Why Classic Menswear Is Still Important (Even In A Casual World)
Much digital ink has been spilled over the years regarding the shift away from more classic, traditional menswear and the casualization of society on the whole.
We all dress a bit more casually than our grandfathers probably did, sure, but the hand-wringing over the casualization of society is usually centered on the assumption that we have become less refined and, generally, more crass.
Critics of casualization say that it is an indication of us all being a bit less proper. A bit less polite.
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, though. I don’t think wearing wool trousers instead of jeans means that person is any better or worse than anyone else or any better suited to participate in a civilized society.
There is a danger in shifting further and further away from classic menswear, however. The problem lies in the fact that clothing is a form of communication. It’s a language. It’s a language everyone still understands. The problem with casualization is that it robs men of the ability to SPEAK that language!
Since everything is so casual nowadays, men don’t get the practice they need wearing more traditional clothes. They are therefore at a disadvantage when they need to wield the language of clothing and can’t find the “words” to express themselves the way they want.
A sober, evening work function? A black tie event? A casual summer wedding? A child’s confirmation at a church? What about just a day at the office? Or a first date? Or Christmas at the in-laws’? What about an interview? Or a meeting with your kid’s teacher?
Everyone still understands what clothes say. Everyone can recognize when someone gets it “wrong”. Everyone can spot someone who is inappropriately dressed, even if they wouldn’t be able to coordinate an outfit themselves.
No matter how casual your personal style is, you still understand the language of classic menswear. You still know what someone is “supposed” to look like in different circumstances. But can that same person put together an outfit that is considered proper in those same circumstances, if they needed to? Can they speak the language, or do they only understand it?
That is the main reason I started this website in the first place. I was never taught the basics of classic menswear, so I was at a terrible disadvantage when I entered the real world. I had to figure it all out on my own through trial and (mostly) error. With this site, I am trying to clear the path so that others don’t have to make all the same mistakes I did.
I can’t even count the number of poor first (or second or third) impressions I have made over the years due to my cluelessness around dressing properly. Only now do I feel like I can comfortably and naturally converse in this language.
I don’t think society is worse because men don’t dress predominantly in jackets and ties anymore. But I do think we wade into trouble when that casualization means that men are less likely to know the critical skill of dressing. Men need to realize that the casualization of society deadens their own ability to speak a language that everyone still uses whether consciously or not.
The “message” that classic menswear sends has not changed much over the years. Yes, some people nowadays interpret it as “stuffy” or “old-fashioned” but, to most, it says “responsible”, “mature”, and “respectful”.
Don’t lose the ability to communicate those critically important traits.
