Friday, August 13, 2010

NYC..... what a drag

I see this scenario time and time again; the boyfriend just doesn't care or is unable to dress well to keep company with his girlfriend.

11 comments:

The Photodiarist said...

Based on the itty bit of the boyfriend in your capture, I think he looks fine.

the style crusader said...

i think he looks fine too. my husband often just wears some variation of shorts/t-shirt in the summer and that's fine with me.

i'm loving her shorts and bag. very chic. xx

paul said...

Could you elaborate on this point. My wife is an ex NY'er and mag art director. She dresses fabulous ALL the time and I'm a jean and tee guy. Isn't the idea to let the women look great without looking like a bum next to her? The only thing I see that might be kinda bad are the sneaks.

Christina said...

Too funny. My life is the total opposite ;) Well, not really but my hubby dresses well (trousers, great shoes, dress shirts) all the time. Sometimes dressing down isn't a bad thing. But I have to say that some men look shlubby all the time and that's not ok..

fridayswithcilantro.blogspot.com

Flotsam Friends said...

Hmmm, this is interesting... He could lose those sneakers. Pruxxx

nycrun said...

To Paul,

Sorry for the delayed response but business called.

To answer your question. This is my point . The guy looks like a bum compared to the woman walking with him. T-shirt etc. There is no sense of style here. Although this type of dress has been widely accepted in this country as casual and appropriate for most occasions, it does not feel urban, uptown or downtown style. It is generic , widely seen on couch potatoes. This guy does not , and I think this is key here, complement this woman in any way.

Having spent much time in Europe I have seen the reverse of this image. Sadly though, our influence is quite evident and it seems to dominate worldwide. Just observe tourists in NYC. Were not for their language you would not be able to distinguish them from us.

I remember years ago, by and large europeans wore their clothes with flair. You could always pick them out. Their jeans were cut differently and were worn in unique ways. But don't get me wrong. We have a great style and wear our clothes in many exciting ways as well when we work at it; and that is the second point. One has to work at it to acquire a style.

These are not hard fast observations. There are many here and in other countries who dress well and there are those who are challenged by their sense of style, on both sides of the Atlantic.

This reminds me of a quote uttered by an American woman who now lives in Paris. She of all things has become a etiquette consultant to Americans coming to live in France, as well as the French themselves. A French Letitia Baldridge, if you will. She said, if you are going to come to Paris, " don't come looking like you've come to mow the lawn". It was quite interesting to see her saying those words because she used an American colloquial expression with a very reserved French cadence, tone and composure.

nycrun said...

To Flotsam,

Yes , please lose those sneakers. Thank you!!!! lol

paul said...

I think the mnemonic "don't come looking like you've come to mow the lawn" will now forever resonate inside my mind when I dress to do something other than actually mow the lawn.

Thanks for taking the time!

nycrun said...

To Paul,

I am glad that I could be of service. After all I am trying to provide a service, a service that is becoming more difficult to provide because New York is becoming rapidly saturated with the "generic" style.

thanks

Forest City Fashionista said...

I think "don't come looking like you've come to mow the lawn" is now my new mantra. I live in Canada, and it's so common in the summmer to see men in rumpled shorts, kicks and t-shirts with women who look like they've spent some time on their look. Thing is, we let them get away with it, so men think it's perfectly acceptable.

Anonymous said...

i just mowed the lawn and i think i look rather chic! i could walk around manhattan like this! :)