The Regis Philbin Look or Dumbing Down Dressing Up

In My Humble Opinion
1

What is it with the “Regis” look? Wearing a coat, slacks, shirt and tie entirely from the same color group has all the appearance of a military uniform (and that’s unfair to the military). I keep looking for a name tag that says, “Hello my name is…” on these geeks. One of the great tragedies is that if some of these guys would just exercise another 20% of taste oriented decision making (I realize that this is asking a lot) they could have ended up looking half-way presentable.

I know that most men look as if their mother dressed them, so I suppose that I should be happy about this latest development. I’m sure that it makes “color coordinating” so much easier when you don’t have to coordinate any colors. All of this reminds me of someone like Einstein, who had several suits of the exact same color and cut, so that he could avoid any waste of time deciding about what to wear.

I guess that showing your adoration for a mental midget like Regis Philbin (see his Jeopardy appearances) by dressing like him is also a bit disturbing. Am I the only one who finds Philbin’s smug attitude worthy of immediate strangulation? Nonetheless, I feel that men’s haberdashery has taken another hit with this latest “dumbing down” of dressing up.

I am interested in what the women at the boards think about this new trend. I have always enjoyed the challenge of matching up a nice silk tie’s stripes or background with some other accessory of my apparel. Making formal dress into such a no-brainer is nearly as appalling as the pastel suits and colors from the old “Miami Mice” days. (Sorry to even mention it.)

2

Er, wait, you mention that Einstein did this, yet refer to it as “dumbing down”?

As we all know very well, you can accurately judge one’s intellect from their general appearance.

Yes, people should pay far more attention to how they dress. Perhaps they can take time from cultivating decent personalities or being good people to persue such an endeavor.

3

Sorry BlackKnight, but you can evaluate people and books by their coverings. It is where the genetic standards for beauty and the human abilty to make correct snap judgements come from.

However much you may not want to admit it I’m confident that when you encounter someone with matted hair, scabies laden skin and an unwashed neck you just might decide to spend less time with this person than someone of neater appearance.

Whether you like it or not we are trained from birth to gauge things from their appearances. The same goes for books and their covers.

Only the advent of recent publishing techniques and industrial production have allowed the rise of well bound books containing only drivel. For many centuries only significant works of literature were ever produced in a leather bound hard-back book. Not too far back, it was rather easy to judge a book by its cover.

Similarly, when I encounter someone who is merely adhering to the latest fad instead of thinking for themselves I am immediately struck by the notion that there may not be much more than meets the eye. I’m glad to say that I am more often than not willing to give most anyone a shot before moving on, but the simple fact remains that quite a few of life’s decisions are made on incomplete information that is garnered from initial perceptions.

To base one’s wardrobe configuration on a style derived exclusively from one of the most contrived television shows on earth hosted by someone of unmerited fame seems to me to be pretty darn lame.

Sorry to break it to you but Einstein, despite his immense scientific talents, was rather lacking in other practical skills. I see no contradiction in comparing his short-cut wardrobe methodology to the easy-way-out flat palette of the “Regis” look.

4

Of course people can evaluate things about others from their appearances. For example, they can tell what they look like. However, when it comes to things like intelligence, appearance means next to nothing. I challenge you to show (not assert) otherwise.

And what does my reluctance to spend time with them have to do with anything? Also, tell me why it is a valid analogy to compare someone who is a likely disease carrier to someone who dresses in a fashion you disapprove of.

I don’t know about you, but I was always trained to gauge things from how they actually are. Appearance sometimes plays a part in this. Sometimes, it does not.

So you define “significant works of literature” from back then as anything which is well-bound? Do you deny that their might have been an unbound masterpiece at some point? When glancing at the cover of a book (without reading the words), can you reliably judge what the book is about? Come see my bookshelf sometime, and we’ll set up a test.

And when you see someone who is dressing in the fashion of the latest fad, do you automatically assume that they dress that way because it is a fad? Do you discount a priori the possibility that they might have made an informed decision and dressed that way on purpose? That’s quite an assumption to make.

Of course, just like violence is often used to solve problems. That certainly doesn’t make it an optimal solution.

To dress a way that impresses others, instead of how I want to dress, seems pretty darned lame to me.

You called it “dumbing down”. If you don’t see why this is a very odd thing to call something you accuse Einstein of being guilty of, then I’m afraid there’s not much I can to do help you understand.

My point in mentioning that was to show the absurdity of even caring about such a thing. Einstein dressed in a fashion you don’t like. This obviously didn’t stop him (in fact, it might have even helped him, as you pointed out) from revolutionizing physics. Why would it stop anyone else from achieving? Why would it stop others from doing great things?

Answer: It wouldn’t.

I know, this is IMHO and not Great Debates.
So, IMHO, people should give the smallest damn possible to how other people dress.

5

New? Ha! Wearing solid shirts with similarly colored solid metallic ties is so four years ago.

Seriously, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s a blip. It doesn’t even approach the sartorial crimes of leisure suits, or even acid-washed jeans.