Terrible epidemic in this city (Pittsburgh, Burlington: house, buying, living)

[Bert Peters]

There is a terrible epidemic in this city, and it is men with baggy/poorly fitting suits. I am thinking about starting some sort of thing where I hand out business cards for tailors outside office buildings downtown/the T station to all the men looking like turtles in their terribly fitting suits.

I remember seeing Pittsburgh is one of the worst dressed cities in America, and dear goodness do I believe it. Heck, whenever these businessmen are wearing their casual garb, it's a baggy ass Steelers T-shirt, K-Mart designer jeans, and some flimsy pair of New Balance or Converse shoes. Like, what happened to wearing a polo, a nice pair of chinos, and a pair of boat shoes, or Cole Haan drivers maybe? Lol @ grown men wearing graphic t-shirts, and oh- dear goodness, CARGO shorts... please, stop with those. Ya don't need all those pockets.

But that's a side rant. My main issue is with the professional dress, or lack thereof. Please, go to a tailor, they'll fix up your $100 Burlington Coat Factory suit. Actually, better yet, maybe buy a more expensive suit? Before you cry about the price, note the quality is indeed worth it.

[SteelCityRising]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe some of us can't afford to look up to your standards? I have to dress up daily for my primary job, and I do admit my professional articles of clothing aren't the snazziest or trendiest simply because (most) employers in Pittsburgh don't pay their employees what they're truly worth. You're not going to be visiting a tailor on a regular basis or buying into the latest fashion trends if you're making $10/hr., as I am.

As far as "epidemics" are concerned I'm much more worried about how it seems like every other person I know in this city is a heavy smoker and/or morbidly obese.

[Bert Peters]

Actually, dressing nice doesn't HAVE to be expensive. I own plenty of fine casual and even some dressier clothes from thrift stores/ebay. And like I said, quality is a factor. Cheaper dress shirts/suits have a noticeably shorter lifespan than more expensive, higher quality clothing. I agree some brands you just pay for the logo/label. But others are indeed all about the quality.

Agree on the smokers/morbidly obese people epidemic as well.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Bert Peters

. . . or Cole Haan drivers maybe?

Nerd.

But seriously, very few men wear suits at all anymore, so I don't think "epidemic" is quite the right word. To an extent, I agree that a poorly-fitting suit looks terrible, and that one can make an inexpensive suit look fine with just a little bit of effort, but it's not really something that bothers me. I'm much more irritated by wrinkled (wrinkly?) clothes, because that's something which is easily remedied, but again, that's a minor gripe.

And I'm kidding about the Cole Haans.

[sskink]

As a 50+ overweight guy who regularly wears logo t-shirts beneath an oversized shirt* that's never tucked into my cargo shorts, I'll admit I'm a slob.

But damn, I'm comfortable.

* I don't own a single bit of Steelers garb.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Threads like this make me glad that I work in a software shop. We wear shorts and flip flops to work and make more than some stuffy yuppie on their high horse, but you'd never know it. Living well incognito is the way to go.

[BrianTH]

One of the things I like about the professional culture in Pittsburgh is that it isn't so focused on appearances.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

One of the things I like about the professional culture in Pittsburgh is that it isn't so focused on appearances.

No doubt. I think it's less about appearances and more about people wanting to flaunt their status to the public. Since the city has such a blue collar upbringing, flashing wealth or status was never in our history. For example, the CEO for one of the multinational software companies I worked for wore jeans and sweaters to work and drove a Hyundai. No need for a name brand tailor made suit.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

No doubt. I think it's less about appearances and more about people wanting to flaunt their status to the public. Since the city has such a blue collar upbringing, flashing wealth or status was never in our history. For example, the CEO for one of the multinational software companies I worked for wore jeans and sweaters to work and drove a Hyundai. No need for a name brand tailor made suit.

One of the best examples is Pittsburgh-native David Tepper driving a rusted minivan to work while making literally billions of dollars. Of course that whole thing went down the tubes when he bought a $40M house and had it bulldozed, but still.

[JayDiFiore]

I'm so sorry you have to put up with that.

Look on the bright side, with all of those Goofuses walking around, a Gallant like you will have no problem getting Betty Sue to accompany you to the Spring Ice Cream Social.