In keeping with our school policy of not wearing shorts to appear more professional when teaching, I needed to go shopping for cool summer clothes. I detest fashion to the highest possible degree. I hate clothes shopping more than a large percentage of activities I do to continue my existence in society. Hearing me talk about fashion is like being caught in a solar eclipse, it so rarely people need to put on protective goggles and not look directly at the source of my hate lest they be blinded, much like staring directly in the sun.
The Korean government has enacted a plan that urges people to stop wearing jackets and ties in summer. This makes me thankful I don’t work in an office environment that requires suits and ties. I’m also thankful I don’t work in the Korean government, because wearing a jacket in summer seems like something people shouldn’t need to be told not to do. It’s hot people, and jackets are something to keep you warm. C’mon!
The idea behind the plan is that if office workers are free to wear more comfortable clothing during the summer, less air conditioning will be required, reducing the energy required during the hottest parts of the year. This prevents power shortages, saves money, reduces pollution, and makes people more comfortable at the same time. It also spawns new requirements for the fashionable, provides work to businesses related in selling and manufacturing of specialized clothing, and makes people shop for new "cool" suits in the middle of summer.
That being said, when fashion is about being comfortable and helping the environment at the same time, I can’t feel bad about the trend too much. While my job doesn’t require suits or ties at my campus, we do need to wear comfortable casual clothes. Last year I picked up a nice bamboo fabric shirt that helped me stay much cooler while I worked. I spent my Memorial day off work shopping for a more comfortable pair of pants for the summer. All the department store windows were filled with "Cool Biz" style suits for the summer. I had already picked up a few light fabric shirts designed to be wrinkle free and cool earlier in the week.
I completed my cool fashion "fashion concept" with my sandals, new pants, and cool shirts. It’s not much of a "concept", it’s more like "I’d like to be comfortable and not sweat like crazy at work, please" fashion statement. Before Korea, I had never been known to use the term "fashion concept" in a absurdist non-ironic way. I’m pretty sure the quotes I’m using with the phrase are still "irony quotes" (picture the annoying air quoting gesture as you read them), but I’m not sure if I can still play that off convincingly after spending an entire day shopping with my wife for a specific style of pants. I’m really not sure if this is a case of Korea changing me, or having access to the "On Style" network at to watch at my home.
