While dress does not determine a man’s character, it certainly reflects upon him and his employer, showcases his evaluation of the activity he is engaged in, and visibly displays his attitude to others. Here are five tips for regaining a proper balance in men’s attire.
The new year is a chance for reflection and intentional change. Among the resolutions men should make this year is to restore a sense of occasion to the seasons of life. This will require the recognition that sometimes life requires seriousness and formality. These qualities in turn cannot be properly achieved in the modern world without a dark worsted suit, classic tie, and black oxford shoes.
There are several troubling trends that will complicate this effort to restore a sense of occasion through male attire. First, living in a Zoom world has eroded the separation between the personal and professional and has drastically reduced the demand for professional business attire. Second, most men prove unable to endure slight discomfort in order to look professional, while the corporate dress code continues to become ever more lax. Third, unlike the 1930s, there is a great dearth of well-dressed men who can serve as an example to emulate.
The root of this sloppiness in men’s attire is a failure to distinguish the public and private, and a loss of all sense of occasion.
The casualization of dress has destroyed all sense of occasion in today’s youth. Previously a man would dress for the activities he was engaged in, but now the only thought is comfort. This failure to recognize the rituals and seasons of life reflects the prevalent view that everything should be treated the same, and that how one dresses should not influence how people view him or his organization and has no impact on our own perception of the seriousness of a situation. The result is that men are uncertain of what to wear because expectations are vague, the options limitless, and role models nonexistent.
A man’s dress should be appropriate to the activity he is engaged in. While dress does not determine a man’s character, it certainly reflects upon him and his employer, showcases his evaluation of the activity he is engaged in, and visibly displays his attitude to others. Here are five tips for regaining a proper balance in men’s attire.
First, individuals should revive the sense of occasion. One may wear a suit to a wedding, gym shorts to the gym, and a polo and slacks to the golf course. One ought to recognize that not all activities are the same and to dress appropriately.
Second, understand the difference between the public and private realms. Men should dress one way for the public (as the occasion demands) and another at home among their intimate friends and family (as comfortable as decency allows).
Third, wearing fine, fitted, and neat clothes as befits the occasion is appropriate to the rituals of life—church, weddings, business meetings, etc. Dressing appropriately for these events reminds everyone that they are unique occasions.
Fourth, suits and ties flatter the figure of men and provide opportunities to set oneself apart. A well-fitted suit will hide the irregularities of a man that reflect his human frailties. It is also a chance to display one’s individual style—those who understand the rules know when and how to break them. Let us avoid the staid formality of the 1950s and instead imitate the 1930s, the pinnacle of men’s fashion.
Finally, remember the benefits gained from a proper suit. It is orderly, projects an air of professionalism, and minimizes our quirks and faults. When hiring managers are reaching decisions about you in the first minutes of the interview, why jeopardize things dressing like a slob?
Men’s attire is both important and slightly trivial. It is important in that it conveys to the world a message about us as individuals, reflects upon our associations, and helps set the tone for the various seasons of life—the serious as well as the relaxed. It is trivial in that the content of a man’s character is what matters and there are larger issues in the world that need to be dealt with than pants that shiver on the shoe, a tie that precisely ends at the belt, and displaying a half-inch of shirt sleeve beneath the jacket. These two caveats aside, men will benefit from dressing for the occasion and understanding the numerous advantages that stem from the inclusion of a proper suit in one’s wardrobe.
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Excellent. All men need to read this. As one of the last three men in a church congregation of over 300, I agree.
Left out the key phrase, “who still wears a suit and tie to church on Sunday” out of my last post!
I quite agree with almost every point made in this article and I’m someone whose politics tend to be on the libertarian left end of the spectrum. There’s indeed something to be gained from taking pride in one’s appearance and dressing for the occasion. Admittedly, I’m also quite the history buff and have a love affair with men’s styles from the 1930s and 40s.
Dress does not reveal a man’s character, but it can change his behavior and his view of others. When I was younger I took some acting training, and one of the most illuminating and interesting exercises we did was known as “mask work”. “Mask work” is donning a neutral mask with a neutral expression, and doing various acting exercises with it, starting with very simple but focus intensive tasks, for a long period (e.g. an hour). By about 15 minutes in, your view of yourself and where your mind goes starts to radically alter, and you start to dissociate from your own understanding of who you are. I also found that sometimes just donning a costume of a character, even without rehearsing the part or even having thought about the character much, is sufficient to instantly “click” in to character. You should encourage your employees to dress a certain way, not to prove who they are, but to have them become what you need while they are at work.
Mr Rogers:
I couldn’t agree with you more. It seems pitiful to me to see men who rent a tuxedo for a wedding, having never worn anything else but shorts or sweat pants and flip flops (to church yet!) and their obvious unease. Perhaps it’s appropriate to add that the way they carry themselves is indicative too.
But it’s painfully true as well that women so frequently dress as though they’re out to scrub the kennels or worse yet, to pick up a “client” at the local bar. Neatness for men and simple modesty for women (even young girls) would be a salutary beginning. Some few places have dress codes. That too would be a help. But perhaps it’s too late. The lemming principle works on every level. But thank you for an excellent article anyway!
Yes to every word. America has not had a good last half century, and one of its dismaying aspects has been the slobbification of the American people.
As an example, when I was a child in the late 50s and early to mid 60s, I was aware that one simply did not go into virtually any American city’s downtown on a Saturday without being “dressed up.” Because it was a Saturday, you weren’t likely to see people of either sex wearing the clothing they would have worn during the work week, but you would, for example, see the men wearing dress shirts with neckties and sports jackets, though “sports shirts”, usually neat, short sleeved knit shirts, were permissible; and “sports slacks,” at least, or trousers, but never jeans. The shoes might be loafers, but never sneakers! The women might not be wearing suits with gloves and hats, though they might, but they would certainly be wearing well styled dresses or Capri pants and beautiful blouses, and would be well “made up.”
This regard for proper dress applied to children, as well. I have photos of myself at not quite three, dressed up with my clip – on bow tie and two toned shoes for a Saturday in the Chicago “Loop.”
It’s a lost world. As it waned in the late 60s and disappeared in the 70s, something much larger and more important went with it, a mood, a spirit, and after that, the good manners and at least inoffensive taste which were expected of civilized people.