Friday MeMe: You've Got The Look
Today during lunchtime, I saw two people who were either stylishly attired or fashion-forward. TWO! This lunch consisted of a full hour, during which I not only rode the subway, but also walked through three separate "areas" of the city (the ritzy Charles Street, the sunny Boston Common, and the consumer-mobbed Dowtown Crossing/Financial District.)
Pondering lack of unique style in The Bean reminded me a of a conversation some of us had about when certain "looks" achieve an almost iconic status in a city. Think of it this way: if a sketch comedy show did a skit about the city, the actors would wear these items of clothing/accessories...and everyone watching would "get" the location.
Comments, por favor: What are the iconic "looks" of your city?
(Please note: "iconic" does not necessarily mean "fashionable," "stylish," or even just plain "non-annoying.")
BLOGORELLI:
In Boston, definitely, Men: Red Sox ball caps, the crustier the better/ Women: Vera Bradley bags/General: An overall and baffling love of the colors navy & khacki
In Boston every other person is wearing navy blue or turquoise. Dressed down. Khaki pants. Crew neck (w/o a hood) sweatshirts. Dunkin donuts coffee with a ciggarette in one hand, Boston Metro in the other hand.
College/high school age natives also have their own style which is all above. You can find girls in dark purples and reds. Fall in New England colors. Cape Cod meets the city. Girly tank tops under zip up hoodies. Earth tone leather.
Irish Green Sox caps, shamrocks and all that jazz. Guys almost always wear dark colors. Any shade of blue can be found. Pale skin. Gritty, north eastern, smart, quality people. Developed sense of humor. Just the right amount of New England flavor in a big city.
Posted by: Kenmorebound | 06 November 2005 at 06:15 PM
Oh, and the flipflops Swiss Miss mentioned don't always come OFF after the commute. I've gone into offices and seen women who seem to think that flipflops are appropriate to wear with a skirt suit or a pair of slacks. Now, are these the same women who wear kitten heels with their jeans and sweatshirts? When I go out in Boston, I like to mentally switch around the shoes on all these women so that the dress shoes go with the dressy outfits and the flipflops and sneakers go with the jeans.
I think the next step might be to mentally remove the piles of jewelry and makeup and snazzy handbags from the people wearing sweats and jeans. Yes, BU undergrads, I'm talking about you.
Posted by: eeka | 16 May 2005 at 10:06 AM
Vancouver, BC. My beloved hometown.
Tevas or runners. Polar fleece anything. Your envirofriendly reusable coffee mug tied to your Mountain Equipment Co-op backpack. Raincoats. Toques (that's a wool ski hat to the Americans in the crowd).
Very "Forests Forever", supernatural BC, great outdoorsy.
Posted by: Chex | 14 May 2005 at 12:08 AM
conversations like this will be popular in 5 years, too, sadly.
Posted by: demet | 13 May 2005 at 03:52 PM
My too *most annoying* trends have already been covered, but I'll reiterate them for emphasis: vera bradley quilt-padded purses and to-go cups with that horrid dunkin donuts logo.
I am shuddering in my chair as I type.
Posted by: cho cho | 13 May 2005 at 03:37 PM
Oh man... when I think of iconic Boston, I think of young prepsters. or wanna-be prepsters. the surrounding offices where I work include tons of cloned twenty-something boys with crusty hair-gelled coifs and blue button-down dress shirts with khakis with the fabulous dunkin donuts coffee cup as an accessory. ick.
for the prepster women... burberry, lilly pulitzer, cardigan sets, ugly pearls, dress skirts and flip-flops for the commute. ick again.
Posted by: swiss miss | 13 May 2005 at 02:23 PM
I think Cincinnati is pretty hard to pin down so instead I'll do a "general Ohio/Midwest" aesthetic:
Men: anything that was popular 5 yrs. ago (including but not limited to flip flops & goatees)
Women: anything that was popular 5 yrs. ago (including but not limited to "Meg Ryan" haircuts, leopard print, flip flops and mules)
General: anything that was popular 5 yrs. ago (white belts, big cuffs, flip flops etc...)
Ya'll pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?!?
At least there's no pressure to get the newest trends while they're hot. 'Cause they'll still be hot 5 YEARS from now! Oy vey.
Posted by: the Polish princess | 13 May 2005 at 01:46 PM