On wearing special clothes

Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
someone in a full-length coat?

According to the cycles of fashion, the full skirts of the fifties
should have grown into hoop skirts, then collapsed into bustles. The
hoops didn't appear, and when bustles showed up on schedule, they were
wee tiny things that were worn only to very special events.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

Per Joy Beeson:
Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
someone in a full-length coat?

My guess would be that they went out of use when cars became enclosed
and/or roads paved and drivers were not bathed in dust.
--
Pete Cresswell

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:18:08 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
someone in a full-length coat?

I have my father's "Trench Coat" that he bought and wore once on a
trip to Europe in the 1970's. In Los Angeles, he never wore it
claiming that it made him look like a refugee.

According to the cycles of fashion, the full skirts of the fifties
should have grown into hoop skirts, then collapsed into bustles. The
hoops didn't appear, and when bustles showed up on schedule, they were
wee tiny things that were worn only to very special events.

My father was in the petticoat manufacturing business during the
1950's. Petticoats literally vaporized in 1957 with the launch of
Sputnik and the demise of the Edsel. They were somehow perceived as a
symbol of western decadence and conspicuous consumption. There was
some sales in Africa and in the country western market but it was not
enough to sustain the product line. I think that's why you didn't see
the hoops and bustles after 1957 as they may have followed the
petticoat into ancient history.

Also, I don't think a cyclic pattern like that since the 1950's.
Starting in the 1960's, fashions followed whatever the dropouts and
rejects from society were wearing at the time, which acquired the
"cool" designation.

During the late 50's, the social losers were the Beatniks, which were
instantly emulated and later cloned into almost a uniform. (Sandals,
sweat shirt, jeans, and poetry). So much for non-conformity.

During the 60's, the flower children provided a "natural look" which
did wonders for selling highly un-natural cosmetics and intentionally
destroyed clothing which allegedly looked "natural". (Tie-dye, ripped
jeans, pre-washed, faded colors, etc). At about the same time, media
celebrities were enlisted to push impractical but distinctive
clothing. (Nehru jacket).

I slept through the 1970's during which nothing happened. We had an
energy crisis which resulted in no fashion changes, and higher prices
on everything, which probably explains why nothing changed.

During the 1980's, it became fashionable to be a gang member. Fashions
that made buyers look like they had been recently released from prison
were the rage. No belt baggy pants, used jeans, tattoos, white
T-shirts, and shaved heads were the rage.

The 90's were weird. The First Gulf War produced some rather odd
looking military like fashions, which failed to sell. That resulted
in a series of failed attempts to adjust the details of men's
fashions. The only things that stuck were denim sport coats. For the
women, it became fashionable to look like a prostitute. Heavy makeup,
red/black coloring, high heels, etc. It was more of a caricature than
a copy, but the look still sells well today among those whos parents
are absolutely terrified at that thought. Somewhat later boys
followed suit with the "Goths", where an all black simulated vampire
in black trench coat was a big seller copying some long forgotten TV
character.

I haven't been paying attention for the last ummm... 15 years, but I
have noticed that women's fashions are following a new trend, where
the symbols overlap. For example, I've seen skool kids looking like a
conglomeration of anime dolls and vamps, or for the boys, muscle men
in ultra tight pants. I have some theories, but I probably don't want
to know how those combinations work.

So, that leaves use with bicycle fashions, which in my never humble
opinion have been a lost cause. There is only so much that can be
done with a jersey. For the last 50 years, bicycle jerseys have been
nothing more than wearable billboards for sponsors. For lesser riders
that lack a sponsor, something cryptic in a foreign language will
suffice. Due to the lack of surface area, the jersey has been drawn
and quartered much in the same way as the mediaeval shield, with each
sponsor doing their best to monopolize their quarter. Short of LED
lighting or flexible LCD images on the jersey, I can't think of much
else that might become fashionable.

What's needed is to replace the bicycle jersey with something else. I
think I have the answer. Safety fashions. The safety jersey will
have all the visibility and attention grabbing features commonly found
in fashions. Garish colors, obnoxious patterns, reflective tape,
flashing lights, direction signals, air bags, water cooling, numerous
pockets, Kevlar vest, traffic camera, smartphone wiring, touchpad
area, sewn-in speakers, etc. Whether any of this stuff will do
anything useful is inconsequential. What's important is that it
identifies the user as someone concerned about safety. If sold
correctly, this could also extend into a collection of safety
streetwear fashions.

Someone is certain to notice that cycling fashions do not quite fit
the street fashions pattern of following the societies losers and
celebrities. This is because cyclists are sufficiently headstrong and
arrogant to not require anyone to follow. At best, they follow each
other, which leads to circular patterns and little change. Change in
components, geometry, and fashions come very slowly. However, I
should point out that the original downhill (mountain bike) sector did
not come from the traditional manufacturers, but rather from a group
of misfits who failed to use their bicycles in the generally approved
manner. For fashions, maybe rock shredded jeans or gauze bandages
covered in road dust.

