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The University World
Fall '68
Speaking Out On Men's Fashions
College men are increasingly aware of fashion and the importance of being well dressed. They are rapidly acquiring the good taste necessary for becoming the fashion leaders of tomorrow. Here in Kansas City their leading influence is Mister Guy. The men at Mister Guy have established a unique reputation for their strict insistence on good taste in male attire. Fads come and go, but Mister Guy remains true to traditional values of good taste. The salesmen at Mister Guy spend hours with an interested customer, explaining their "philosophy of dressing", and it was this that prompted this interview with a panel of managers from the Mister Guy stores.
Question: Trent, what does the average new college student want to know about clothing?
Answer: Well, he usually asks,
"What's new?" It's too bad, too,
because this isn't really what's
important.
Question: What do you mean, this isn't important, Trent?
Answer: Well, just because something's new doesn't mean
JOHN BISHOP
it's in good taste. All the magazines are always trying to push something new because they want news, and most of their tips come from some manufacturer trying to create obsolescence.
Question: So, if newness it.
self isn't the answer, what should the first consideration be, Trent?
Answer: We advise our customers to think about building
TRENT SLUSHER
a wardrobe instead of just buying clothes. Now, you can't do this overnight, but if you buy with a plan you will acquire a wardrobe that will always have the right thing to wear for the right occasion. The first things that are needed in the wardrobe are basics — this is the foundation to build on.
Question: Jack Ring - why don't you explain what you mean by starting with basics?
Answer: Well, let's start with suits as an example. If you don't have a suit, you might think you could buy almost anything wrong: You really have very little choice. You may like a glen plaid, and they are very fashionable today, but if you don't
JACK STREATOR
have a suit, you should not buy a glen plaid first. Your only logical buy would be a dark navy blue or grey suit, either solid or chalk stripe. This is a suit that will perform for those important occasions when nothing else is appropriate. Another thing is a patterned suit has a lot of identity. If you wear it on Friday night and again on Saturday, it is obviously the same suit. On the other hand, with the dark blue or grey I mentioned, you can make it look very different by changing shirts and ties, etc.
With Success Came Growth
Eight years ago this fall the first Mister Guy store opened in a little storeroom in North Kansas City. From his small beginning, Mister Guy grew to the midwest's largest operation specializing in traditional natural shoulder clothing.
Mister Guy stores now number four (watch for number 5) with outfitting establishments in Corinth Square, 63rd and Brookside and Lawrence, Kansas, added to the original North Kansas City store. All the stores are different and yet all share an informal decor that has become a trademark. Customers all comment on the warm and comfortable atmosphere that makes the stores seem like a friendly fraternity house. "Mister Guy is more than a place for me to shop," a customer told me, "It's the kind of a place where I feel at home - where I can kill a little time with pleasant company."
The relaxed unbusinesslike atmosphere is no accident. The young men who work at Mister Guy really are just one of the guys. Trent Slusher, the old man of the organization (at 26) remembers how uncomfortable he felt when, "I would go into a clothing store and some old man would jump on my back and tell me what I should wear." Nobody at Mister Guy gets treated that way. You get help if you want help, but if you want to wander and look, no one will pressure you. On the other hand, when you want advice, Mister Guy is the place to get it. The men there know traditional clothing and will spend
as much time talking and explaining as you want. From seniors to freshmen, more Kansas City college men count on Mister Guy than on any other clothier.
Question: Well, let's say I buy the basic suit you recommend. Then where do I go from there?
Thru this door and the doors of the other Mister Guy shops lies a comfortably informal atmosphere with a store full of selected styles for the college man. The shops are all designed specifically for the men they serve.
Answer: My next suggestion
JACK RING
would be either a sportsuit or sportcoat. Again, we start by looking at what you already own. If you don't already own one, I'll strongly recommend a navy blazer. You can wear this several times a week and never get tired of it. You can put all kinds of accessories with it, combinations of colors, shirts, ties, trousers and shoes. This can be almost a miniature wardrobe itself. Now you're ready to build. Bold plaids, clear tone herringbones, muted country suits — all great looks, but all special purpose, now and then kind of clothes. You can alternate these with your basics and add to this collection each year for more variety. In other words, blend the things that are new and in today with those basics that are always in.
Question: John Bishop - you fellows constantly refer to traditional clothing. What do you mean by this?
Answer:Well, to us traditional clothes are clothes that have a history of good taste. They have been accepted over the years because we have learned that they reflect the good taste of their wearer. I think good taste is the key to the whole thing — this is why we don't want to get mixed up with the high fashion approach. In high fashion clothing, every year you have to have something new — and you have to try so hard to find something new you usually end up with something ridiculous, at the best in doubtful taste. This doesn't play any part in our kind of clothes, because we ask not only it is new, but more specifically, does it go with the things we already have in our wardrobe — does it fit with our way of dress — is it consistent with the appearance we want to be remembered for?
Question: John, what about some of the people on television or in show business that wear high fashion clothes? They're pretty well known celebrities - don't they have good taste?
Answer: These people wear some of these things like a costume - and costumes don't need to have the criteria of good taste applied. We tell our customers their clothing should call attention to the man - not the clothes. Traditional clothing is associated with people who dress well, but not ostentatiously.
Question: If good taste is the key to traditional clothing, what is the key to good taste. John?
Answer: There are a lot of measures, but to me the main one is to avoid looking as if you're trying too hard to be well dressed. You can pick up Esquire or Playboy and buy all the things that are obviously new this season. And everyone can tell that's just what you did — there is nothing of your own taste involved. Now we expect our customer to take the time and effort to select, coordinate and accessorize his wardrobe. But he wants all of his wardrobe to be consistent and go together for an overall impression. One example of trying too hard is over-coordination. As an example, the magazines will show a burgundy blazer with a pink shirt and navy slacks. Then they put a navy and burgundy tie with burgundy socks and a burgundy belt, and a burgundy pocket square. This is obviously over-coordination - and obviously anyone wearing an outfit like this is trying too hard to be noticed.
been trying to get a w here for some time now. Did you have something to add to what John was saying?
Answer: I wanted to add that you shouldn't try too hard, but you shouldn't go to the other extreme either. Some people think because they're slobs, they are showing their independence and contempt of good taste. There's a good middle ground that we would call an understated or studied casualness in approach.
Question: Jack, I heard you telling someone that he should dress so that he can forget his clothes. What do you mean by that?
Answer: If you are confident of your taste and have selected your wardrobe carefully, you'll know you will look right and you don't have to be concerned about it. It's like being in a familiar or comfortable enifronment, gives you a great confidence in yourself and lets you concentrate on what you're doing. Obviously, this helps you accomplish and enjoy yourself that much more.
Question: Here's the last question, Jack - How much is it going to cost me to dress in good taste?
Answer: The most inexpensive way is to dress correctly — to avoid mistakes. If you follow the philosophy that we have talked about today, it is pretty inexpensive. We get our customers to start out with a few basic things, they can start to collect the extras. Those special occasion clothes with special flair that puts their individual stamp on their wardrobe. After four college years to develop your taste and wardrobe, you'll find yourself a more confident graduate with a big head start on your future.