The Business Drone...

[The Wingnut]

Seen on no less than 4 different people last night while walking/driving through downtown San Francisco:

Black single-breasted two-button suit with black shoes, a white spread-collar shirt and a pale blue fat modern tie with a huge knot.

Looked like the same body with one of four different heads swapped in on each occasion. I'm not sure if these guys were all working at the same place and the look was a trademark, if they'd all been dressed by the same department store clerk, or if there really is a trend for that particular look. After the third one, I thought something seriously fishy was going on.

It was a look so generic and perfectly replicated every time that it seemed like more than mere coincidence.

 

[Jovan]

Men used to wear nothing but black sacque suits all the time in the past... but I see where you're going. It makes me regret getting a black suit as my first.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I had the misfortune to walk through the City the other day and yes, drone drone drone, bore bore bore.

It seems to be entirely age related. It would appear that when you reach a certain age/place within the hierarchy of business you get to put on a new uniform. All the 20-25 year olds were wearing the same thing. Likewise all the 25-30s, all the 30-35s etc etc yada yada. All in their own particular boring suit combo that fit with their place on the ladder. Noone, absolutely noone, dared to wear anything outside the uniformity-defined "norm".

how dull.

bk

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

At least they had the courage to put on a suit in general. A lot of men don't even have that unless it's a funeral, and not even so. It sounds like a step up to me.

Or maybe they were coming from a funeral.

 

[jake_fink]

Don't even try to make this a these-awful-times versus the-dear-old-departed-good-old-days thing, because it was ever thus.

Slough
Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn't fit for humans now,
There isn't grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs and blow to smithereens
Those air -conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,
Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town-
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week a half a crown
For twenty years.

And get that man with double chin
Who'll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears:

And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell.

It's not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It's not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.


John Betjeman 1937

etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum...

 

[Feraud]

I think the select few Loungers who note the boring suits of today are the same ones who did in the old days.
I flatter myself to be included in this group.

 

[slicedbread]

Life for the majority of people will always be nauseatingly generic. At no time will I believe that people were more individualistic(or more anything in most areas) than they are now...The only difference between then and now is that the marketers have finally streamlined a means of getting the most out of their customers while giving the least back. Of course, there are always exceptions and those exceptions, I'm willing to bet, are making the least profit.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Bring back the lime green leisure suit!

 

[slicedbread]

Bring back the lime green leisure suit!

Seconded! PLEASE polyester

 

[vonwotan]

My apologies, not true lime green nor is it polyester but, this very bright canary yellow (?) suit was purchased on a whim during a visit by Holland & Sherry to my tailor's shop in NYC. I really need to figure out how to use a digital camera, I can't get colors to come through no matter how much I try to edit and adjust. The lighting should have been adequate - but my experience is all with transparencies and film.

I just realized in looking at this suit that I'll need to find a swatch for Art. I have been looking at his Trackside, and would be interested to see what he would make to wear with this suit!

Boy does this need a good pressing. Being crammed into a garment box since I moved in August has taken its toll.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Don't even try to make this a these-awful-times versus the-dear-old-departed-good-old-days thing, because it was ever thus.

Not at all. Business wardrobe always boring. The railing is against the boredome. And the meek aquiescence to the standards of the business community. They SUCK!

bk

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Not at all. Business wardrobe always boring. The railing is against the boredome. And the meek aquiescence to the standards of the business community. They SUCK!

bk

This is why I have recently rebelled against the conventional striped or neat ties I used to wear in the past. From now on it's big, bold and colorful ties for all but the most conservative events.

 

[vonwotan]

For a while I substituted bolder ties, but I am finding that just a nice bow is still enough to escape the drone look, and a subtle pocket square is rare enough to set you apart. Every once in a while, I do feel the need to stir the pot and I wear something really over the top.

 

[vonwotan]

Here is the best I could manage for the suit color. Definitely stands out in a room full of grey and navy blue.

 

[Jovan]

Hey now, there is nothing wrong with a grey flannel suit and white shirt... especially if it's well tailored. That'd be practically my uniform if I could afford to wear it every day.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

This is the kind of business wear I like

Notice the red two toned coat, with yellow lapels, how exotic. The extremely large bow tie, so deboinaire for your every day workplace. And my, is that a three piece suit? A risk taker I dare say? And to top it all off, a red bowler with a yellow ribbon. I'd give him a hair cut though.

Here's how to go to a funeral with style:

You don't at all look weird and your clothes are never out of style. You're a clown and your purpose in life is to make people laugh, not sign contracts. That's my kind of job

 

[vonwotan]

+1 A well cut grey flannel suit with nice styling IMHO is timeless and allows more than enough leeway for personal style.

Hey now, there is nothing wrong with a grey flannel suit and white shirt... especially if it's well tailored. That'd be practically my uniform if I could afford to wear it every day.

 

[dhermann1]

Bowtie

For a while I substituted bolder ties, but I am finding that just a nice bow is still enough to escape the drone look, and a subtle pocket square is rare enough to set you apart. Every once in a while, I do feel the need to stir the pot and I wear something really over the top.

I finally went into the vintage clothing store up the block from me yesterday, looking for hats, and came out with three nice vintage ties, including one moderately jazzy bow tie. I've never quite had the nerve to wear one, but my girlfriend and I went to the theater last night and I decided what they. She loved the look, and I felt pretty cool. So maybe I'll start wearing a bow tie once in a while. Maybe I'll affect the FDR look with the front brim of the fedora flipped up and the bow tie. (Not really).

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Hey now, there is nothing wrong with a grey flannel suit and white shirt... especially if it's well tailored. That'd be practically my uniform if I could afford to wear it every day.

Man, i pray (honestly, i'm not a religious man, but i pray) to see a grey flannel suit in the City. These people are so stuck on blue it's unbelievable.

I don't know if you've ever seen the British Parliament on TV. Blue blue blue blue (no, not porn). It was a breath of fresh air when Michael Howard was leader of the Tories (and yes, it takes an awful lot for me to praise a Tory). Light grey suits, pink shirts and pink ties abound. Well co-ordinated outfits. A truly dapper gent. Pity he is who he is, but the man dresses well.

bk

 

[Benny Holiday]

The Man in The Black Microfibre Suit

That's the Australian version, anyway. When I walk through Sydney, the skinny-legged three-button black suit is so prevalent that I start to worry that a bunch of these blokes are going to accost me with a monotonous, "Mr Anderson!" (Of course, it doesn't help that The Matrix was filmed in the same locations!)

It's not pride in one's clothing, it's an attitude of 'this is my work uniform, I can't wait to get out of it and wear my oversized T-shirt and oversized shorts.' Which, ironically, is the ultra-casual uniform.