...will it ever end? I just caught a photo of Biden and Netanyahu in their matching blue suits (what is it about blue ones for politicians?) and their attire, not for the first time, struck me as ridiculous. Along with its absurd accompaniment, the tie, I think for people high up in organisations the suit is a kind of armour, an emblem of seriousness. For politicians you could say that the public demands it, it's showing respects to those who elected them to turn up smart, looking as if they mean business, blah, blah, blah.
It's still a costume though, and a stupid and random one. That's the way I thought of it the last time I wore a suit, for my wedding three years ago: dressing up. When I was young that's what it was too. I remember turning up at Gaskins nightclub in a zoot suit I'd bought from Rock-a-Cha in Kensington Market. In those days, me and my friends would scour second-hand shops and vintage stores for old suits - difficult to find many for me because I'm so lanky. But in those days it felt like playing, and we were referencing eras - the 40s/50s/60s - where the styles of suits were still a thing. They were still cool. Now the suit is just tired, a uniform of the bland.
For my work in an FE college, there is no official dress code, but unspoken expectations persist, depending on department. I'd never wear a suit, but I can't quite dare to fully ease out of the smart/casual look: smart-ish trousers, some sort of collar on the shirt. The main goal is to finally eliminate the need for that most futile, deathly, timewasting activity, ironing.
I'd never wear a suit though, Nowadays, if you wear a suit, you're a company man or an out-and-out poseur.
It's still a costume though, and a stupid and random one. That's the way I thought of it the last time I wore a suit, for my wedding three years ago: dressing up. When I was young that's what it was too. I remember turning up at Gaskins nightclub in a zoot suit I'd bought from Rock-a-Cha in Kensington Market. In those days, me and my friends would scour second-hand shops and vintage stores for old suits - difficult to find many for me because I'm so lanky. But in those days it felt like playing, and we were referencing eras - the 40s/50s/60s - where the styles of suits were still a thing. They were still cool. Now the suit is just tired, a uniform of the bland.
For my work in an FE college, there is no official dress code, but unspoken expectations persist, depending on department. I'd never wear a suit, but I can't quite dare to fully ease out of the smart/casual look: smart-ish trousers, some sort of collar on the shirt. The main goal is to finally eliminate the need for that most futile, deathly, timewasting activity, ironing.
I'd never wear a suit though, Nowadays, if you wear a suit, you're a company man or an out-and-out poseur.
Last edited:
