Somewhere in the back of a rack of clothes is a suit. Sport jackets, pants, dress shirts; ditto. I donated most of the stuff years ago. As an anthropologist, I was not what you’d call a high-impact dresser. Once my government job disappeared, my next act was working part-time at UPS while running a small videography business and as a marine woodcarver. I didn’t need sartorial excellence in any of these occupations.
Visiting a sawmill to watch timber become slabs and boards did not require a suit. Likewise, as a small business owner, I wasn’t planning on dressing for promotion. I’d have to plan on laughing at myself; I do that anyway.
So the sartorial accent, so to speak, around my shop is very basic. My uniform of the day consists of lightweight dock pants and a dark-colored, long-sleeved T-shirt or Henley. These items become adorned with woodchips or shavings. Coffee stains and varnish provide accents.
This mode of attire is so persistent that when my oldest son married, he and his fiancee required me to submit what I’d be wearing for the service in advance. Otherwise, they were confident I’d absentmindedly show up fresh from the shop.
Ok, I sometimes dress for success with brightly patterned Hawaiian shirts or bold Indonesian prints. After all, a bit of variety is nice.
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The company I retired from was a privately-owned business and the owner had a pretty strict dress code. Enter his son inheriting the company when his dad retired. Dress code gone wild! You could tell the age difference though, because the older gentlemen still wore jackets and ties. The younger ones wore Dockers and Polo shirts. We all loved the new ‘relaxed’ dress code, which was way overdue.
Thanks, Lois…the new dress code for my shop is workshop casual!
I like it!
I hope you wear trousers, not shorts when carving.
During the summer I wear shorts. My work bench is at waist height. also I have the dubious distinction of cutting myself more often in the kitchen than in the shop.
I wore suits and skirts and blouses when I taught. Little by little they have meandered out of my closet into new lives somewhere. My “good” black suit will be on its way north in a few days for a friend who plays in a symphony. My “sartorial” expression is, “Gonna walk the dogs later.” It overlaps well with, “I’m going to paint something.”
Way to go, Martha! workshop casual.
I have three identical sweatshirts. I like them, they’re just warm enough, they fit nicely. They have a hood with ties and a zipper. They say, “Stay True” which is good advice for anyone who goes into a workshop or studio.
I think that you, I and Fandango are casually chic…trendsetters.
Ha ha ha! No doubt!!!