The tie: so many statements; style, power, wealth, rebellion, conventionality. The almost compulsory condiment of male leadership fashion. So much symbolism, instructive by its presence, significant by its absence.
If you are man of power wanting to attract attention a bright red tie with a conservative dark or grey suit is just the thing. But if your combination of being overweight and old, but wanting to look trim and young, requires you to wear a corset why have a red tie that is overlong that draws the eye right to the offending excess belly? Seventy five and still the golden-haired boy.
When I arrived in Australia in the mid '70s, I turned up for work wearing a shirt that was a Renoir painting coupled with a bright yellow tie and a brown suit. I was told I looked a âbit differentâ.
Fortunately no one has mentioned bow ties or tartan ties. Hence my paisley bow ties, various tartan neck ties or extra special wide ties with Hawaiian beach scenes remain testaments to the tie-lessness of great fashion.
Also fortunate that the majority of my workplaces had a ban on ties in the WH&S manuals. So very forward thinking.
Nothing wrong with paisley shirts. I still have a good quality one from the late 1980s which I wear from time to time. It is a dark red with subtle gold patternâŠand goes well with a jacket. I am not so sure my other half agrees.
I try and avoid buying to meet a current fashion, but try and buy classic type styles which often last many seasons.
Hawaiian shirts. I had one since my university days when there was a âHawaiian shirtâ event from time to time. I wore only once since my university days to a work âbad taste shirtâ day. As it hadnât been worn for many years, it ended up in a rag bag for the local opportunity shop when we moved to Tassie. The shirt was soft cotton which would have made a great rag for someone. We removed the buttons and still have these as spares.
In terms of style and fashion, I refuse to bow to convention. whatever I have is worn until almost threadbare, and then replaced with like or similar. Of course there is the issue of increasing size, so much is passed on via charity shops, or in the case of the current situation, I have a big box full of things that I bought and ended up not liking because they made me overheat, and another box of Crocs (yes, I do!) which are no longer suitable for swollen feet. Some have never been worn.
So to answer the question⊠nothing is obsolete except for by its age or size.
Sounds like a sophisticated choice! Wonder if you wore a âChesty Bondâ singlet or a tight fitting t-shirt under that paisley shirt in the late â80âs and what do you wear underneath it now when you occasionally wear it?
Has there been a change in the type of jacket that goes with it, and did you wear a tie with it then but not now?
I donât often wear singlets under shirtsâŠdid as a child but not lately. I have bought some but the quality of any singlet has deteriorated over time - making them go out of shape after a few wearsâŠ
Just a plain dark (blue, black. grey, green) jacket. Something simple to highlight the shirt.
I donât think a tie and paisley shirt is a good combination, not or in the past.
Thanks @phb!
Hope I wasnât too inquisitive
Just curious about the changes in our way of dressing during the past years.
They say that when the Hollywood actor Clark Gable, in a famous film scene took off his shirt and revealed he wasnât wearing an undershirt, it was the death knell for singlets!
Hardly any to be seen in the shops now as low-cut neck t-shirts to be worn under a shirt have taken over
Was the death knell the portrayal of WW2 stereo type American soldiers who wore tee-shirts and boxer shorts?
Closer to home Bonds still spruked Y-front jocks and chesty singlets well into the 80âs. In dark blue they were the tradition of real working Australians come the 1960âs. Itâs what our garbo and dunny can men wore. Good or bad both jobs have since been superseded.
Iâll not comment on preference of underwear. To each of us our own. In these days of sub zero office central air conditioning a singlet is the perfect solution to chattering teeth and doubtful manhood. Happy to praise the death of the ever shrinking jock. Not so sure the singlet has seen itâs day. In another form they adorn every NBL star?
Itâs a different question, have certain forms of underwear become obsolete, and if so what do we wear now?
Taken in context it referred to a singlet worn as an undershirtâŠ
singlets as an outwear garment ( blue singlets, nbl singlets, etc) came to life in a way which would not have been approved of in a previous, more modest way of dressing.
I think we are wearing a lot less âundergarmentsâ which were thought essential to protect outwear from close contact to the body when garments were an elaborate affair in fabrics like pure wool and heavy cotton and not so easy to just throw in the washing machine.
For ladies a bra and panties is all they usually wear now under a synthetic-fabric dress, or pants and a top.
Thereâs even a t-shirt bra to take care of a smooth look under a jersey top.
Underwear briefs have gone through a lot of changes in shape and fabric, just to mention a few:
Sparx in moisture wicking fabric
Anti-chafing boxers
Jock strapsâŠ
and for ladies:
Tradies
G strings
Bikini
High cut briefs ( which call for a Brazilian wax)
Crotchless
I would agree that WW2 films
made the t-shirt popular as an undershirt instead of the singlet.
I would also venture to suggest that Army Surplus, sold to recoup some of the military clothing expenses, has had a big impact on young people clothing:
the blue jeans and white tight fitting
t-shirt worn by sailors when on cleaning dutyâŠthe camouflage clothingâŠ
the skull cap to be worn under a soldier helmetâŠand so many more examples which are popular with young people and have become almost their own uniform!
