why fashion matters
Posted in etiquette, fashion on January 30th, 2005Before sharing my thoughts in more detail, let me get it out of the way up front that fashion per se is not about what Hollywood types wear or what parades at shows in Milan. Fashion is about what a person wears. While I may say that someone (like VP Dick Cheney) is not fashionable, in truth it is impossible to express “afashion” in the way we might call someone amoral.
I’m an admitted clothes hound and take this stuff more seriously than most people, but at its heart, fashion is about projecting an outward view of yourself. It isn’t a substitute for substance of character and productivity, but it is part of the whole package. When a person arrives at work or attends an event in less than endearing clothing, the person says something about himself.
The casual clothing movement is predicated on a belief that one should prize intellect and productivity. The cult of self-esteem among many young people (at 31 I like to think I’m still within arm-reach of that demographic) regards any judgment based on clothing to be facile and irrelevant. This attitude; however, is not consistent with their behavior in social settings, such as the dating/bar/club scene. Many of the very people who argue that they shouldn’t be judged on appearances at work are often among the most fastidious when it comes to dressing for a night on the town. So, appearances shouldn’t matter, except when they should. Interesting.
My point is simply that fashion does matter to people, but for some reason it doesn’t matter in the workplace, where many people spend 1/3 of the day. My point is to challenge readers who may think that they are rebelling against fashion when they wear chinos, jeans or all manner of other dress down clothing at work. You have made a fashion choice in some manner. Why not make a good one?
