My little boy loves to get dressed up, and has more ties than he has years of age. Then again, he dresses up only for church and special occasions, and prefers to wear jeans or shorts and a T-shirt most of the time.
Most of the men at church today were wearing sport shirts with slacks or jeans. However, one young man looked very handsome wearing light colored slacks, a dark sport coat, shirt and a bright bow tie. Unfortunately he hadn’t removed the basting from the vents. Otherwise, he was the best dressed man there.
As a lifelong Episcopalian, I am uncertain if we are that welcome any longer unless we agree to a revisionist social Gospel that conforms to many acceptances, strictures and proscriptions. Witness over 1000 parishes that have left and joined the new Anglican Church in North America.
At my local Episcopal church on Easter, most seemed to dress appropriately, and some of the boys did not look that different from the young man pictured above. Lots of double-vented coats for some reason, but I must confess somewhat shamefacedly to having a few of those myself. Amen to Henry, Old School, Vern and DCG. I note that one of our best local TEC priests is now pastoring a Catholic church in Phoenix. No doubt he was one of the few RC priests to show up at his ordination service with his wife and 6 children, and I am pleased to say that they all still look like the East Coast Ivy family that they are, even if no longer technically WASPs.
It’s sad to see what the “leadership” of the Episcopal Church has done to it, but the ordination of women and homosexuals have turned it, like so many other “churches,” into a non-Christian denomination. Such politically-correct denominations are seeing their numbers decline, while the traditionalist denominations, Baptist, Presbyterian, or otherwise, are enjoying increases in their membership; this is also the reason for the Anglican realignment that Mr. Trotter mentions.
My visual memory of Easter Sunday as a young man is a sea of blue blazers and gray trousers or blue suits on the men, and the first sightings of light colors and fabrics on the women–lots of hats as well.
The following article excellently details the dilemma conservative/traditional Episcopalians must face when asked how they identify. The article isn’t new, but is astoundingly prophetic in its prediction of the future of the Anglican/Episcopalian denominations.
Mr. Mason — Your memories of Easters past would be right at home in these parts. I myself was blazered and flannelled, with cordovan tassel loafers, a white OCBD and a repp tie of teal and navy, while my wife broke out the pastels. JDD — Thanks for the Link to First Things. My own church is one of the few, for want of a better word, “evangelical” Episcopal churches left, although certainly not the only one. Not coincidentally, it is also one of the largest in the diocese in terms of attendance (I think actually it is the largest since The Falls Church and Truro parishes in northern Virginia left TEC).
JDD, your link is a good read, and reminded me of a humorous take on Rowan Williams and what he represents. Warning: if you haven’t read the Canterbury Tales, you won’t appreciate all the humor of this piece.
Excellent list. May I add the “Chic Ivy/Viking Ivy” dichotomy?
What others might there be?
Metrosexual/Urban lumberjack
button-down collar shirt with suit/no button-down collar shirt with suit
tennis or cricket sweater OK/tennis or cricket sweater not OK
blue & white shirts exclusively/other colors OK
2″ trouser cuffs/smaller trouser cuffs
faux shield or crest tie OK/crests only for organizations the wearer is affiliated with
saddle shoes/spectator shoes
and, of course,
Italian ownership of traditional American brand/Japanese ownership of traditional American brand
Garters/elastic socks
Socks/no socks
Braces/belt
Hat/no hat
Button suit coat/open suit coat
White pocket hanky/no hanky
Stripe tie w stripe/never stripe with stripe
Lapel pin/no lapel pin
Tie sweater around neck/tie sweater around waist
New England/Southern
Roundhead/Cavalier (arguably the same as the one above)
Heyday Brooks/HeydayPress
Weejun/Alden
Repp Stripes, Solid Knits and Ancient Madder/Vineyard Vines, CC Prep et al.
We’re actually “dressing” for Easter dinner here later today. Just the three of us. Father, mother, and nine year old son. Not because we have to, but because we want to. Happy Easter everyone!
I tied on a Madras bowtie this morning for Easter Mass (hopefully not too early in the season). Many of the men in my Anglican parish here in Dallas are originally from the Deep South, so the Easter egg colors were on full display. I hail from Charleston, where Easter Sunday means pastel shirt and tie with a light-toned wool- blend or poplin suit.
Navy chalk stripe, Bengal stripe shirt and springy-colored repp stripe tie here, all 80s and 90s Brooks. Church followed by wonderful lamb lunch with my wife and brother. Hope everyone had as delightful a day as we did. Joyous Easter to all.
