05.19.07
In Which Alexander Frightens His Readers
For some reason, this whole trip I’ve been very aware of what people are wearing. Quite a large number of (male) travelers in Denver and Chicago wore blazers or suit jackets. Every time I noticed one, I judged the aesthetic merit of the particular length and width of the lapels. I decided that jackets with too many buttons and short lapels look somewhat silly, as do those with lapels that are overly wide or narrow.
I really like double-breasted jackets, I think because they are not very common. Or perhaps because I’m a fan of peaked lapels. I don’t like when they have only one pair of buttons though. This leads to an awful dilemma–you are not supposed to button the bottom button of a jacket, but if there is only one button (or row of buttons), leaving the bottom open means leaving the jacket open. The pilots for Mexicana Airlines wear very sharp-looking black double-breasted jackets.
Another thing that I noticed a lot was men with button-down collars who kept their collars…buttoned down. I don’t know if this is the Right Way to wear a button-down collar, but I don’t care for the way it looks.
In India, men mostly wear button-down (but not button-down collared) shirts. Short and long sleeves seem equally common. Polo shirts can be spotted occasionally. Most people wear grey or brown (or occasionally khaki) chinos, though a lot of younger men wear jeans. Footwear is something I have paid less attention to, but I’ve seen both sandals and closed-toe shoes.