ten years since I got my first suit and a collection of ties which I wear at every conceivable opportunity. Even when going casual, I generally opt for the more formal take. As such, I am usually to be found in a shirt tucked into my jeans and with some sort of blazer/tweed jacket on top. Not exactly over the top but I think it shows a bit of effort.
Now I've used the phrase, "make an effort" a couple of times. The real kicker is that putting on smarter clothes doesn't really take much more effort than putting of scruffy clothes. In fact, it can take more effort to go for the frayed round the edges look and it has lots of advantages. First among which is the fact that girls seem to like a man who scrubs up well (James Bond as a sex symbol anyone?). Certainly a consensus amongst girls I have gone out with and female friends is that they love it when their other halves don an suit and tie (they like the kilt even more but that's another post). Not only that but from personal experience, I have found people tend to take me more seriously if I'm dressed in a smarter manner. There are probably all sorts of sociological and psychological reasons for this but let's not go into that here. Finally, and harking back to a previous post, it creates useful gift opportunities for those around you. Chances are, if a man goes to the effort of wearing ties and/or cufflinks he likes them (since both require just an extra little burst of effort) therefore will be genuinely grateful to receive them. Given the variety in both, there is the potential for many easy Christmases there.
Ok, in the last point, I was mainly speaking for myself knowing that most of my favourite ties have been gifts. For some reason I am awful at choosing ties for myself. Unless they have a specific meaning (e.g. graduate/club ties) then a little voice in my head spurs me on to go for creatively patterned ties which, although objectively are lovely, aren't quite my style. However everybody else seems to go for the more conservative designs which hit the spot perfectly. The one exception to this is probably my favourite tie of all. From a distance, it looks like it's navy blue with white dots. Only when you get closer do you realise the dots are actually small dalmations. Ordinarily I would never wear a novelty tie unless it was a bet but this one has a bit of a story behind it. I got it for my father as a father's day gift when I was about 8 and novelty ties were a "cool" idea. It actually worked quite well for him as he was a drama teacher; a shirt and tie were expected attire at work but at the same time, due to the nature of the subject, stuffiness was certainly unwelcome. The tie hit the mark perfectly being just smart enough to get away with but with more than a touch of humour (kind of like dad generally). Over the years it became a bit of a celebrity within the school with his pupils always trying to count the dalmations (a trend which has continued every time I have worn it). Anyway, he retired some years ago and as a result never really wore ties and on my 21st birthday he gave it to me to continue the tradition of wearing with a comedic glint in the eye.
Sorry, went off on a tangent there. For my final point I will say that I'm not necessarily advocating spending a fortune on clothes just to smarten up a bit. I don't think I have ever spent more than £100 on a suit but despite this have managed to gain a reputation for being elegant and well dressed. Equally a few well chosen shirts seem to me to be the way forward as they can do both casual and smart.
Maybe I've read one too many books set in the jazz age or seen one too many costume dramas hence my slightly skewed idea of what chaps should wear (well that and looking to Bond as a bit of a style guide) but there we have it. Rant over!
JR
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