And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Shallowness

After dealing with serious matters for two whole days, perhaps a return to frivolity is in order. I had lunch with my father today, and shortly after we received our food, a couple was seated at the table next to us. Because I am obsessed with what other people wear, I took a look at the man out of the corner of my eye. At first glance, he appeared to be wearing a classic preppie look (madras shorts, button-down shirt, and loafers without socks), but upon further inspection, I noticed that there were several things off about the whole ensemble. The button-down was French blue and the buttons were undone (negating the whole point of a button-down, no?), the madras shorts didn’t match the shirt and were rather ill-fitting (preppie clothes should always fit and looked pressed and clean), and the loafers were dress loafers with gold buckles and thus really not appropriate for sockless casual wear. Then it hit me. From the chest down, he was trying for preppie, but from the chest up, he was all guido*. The shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his chest and he was wearing a big gold cross on a chain. I’ve never really seen such a unique hybrid of preppie meets Jersey. What’s next? A wife beater with pressed khakis? A popped-collar polo with heavy gold chains? Or perhaps a velour track suit with top-siders? The mind reels at the possibilities.

*Please don’t take offense at the term. I discussed the use of it with Lord Kissington, who is part Italian, and he didn't have a problem with it. Also, the word has such a vivid connotation. It’s a style more than an ethnic description.