The Sartorialist

It is perhaps the biggest, most challenging decision one has to make in the morning, before heading off to work; What to wear? Unlike the glorious Victoria Beckham (or Queen of the Ants, really depends on the context), I rarely – no make it never – plan my work outfit the night before. While most of my friends has clothing restrictions when it comes to their individual work (teachers can't wear jeans, retail assistants have uniforms and band conductors just need to look respectable), I on the other hand have an almost unlimited clothing option. I can come dressed up in a nice suit or a shammy torn up jeans and tank top and no one would would bat an eyelid.

I would of course try my best to look at least, reasonably tastefully stylish. But that's the problem. What is reasonably tastefully stylish? On days when I would be stuck in the studio till late, drawing and redrawing advertising illustrations, coming up with ideas for the morning presentations or just trying to make the layout look right, I do not want to be in a stuffy work shirt and fitted pants. I would love to be just in a t-shirt and jeans. But the nature of my work requires that I meet clients and clients usually look at Graphic Designers as the authority of style and taste. And the authority of style and taste can never be in just a t-shirt and jeans. Besides, its a well known fact that if you dress up nicely, people believe everything you have to say.

Truth be told is, I am sick of shirts. I have loads of them, but I so much prefer wearing t-shirts. Something about the fussyness of shirts bothers me. There's the buttons, then the stiff collars and then there's the cuffs. Cuffs bother me loads. If I pull up the sleeves, do I ensure the cuffs shows, or do I just roll it up and hide the cuffs?

I like t-shirts, but it's really hard to look good in one. A v-neck makes you look too femme, a crew neck makes you look like a kid and then there's the problem of fit. Do you wear a tight-fitted one and risk bits of you showing through, or a big one that makes you look all sloppy.

And then after I have decided on the top.

There's the pants. Then the shoes. And finally the bag.

Imagine this every morning, five times a weeks. Now you know why graphic designers just wear black, top to toe.