I have no inside information on the next fashion trend in street
clothes or bicycling. They come and go at alarming rates, as the
fashion industry tries one bizarre idea after another in the hope that
one of them will actually work. I still occasionally read Women's
Wear Daily to keep up to date. Here's the latest issue:
http://wwd.com/wwd-publications/wwd/2015-07-29-10194001/
and for men:
http://wwd.com/menswear-news/fashion/mens-trends-new-york-market-week-10193675/slideshow/
Sigh... Fortunately, I haven't recently seen many bicycle fashions
but you can get a clue from the "lifestyle" section:
http://wwd.com/menswear-news/lifestyle/










--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 2015-07-30 8:32 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Joy Beeson:
Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
someone in a full-length coat?

My guess would be that they went out of use when cars became enclosed
and/or roads paved and drivers were not bathed in dust.


Then came the development of dirt bikes and mountain bikes. Their riders
despise everything man-made such as paved roads. Now we are bathed in
dust again.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 9:20:16 AM UTC-7, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:18:08 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
someone in a full-length coat?

I have my father's "Trench Coat" that he bought and wore once on a
trip to Europe in the 1970's. In Los Angeles, he never wore it
claiming that it made him look like a refugee.

According to the cycles of fashion, the full skirts of the fifties
should have grown into hoop skirts, then collapsed into bustles. The
hoops didn't appear, and when bustles showed up on schedule, they were
wee tiny things that were worn only to very special events.

My father was in the petticoat manufacturing business during the
1950's. Petticoats literally vaporized in 1957 with the launch of
Sputnik and the demise of the Edsel. They were somehow perceived as a
symbol of western decadence and conspicuous consumption. There was
some sales in Africa and in the country western market but it was not
enough to sustain the product line. I think that's why you didn't see
the hoops and bustles after 1957 as they may have followed the
petticoat into ancient history.

Also, I don't think a cyclic pattern like that since the 1950's.
Starting in the 1960's, fashions followed whatever the dropouts and
rejects from society were wearing at the time, which acquired the
"cool" designation.

During the late 50's, the social losers were the Beatniks, which were
instantly emulated and later cloned into almost a uniform. (Sandals,
sweat shirt, jeans, and poetry). So much for non-conformity.

During the 60's, the flower children provided a "natural look" which
did wonders for selling highly un-natural cosmetics and intentionally
destroyed clothing which allegedly looked "natural". (Tie-dye, ripped
jeans, pre-washed, faded colors, etc). At about the same time, media
celebrities were enlisted to push impractical but distinctive
clothing. (Nehru jacket).

I slept through the 1970's during which nothing happened. We had an
energy crisis which resulted in no fashion changes, and higher prices
on everything, which probably explains why nothing changed.

During the 1980's, it became fashionable to be a gang member. Fashions
that made buyers look like they had been recently released from prison
were the rage. No belt baggy pants, used jeans, tattoos, white
T-shirts, and shaved heads were the rage.

The 90's were weird. The First Gulf War produced some rather odd
looking military like fashions, which failed to sell. That resulted
in a series of failed attempts to adjust the details of men's
fashions. The only things that stuck were denim sport coats. For the
women, it became fashionable to look like a prostitute. Heavy makeup,
red/black coloring, high heels, etc. It was more of a caricature than
a copy, but the look still sells well today among those whos parents
are absolutely terrified at that thought. Somewhat later boys
followed suit with the "Goths", where an all black simulated vampire
in black trench coat was a big seller copying some long forgotten TV
character.

I haven't been paying attention for the last ummm... 15 years, but I
have noticed that women's fashions are following a new trend, where
the symbols overlap. For example, I've seen skool kids looking like a
conglomeration of anime dolls and vamps, or for the boys, muscle men
in ultra tight pants. I have some theories, but I probably don't want
to know how those combinations work.

So, that leaves use with bicycle fashions, which in my never humble
opinion have been a lost cause. There is only so much that can be
done with a jersey. For the last 50 years, bicycle jerseys have been
nothing more than wearable billboards for sponsors. For lesser riders
that lack a sponsor, something cryptic in a foreign language will
suffice. Due to the lack of surface area, the jersey has been drawn
and quartered much in the same way as the mediaeval shield, with each
sponsor doing their best to monopolize their quarter. Short of LED
lighting or flexible LCD images on the jersey, I can't think of much
else that might become fashionable.

snip

Actually, bicycle jerseys didn't become wearable billboards until the '90s, IMO. It was stripes -- either down or across. http://tinyurl.com/oal5loo
file:///C:/Users/jwb/Downloads/palo_alto_1984.pdf
USCF even had a limit on the number of places you could put a logo on a jersey, so my racing jerseys of the day were pretty tame.

Manufacturers didn't blast their names across clothing back then, either, and you had to hunt around to find Euro trade team kit, usually a Brooklyn jersey or a Moltini -- and then you had to suffer the slings and arrows of people calling you a poseur. I remember laughing at some guy in the '80s who was wearing a La Vie Claire Mondrian-esque jersey -- which, IMO, was one of the first trade team jerseys that was widely sold in the U.S. (but I could be wrong). Now I laugh at the guys in head-to-toe Euro team kit creeping up the local hills, bulbous guts straining against their jerseys. Did you really have to buy the socks, too? They're a rare bunch because most of the cyclists around here wear local team gear because everyone is on a local team. We have a billion teams. http://obra.org/teams/ Then there are the clubs: http://pwtc.com/files/imagecache/pro...ull/Jersey.jpg

Abundant clothing opportunities for all. Plus this place: http://www.oregoncyclewear.com/woolcyclingjerseys.html Go wool. Put your own name on your jersey, just so no one tries to steal it.

