This is a subject that I've given some thought to.
I'm a bit strange in that I have eastern Brahmin roots--and a strong sympathy for and experience in the trades. (I was baptized Episcopalian.) I know that clothing communicates, so I'm self-aware about what I'm wearing and where.
I think this also influences choices when it comes to what I drive, and accessories I wear. When I represented small commercial real estate investors I drove a Volvo S-80, but I wore the standard Khakis and button down shirts with a sport-jacket--not too nice.
Today I serve a church in the Pacific Northwest made up of successful entrepreneurs and high end tradesmen--most of whom earn 6 figures--the entrepreneurs, higher in some cases. But the PNW is odd and known for its libertarian and outdoorsy spirit. But there is still a clothing consciousness, and an interest in quality. (The boots made locally are considered some of the best in the world.)
When it comes to what I wear today in this area (if I were back in Boston, it would be different if I attended a business meeting): Redwing Iron Rangers for shoes, Hamilton watches (I have a collection), Wrangler casual pants, a mix of Poncho outdoors shirts (not cheap), or LL Bean button downs, and sometimes a sport coat (definitely on Sunday mornings). I fit in pretty well and my range is pretty broad in terms of who I can talk to without feeling self-conscious. The vibe I send is high-end tradesman and professional. I drive a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. If I were to walk into church one Sunday in a $3,000 suit, everyone would feel uncomfortable, including the millionaires.
My first permanent job position in an office, I wanted to make a good impression. I wore a white dress shirt, navy dress pants, and a black tie with a white and red stripe in the middle, tied in a Cavendish knot. My team lead took one look at me and said, "lose the tie after today." I got the impression it might be seen as me presenting myself as more important than I am (the branch chiefs and higher all wore ties, the engineers did not.) I took his advice, but I still wear a tie to church on Sunday mornings. I usually tie it in a trinity knot, maybe that's hokey, but it usually draws appreciative comments.
These days, I work either with military staff, who have uniforms kept to a high standard, or academics, who run the whole gamut of style. Some still wear tweed jackets and bowties like the absolute stereotype of a university Professor. Others could easily be mistaken for homeless vagrants.
Btw, one of the most influential non-theological books I've read is "The 85 ways to tie a tie: the Science and Aesthetics of Tie Knots by Thomas Fink and Yong Mao. It even touches on the mathematical field of knot theory. Might make a good last minute Christmas gift for young men.
This is a providential episode. I was driving my Mom (82 years old) to the airport this morning, and we were talking about how she was very close to her grandfather. They all lived in the same home in New London, CT (where the Coast Guard Academy is), and he would take her into town.
She stated that, when he took her to town to pick up something from the store, he would change from his coveralls into a suit and tie in order to travel on public transportation and shop. Everyone dressed that way.
My father (born in 1923) was very much a working class guy- a truck driver. At home he hung out in workman's slacks (not jeans) and a t-shirt. If he went out to the store he threw on a shirt and maybe his cap in bad weather. The only time I saw the man in a suit was for funerals, weddings and jury duty. For his own funeral I had to go out and buy a white dress shirt for his body as no he longer had one (he had been a shut-in for a while)-- eerie, that, buying clothing for the deceased!
Having been raised in a working class world, I find the notion of "everyone" wearing suits rather contrary to personal experience. Fashions do change with time and the suit may be going the way of knee britches and powdered wigs (the former at least did linger for a long time in ultra-formal circumstances- and British judges and barristers still wear wigs in court). I do decry the trend to dress like utter slobs, and that includes people who wear sweat pants (or yoga pants) everywhere. But it's possible to look good and respectable without a suit and tie.
This is a subject that I've given some thought to.
I'm a bit strange in that I have eastern Brahmin roots--and a strong sympathy for and experience in the trades. (I was baptized Episcopalian.) I know that clothing communicates, so I'm self-aware about what I'm wearing and where.
I think this also influences choices when it comes to what I drive, and accessories I wear. When I represented small commercial real estate investors I drove a Volvo S-80, but I wore the standard Khakis and button down shirts with a sport-jacket--not too nice.
Today I serve a church in the Pacific Northwest made up of successful entrepreneurs and high end tradesmen--most of whom earn 6 figures--the entrepreneurs, higher in some cases. But the PNW is odd and known for its libertarian and outdoorsy spirit. But there is still a clothing consciousness, and an interest in quality. (The boots made locally are considered some of the best in the world.)
When it comes to what I wear today in this area (if I were back in Boston, it would be different if I attended a business meeting): Redwing Iron Rangers for shoes, Hamilton watches (I have a collection), Wrangler casual pants, a mix of Poncho outdoors shirts (not cheap), or LL Bean button downs, and sometimes a sport coat (definitely on Sunday mornings). I fit in pretty well and my range is pretty broad in terms of who I can talk to without feeling self-conscious. The vibe I send is high-end tradesman and professional. I drive a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. If I were to walk into church one Sunday in a $3,000 suit, everyone would feel uncomfortable, including the millionaires.
My first permanent job position in an office, I wanted to make a good impression. I wore a white dress shirt, navy dress pants, and a black tie with a white and red stripe in the middle, tied in a Cavendish knot. My team lead took one look at me and said, "lose the tie after today." I got the impression it might be seen as me presenting myself as more important than I am (the branch chiefs and higher all wore ties, the engineers did not.) I took his advice, but I still wear a tie to church on Sunday mornings. I usually tie it in a trinity knot, maybe that's hokey, but it usually draws appreciative comments.
These days, I work either with military staff, who have uniforms kept to a high standard, or academics, who run the whole gamut of style. Some still wear tweed jackets and bowties like the absolute stereotype of a university Professor. Others could easily be mistaken for homeless vagrants.
Btw, one of the most influential non-theological books I've read is "The 85 ways to tie a tie: the Science and Aesthetics of Tie Knots by Thomas Fink and Yong Mao. It even touches on the mathematical field of knot theory. Might make a good last minute Christmas gift for young men.
This is a providential episode. I was driving my Mom (82 years old) to the airport this morning, and we were talking about how she was very close to her grandfather. They all lived in the same home in New London, CT (where the Coast Guard Academy is), and he would take her into town.
She stated that, when he took her to town to pick up something from the store, he would change from his coveralls into a suit and tie in order to travel on public transportation and shop. Everyone dressed that way.
My father (born in 1923) was very much a working class guy- a truck driver. At home he hung out in workman's slacks (not jeans) and a t-shirt. If he went out to the store he threw on a shirt and maybe his cap in bad weather. The only time I saw the man in a suit was for funerals, weddings and jury duty. For his own funeral I had to go out and buy a white dress shirt for his body as no he longer had one (he had been a shut-in for a while)-- eerie, that, buying clothing for the deceased!
Having been raised in a working class world, I find the notion of "everyone" wearing suits rather contrary to personal experience. Fashions do change with time and the suit may be going the way of knee britches and powdered wigs (the former at least did linger for a long time in ultra-formal circumstances- and British judges and barristers still wear wigs in court). I do decry the trend to dress like utter slobs, and that includes people who wear sweat pants (or yoga pants) everywhere. But it's possible to look good and respectable without a suit and tie.