Last week some of you may have heard on the news that a guy in Philadelphia is selling signs to small businesses that say “No Hoodies.” It created something of a stir, as some people complained it was unfairly biased against contestants of Jeopardy’s college tournament and Mark Zuckerberg.
Hoods are much better when attached to a duffel coat, as in this illustration from the latest issue of the Japanese magazine Men’s Precious. Just be sure it’s down when you enter a shop, whether a convenience store, or the one pictured. — CC
Is the guy on the right – whose third button is itching to roll – trying to perpetrate some kind of mind control on the man selecting a sweating?
No, I think he’s a SPECTRE henchman listening to his earpiece.
Let’s not confuse hooded duffel coats with “hoodies”.
Duffel coats have never been used to advertise disrespect for law and order.
Are those young fellows sporting Thom Brown trousers?: 3 1/2 inch cuffs sitting about 3 1/2 inches above the shoe.
@ Petrus,
Come on, if you associate hoodies with “disrespect for law and order” shouldn’t you do the same with sneakers, jeans and ball caps? Probably 95% of the people wearing these garments are law-abiding citizens. And don’t forget that some of the deadliest 1930’s gangsters were sharp dressers in their suits and ties.
@ A.E.W. Mason,
Agreed on the trouser cuff comments. I too thought it was a bit exaggerated when I saw this illustration. Take a couple of inches length from the cuff and give them to the trouser length and you’ve (almost) got it right.
Never would’ve thought that Sterling Archer would own a duffel coat. Must be going undercover.
@Alex,
I associate hoodies with young men who blatantly announce to the public that they are potential, if not actual criminals.
Dang, I didn’t know George Zimmerman was a fan of ivy league clothes?
@Petrus
Then you are objectively not living on the same planet as the rest of us. Good luck to you – unless you live burrowed in the sand trap of a country club, your day-to-day existence must be filled with threatening figures.
Perhaps the guys in the illustration are members of the Miyuki-zoku.
And yes, Alex, clothes have meaning:
“It is both delusional and stupid to think that clothes don’t really matter and we should all wear whatever we want. Most people don’t take clothing seriously enough, but whether we should or not, clothes do talk to us and we make decisions based on people’s appearances.”
—G. Bruce Boyer
“It is only the shallow people who do not judge by appearances.” –Oscar Wilde.
The reason the young thugs skulking around our inner cities wear hoodies is to make it more difficult to be identified by the now ubiquitous security cameras!
@Chandler
@Vern Trotter
The young thugs skulking around are not only to be found in inner cities, but virtually everywhere.
@Petrus
If only I had your bravery – to leave the house without regard for such rampant danger! Do you hire security, or is it just you and your two fists against the world?
Not brave at all. That’s why I moved to Switzerland.
We all send messages to the world with our clothing choices.
Some of us wish to project an image of tradition and propriety, others wish to send the message that they are hoods.
ROBBIN’ HOOD, HE WORE A HUKE, ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE,
HE NEVER KNEW SUCH HUMOR THEN, BUT WHAT WAS CAUGHT IN STRIFE.
AND IN THE COMP’NY OF SUCH MERRY MEN
ROBBIN’ DURST NOT PURSUE SUCH PURSUITS
AS ARE WANT TO GET HIM CAUGHT AFOOT
BY THE SHERRIFF’S MINIONS, WITH THE LOOT.
In medieval Europe, almost universally for every country and district, it was considered an assault of the first water to attempt to either pull off, or knock off a man’s hat or head covering, and in some cases, could be considered attempted murder, with extenuating circumstances, due in large part to the fact that most hats were either in the form of A, a huke, which was a hood and mantle, usually with a tail, or a tied skull cap, or a hat which would tie around the neck, so that if one were to try to forcibly remove such headwear, it is a not improbable likelihood that the wearer would be choked, at the very least.
I remember my dad used to say you should never touch another man’s hat, especially if he was wearing it, because that’s the kind of thing that would lead to fights, maybe even to the death.