As with most fashion trends, I’m usually a full step behind.
Take socks, for example. I’m a lover of white tube socks. I love how they grasp at my lower calves, creating a sense of warmth and security. They rarely bunch up and have never let me down. But about 20 years ago, they went out of style. Heck, they were probably never in style, but I wore them with pride.
A few years ago, however, I took the plunge and reduced the length of my socks considerably by buying some ankle socks, as in, they barely covered my ankles. That worked for a while. But I understood they still weren’t low enough. I had to go even lower, to a point where the sock barely covered the bottom of my foot. After another monumental shift in how I dressed, I was finally cool.
It didn’t last long. Now I see people wearing shoes without socks. The other day, I saw an NFL analyst with a suit and brown loafers, and yes, no socks. He was showing off his bare ankles in a suit, and in my humble opinion, it didn't look good. I understand the trend of wearing sneakers with a suit – it sends a cool, casual kind of vibe – but no socks? This is madness!
Fortunately, what is out of fashion eventually becomes new again. Combatting this sockless revolution with boldness is Generation Z. They’re wearing the tube socks again (technically, "half-crew" socks). Not only that, but they view people who don’t wear higher socks as old. It’s hilarious to me when a twentysomething considers people in their 30s old because of their socks.
So I’m good, right? I can take out my old tube socks from the sock drawer? Not so fast, says my teenaged daughter.
The question becomes: Can I, a 46-year-old man, emulate Gen Z fashion? Like I said, I’m typically the last one to join a new fashion fad. I wore baggy khakis to work until they began to fray at the seams. I wore silk shirts into the late 90s. Now I’m going to suddenly act like I’m some fashion crusader? A teenager who wears, as the young'uns call them these days, socks and slides?
Because I do wear white socks with sandals on occasion. While I’d like to think it’s sending an impression of youth, my daughter would beg to differ. One must be careful when wearing white tube socks with sandals as you enter middle age.
I’m in that delicate life transition where I can’t wear what young people are wearing, but at the same time, I can’t look too old either. After a certain point, I realize it won’t matter. At a certain age, people understand if you can’t quite buy the pants that look good on other people. Or that you’re from another generation and so it’s okay if you look like you’re from the 1950s. Young people don’t know what people our age are supposed to wear anyway.
For that matter, neither do my co-workers. Most (and I’m talking about the men primarily) don’t notice when I wear the same pants two days in a row. I alternate between two dress shoes and flip my belt from brown to black accordingly. We had a fashion guru in our office for a few years which helped the overall “look” of our male-dominated workplace. At least when she was around, we became a little more fashion-conscious. Guys would actually come to her office for free consultations on which dress socks to wear with which outfit.
This was especially important when the funky socks were in style (maybe they still are?) The funky socks went especially well with the shorter-than-normal dress pants. Remember Justin Trudeau when he was cool and popular? I clearly remember his funky socks, back when he couldn't do anything wrong... I doubt he wears them anymore.
One piece of advice I have to offer on fashion: Don't cheap out. Don’t settle for the Costco funky socks pack and think you’ll be original. You must actually go to a men’s clothing store, like I once did, and buy an individual pair for an outrageous amount of money. I thought it was a rip-off until I wore them to the office the next day. Even my khakis-loving co-worker commented and he’s never one to compliment me on my clothing.
For one day, anyway, I felt like a fashion guru. As usual, it all came down to the socks.
 |
| Touting some funky Ukrainian socks today |
No comments:
Post a Comment