those shirts that have a white collar, but the rest of the shirt is a different colour

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what do you think of them? you see, i rather like them, and i've got a couple of 1970s peter england ones which i used to wear out occasionally (first person to call me a mod gets a grimace). now, of course, they're mega-back and in all the shop windows (what are they? peter werth or something).

the thing is, you go out in like any town on a saturday night and you'll see bunches of 'geezers' wearing these shirts (but really badly, not with the right other clothes), in a prelude to somekind of fighting ritual which is likely to take place at closing time.

now, should i be able to wear mine anyway? is it bad, snobbish and indie to think 'well, actually, people will think i am one of those 'geezers' whose gone and got one of those with all the other geezers?

is fashion necessarily about snobbery, and looking better than other people? or should we all be wearing Middlesboro tracksuits tucked into big white socks (without irony)?

what do you think of those shirts?

― gareth, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

With a suit and a conservative tie, they look nice, but the look is deeply conservative. I think it's best worn by men who are a bit older.

― Sean, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I love them. Especially cornflower blue type pin-stripe ones with the white collar and a dark red tie. Or a dark blue tie. I think they only look good with no tie or tie darker than shirt colour.

― toraneko, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If you like the shirt, wear the shirt.

Thinking "I can't wear this shirt because YOU wear this shirt" means you're letting THEM dictate your wardrobe (letting other people dictate your wardrobe is only for children under five and married men)

The trick though, is if you're wearing the same thing as everyone else you have to wear it BETTER

― jamesmichaelward, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i think the name for them is 'co-respondent' shirts. i used to hate them but now i'm not so sure

― michael, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i've got a black and white pin-striped one and am yet to wear it on one of my gangland sprees. generally, i'd consider them quite conservative, office chic. had no idea of the bad connotations. are they the new ben shermans, then?

― nickie, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They just make me think of City Boys, I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing one on a Saturday night, maybe a Friday after work. And Nickie, it's different rules for girls so fret not.

― Emma, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Same as Emma. Though those sported by cityboys are normally blue and white candystriped and worn with a grey pinstripe suit with too short trousers.

― RickyT, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They're not the new Ben Shermans just yet, but judging by the number of them in trendy boutiques (well, top man etc) they will be very soon. Personally I don't like them due to the city boy connection that Emma makes, they're a bit too smart for me. And the Charlatans looked silly in them in a video recently.

― chris, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

was that the shirts or the band that was in them?

― nickie, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think my main objection would be on practical grounds i.e. the collar and cuffs are the bits that get grimiest throughout the day and yet they are the white bits. Madness! And should they go in a whites wash or a coloured wash? Maybe this is why City Boys wear them, they just take them home and get their mums to wash them.

― Emma, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Good point Nickie, I think it was the scruffy indie boys looking dead awkward in smart co-respondent shirts that was so humorous.

― chris, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it not correspondent rather than co-respondent?

― RickyT, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought the latter, same as the shoes. Obviously though, I've been wrong before and more than likely am now.

― chris, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, maybe I'm getting them mixed up with the shoes then.

― RickyT, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Co-worker has one and is extremely amused by it. Then again he also has many pairs of 'amusing' soXoRs.

― Sarah, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Okay! I'm excited to know that these shirts have A NAME. Blessings on the one who pointed that out. Part 2 of the question: What about men's shirts with HORIZONTAL stripes--mobsters only need apply, or continental gentleman's calling card? (My Italianate uncle has one of these, is very proud of it.)

― Pyth, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If I wasn't so "chunky" I'd love a horizontally striped shirt, it's not often you see them around.

― chris, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think those shirts are tools of Satan, actually. I particularly hate the solid blue ones with the white collar/cuffs... WHY? Did you run out of fabric?

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They're pretty horrible. I think it's a severe dud when the collar is different to the rest of the shirt. It does look like you ran out of material..

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aren't they supposed to hark back to the days when you attached your own collar a la A Christmas Carol? Like "I am old-skool gentility, mate"

― Tracer hand, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Perhaps they're supposed to make you look like gentility, but in practice they end up making you look like genitals (ie, a tool). This is my own horrifyingly-biased opinion, though.

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

more bias = better!

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I associate them with conservative bankers who live in Mosman (in Sydney) and who don't like it when young ladies use swear words.

― Nancy Drew, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like them. I like shirts with collars in general.

― Maria, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Fashion disasters - always have been, always will be

― Seth Speirs, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've let it be known to my friends that if they ever see me in such a shirt they are quite within their rights to shoot me.

― Jonnie, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Forget you, your collars, your ironic "I'm an old guy" posing, you 50- cent juice-drinking wenches, I only wear this:

― Ramosi, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I mean,

― Ramosi, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hi Rimosky :) I'm sure the logo suits you well too!

― Gale Deslongchamps, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i must admit, that logo is pretty damn cool

― gareth, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

James, dictating the wardrobe of an under five who is over two is an absolute impossibility. I don't recommend you ever try it. It will end in grief.

― toraneko, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember when I was a kid, I had a really effete yuppie Ken doll that had this kind of shirt -- pale blue w/a white collar, and pink braces/suspenders to go with it. I think he had white pants too.

Not quite as spectacular spectacular as Earring Magic Ken, but he was quite a natty dresser.

― Nicole, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nicole, I had that doll. But it wasn't Ken, it was the husband/father of the Heart Family.

― rosemary, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fuck. i can't believe i just read the whole thread. its 4:30 am. ugh.

ugh.

I aM THE LIFE WASTOR!!!!!!!!!

― gabe, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hi Rimosky :) I'm sure the logo suits you well too!

"RIMOSKY"...... You.....you're alright woman, you know that? Peace out

― Ramosi, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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