Thursday, December 9, 2010

Dapper Don Draper

I had an interview on Wednesday, so I uncorked the lightly-patterned, clean white shirt fresh off the rack from our local dry cleaner, coupled with fresh, pleated dress pants and pseudo-wingtips. Side note: am I the only one who likes the smell of a dry cleaner? It is definitely in my top 10 smells, 1 - 4 I won't discuss (although a splish of perfume helps mightily) but in no particular order, I also enjoy pizza places, haircutters, furniture stores, and bookstores when they're not in uber-holiday selling mode. Makes me happy. Ironically, I don't enjoy the smell of any stadium (even though I am a fanatic sports nut), movie theaters (ditto to above, but hate the sticky floors, uncomfortable seats and $100 popcorn), and fast food restaurants (while admitting I've eaten more than my share of Big Macs).

Just found it amusing that everyone I ran into that day said "Wow, you look great! Is it an interview or did someone die?" Did I show up to work in a wife-beater, 5-day stubble and certain zippers and/or buttons not completely finalized? And, what if somebody died??? Strangely awkward, at the least...

My style is minimalist, I like a lot of interchangible solid colors on top with the standard khaki/black/blue/gray slacks on bottom. Here's hoping I'm not scaring the local children or having random parents Google me to see where I live because I prefer the J.Crew look.

My friend has also gotten me hooked into "Mad Men," the AMC drama focused on an exec named Don Draper at a NYC ad agency during the '60s. Now he's a snappy dresser, and what hair! (Editor's note, second only to one T. Brady of Quincy, MA).

Now that the surname Draper has become linked to being an adman who indulges in heavy drinking, smoking Luckies, and knocking boots with every feminine person that has use of their limbs, I'm struggling to see if I should notch up my personal style.

Honestly, I'm torn. I got a couple more pressed white collar dress shirts in the closet, and we all know that slacks can go a couple of days until they stick to the floor. So that option is available!

I'm also a religious man for hair gel, but that's 'cuz my coif tends to go about it on a non-gel day in either a Harry Potter spiky fashion, or a Ringo Starr so-limp-it-needs-Cialis mode.

Or, stick to the salt-of-the-earth neutral tones and sensible shoes. And yes, Shannon, black shoes go with everything. I spent a good 1/2 hour researching this.

So, peeps -- whaddya think? White collar or slacker-cool?

If we were in Chicago, it's a no-brainer. Hipster pants (ironic for one with no hips nor ass, so the solution is hazy) and random t-shirts celebrating minor celebrities from sitcoms we remember, but have not gotten better over the years. I'd still pick Fish from "Taxi." Great character, not so much a great show today, but the shirt would be wicked cool!

Cheers.

JD

1 comment:

  1. From what I remember (mind you it has been since 2002 when we last worked together) you were a snappy dresser. I mean you looked like you shopped at the mall or whatever.

    I make use of everything in my closet. I wear jeans and flip flops to work. I wear 'smart casual.' I wear 'business casual.'

    So that's my advice. As the saying goes if you have to change your wardrobe it's not the job for you!

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