Spring Break
Not your average stiff suit
by Aaron Mitchell Finegold
Staff Writer
Fashion | 5/22/07
Posted online at 1:50 AM EST on 5/22/07
/ Last updated at 2:02 PM EST on 5/22/07
I don't think it's much of a secret that I went to a prep school; anyone who has ever met me either already knows or could have guessed without much difficulty. But I don't let it stick with me too much-that is to say, it hasn't had an overbearing effect on how I dress today.
A friend of mine, a graduate student, will never wear a T-shirt to class because he deems it inappropriate. He attributes this attitude to his own prep school experience, where the dress code must have been strict enough to encourage proper dress, but also lax enough to not make him turn against all professional stylings.
Another friend of mine, whom I've known since I was 15, is a strong, outspoken advocate of the t-shirt. He once told me "guys who just wear polos and button-downs don't get it." I don't know what that means, but neither does he, since he was high on post-wisdom-teeth-extraction drugs at the time. Overall, I will admit that my T-shirt wearing habits have been greatly enhanced by his influence.
Unlike my prep-school aquaintance, I have another friend who feels that t-shirts are acceptable for the classroom, but not the office. He feels that when you are in a workplace, you should show more respect for the environment. Although essentially I agree with this sentiment, I feel that the boundaries should not depend so much on a work or school dichotomy.
I want to go into advertising (again, no secrets here), but if I want to be an accounting executive, I'm probably going to dress a bit differently than if I am going to be a graphic designer or an illustrator. Clothes inspire: A suit will help your client-and yourself-consider you more seriously. That said, if you want to be inspired to create, liberating yourself with more casual clothing can be beneficial.
And what about T-shirts for their comic value? I know someone who isn't Jewish who thinks he's Jewish, and has an "Everybody loves a Jewish boy" T-shirt from Urban Outfitters. And I thought it was funny when I wore it.
A friend of mine, a graduate student, will never wear a T-shirt to class because he deems it inappropriate. He attributes this attitude to his own prep school experience, where the dress code must have been strict enough to encourage proper dress, but also lax enough to not make him turn against all professional stylings.
Another friend of mine, whom I've known since I was 15, is a strong, outspoken advocate of the t-shirt. He once told me "guys who just wear polos and button-downs don't get it." I don't know what that means, but neither does he, since he was high on post-wisdom-teeth-extraction drugs at the time. Overall, I will admit that my T-shirt wearing habits have been greatly enhanced by his influence.
Unlike my prep-school aquaintance, I have another friend who feels that t-shirts are acceptable for the classroom, but not the office. He feels that when you are in a workplace, you should show more respect for the environment. Although essentially I agree with this sentiment, I feel that the boundaries should not depend so much on a work or school dichotomy.
I want to go into advertising (again, no secrets here), but if I want to be an accounting executive, I'm probably going to dress a bit differently than if I am going to be a graphic designer or an illustrator. Clothes inspire: A suit will help your client-and yourself-consider you more seriously. That said, if you want to be inspired to create, liberating yourself with more casual clothing can be beneficial.
And what about T-shirts for their comic value? I know someone who isn't Jewish who thinks he's Jewish, and has an "Everybody loves a Jewish boy" T-shirt from Urban Outfitters. And I thought it was funny when I wore it.
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