What happened to classic American style depicted in TV shows and Movies?

[Patek]

As I sit here in my crowded Delta seat smashed between a window and a non-fantasy worthy lesbian couple, my jacket slides once again to the floor and I wonder why this airline does not have the courtesy hooks for a gentleman to hang his jacket that their Skyteam partner, Air France, has on the back of each seat. Ah, it is because most American men do not wear jackets. As I look around the cabin, all I see is baseball caps and sweatshirts paired with sneakers and whatever the hell those monstrosities are on the feet of the girl next to be (perhaps the result of a botched abortion of the bastard love child of a pair of Sketchers and Doc Martens who eloped in the dumpster behind a Rack Room Shoes).

My girlfriend loves watching TV shows of Days gone by such as Mad Men, Mildred Pierce, Boardwalk Empire, and even Deadwood. All of these show men and women dressing in traditional American clothing. The styles change over the years, but overall the concept remains the same: Men not even thinking of stepping out of the house without a minimum of a jacket on which is usually accompanied by a tie or cravat and a hat. While I do not necessarily expect men to waltz around town in tails, tophats, and white gloves--a jacket and an occasional hat or tie would suffice. When did it become "strange" for a 30-year-old the wear a casual jacket in a casual setting?

I have come to one conclusion: It was the hippie culture that ruined it. Up until the 60's (at least form my limited view brought to me by Hollywood), men and women both dressed in a more "proper" manner. The counter-culture of the 60's made anything that "looks like something my parents would wear" un-hip and thus shunned by anyone who was anyone. Clothing never recovered from this shock as the 70's and 80's brought on Disco and Madonna along with shoulder pads, power-suits, big-hair bands, and leg warmers.

The nineties brought us the TV shows Seinfeld and Friends which advocated oversized long-sleeve Polos and running shoes with jeans. This was overlapped by the hip-hop culture that required the maximum amount of fresh air to be applied applied to one's boxer-briefs while wearing them, and baseball caps with tags still attached"”the purpose of which I never truly understood. Meanwhile, I am considered by my hipster and Phillies jersey wearing peers to be eccentric as I shine my shoes, wear a tie, and do not go out for the evening without a jacket. I feel out of place pretty much anywhere outside of Manhattan.

In the show Deadwood, real Americans pan for gold up to their knees in mud while sporting three-piece suits, bowler hats, and pocket watches. Men roll around in the mud beating each other too a bloody pulp to defend their honor without a thought to removing their jackets. While not the ideal choice of clothing for the stated activities, these men carry a certain sense of dignity and pride (and for anyone who has watched the show, more than likely a crippling case of syphilis) and maintain a certain amount of class even when beating their whores.

As a liberal, I believe in change and progress. However, I cannot imagine where the American style will go from here. I know I will disembark this flight under the glow of Las Vegas neon lights and I will elbow my way through throngs of tourists in running shoes, retirees in oversized Hawaiian shirts, and spring breakers in logo T-shirts. What happened to American style? Where are the classic American's? Do they exist only on Style Forum? Are we all just eccentric, snobby clothes whores? Is there any hope to change the world's perspective of American style so that it is not referred to as "whatever you see in the check-out line at Wal-Mart?" Is there any hope?

Rants and comments encouraged.

 

[Master-Classter]

get off my lawn ya damn hippies!



that being said, I do understand your sentiment. I think it's just a cultural change to be more comfortable, other priorities, etc.

 

[jrd617]

Why mess up a freshly pressed dress shirt and pants sitting in a seat for hours in a warm cabin?

Leather soled shoes = not forgiving on feet

 

[A.L.Z.]

air france has courtesy hooks on the back of each seat?? I thought there was a meal tray at the back of each seat? Or does the meal tray double as the courtesy hook? Or are you in business class? Or am I just confused.

Air France is the flying labor dispute and the worst airline on the face of the Earth. I love my heritage and everything but I draw the line at cheering for Air France just because. And if you are from Spain, Iberia is the absolute worst.

 

[kirbya]

As a young pup "in the industry," (kianda, at least), I can report that there is momentum in the market pushing things back towards a more formal culture where guys wear jackets. More and more people I know are buying them. No critical mass, yet. But at least some undercurrent exists in the marketplace.

Many of the tailors I know have done more 3-piece suits (aka. vests) in the last 5 years than they did in all the years they could remember prior to that.

When I travel, I always bring a jacket. Since I buy coach, I am forced to fold my jacket inside-out and carefully place it in the stowage bin right before takeoff and after all the other careless travelers have stuffed their carry on.

