No Swag in New York: Rant
What is it with dressing like you're still in the office on a weekend or night out? I don't dress like Liberace to be fair, but the lack of colorful, proud, personal style in this industry shocks me. You can see a (junior) banker from a mile away when you go to a bar or restaurant in town, mostly because of:
- A mix of khakis, grey slacks, and poor-quality denim (all taper fit)
- An untucked striped polo from their alma mater that hangs all the way down to the edge of their shorts – I see guys who might be in their 30s, or are just a really rough 25, still wearing these
- Shitty foam shoes, mostly ON/generic running shoe or whatever hybrid dress shoe they came out of work with which'll break down in 18 months, max
Yes, if you're the kinda "lifestyle" person who wants to wear their work clothes straight to the bar after and try to look a bit spiffy, fine, disregard everything I just said. However, NY is full of beautiful, well-dressed people, and when I go out on a weekend night downtown I see bars packed with a bunch of identically-dressed dopes. Where's the swag? The taste?
Another "style" I love is the guys who dress like they're going fox hunting when they're going to a bar in the West Village. They've got the Range Rover, the Barbour, and the flat cap, but no shotguns.
I know you guys have a personal style, or at least I hope so. Rock it. Life is too short to be praying you get a nod approval from your VP/Asso for dressing for the job while you're at the Thursday happy hour.
"I had fashion friends"
Thank you for surfacing this
you think dudes are hoping their VP approves of their fit at the bar ? Most guys in finance seem to generally not really care about their "personal style" or "expressing themselves". Though sometimes I will throw on my J Crew pique polo over my H&B golf polo, would that make you happy? I'm just trying to order another Guinness bro get out of the way.
at the end of the day it’s not that deep to me but I noticed it while out yesterday. Maybe the lack of a shit most people give about personal appearance/self-expression is positively correlated with the general “shlub”-iness of this business now, as another thread pointed out. Maybe the risk-aversion of a career like banking attracts people who don’t dress up like Clyde Frazier or even Cary Grant: you’re playing everything safe.
I do agree with you that Ons are a fkn abomination to society, along with that clown shoe Cole Haan sneaker hybrid bullshit that has infected men across America.
I honestly think it's part of the loss of natural materials and the people with the skills to make them. There are few cobblers to make leather shoes, and even sneakers made of natural gum rubber are less common now. These foam/mesh pieces of crap don't hold up, regardless of the benefits for feet and posture.
Some people care about this, others are married with kids and do fun things and have a life.
I’m in my mid-20s, I’m not interested in getting married right now. Please refer to the “(junior) bankers” of my diatribe.
Firstly, aesthetics are crucial in the world we live in and a lack of interesting or varied ones makes it a less enjoyable place to do fun things in.
Secondly, who’s to say I hyperfixate on this? It’s not some passion of mine, it’s just a thing I noticed in this city with my friends.
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