There is a single truth about clothing that I found to be true from the two interviews I conducted over my Thanksgiving Break: we tend to infuse our own personal styles into a uniform that is forcibly put upon us. I interviewed two very different people: a middle-aged male lawyer and a female college student who made the haul from Woodside, California to Ithaca, New York. In this post, I will use specific quotes and images from my interview to prove this point to be true.
Mark Leahy
My first interview is, admittedly, with my father. Not only because I knew we would have a very effortless discussion, but also because I realize that as someone who has been a part of the working world since the 1980s, he will provide me with valuable incite. Mark is 52 years old, and was born, raised, and has settled down in the Bay Area of California. He currently makes over $100,000 annually and has no clothing budget. At the office, he is instructed to “wear button-front shirts and either khakis or wool slacks…[and] leather shoes.”
Mark’s conservative, yet quality selection of leather work shoes (and sneakers).
However, Mark puts his own spin on these loose uniform requirements by wearing clothing specially customized for his long limbs and slender figure. Unlike the typical business uniform of a black suit and tie, Mark likes to buy pieces in “colors that are rich colors. I wouldn’t call it frumpy, but I think my jackets are very sharp looking.”
A selection of Mark’s custom-made jackets in varying colors and prints.
Mark is uncomfortable taking too many risks with his wardrobe because he does not want to wear pieces that “feel uncomfortable for [him]self….[and] uncomfortable for others to see.” He explains to me that his style is “heavily influenced by being raised in the late 60s and 70s, so it is fairly conservative…and preppy-ish.”
For a casual weekend look, Mark substitutes his wool jacket for a classic leather alternative.
When I ask him about trends in the office and if there are any he particularly disagrees with, he starts going off on the return of the tie. He refers to them as “silk nooses that you cinch up around your throat and catch food and get in the way of your work.” Businessmen fought to get rid of them for decades, and they were finally pushed out of style around thirteen years ago when the “dot com” companies introduced khakis and dark jeans. This time in the late 1990s marked a revolution in work wear, allowing men to diverge from the norm and dress in a way unique to their personalities. The clean cut, high quality, and custom fit clothing he wears to the office shows how Mark has brought his own style to the generally-drab work uniform.
Jacky Falkenberg
My next interview is with 18-year-old Cornell student, Jacky Falkenberg. She was also born and raised in California’s Bay Area, she is currently in a relationship, and her “unique and eclectic” style has been affected by her expansive travels. She wears lots of bright colors, worldly jewelry, and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Although most of Jacky’s wardrobe has been taken with her to Cornell, her closet at home is still filled with bright prints and fun colors.
However, her style is put to the test now that she lives in the notoriously cold Ithaca, New York. She had to buy “a lot of big clothes and winter boots,” which is a dramatic shift from the sundresses she is used to sporting in sunny California and humid Mexico.
One of Jacky’s favorite summer dresses – she won’t be able to wear it in Ithaca for another eight months!
When I ask about how she deals with the weather, Jacky tells me, “I still try to wear the same clothes I would normally wear and then wear big coats on top.” Despite the fact she often looks “like a big marshmallow” before leaving her dorm in the mornings, she makes an effort to personalize her outfit with “colorful scarves or colored pants.” She shows me this one coat in particular that is very unique in comparison to the typical black down jacket. It is taupe, and has a fur-lined hood as well as zipper detailing and a belt. “I think it’s a more fun, unique color, and in the winter you don’t want to look depressing.”
Jacky’s taupe winter coat sets her apart from a sea of students adorned in black.
Furthermore, students at the hotel school of Cornell (like Jacky) are required to wear business-casual attire once a week. She explains that “a lot of people wear the black pants, black blazer, and here I am with my hot pint blazer and cream shirt. Everyone generally looks the same – I’m one of the only people that stands out.” Similar to my father, Jacky is given a specific uniform that often makes its followers look like a crowd of clones. Luckily, she is able to break out of that mold and dress the way she likes all while keeping to the set standards. According to Jacky, “I haven’t gotten any looks like, ‘oh my god what is she wearing?’” She marches to the beat of her own drums without looking too conspicuous, and this is exactly what she hopes to accomplish. Jacky faces two types of clothing constraints while at Cornell: the weather and “Hotellie Fridays,” and she confidently works both of them.
My interviews prove that although we are often given guidelines and restraints to what we are able to wear, there is always a loophole. I also have learned that there is a balance between conforming and looking too distracting, and both Mark and Jacky have found that proper balance. So next time you are told to dress a certain way by some outside force, do not hesitate to push the envelope and toss on a sharp jacket or a colored scarf.
Very interesting! Just wondering if either of them had ever experienced negative feedback for not following the dresscode like how everyone else was?
I loved the photos you took of your father’s closet–almost as if they were straight out of a magazine.
Coming from a high school that required uniforms, I could relate so well to this article! Shoes and accessories were so important to the kids at my school in order to distinguish their own style from the masses.
Great piece overall though!
Well written and I loved your description of your friend’s use of color to stand out from the sea of black coats at Cornell or the many black blazers on business casual days. Kind of reminds me of that scene in Legally Blonde when Reese is wearing a hot pink outfit at Harvard Law. 🙂