Has the jacket and tie time expired?

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Goldman Sachs has become the last name on the list of companies and institutions that have published new rules on the type of clothing their employees must wear in their workplace, which allows them greater flexibility.

Under the new rules, male employees can not adhere to classic jackets and wear modern trousers. They can also link close ties around their necks as long as they can choose the right clothing for their workplace.

Is the beginning of the end of the traditional appearance of men wearing pullovers and ties? If so, what does it mean in terms of male identity in general?

For a long time, this type of garment has been synonymous with a particular beating of "masculine figures with noble character". But what does it mean that the man is now "noble" or "gentleman" in the English language in this respect? This article seems obsolete, as it recalls in the mind of a man wearing a shiny leather shoe and a three-piece jacket with features and actions that seem to have the honor and nobility.

He is also supposed to be a "gentleman" superior to anyone. The 1957 edition of Gentlemen's Quarterly, the American magazine of the latest menswear, founded in 1931 and styling GQ, testifies to the ambiguity that has reigned for decades in this expression.

This took place at a time when male hegemony and the traditional concepts of masculinity in general were constantly under attack: the sixties of the last century in the United States were marked by the Vietnam War, violent protests and major cultural transformations. President George W. Kennedy, brilliant knight and symbol of the medieval nobility, was assassinated before the world in 1963.

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Kennedy wore jackets with a row of buttons, carefully woven white shirts, and smooth, smooth ties. It was an elegant, attractive and typical look, and everything was done to know how to control. But even though Kennedy was shining in his uniform, the majority of other men looked like nothing more than a uniform.

Similarly, masculinity and concepts were supposed to be like a uniform or a uniform. In the 1960s, however, there had been some form of dispute over the colors and chaotic patterns that had appeared at the time and were related to hippies. All this was related to freedom of expression in different forms, challenging male stereotypes – the traditional image of men in gray jackets – and all that they represented and expressed.

The blue jeans were so popular at the time, simply designed, comfortable and affordable. It was a small step on the road to revolution that we are witnessing today, in terms of what is known as the "city clothes" preference, which means wearing one's clothes without limiting oneself to the dominant songs .

If we make a big jump to the Oscars at the end of February, many men present would also wear jackets, but with a wide variety of colors and patterns.

Among them, Chadwick Busman is one of the stars of Black Panther or the Black Panther, a supernatural superhero, dressed in a jacket embellished with embellishments and prints that makes her closer to dresses than jackets.

But Billy Porter, the star of the television series "Bose", was the most amazing of all. It was a huge dress wearing a coat that covered the bottom half with a jacket in a tuxedo at the waist. How did we go from an age of "convenient suits for all practical purposes" used by "men capable of performing various tasks" to the current situation we know today?

In any case, ignore the discussion of the criteria according to which a person can be described as a "gentleman" or not. We are currently discussing criteria for classifying a person as a man or not, in the midst of a controversy over what should be the character of a man. It is the many societies in which we live that determine the nature of our personalities.

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This brings us to the latest changes to GQ magazine. Earlier this year, Wil Welsh, the magazine's director of innovation, was chosen to become the new publisher of this publication, with the task of rejuvenating it and keeping it up-to-date.

While the print media has long been challenged by its ability to keep up with the pace of the electronic press and its huge boom, the problem of image quality is more complex given that its target audiences are currently young people. under 40 years old. , Which are difficult to target with media messages because they hate to be targeted by such messages.

In addition, the definition of "man" has become obscure and fuzzy, which means that the magazine, which originally aimed at "noble men" then turned to "men", is perhaps to be choosing a different audience, but which audience is it? It seemed that Welch was facing an impossible task.

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In his first post, published in February, Welch published a photo of him sitting on the floor, wearing a pair of sneakers and a buttoned striped shirt, as well as a great shirt to short sleeves. Although her hair was loose on one side, there was a wick in one hand that told us that we were no longer at the age of the cavalry.

