Convention attire...sloppy bum or dressed to impress

by undercover 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  undercover

  A comment was made on another thread about how sloppy some JWs dress at conventions. Instead of hi-jacking that thread, I thought I'd start a new one on the subject.

  I always noticed that there seemed to be two, opposite directions of how JW men dressed at conventions...and in general. And I'm speaking more of the married with children JW male...not the young, on the prowl, horny dub male in search of his female counterpart.

  I noticed that many, if not most, brothers wore cheap suits or even worse, polyester slacks, white, short-sleeved shirt with a clip-on tie. Both the slacks and the shirt at least one size too small. Brown shoes and a black belt. The suit jacket was off the rack and ill-fitting or maybe a sport jacket that didn't match the rest of the ensemble.

  But then there were some brothers who were more fashion conscious. They wore expensive suits, colored shirts, matching ties and hankies in the pocket. Expensive belt and shoes...matching leather of course. Nice rings and expensive watches. Of course some of them were showing off to some degree, but I noticed that some just knew (or their wives knew) how a man should appear when required to wear a suit.

  I learned from watching these different types that if you're going to have to dress up, you need to do it right. Just throwing a tie around your neck is not dressing up. You can actually look worse by wearing a tie with the wrong style shirt or slacks.

  Even though I couldn't afford top notch clothing, I did make it a point to buy fitted suits and nice shirts and ties. I didn't like dressing up, but if I had to do it, I wasn't gonna go 'round looking like most of those poor dub slobs you see at the conventions.

  But, since I've been out I've only worn a suit two or three times a year...a tux a couple of times. I actually enjoy dressing up for special occasions now... I can enjoy the reason behind getting all gussied up once in a while compared to being forced to dress up four times a week.

  How did you guys approach having to dress for assemblies and conventions?
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  daniel-p

  You see the worst dress styles at JW conventions. And you're right, undercover, it's either that they're sloppy, or they're trying too hard. To illustrate:

  Brother Witness A:

  Cheap black slacks, white shirt all puffy around the sides, tie too long, black chunky shoes, limp jacket slung over shoulder for use as a pillow in the afternoon session.

  Brother Witness B:

  Three-piece suit (from Burlington Coat Factory) with gaudy wide pin stripes, colorful tie with matching ascot behind lapel, gold tie clip, colored-leather shoes polished the night before, hair slicked back with Alberto VO5, nasty cologne.

  Real sophistication is not to be found. Even if a brother is wealthy, he will likely be dressing like he's never worn a suit in his life. The only ones who dress decently are those who are in business and dress on the job.
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  snowbird

  Skip the longer version, and there you have it.

  A nice white jacket to cover up, of course.

  Sensible sandals or pumps to complete the outfit.

  Sylvia
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  ziddina

  Oh, thank you, Undercover! I was wondering just how much dress codes had changed since 1980 - basically the last year I was in! At that time the JW gals all wore the sexiest outfits they could get away with - or the 'Joan Collins' look - dressy business suits... The bros wore basic suits and occasionally the dress-pants-with-sports-jacket look - though that was looked down upon, somewhat... Zid
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  minimus

  First of all I always looked awesome.

  Second, I looked very sharp for Circuit assemblies as I had "privileges" or parts, commonly. At DCs I'd wear more comfortable clothes if I had to walk in the sun to get to the center....but I still looked damn good.
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  WTWizard

  I think one can look better if they dress up as for business. I would go to any good clothing store (or order high quality clothing online) and get some nice chino pants and a good shirt in a color that goes well with that color of pants. Get a matching belt and shoes--a decent business attire will do nicely. If you must, get a sports coat or a jacket that matches the outfit--good quality is more important than any rules.

  Chances are, if you do that, you are going to look better than most of the witlesses that are in full suits. And you don't even need to wear a tie if you don't want--if you do, that should also be coordinated and of the best quality you can afford. If you choose to not wear a tie, it will probably still look better than most of the witlesses dressed in crap suits that are poorly made, poorly coordinated, and in obedience to people that only have experience in washing windows and scrubbing toilets.
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  OUTLAW

  Dressed to the 9`s!!..I Rocked!!..........................OUTLAW
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  I quit!

  To be honest I would rather be waterboarded by a nude Dick Chaney singing Barry Mantilow songs than attend a Watchtower assembly. However I do remember two distinct classes of WT males. Those who knew how to dress and those who appear in Ralph Lauren's nightmares.
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  Confucious

  I remember brothers getting all bent out of shape if someone came into the KH with a snappy looking suite.

  I remember when the 3 button jacket came back.

  And I remember one bro getting all bothered by it.

  But mostly, I think this is what's going on.

  The ones that look good in a suite... most of the time they either have:

  a) A wife that dresses them and keeps them straight.

  b) They probably make enough money in the real world that they have a job that has them wearing nice suits.

  But I think most of the brothers aren't people that have jobs here they ever have to remotely have to wear a nice suite.

  So they end up not affording it in the first place and going to just get a "suit."

  Confucious
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  I quit!

  I noticed that many, if not most, brothers wore cheap suits or even worse, polyester slacks, white, short-sleeved shirt with a clip-on tie.

  Can you still buy clip on ties or do you have to order them direct for the Watchtower?

  Both the slacks and the shirt at least one size too small.

  I got to thinking about this and it came back in a flash. I also remember the tacky shortsleeve shirts with the clip-on ties.