It would be nice to hang my jacket, but I don't trust the airline's hangers. They're worthless. I'd rather fold my jacket than submit my suit to such an undignified end.

 

[gladhands]

This is not a uniquely American phenomenom. We have this idealized vision of Europeans...they're the cosmopolitan figures we see in movies ang magazines. The reality of the mater, is that most men worldwide don't care about their appearance. The typical Brit or Italian is more likely to be a soccer hooligan than he is to show up in Recent Non-Sartorialist looks.

 

[jrd617]

Most I'd ever wear on flight would be rubber soled shoes, an unconstructed jacket, wool slacks, and an oxford.

 

[Master Squirrel]

Originally Posted by Patek

As I sit here in my crowded Delta seat smashed between a window and a non-fantasy worthy lesbian couple, my jacket slides once again to the floor and I wonder why this airline does not have the courtesy hooks for a gentleman to hang his jacket that their Skyteam partner, Air France, has on the back of each seat. Ah, it is because most American men do not wear jackets. As I look around the cabin, all I see is baseball caps and sweatshirts paired with sneakers and whatever the hell those monstrosities are on the feet of the girl next to be (perhaps the result of a botched abortion of the bastard love child of a pair of Sketchers and Doc Martens who eloped in the dumpster behind a Rack Room Shoes).

Where are you flying to? A vacation destination and a commuter flight will have different mixes of people.

My girlfriend loves watching TV shows of Days gone by such as Mad Men, Mildred Pierce, Boardwalk Empire, and even Deadwood. All of these show men and women dressing in traditional American clothing. The styles change over the years, but overall the concept remains the same: Men not even thinking of stepping out of the house without a minimum of a jacket on which is usually accompanied by a tie or cravat and a hat. While I do not necessarily expect men to waltz around town in tails, tophats, and white gloves--a jacket and an occasional hat or tie would suffice. When did it become "strange" for a 30-year-old the wear a casual jacket in a casual setting?

Be careful. When you examine photographs of people at leisure many men did not wear ties or cravats. Bowlers, boaters were more common than cowboy hats and fedoras.

I have come to one conclusion: It was the hippie culture that ruined it.

Actually it was changing before the Hippies and counter culture showed up. Men's fashion has been relatively stable in the 20th and 21st century. More so than most recent periods of history.

The nineties brought us the TV shows Seinfeld and Friends which advocated oversized long-sleeve Polos and running shoes with jeans.

Actually these were very popular trends and those shows followed the trends rather than set them.

This was overlapped by the hip-hop culture that required the maximum amount of fresh air to be applied applied to one's boxer-briefs while wearing them, and baseball caps with tags still attached"”the purpose of which I never truly understood.

I think you are referring to sagging? Sagging got it's start in prison fashion. It's quite a interesting story.

Meanwhile, I am considered by my hipster and Phillies jersey wearing peers to be eccentric as I shine my shoes, wear a tie, and do not go out for the evening without a jacket. I feel out of place pretty much anywhere outside of Manhattan.

Either accept them and forget about it or find a new crowd. I'd do the former.

In the show Deadwood, real Americans pan for gold up to their knees in mud while sporting three-piece suits, bowler hats, and pocket watches. Men roll around in the mud beating each other too a bloody pulp to defend their honor without a thought to removing their jackets. While not the ideal choice of clothing for the stated activities, these men carry a certain sense of dignity and pride (and for anyone who has watched the show, more than likely a crippling case of syphilis) and maintain a certain amount of class even when beating their whores.

They also didn't shower. Beware equating drama and reality.

As a liberal, I believe in change and progress. However, I cannot imagine where the American style will go from here. I know I will disembark this flight under the glow of Las Vegas neon lights and I will elbow my way through throngs of tourists in running shoes, retirees in oversized Hawaiian shirts, and spring breakers in logo T-shirts. What happened to American style? Where are the classic American's? Do they exist only on Style Forum? Are we all just eccentric, snobby clothes whores? Is there any hope to change the world's perspective of American style so that it is not referred to as "whatever you see in the check-out line at Wal-Mart?" Is there any hope?

Fashion will turn again. Zany Zappers will return. People will tase themselves in public to reach orgasm. It is a bright future indeed.

 

[Patek]

Originally Posted by jrd617

Why mess up a freshly pressed dress shirt and pants sitting in a seat for hours in a warm cabin?

