It’s not only concepts that are mutable and dynamic. So is our vision of
them. My perspective of the sport jacket is quite different today from what it
was a dozen of years ago. There was a time when I considered it a superfluous
extravagance of those who wore it. Like the guy that started using part of his
work suit on Sunday afternoon or, even worse, that anticipated its use on
Friday and Saturday nights. But what we wear isn’t simply a free exercise on
how to cover the skin. Our attire carries with it a set of symbols and signs, that whether we like it or not, serves as a communication platform with those we meet everyday. According
to Durkheim this is what is called "social facts". Something external
that is imposed on the individual. Like a collective standard that is applied
regardless of his will. When a brand conceives a piece of clothing it’s not only providing a beautiful vision to a potential customer. It's also selling an image, a concept and, some times, a dream. And from the moment we buy that piece, we're also consuming the concept, the image, the dream and whatever that piece transmits. This works
for the clothing, cosmetic, auto or food industries. Because what’s at stake
here is not merely the rag with which we cover our body or the service that we
receive, but also where those items take us.
Yesterday a blazer would make me feel tacky and I considered (well, I
still do...) a low-cut t-shirt the best thing ever after the invention of the
wheel. Today, the informal tone with which I treat the piece of clothing that names this post, makes me feel even more elegant and sleek. For a more rural look I can add it some tire
boots, or folded hems for a younger aspect. Here’s the truth: in the presence
of a woman the jacket makes me feel, not necessarily older (let’s face it, we all politely refuse that adjective), but possibly wiser, interesting and charming or any other attribute socially valued and usually associated with older men. And we all have the right to dream. I don’t pay much attention to the type of press that tries
to impose life styles and consumer trends directed to those people with
significantly higher bank accounts than mine. On the other hand, why the hell
can't I wear something that will make me feel like a million dollars? Will that
make me a frivolous person? Like Jorge Palma’s music: “In the land of dreams
you can be who you are and no one will hold it against you. In the land of dreams
everybody is treated equally by everybody.” All I know is… from an aesthetically
point of view, in this precise moment, my enchanted vision of life includes a
table in front of the water, be it a river or the sea, naked ankles and an
evening breeze that is only bearable wearing a sport jacket. What about you?
