A New Dress Code

I’ve been thinking lately that I need to upgrade my wardrobe. “So what”…well, honestly; there’s a little bit more to it than that. The upgrade thoughts - and I’ll admit, a certain vodka commercial…even though I don’t drink - led to the idea that I should establish a new dress code for myself (for lack of a better term). The basic outline is below.

1. No athletic gear outside the house unless I’m doing something related to athletics or with some other physical component.

As much as I used to love wearing a Jordan shirt and shorts to class, I think those days have gone by. I can just as easily - and if not, I should be able to - throw on a shirt and a pair of jeans with some shoes to do whatever.

2. No short-sleeve shirts unless absolutely necessary.

By “absolutely necessary”, I mean “the only options I have”. In the case of collared short-sleeve shirts, it seems like they scream “I’m just trying to fit the dress code at work” (Ed. note: sorry for all the quotes). They just don’t look right to me, and that doesn’t even get into short-sleeve dress shirts - which you’ll never see me wear anyway. Wait, there’s another type of short-sleeve shirt I left out.

3. T-shirts will only be worn if/when there is a particular message I want to convey with said shirt.

Outside a couple Miami graphic tees, I can’t remember the last time I wore a graphic tee anywhere. Shame, because I have a few. They’re not bad-looking shirts either. They just don’t fit into my scheme like they used to. I have a few other tees with messages (one supporting blood donation, one supporting HBCUs, one supporting FAMU in particular, etc), but I really don’t even wear those that often.

4. No shorts…pretty much ever.

This isn’t much of a departure from my normal modus operandi, and is really covered in #1 as I have no shorts that aren’t athletic in nature and couldn’t see myself wearing any. I don’t get hot easily, so wearing pants or jeans won’t be a concern on that level.

5. Sneakers are included in athletic gear, so that pretty much means the end of them.

Now this one’s going to hurt, since I have several pairs of Jordans. It’s a habit for me to find a pair and just go. Not only that, but replenishing my shoe supply is going to be expensive. Actually, I probably only need two pairs (it’d be one if I didn’t somehow lose a shoe in Atlanta). Problem is, I like going out. Bad things can happen to shoes when one goes out. That makes me a little hesitant on the shoe thing, but I’ll manage.

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That’s pretty much it. May get another sport coat or two if I can find something on the low, but I think this ‘more refined’ look will be cool. Of course, I always reserve the right to revert when the situation warrants. One thing I’d like to make clear before I get out of here: this has nothing to do with attracting anyone. It’s a completely personal decision - not to mention the fact that I've sworn off women/dating anyway. Time to move forward and make some changes.