Those are the exact words I used with my tailor as soon as I slipped on my new sportcoat.
You see, it’s been miserably hot and humid here in Virginia. That isn’t surprising. But the heat and humidity make me want to loaf about in Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt.
That’s the problem with trying to find a casual middle ground. You begin to strip away ornamentation (your tie will be the first thing to go, socks next….) and suddenly you find yourself thinking that the sport coat or blazer isn’t really necessary in this sort of environment… And, before you know it, BOOM! Shorts and a t-shirt.
Relaxed grooming standards are the next step. Stubble, long hair. Then a bit of fun. A little color helps. Wrist raff begins to creep in. Paisley shirts may make an appearance for those on the hip path. Aloha shirts, for those who aren’t.
And, as long as we’re sort of all casual and flowy, we can hide a bit of beer belly without all the effort of breaking a work-out sweat.
You see where this is going. And I fell for it, like an egg from a tall chicken (James Coburn, “Charade.”)
But with the severe deconstruction of the sportcoat and the lightweight, open weave, and quarter-lined fabric, this coat is breezy-cool. It weighs next to nothing and lets in a draft.
All of which makes me want to dress up, again.