and ties . Fridays became “ casual days ” when jeans were permitted and offices had to write memos with rules for women about tank tops and shorts . ( Not allowed , please !)
I have a friend who was a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch . When he retired he collected all his ties and jackets and gave them to Goodwill . He did the same with all his wingtip shoes . He told me “ I ’ m never going to wear those again .” I ’ m not sure what he wears to funerals but I know that when he goes ( if he goes ) to the “ formal ” night on any cruise you will not see him in a tie and jacket . He does however , have a great collection of Hawaiian shirts .
The other reason we cared anything at all about clothes was because we wanted to attract the opposite sex . ( Men who wanted to attract their own sex already knew how to dress .)
We knew that women liked men who dressed well . But few of us knew what a well-dressed man was . Sometimes , if you were dating a woman ( at the time she was called a girl ) with style , she would dress you appropriately . Otherwise you were on your own . I tended , like most men , to be monochromatic . Blue or black pants went with blue shirts . Khaki pants went with brown shirts or maybe something in the muted red area . Shoes and belts matched your pants . There was no yellow , pink , or purple anything . End of my style story .
I have discovered that , in retirement , being a well-dressed man is not as important as being a healthy man . Given the choice between the stylish man and a healthy man , the senior woman is going to pick the healthy guy . Besides , she probably thinks any too well-dressed senior guy is gay or taken .
I admit there are times when you need to dress up . Funerals often require dark suits and dark ties . So , many of us keep one funeral suit in the closet for these occasions . By switching to a colorful tie , the suit can double for weddings and anniversaries .
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