The Art of a Gentleman - Part II
“Change is the only constant in life,” Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said. From the Great Depression, to prohibition. The Vietnam War, to Woodstock. The birth of hip-hop, to the boom of the internet. Clinton, to Bush, to Obama, to Trump. Pre COVID-19, to now. Change IS the only constant (for the better and for worse) but in this post we are examining the change in fashion. Heraclitus, who was alive around 500 B.C., also said, “Character is destiny.” What I gather from both of his quotes is that while we may be unable to control life and outside circumstances, our future is determined by ourselves.
In the beginning of the 1900’s, most occupations had a uniform. Whether figuratively, or literally, blue collar workers had a crease in their pants, and tucked in their button-down shirts. The milkman had a uniform and even the man pumping your gas wore a uniform, and it was always ironed. Amongst a plethora of other reasons such as brand identity, people and companies implemented uniforms because they took their jobs seriously and wanted to establish a level of respect with the public upon first impression. Today, there are fewer professions that require a uniform to be worn but pilots, medical staff, firefighters, our military branches, still do to name a few.
The level of presentability faded little by little over the years and I believe music inspired by the culture is a key component for the vehicle of change. Fashions adapted during prohibition and the height of the Jazz Age, when the sexual repression of women began to give and showing more skin became acceptable. Daisy Buchanan, the literary style icon, danced the nights away at Jay Gatsby’s estate. While the dresses may have gotten shorter, dressing deliberately in pressed outfits was still the standard.
Jump ahead a few decades to after World War II and into the 1950's, with women wearing tea length dresses and the men donning slim fitted suits with skinny ties, a la The Beatles, and a fedora. During this time a counterculture wave of fashion was also ushered in by James Dean. Enter the classic white t-shirt, leather jacket, and converse because looking like a bad boy never felt so good and as a culture, we began to become more relaxed with our style and just wanted to Shake, Rattle and Roll, to Elvis Presley.
The Vietnam War enveloped our country from 1955 to 1975 and during this period we got rebellious. With Jimi Hendrix and Woodstock, as a society and culture we craved the feeling of liberation and became more rock n roll. Freedom of speech, sex, drugs, and the second wave of feminism were all ushered in as our fashion became freer spirited and we rebelled against ‘The Man’ and institutions.
In the 80’s and into the 90’s we had the large-scale emergence of hip-hop and streetwear. FUBU, Cross Colours, and Dapper Dan’s iconic designs were what we wanted to rock. We wanted to fly like Michael Jordan and rhyme like Biggie. All of these infamous brands and stars were built on freedom; freedom of being able to be different. Stepping outside the box and not conforming.
In the 2000’s to present day our icons became men like Steve Jobs, who made it cool to wear a simple turtleneck with jeans and sneakers. Your clothing no longer became a symbol or indicator of wealth, status or education. The Zuckerberg/ Dorsey era made having a nice wrist and the right sneakers, or frankly the lack thereof, the new suit and tie.
The art of dressing like a ‘gentleman’ faded overtime because with every decade the next generation of boys who become men were influenced by the culture and the culture became more relaxed. We lost a bit of the luster and pride we took in how we dressed. The art of a gentleman has been lost by virtue of the fact that there hasn’t been enough people pushing for it and the standard has changed in the world.
What I would like to be a proponent for is dressing with intention. Take a moment in the morning and think about what articles of clothing you would like to wear, the subliminal messages that it sends, and then choose accordingly. But, keep in mind, there is a reason why classic trends stand the test of time, because they are classic. If you are investing in new articles of clothing for your wardrobe, I suggest investing in classic pieces first before you run out to get the newest Fear of God drop.
-The Mr.