Mr Oldschool
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 108
- Location
- Southern Oregon
Shadomega, a belated welcome to the Lounge from across the pond.
I think you're putting it rather well, the point you're trying to convey. It really is more of a philosophical question, it seems.
On the one hand, we wish to dress properly following standards that have long been neglected by the majority, although never disappearing entirely, and which are also constantly being twisted by the quirks of fashion.
On the other hand, we find ourselves in a society - or societies, and groups within societies etc. etc. - where different people react in very different ways when being confronted with someone who dresses classical with hat and all, sometimes in a manner that may be surprising from the viewpoint of those who follow these standards. The reactions are not necessarily according to the original intention of the well-dressed man, those being self-respect and respect towards others, among other things.
Considering that our way of dressing unfortunately does not always come across the way we intend to, what, then, constitutes proper dress* in our day, given a traditionalist point of view that the "old standard" should be honored?
*Proper dress meaning to include the behaviour that goes with it, like the topic of etiquette as discussed.
I think it's a riddle that can only be solved in practice. The thinking machine rather seems to hinder the solution.
Would that be part of your point?
On a side note, I think it's natural that this is thread a bit a of a hot topic. Don't worry. After all, we are a little passionate about wearing hats.
Thanks for the welcome! I've visited England and France once, and look forward to bringing my kids over sometime in the future. I appreciate your feedback about my ramblings. I keep finding myself lost in the middle of my typing, so I'm never quite sure how clear I'm being. I also often forget the reason why I walk into a room, but that's beside the point... Yes, I think you have my point correct. What we wear, and how we manage our appearance is an extension of something of our personality. The hat I wear, the jacket, tie, shoes, etc. all are chosen by me to reflect me, my sense of aesthetics yes, but also something deeper. I actually would say that I was a nerd in school, but not in the more traditional sense, just that I didn't have a large circle of friends, and not only was unpopular, but had a fair amount of people who actively looked down on me for being poor and weird. I liked science and sci-fi, continued watching cartoons longer than my peers, and wasn't exceptionally athletic, although I had a couple sports I did well enough at. The majority of my peers were wealthy and multi sport athletic, so I didn't fit in. Anyway, back to the point, I wore a fedora in middle school and high school at a time when nobody wore them, and was ridiculed for it then. I always wanted to try to fit in, but my sense of what looked cool was completely out of sync with everyone else. I would occasionally wear something that would get a compliment here or there, but mostly people treated me like I was a dork for being different. Many years later, I am still different from most of my peers, but I have learned to appreciate my own peculiarities. I recognize that I am ecclectic, and I'm okay with that. What's funny is that now, I actually avoid some things simply because they're popular, particularly with regards to music and movies. I find that what appeals to the masses does not appeal to me, and the way things are marketed when they are popular I often find offensive (i.e. "Come see what everyone is talking about"). It's a backhanded putdown trying to make people think that they're out of the loop. Since they start that sort of push rather early in the game, it also seems patently false to me. Make something popular by telling everyone it's popular. And the sheep come running... Okay, that was a bit of a digression! It's so easy to get off topic for me.