Over the past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the birthday celebration of an old family friend who has been part of my entire life and a big part of many lives for a lot longer than that. As Jack McGinty turns 90 this week, his children, with whom I grew up, threw him a fantastic surprise party at the venerable Cleveland Yachting Club. I had a great time catching up and reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances I hadn’t seen in decades.
I went to a Broadway show the other night. When I arrived at my seat at the Lyceum Theatre for Nick Kroll and John Mulaney’s hilarious “Oh, Hello,” I took a look around the audience and quickly realized that I was the only one in a suit, let alone a tie. It looked like a crowd at a Yankees game.
This is where we are.
Jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, flip-flops, baseball caps… at a Broadway show. I also hear that it’s not much different at the opera or the ballet. It’s no wonder why so many guys rely on anonymous nude or semi-nude profile photos on smartphone apps to get laid, because in person with clothes on, their chances are bleak. It’s a boner killer.
Our culture is awash in the relentless pursuit of super casual comfort. I look around and see a world dressed in the sartorial equivalent of mac ’n’ cheese, bringing the cozy, fleecy, stretchy, onesie, elastic waistband comfort of the couch at home with them wherever they go. If I didn’t know any better, I’d presume everyone was on his way to or from the gym. But one look at the bodies infected with the athleisure virus, and I know better. If it’s about dressing for the job you want, I’m seeing armies of aspiring camp counselors and intramural softball coaches.
I don’t expect to get anything for free (though I’m delighted on the rare occasions when I do). As someone who appreciates quality and standards, I fully understand that worthwhile things cost money – money that enables the creator of worthwhile things to continue producing and uphold quality and standards. I gladly pay for my clothes, my entertainment and, of course, my news.
As we ring in a new year, one can't help but reflect on the year past. 2012 was certainly not dull. Like every year, it was a year of hellos and goodbyes, ups and downs, victories and losses, ins and…
While President Obama’s campaign outspent Mitt Romney’s, American voters ultimately favored the middle class guy over the rich guy. In Connecticut, Linda E. McMahon spent her own $40 million for a Senate seat and lost. Different circumstances and dollar amounts, but a notable point remains: money won’t help you if you’re not interesting to begin with.
I’m going to get shot in the head for this: I can’t stand designer brand labels on the outside of clothing. The streets have been taken over by slaves of branding, overrun by Banana Republicans and Abercrombie Zombies around every corner. The Walking Dead in Designer Thread.
In terms of corrosive messages from the beauty and fashion industries or from culture in general, women are dealt the lowest of blows. Whatever the source, women receive a twisted message that tells them they won't get married, loved, liked,…
On the episode of Studio 360 from Friday, April 27, 2012, host Kurt Andersen talks with Salon reporter Scott Timberg about the recession's ongoing impact on the creative class: designers, photographers, writers, filmmakers, artists, musicians, architects, etc. While the economy…
Dog sitting two monkeys whilst I amusedly peruse the clothes, accessories, gadgets, housewares and other aspirational offerings in a gentleman's style magazine. It's a giant "fuck you" to any man who doesn't have at least six figures of disposable income,…
I got this belt back in 1995 from Gucci during the Ford administration... the Tom Ford administration. It was a high time for designer branding, a moment when I fell victim to a fashion that demanded that people notice whom…