What happened to style? This is the question Chrysler asks in its “Style” commercial. I too have been asking this question for a about 5 years now, but unfortunately I have not found the answer within my current spectrum of life. Fifteen years ago I was not living in NYC. I was growing up in my home town (Too small to mention) in Jamaica. If you don’t know, Jamaica was colonized by the British and gained its independence August 6th 1962. I wasn’t around then, but I grew up in a time when remnants of old Britain lingered still and older folks walked the streets in their best dress shirts and dress pants simply to sit around a domino table and socialize.
I remember the words Frock, Slip, Pocket Square, and Suspenders. They were not just common every day words, but also common every day articles of clothing. I remember when it was not considered dumb for a woman to wear a Bando to hold her hair back and gloves weren’t just worn to keep her fingers from freezing. In fact, it was quite alluring when the gloves were removed to welcome a gentleman’s hand in a formal or less than formal greeting.
As a child growing up, before I could go over to my neighbor’s house, my clothes had to be properly ironed. My shoes had to be polished and shine and they would be inspected before I could go through the door. If I was on the street and didn’t carry the posture of a young confident man, some older folk would correct it with a sharp tone “Stand up straight young man. No one died in your family”.
I truly wish we could have kept the pride that people had in themselves. That sense of always wanting the very best and knowing that it begins with how you project yourself to the world. Justin brought “Sexy Back”, who will bring “Style Back”? Don’t just read; I want to know what you think happened to style.
Dappr 