Happy Easter to all. I decided Easter was a good excuse to wear my tan poplin suit for the first time this year and to give a retirement party for my favorite shirt, a Mercer blue end on end button down, with the cuffs now too frayed to continue to wear other than in casual settings.
He is risen indeed! 29 y/o guy here; wore a POW Check J. Press suit, pink striped LL Bean Oxford and a Lily Pulitzer tie! There were a few older guys in tie and jacket, but a lot of polo shirts and jeans. : (
CahillStern – I love your choice of Easter wear. There was a mix of suits, sport coats and polo shirts at our church as well. Very happy that you are keeping the trad fires burning in the next generation. Please continue to lead by example. Very best wishes to you.
Late to the party (as usual), but this year, I wore what I normally wear for Easter: a stroller. Specifically,
• Homburg
• Yellow striped shirt with contrast cuffs & collar
• Black & white Prince of Wales check tie
• Black double-breasted jacket, with white hanky & pink watered silk boutonniere
• Houndstooth check trousers
• Black & white birdseye socks
• Black wholecut shoes
As usual, I was the only one wearing a stroller—no surprise there. However, I think I saw even fewer people than last year dressed up for Easter. Ah, Kasual Kalifornia!
The era when 14-year-old boys loved to get dressed up.
Happy Easter!
He is risen! Happy Easter to all.
My little boy loves to get dressed up, and has more ties than he has years of age. Then again, he dresses up only for church and special occasions, and prefers to wear jeans or shorts and a T-shirt most of the time.
A good balance, I think.
Most of the men at church today were wearing sport shirts with slacks or jeans. However, one young man looked very handsome wearing light colored slacks, a dark sport coat, shirt and a bright bow tie. Unfortunately he hadn’t removed the basting from the vents. Otherwise, he was the best dressed man there.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you…to deck thyself in preppy gear twice every liturgical year. See you next Christmas!
Happy Easter gang
The expression “Sunday Best” would mean nothing to most people today.
Old School, you’re absolutely right. I’ve had to explain it to my children.
DCG,
As a lifelong Episcopalian, I am uncertain if we are that welcome any longer unless we agree to a revisionist social Gospel that conforms to many acceptances, strictures and proscriptions. Witness over 1000 parishes that have left and joined the new Anglican Church in North America.
Too true Vern, factor in the Tiber-swimmers in the Ordinariate and the future is grim for TEC
At my local Episcopal church on Easter, most seemed to dress appropriately, and some of the boys did not look that different from the young man pictured above. Lots of double-vented coats for some reason, but I must confess somewhat shamefacedly to having a few of those myself. Amen to Henry, Old School, Vern and DCG. I note that one of our best local TEC priests is now pastoring a Catholic church in Phoenix. No doubt he was one of the few RC priests to show up at his ordination service with his wife and 6 children, and I am pleased to say that they all still look like the East Coast Ivy family that they are, even if no longer technically WASPs.
Tiber-swimmers! 😉
It’s sad to see what the “leadership” of the Episcopal Church has done to it, but the ordination of women and homosexuals have turned it, like so many other “churches,” into a non-Christian denomination. Such politically-correct denominations are seeing their numbers decline, while the traditionalist denominations, Baptist, Presbyterian, or otherwise, are enjoying increases in their membership; this is also the reason for the Anglican realignment that Mr. Trotter mentions.
(Cue AEV rant in three, two, one….)
My visual memory of Easter Sunday as a young man is a sea of blue blazers and gray trousers or blue suits on the men, and the first sightings of light colors and fabrics on the women–lots of hats as well.
@Henry and others,
The following article excellently details the dilemma conservative/traditional Episcopalians must face when asked how they identify. The article isn’t new, but is astoundingly prophetic in its prediction of the future of the Anglican/Episcopalian denominations.
http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2008/12/anglican-or-episcopalian
Mr. Mason — Your memories of Easters past would be right at home in these parts. I myself was blazered and flannelled, with cordovan tassel loafers, a white OCBD and a repp tie of teal and navy, while my wife broke out the pastels. JDD — Thanks for the Link to First Things. My own church is one of the few, for want of a better word, “evangelical” Episcopal churches left, although certainly not the only one. Not coincidentally, it is also one of the largest in the diocese in terms of attendance (I think actually it is the largest since The Falls Church and Truro parishes in northern Virginia left TEC).
JDD, your link is a good read, and reminded me of a humorous take on Rowan Williams and what he represents. Warning: if you haven’t read the Canterbury Tales, you won’t appreciate all the humor of this piece.
