Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Nerdy but Nice
As some might recall, I spent much of last summer announcing that I was going to be bringing the shirt-sleeve shirt back. I was motivated by a refreshingly—albeit sweat inducing—ability to walk to work, and the pleasant discovery that short-sleeve shirts at H&M run a fraction of the cost of the 'slim fit' shirts that I wear the rest of the year.Inertia set in—and the job allowed the even more casual polo shirt—and I took no action. Then the NY Times got the jump on me last month, announcing the return of the geeky fashion relic. With at least one fashion expert suggesting that it will be even bigger next summer, I figured it was time to get in ahead of the curve. And 96 degree weather seemed the most appropriate time.
While I don't think I sex it up as much as someone might with, say, arm definition (ah, how the gym has become but a faint memory), I think I can pull it off. I also relish that while designer versions run the price of regular dress shirts, mine really was a steal (perhaps at the expense of better tailoring). As a bonus, this heat hardly phases me.Most importantly, I feel I have the requisite amount of irony. There was a time that metro stops like Federal Center SW and L'Enfant Plaza horrified me with their federal drones sporting bellies, combovers, and eye glasses that my parents had me wearing in 3rd grade. I moved past that fear, and I now fit the image of the bureaucrat I was terrified of becoming.
