Yes, with the right style and attitude, Justme, one can wear anything ... ah, but it must be "right" ... and to be that: b,b and more b (initials will suffice, è vero?). Ciao

Lizzie, all I can tell you is that on a weekend trip to New York last summer, I packed along a madras shirt. Wearing it on the west side the next day, I felt like the King of the Dweeb Tourists. Nobody stopped and pointed, but only because they were too polite. No one, and I mean no one, was wearing madras, plaid, or checks.

I can't believe this thread is still going, but where I was once comfortable with a wardrobe plan I now have a cold chill up my spine because I almost planned to pack PLAID and SHORTS!! So much for those cool (as in "not warm") madras Eddie Bauer shirts I had targetted for hubby! He wouldn't care if he wore a ripped tank top (he is a husband after all), but I couldn't bear the silent sneers. Can he dare wear stripes? pastels? (I know, L., b b and b.) It's July for God's sake -- NYC or not, I can't believe no man (or woman) over 30 isn't wearing even nice shorts in MID-JULY IN MANHATTAN!! It's only March but I PROMISE to report back when we return as to what we saw clothes-wise on July 20 in the Big Apple.

FWIW, Chris, my better half (who shares my life and my miniscule apartment here in Manhattan) owns not a single item of black clothing (okay, he has black socks and dress shoes), and does not dress (or look or feel) like a dweeb. He wears khakis and linen-blend trousers in the summer, along with nice (sometimes light-colored, sometimes striped) short-sleeved or long-sleeved (sleeves rolled up!), button-down shirts (he personally hates polos) and loafers or (gasp!) tennis shoes, depending on the days' activity (i.e., picnic in the park vs. going out). No matter how many times L repeats her mantra, black is not a necessity, and if you're not comfortable in it, physically or otherwise, please don't feel you'll stand out without it. If you're dressed neatly and smartly (and not too brightly) and appropriately for the venues you visit, you should not feel like you stand out or feel tacky. And incidentally, only a handful of restuarants in NYC actually have dress codes (i.e., jacket and tie); most just ask for "appropriate fress." Also, IMO, if you want to bridge the pants-dress gap and be "all-ocasion" (within reason) appropriate, you'll be fine in a neat pair of capri pants and a nice blouse, with sandals or flats or whatever finishes out the outfit well. As you say, it will be June!

<BR>Hate to beat a dead horse - which is, of course, precisely what I'm doing - but I saw this in the current issue of New York magazine, and I just couldn't resist: <BR> <BR>"Dressing in all black is over; it's an outsider's idea of what New York people wear." <BR> <BR>Again, maybe it's my preppy/waspy background, but practically every male I know has a few checked or madras shirts. My boyfriend and his Wall Street colleagues even wear them to work - gasp! And because I love to sail, ski, and hike in my off time, my wardrobe contains a healthy dose of Patagonia fleece, foul weather gear, hiking boots, Birkenstocks... these things I do wear in the city and never have I noticed anyone looking at me askance. Maybe it's the attitude. If you feel like a tourist, you'll look like one. <BR> <BR>On that note... that's all, folks!

Not quite all. What about the shorts?

Oh, puleeze, you make those who have seen me laugh ... but, friends, L is Leone, and Leone is a man ... :-o! While confusing to a few, know that it is possible to have style and be a guy, and that is indeed the happy coincidence on this occasion. So, saying what you will about me, properly genderize it. Grazie e Ciao, L