-- Jay Beattie.

4Per Joerg:
Then came the development of dirt bikes and mountain bikes. Their riders
despise everything man-made such as paved roads. Now we are bathed in
dust again.

Yeah, but now being covered in dirt confers status..... -)
--
Pete Cresswell

On 7/30/2015 12:20 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

What's needed is to replace the bicycle jersey with something else. I
think I have the answer. Safety fashions. The safety jersey will
have all the visibility and attention grabbing features commonly found
in fashions. Garish colors, obnoxious patterns, reflective tape,
flashing lights, direction signals, air bags, water cooling, numerous
pockets, Kevlar vest, traffic camera, smartphone wiring, touchpad
area, sewn-in speakers, etc. Whether any of this stuff will do
anything useful is inconsequential. What's important is that it
identifies the user as someone concerned about safety.

:-) Then we can watch the "Saved my life!!!" anecdotes flow in.


--
- Frank Krygowski

I have minimalist sneakers for driving, yellow shooters glasses..

nylon shorts, polyester mesh T's for hot Florida...which is infrequently scene...long pants and cotton de riguer.

https://goo.gl/MWlTLz

or worser

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumptuary_law

Lieb is almost New Yorker material

GO LIEB !

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:14:46 -0700 (PDT), jbeattie
wrote:

Actually, bicycle jerseys didn't become wearable billboards
until the '90s, IMO. It was stripes -- either down or across.
http://tinyurl.com/oal5loo
file:///C:/Users/jwb/Downloads/palo_alto_1984.pdf
USCF even had a limit on the number of places you could
put a logo on a jersey, so my racing jerseys of the day
were pretty tame.

When I bought a touring bicycle (Miyata 610) in 1984, part of the
requisite haggling was over some of the accessories that I was also
buying at the same time. The shop had far too many jerseys on the
rack, so I negotiated three for the price of one. I still have the
one I wanted, which was a solid navy blue wool with white trim.
However, the other two were a checkerboard of Italian names and logos.
They weren't as elaborate as todays billboards, but certainly were
advertising of some form. I never bothered to decode the Italian.
Both disappeared somewhat later.

Manufacturers didn't blast their names across clothing back then,
either, and you had to hunt around to find Euro trade team kit,
usually a Brooklyn jersey or a Moltini -- and then you had to
suffer the slings and arrows of people calling you a poseur.

That would have been me. At the time, I had no clue what to wear and
what was acceptable.

I remember laughing at some guy in the '80s who was wearing
a La Vie Claire Mondrian-esque jersey -- which, IMO, was one
of the first trade team jerseys that was widely sold in the
U.S. (but I could be wrong). Now I laugh at the guys in
head-to-toe Euro team kit creeping up the local hills, bulbous
uts straining against their jerseys.

Yeah, that would also be me. I don't have one of these, but I'm
tempted to buy one:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=old+fart+cycling+team+jersey
As I vaguely recall, the stores were full of jerseys bearing real and
fake team names, mostly in European languages. Since they apparently
didn't sell very well, they were cheap or on sale, which is what
caught my attention. However, I don't recall exactly how elaborate
the design. I assumed they were much like todays billboards, but
perhaps I'm mistaken.

Abundant clothing opportunities for all. Plus this place:
http://www.oregoncyclewear.com/woolcyclingjerseys.html
Go wool. Put your own name on your jersey, just so no one
tries to steal it.

Such jerseys come in two styles, horizontal stripes and vertical
stripes. The horizontal stripes make me look shorter while the
vertical makes me look taller. Dark colors make me look heavier, and
light colors lighter. So, it's light and vertical for me. Never mind
the name. However, I want one with a vertical automobile tire track
down back. Common enough on tee shirts, but not jerseys. Well,
here's a bad start:
http://www.pisgahareasorba.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/tire-tracks.jpg
Or, I could sew my own (yet another project).

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:29:04 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

4Per Joerg:
Then came the development of dirt bikes and mountain bikes. Their riders
despise everything man-made such as paved roads. Now we are bathed in
dust again.

Yeah, but now being covered in dirt confers status..... -)

Which means that someone will eventually sell a "spray on dirt kit" or
the equivalent, to make the bicycle and owner look like they've been
riding in the mud (winter) or dust (summer). It's already available
for cars.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SPRAY-MUD-LIQUID-REAL-200ml/dp/B005LB8W9O
https://www.behance.net/gallery/24473607/Volkswagen-Instant-Off-Road-Kit
http://www.psfk.com/2015/04/volkswagens-instant-off-road-kit.html
I wonder what a stucco hopper spray gun will do when filled with mud?




--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558