Leather soled shoes = not forgiving on feet

I'm wearing jeans and an oxford with a jacket. I usually don't travel in slacks for that reason. However, I almost always travel in loafers (or in nicer shoes if I need to wear a suit). How are they not forgiving on feet? I wear leather soled shoes every day.

Originally Posted by A.L.Z.

air france has courtesy hooks on the back of each seat?? I thought there was a meal tray at the back of each seat? Or does the meal tray double as the courtesy hook? Or are you in business class? Or am I just confused.

Air France is the flying labor dispute and the worst airline on the face of the Earth. I love my heritage and everything but I draw the line at cheering for Air France just because. And if you are from Spain, Iberia is the absolute worst.

I usually fly economy as I do most of my travel for work. I do not fly Air France often but the last time I flew with them I flew Continental to Beijing and then Air France to Paris. In economy, every seat had a hook off to the side of the meal try to hang your coat.

As far as their labor desputes, I cannot say. However, their service was better than any U.S. airline and their food was actually edible. I work for a Spanish company and I have flown Iberia a few times and you are right, they are terrible.

 

[Onlyoneoklahoma]

Could it be the affordability of golf attire as well as a less demanding in general (clothes wise) work place?

Also, with the changes in how a work life balance is perceived, it makes sense that people would spend less money on their "nice clothes" and more money on their ski boat or lake house.

 

[mktitsworth]

As a graduate student, I feel your pain. I walk around every day looking at the kids around me. I teach two classes where I have to constantly tell my students I am not a professor, and I've had faculty members mistake me as one of them. It's ridiculous, and yet it's almost to be expected since the only people at the university who dress in a similar manner are the faculty - and quite often not alot of them. Mostly it's the administration and a portion of the faculty around campus who care not to look like slobs. It's made me feel like, on occasion, I am wearing a costume, rather than dressing to my preferences.

With regards to the students, I've found myself going "I know I did it, and not terribly long ago. Still, why do they do this?" I've come to the conclusion that most kids between 18 and 25 just don't know any better. The culture is not such that proper dress for men is upon well. Moreover, there are plenty sub-cultures which each have their own dress codes which is in opposition to traditional dress. But with them as well, to quote Brandi from SLC Punk "It looks like you're wearing a uniform."

Oddly enough, this, to me seems to be key, because I have noticed an increase in the number of people around wearing suits, jackets, and not just in the kitschy ironic sense. The hipsters got into slim cut suits and skinny ties as a way of being ironic and mocking, but it does seem like that is rubbing off on some, and I've noticed an uptake in the number of students I see wearing clothing that doesn't look like it was pulled out of the dirty clothes, smelled, and had someone say "Anh, they'll never notice." Then again, since I've started doing it, such a thing could be perception bias.

We are eccentrics. That's okay. I personally like being an eccentric. One of my favorite compliments of all time was when a friend of mine told me "[You're] iconoclastic to the point of being pretentious, but you're unapologetic about it." Classic American style has split from current American style, but that doesn't diminish or invalidate it. Given the variance of choice that is presented to the American consumer, it's quite likely that people would end up choosing to wear suits and ties simply because they like them. In the grand scheme of things, anybody who does so fits in perfectly well, because there's always a certain number of people who will do so. I use this as an excuse to laugh off the comments from my compatriots when they riff on my clothes. At the same time, while they're not yet sporting wool pants (and really, who would in Dallas in April?), they have begun looking better groomed and wearing things which could be described as different from above - more button downs, the occasional jacket. It's a start. In any case, whether or not there's hope, but I think the whole thing is on an uptake, rather than a down slide.

 

[acidboy]

guess this happened..

 

[Matt S]

Originally Posted by jrd617

Leather soled shoes = not forgiving on feet

You must be wearing the wrong leather-soled shoes. Mine are just as comfortable as anything else. I enjoy long walks in my leather soles. I often wear leather-soled slip-ons to the airport, and I carry a plastic shoe horn in my pocket.

 

[Nicola]

Originally Posted by Patek

As I sit here in my crowded Delta seat smashed between a window and a non-fantasy worthy lesbian couple, my jacket slides once again to the floor and I wonder why this airline does not have the courtesy hooks for a gentleman to hang his jacket .

A gentleman doesn't take off his jacket in the company of a woman. So look in the mirror the problem is you

 

[landshark]

Originally Posted by Nicola

A gentleman doesn't take off his jacket in the company of a woman. So look in the mirror the problem is you

You bang women with your jacket on?