Everything is possible

This image was a statement of intent in a magazine that attributed important areas of its pages to details of the neck and sinuses. "I did not just want to feel any pressure that made me want to wear what the GQ editor should be wearing," Welch told BBC News. "My vision of this magazine is to help the reader get to know each other and trust his confidence.Learn to be as good as possible, instead of watching a fantastic fantasy or wearing a certain pattern of shirts."

If we go back to the first issue of GQ under his new direction, you will find on his pages only a few jackets, the most traditional in the appearance of the owner being without socks. The others introduced a group of people who identified themselves as the clothes they wore, such as Frank Oshin, St. Vincent, John Mayer and James Baldwin.

It seemed like a road was drawn here so that others could continue later. "I think that the erosion of binary divisions such as man-woman, man-woman, black-white, etc. is useful for culture and society as a whole, because that means we have to keep our spirit on fire and our heart open.Recognize the dignity, privacy and uniqueness of the individual, and respect all of that as well. "

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Mr. Porter, an online retailer for men, is another good indicator of the changing world of men's clothing. If you browse sites such as "Mister Porter" for a few minutes, this will give you an idea of ​​the wide range of clothing and accessories offered to men and you will find that jackets represent only a very limited part from this collection.

According to Fiona Firth, Head of On-Site Purchasing, however, clothing worn by prominent companies known for their expensive products, such as Tom Ford and Ermengelo Teznia, continues to be a key component of the products the site offers its customers. At a time dominated by elegant and loose clothes, traditional clothes fell. Men wear more clothes than usual on a daily basis, but traditional clothes have been and will remain important because there will always be In every man's life, Must wear a jacket, whether in the form of a wedding or business-related event, as much of it is related to the dress worn in the workplace.

Firth emphasizes that the style of the jackets has been modernized by adopting a "more casual and traditional style, because men wear it and also adhere to their modern dress standards". I think the sweater will always have a future, but that it will only fit men's lifestyle. Switch ".

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If we look at Mr. Porter's list of Mr. Porter's most elegant men in 2018, we will find eight men, including three in costume, including Prince Charles. Only one of the three was wearing a traditionally designed vest, the heir to the British throne. The eight men belong to different races, each with their own unique personality and clothes.

If we are interested in London Fashion Week, we will see that the football player Hector Pelerin, who wore a silk sweater and was wearing Gucci inspired chino pants, was among the participants.

On the other hand, the names on the February list of the most elegant men in the garment may seem less well known, but it is clear that more thought has been devoted to the selection of those who have been included. Four of the eight are in jackets, which is due to the fact that they have been tarnished by the Oscars and jackets. Among them, Chadwick Busman, who still watched the remarkable pink pastry.

In any case, these lists are focused on people who wear their clothes in a risky way, whether they like it or not.

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We can say that jackets change at the same time as the nature and conditions of the men who wear them. Although wearing this type of clothing involves obeying strict rules, rules, and protocols, it now appears that everything is possible and that you can see who is wearing an elegant jacket and that at the same time wears a shoe. sport. We also see sweaters in a variety of colors, including purple and pale pink.

In addition, the jackets were absorbed by larger and more sophisticated systems related to the rules of fashion. "What I see in Los Angeles, New York, London or Paris is that everything is interconnected at the same time: you can wear a jacket, for example, or a sports shoe whose stock is limited, "says Welch. Is a little closer to the style of the sixties, seventies, eighties or nineties, and the same person can wear in a week different types of clothes, ranging from ceremonial dresses to a certain extent, to those who are free from any restrictions.

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Mr Porter

But if we look at what is happening at the level of human identity itself, we must recognize that we are experiencing moments of excitement and enthusiasm together at this level. The male culture that has led to the emergence of traditional jackets with strict and disciplined lines may be disappearing, but something else is forming. Although black and gray jackets are still classified as traditional outfits, I can not wait to see the day when Billy Porter's "smoking cape" at the recent Oscars will become a tradition.

You can read the original article of BBC Sport

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