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How (and Why) to Dress Like a (Southern) Conservative

15K views 42 replies 23 participants last post by  DoubleDDownUnder  
#1 ·
#8 ·
This thread puts me in mind of Huckleberry Finn's kind but ill-fated hosts the Grangerfords: "Every day of his life [old Col. Grangerford] put on a clean shirt and a full suit from head to foot made out of linen so white it hurt your eyes to look at it; and on Sundays he wore a blue tail-coat with brass buttons on it." [His sons]"dressed in white linen from head to foot, like the old gentleman, and wore broad Panama hats."

From some of the posts here, it sounds as if things haven't changed a great deal in the past 160 years or so, at least as far as traditional Southern apparel goes, except that few if any Southern men wear blue, brass buttoned tailcoats these days, I should imagine. I suppose the blue brass-buttoned blazer could be seen as a successor to the colonel's tailcoat.
 
#10 ·
#14 ·
I remember my grandfather's (a true southern gentleman) dress code vividly to this day. He never went out the front door without a suit, tie and hat. In the summer, the suit was a natural colored linen with vest, Panama hat and, often, spectators.

Once, in New York City, we were getting on an elevator. The last two entrants were young women. My grandfather immediately doffed his hat, as southern gentlemen did in the presence of ladies.. The young women proceeded to "turn the air blue" with their speech. My grandfather never said a word. He just put his hat back on.
 
#16 ·
I apologize that a small political side-track got a large style comment deleted. Won't do it again. I'll just hit the bullet points from my longer reply now:

- Broadcloth or pinpoint more frequently than heavier oxford
- Lighter colors acceptable, like pink or light green
- No vests- too hot.
- Much quicker inclination to lose the jacket, leave it hanging in your office or over a chair.
- Considering button-down collars to be more formal than they are considered up north (perfectly acceptable to wear a suit with button down collars)
- boat shoes all the time with casual dress
 
#17 ·
I take exception to the concept that there is but one Trad. Rocky Mountain Trad (puffy vests, denim, hiking boots are all climate/terrain appropriate), West Coast surfer dude Trad (Pendleton board shirts, Topsters, dark denim) are well-established on the forum. So why not a Southern Gentleman Trad with the above points? Makes perfect sense.
 
#18 ·
I remember my grandfather's (a true southern gentleman) dress code vividly to this day. He never went out the front door without a suit, tie and hat. In the summer, the suit was a natural colored linen with vest, Panama hat and, often, spectators.

Once, in New York City, we were getting on an elevator. The last two entrants were young women. My grandfather immediately doffed his hat, as southern gentlemen did in the presence of ladies.. The young women proceeded to "turn the air blue" with their speech. My grandfather never said a word. He just put his hat back on.
I am not quite sure I "get" this story. Were they cursing at him because his courtly gesture was evocative of patriarchal oppression or some such nonsense, or were they merely using foul language and oblivious to his presence?
 
#20 ·
I can remember the old-timer bankers at a certain institution wearing black dress shoes with seersucker. White button downs only. Blue would be frowned upon, and any other color you would be sent home to change.


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#22 ·
I take exception to the concept that there is but one Trad. Rocky Mountain Trad (puffy vests, denim, hiking boots are all climate/terrain appropriate), West Coast surfer dude Trad (Pendleton board shirts, Topsters, dark denim) are well-established on the forum. So why not a Southern Gentleman Trad with the above points? Makes perfect sense.
I know this for a fact with regard to the Pacific Northwest version of Rocky Mountain Trad. In high school, I wore desert boots, jeans and a Pendleton shirt. I ran some errands today in exactly the same outfit, adding a Gore-Tex shell, which we didn't have then but would have worn if it had been available.
 
#23 ·
#25 · (Edited)
I take exception to the concept that there is but one Trad. Rocky Mountain Trad (puffy vests, denim, hiking boots are all climate/terrain appropriate), West Coast surfer dude Trad (Pendleton board shirts, Topsters, dark denim) are well-established on the forum. So why not a Southern Gentleman Trad with the above points? Makes perfect sense.
This is the first time I've seen the words "Trad" and "surfer dude" in the same sentence.

Harris must be spinning in his...rumpus room. He'd better stop--he's liable to wear a hole in his J.Press shaggy dog.

So jeans can be "Trad" depending on the context?

Any look can be "Trad" provided that it is something that for a long time has clearly been associated with a definable demographic in a particular American region?

Fascinating.
 
#26 ·
This is the first time I've seen the words "Trad" and "surfer dude" in the same sentence.

Harris must be spinning in his...rumpus room. He'd better stop--he's liable to wear a hole in his J.Press shaggy dog.

So jeans can be "Trad" depending on the context?

Any look can be "Trad" provided that it is something that for a long time has clearly been associated with a definable demographic in a particular American region?

Fascinating.
I don't think Oldsarge has ever purported to be Trad.....so maybe, consider the source.