The Casualization of the World

Few things in the world really irk me. One of these things is an object not being centered when it is supposed to be (if you do have a tabletop which is off center, I will be coming for you soon), but another is what I call the "Casualization of the world". I'm not a stickler for fashion, as long as I look relatively put together and polished I am perfectly happy, but it seems that some people have taken "casual" to new lows. This past weekend I did a little bit of personal investigation when I went out to a movie with some friends. I made a check for every person who I saw wearing something I deemed overly casual or simply sloppy.

Some things I looked for-
-Over sized sweatshirts and sweatpants
-Slogan T-shirts
-Poor fitting jeans
-Pajama wear

By the end of the day, I had complied 27 check marks, and that was only in the span of 4 hours.

I know that nowadays comfort has taken over as the number one priority for many people when they shop for clothes, but I don't believe that people should simply forget or ignore some basic rules when it comes to dressing oneself. Wearing clothes that are over sized, wrinkled, poor fitting, overly worn or just setting-inappropriate makes you seem just plain sloppy and lazy. Even if you don't realize it, first appearances and how you look do have a great impact on how people judge you as a person. I can almost guarantee that on the inside, you will look more favorably on someone who is wearing well-fitting clothing which seems to have gotten some attention when it comes to matching in comparison to someone who seemed to have had just dived into a clothing drawer and wore whatever stuck to their body.

Probably one of the worst settings to put little attention into what you wear would be when traveling, especially internationally. Once you buy that ticket, you are no longer just a traveler or tourist, but you are now an ambassador for your nation. Wherever you travel, the people who meet and see you will make a judgement about you within the first 10 seconds of seeing you. What kind of impression do you think you're making for yourself and your fellow citizens if you show up in a tracksuit or gaudy sweatshirt and ripped jeans? Not a good one to say the least. As I said, you are now an ambassador, the impression is one of "wow, how put together and classy" not "wow, nice Confederate flag T-shirt" (flag of the former confederate southern states for you non-Americans. rather looked down upon in many places).

There only a few simple guidelines I follow when I dress myself half-awake in the morning.

1. Fit - no baggy jeans or shirts please, things should fit close to the body, but not tight if that makes sense

2. Match - Avoid clashing colors, patterns, textures etc.

3. Make it Simple - I like solids or simple patterns like stripes, if I do wear something with a bold design or print, I make sure nothing else is bold. You're a person, not a kaleidoscope.

It seems like being well put together nowadays is a respected thing to do. People like it when you appear to have put some thought and effort into what you wear, it shows you pay attention to detail. As the world continues to fall deeper into the pajama-pants-in-public world, dressing well is becoming an endangered activity, it does not have to entail buying expensive clothes or hours coordinating outfits, but just spending 15 seconds to make sure what you wear looks, well, good.

Just my two cents.

All the best,

JP