links for 2009-10-24
In Which We Learn that the World Is a Much More Complex Place than David Brooks Can Imagine

Unbuttoned...

David Landes says that back when Carlo Cipolla was the senior economic historian at the University of California at Berkeley, Carlo demonstrated that he was a real gentleman by:

  • wearing real hand-made suits with buttons on the cuff that actually buttoned and unbuttoned.
  • always buttoning all the cuff buttons--so as not to draw any attention to the fact that he wore real hand-made suits with buttons on the cuff that actually buttoned and unbuttoned.

Lloyd Blankfein thinks different:

Safari

David Coggins wonders:

Sartorial Balance Sheet: Friday’s Times ran a photo of Lloyd Blankfein.... [W]hat struck us was the sight of Mr. Blankfein leaving the last button of his suit cuff unbuttoned.... [T]he sight of Mr. Blankfein roused certain sartorial misgivings. Part of Mr. Blankfein’s job, no doubt, is to reassure investors of the soundness of his strategy and prescience of his worldview. Is Mr. Blankfein so bullish that he is compelled to add a dash of flair to his suits, an outward sign of his market optimism? Or does this dandified element of his wardrobe represent a misreading of the public’s mood--a needless bit of self-satisfied swagger in an uncertain time?...

And points out:

At one time, an unbuttoned cuff meant that your suit was handmade--no longer.... [T]he workable buttonhole is now a staple of off the rack coats...

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