David Field for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Rebeca O'Neill, Hair and Makeup by Martin Pretorius/Halley Resources, Grooming by Reiko Love/Halley Resources, Model: Jonathan Keyser/Wilhelmina.
For those who pay attention to menswear, you may have noticed that "Casual Friday" is on a seven-day domination. On the street, in boardrooms, and even at fine dining establishments, wear-whatever-you-want seems to be the new dress code. Even exclusive restaurants and clubs in the city, like the revered '21' Club, are literally loosening strict dress codes: ties are no longer "required", but "requested", and baseball caps and sneakers are admitted, albeit unwelcome.
Such is the plight of the jacket and its formal dress family, as documented in the Wall Street Journal. The reason for the demise? Kids—as usual. Seems like those flush with cash are oftentimes younger men who prefer Converse sneakers and tees to wingtips and ties. And with times being hard enough as it is, establishments can't afford to be picky. They want business, even if it means letting in a cap-and-sneaker-clad dude.
But for a select group of fine dress-loving individuals, the art of dressing up lives on. Their daily bread consists of Mr. Porter and Fantastic Man as much as the New York Times, and they shop, or at least take inspiration from, the sharp and spiffy wares offered by designers like Billy Reid, Michael Bastian, and Band of Outsiders. To them, donning a suit, or their stylized version of one, is akin to breathing. So, is menswear become a polarized sphere with suit-and-tie-guys facing off sneaker heads, or do you think that jacket culture is a dying part of menswear? Sound off in the comments! (WSJ)