IOWAHAWK!
How we do like dichotomies/trichotomies!
Apparently, we were tired of the following debates, and are now worrying about the Anglican/Episcopalian split.
lined/unlined collars
2-buttons/3-buttons
forward/outward pleats
pleats/no pleats
chinos/khakis
Preppy/Ivy
Trad/Preppy/Ivy
Grey Ivy/Gay Ivy
treated/untreated oxford cloth
poenny loafers/tassel loafers
Excellent list. May I add the “Chic Ivy/Viking Ivy” dichotomy?
What others might there be?
Metrosexual/Urban lumberjack
button-down collar shirt with suit/no button-down collar shirt with suit
tennis or cricket sweater OK/tennis or cricket sweater not OK
blue & white shirts exclusively/other colors OK
2″ trouser cuffs/smaller trouser cuffs
faux shield or crest tie OK/crests only for organizations the wearer is affiliated with
saddle shoes/spectator shoes
and, of course,
Italian ownership of traditional American brand/Japanese ownership of traditional American brand
@Henry
Might one add the critter belts and pink trousers/dressing like an adult dichotomy?
More-
Garters/elastic socks
Socks/no socks
Braces/belt
Hat/no hat
Button suit coat/open suit coat
White pocket hanky/no hanky
Stripe tie w stripe/never stripe with stripe
Lapel pin/no lapel pin
Tie sweater around neck/tie sweater around waist
Suggested additional dichotomies:
New England/Southern
Roundhead/Cavalier (arguably the same as the one above)
Heyday Brooks/HeydayPress
Weejun/Alden
Repp Stripes, Solid Knits and Ancient Madder/Vineyard Vines, CC Prep et al.
Lest we forget:
listmaking/non-listmaking.
Do we need to do a post on this?
@Christian
Sounds like a capital idea.
I’m not sure I get the concept, though. It’s divisions within the genre? Penny loafers versus longwings? Linen TV fold versus silk puff?
Dunno. It’s your site; you get paid the big bucks to make the decisions, so decide away!
Also, let’s get some trichotomies and tetrotomies going, too:
white linen pocket squares only/silken pocket squares only/white linen & silken pocket squares, depending
no hat/flat caps/fedoras/flat caps and fedoras
belt/suspenders/suspenders and belt/side tabs
The IVY Matrix….
Re: “The era when 14-year-old boys loved to get dressed up.”
Also the era when grown men loved to get dressed up.
Just remember folks, us kids don’t all wear hoodies and joggers!
We’re actually “dressing” for Easter dinner here later today. Just the three of us. Father, mother, and nine year old son. Not because we have to, but because we want to. Happy Easter everyone!
I tied on a Madras bowtie this morning for Easter Mass (hopefully not too early in the season). Many of the men in my Anglican parish here in Dallas are originally from the Deep South, so the Easter egg colors were on full display. I hail from Charleston, where Easter Sunday means pastel shirt and tie with a light-toned wool- blend or poplin suit.
Navy chalk stripe, Bengal stripe shirt and springy-colored repp stripe tie here, all 80s and 90s Brooks. Church followed by wonderful lamb lunch with my wife and brother. Hope everyone had as delightful a day as we did. Joyous Easter to all.
Happy Easter to all. I decided Easter was a good excuse to wear my tan poplin suit for the first time this year and to give a retirement party for my favorite shirt, a Mercer blue end on end button down, with the cuffs now too frayed to continue to wear other than in casual settings.
@NaturalShoulder:
You’re one of the fortunate few who have discovered that end-on-end fabric is far preferable to Oxford cloth.
He is risen indeed! 29 y/o guy here; wore a POW Check J. Press suit, pink striped LL Bean Oxford and a Lily Pulitzer tie! There were a few older guys in tie and jacket, but a lot of polo shirts and jeans. : (
CahillStern – I love your choice of Easter wear. There was a mix of suits, sport coats and polo shirts at our church as well. Very happy that you are keeping the trad fires burning in the next generation. Please continue to lead by example. Very best wishes to you.
Late to the party (as usual), but this year, I wore what I normally wear for Easter: a stroller. Specifically,
• Homburg
• Yellow striped shirt with contrast cuffs & collar
• Black & white Prince of Wales check tie
• Black double-breasted jacket, with white hanky & pink watered silk boutonniere
• Houndstooth check trousers
• Black & white birdseye socks
• Black wholecut shoes
As usual, I was the only one wearing a stroller—no surprise there. However, I think I saw even fewer people than last year dressed up for Easter. Ah, Kasual Kalifornia!