“…up until a few years ago, I only had four suits…. Those jeans are comfortable. And for those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry. I’m not the guy.”
I can’t tell you how happy that quote makes me. Nosy-nosies in the news media displayed the appalling bad taste to make a fuss over the Prez’s baggy, relaxed jeans recently on view at a sports outing, and the above is Obama’s response. The Prez is an uncommonly intelligent man, a born leader, but he’s also a perfectly normal man. Like so many perfectly normal men, clothes don’t mean much to him. Fashion definitely leans more to the female side of the race, your occasional precious queen notwithstanding.
I share with many of my gender an utter indifference to fashion and clothes. I put on whatever I pull blindly out of the closet. For school, that’s a pair of Dockers or their equivalent, and a dress shirt. Everything matches with everything else because it’s all in reasonably subdued colors. At home, I’m even simpler: exercise pants and a T-shirt or a ragged shirt of some sort.
For more formal wear I own: 1) one good suit, 2) about four good jackets, 3) enough pairs of decent black or dark pants, 4) about a half-dozen ties, 5) two pairs of good formal shoes, one pair black, the other very dark brown. When I was giving concerts regularly I owned several tuxedos and their accouterments, but no more.
I’ve been needing a bit more business-y wear of late due to lecturing at the SF Symphony on a regular basis. To that end I’m planning on upping the “good suit” collection to perhaps three or four, and maybe adding one more jacket. Maybe I’ll even break down and add another pair of shoes.
I should add that when I say “good” I don’t mean fashion-label stuff. My idea of good shoes is a pair from Ecco—maybe a few hundred dollars max, less if I can find them elsewhere. I get my stuff mostly from Macy’s; it’s comfortable, they have a huge selection and the prices are fine. Nordstrom is great, but their stuff is more for people who like clothes. Besides, the service at Macy’s has improved from the routine indifference of the 1980s to today’s amiable, attentive, and very helpful salespeople who know their stuff and make sure that I have a nice time at the store. For a person who hates clothes shopping (me), efficient and friendly salespeople are an absolute must. Otherwise, I’m better off at places where I’m expected to do it all myself.
When it comes to clothes, I’m a PC and not a Mac, I guess. I’m very much Apple-ish about other stuff, in particular tech.