Comfort vs. concert: What to wear, when

September 15th, 2008, 7:56 am · Post a Comment · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt

Living and working in the East Valley can warp your perspective as to what passes for “appropriate attire.”

I mean, it’s hot here, for one thing, especially now. And compared to other residents of other metropolitan areas, we are a decidedly laid-back crowd: I’ve been to upscale resort restaurants where dudes were wandering around in cargo shorts.

Which made getting dressed yesterday kind of a conundrum: I had tickets to see Kronos Quartet and Wu Man in a 2 p.m. concert at the Mesa Arts Center.

Normally this would be easy. Attending a classical performance? I’d go one step down from a suit — dressy long-sleeved shirt, slacks, dark shoes. But this was a matinee performance, which says “dress down even more.” And the Phoenix Symphony blurb said if we came early, we could watch demonstrations of everything from calligraphy to Chinese dances … but it didn’t say if those demonstrations were outside or inside. Midday summer sunlight = no dark colors or long sleeves.

And the final consideration: The performance was in Mesa.

I seesawed back and forth: You want to pay respect to the performers by dressing up. Like with the lights and the performing and the crowd, they’re going to zero in on you and notice what you’re wearing. It’s the principle of the thing. Isn’t it better to dress up than look like a slob? That depends where you are, and you will be in downtown Mesa on a Sunday. And calligraphy means ink or paint, which means “spilly.” Like you’ll be any less upset if you get ink on a nice short-sleeved shirt than a nice long-sleeved one. Hey, this is Kronos Quartet, not a stuffy symphony performance.

And so on: I switched out a pique polo for a fine-gauge jersey shirt, went with summer colors — yes, white pants after Labor Day! — and opted for funky shoes instead of sneakers. (See here [and enter to win that Cartier cologne, too].)

As it turns out, the crowd at the concert was a mixed bunch — lots of senior citizens in suits, negated by quite a few younger folks in cargo shorts.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones having issues deciding. Even the musicians were varied: Jeffrey Zeigler in a taupe velvety blazer; Hank Dutt in a button-down shirt; Wu-Man in a billowy pants outfit; symphony director Michael Christie in a dark suit with an open-collar white shirt and no tie.

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 9/15/08

The shirt: Long-sleeved cotton button-up (Zara, Washington, D.C.)
The pants: Poly/rayon/spandex trousers (Zara)
The shoes: Leather slip-ons by Alfani (Last Chance)
The scent: Roadster by Cartier
Listening to: “Lacrymosa” by Kronos Quartet