During the discussions for our latest article on good clothing practices, I spent some time talking with my old friend, Bruce Boyer. (Not that we are both old, but rather I have known him for a few years.)
Bruce, as expected, was eloquent and witty in his thoughts, and instead of building on the topic, I thought I’d just share some of them here, as a little coda to our discussion on last week’s topic.
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Hi Simon,
Good fashion for me is historically wrapped up in class, class rules and economics.
Historically, when the world of the last period changed to the Renaissance in the 14th and 15th centuries, men went from being powerful warriors to the courtyards in the noble society of court life, and we begin to see the ‘civilization process’, textbooks about how the chief should be independent in this new world.
This is where we get the first lessons and guidelines about habits. I think it belongs to Baldessare CastiglioneThe Liberator’s Booknot the first but the best book of the time.
Later it was the revolution and swelling of the class that gave rise to many moral books. The 19th and 20th centuries are full of it, and it does not show the tension between what is thought.eliteand what is considered the culture of the masses.
Summary laws, whether written or unwritten, tell us what is both prescribed and prohibited.
All the guide books can be said to be about the virtues of the middle class in capitalist society. All of this has resulted in people walking freely in the skin, between what Chris Breward calls “controlled abstinence and abstinence from conspicuous consumption. Think of Donald Trump: the funniest thing some of his critics say about him is that he is gauche and vulgar; that is his greatest sin against the elite Republicans.
To be a little more specific. The old rule was that we should beappropriate for the occasion, audience, and purpose:you don’t wear ripped jeans to a fancy dress ball. You don’t wear a business suit and shirt without a tie. The formal dress was shot with strict rules.
Today all those notions of propriety seem ridiculous, and I think that the history of dress will be seen in the future as a democratic movement towards the integration of people. Logically that would eliminate many laws about caste, sexism and ethnic concerns and we would all be able to focus on stability.
Some rules from my childhood:
1. Polished shoes. We were always told that it was a sign of ‘character’ and that the personnel manager always checked the shoes of the soon-to-be-employee.
2. Always carry a clean handkerchief.
3. Men’s jewelry should not exceed a watch, a wedding ring and maybe cuff links, a collar bar and a tie clip for dandies.
4. Hats were never worn indoors.
5. Men were expected to wear tailored clothes and tie the place of worship, at events such as dances and parties, weddings, funerals and anywhere where respect is expected.
6. If you had a lady, you took off the outer coat first, then yours.
7. Shoes, whether worn or not, were not placed on the furniture.
I think nothing of those days; many women resent them as they care, toonostalgie de la boueit holds every visible place; class is increasingly determined solely by economic status, making class rigidity even greater.