If You're Asking Andy, You're Asking for Trouble

It's New Year's Eve tomorrow and I'm going to a formal party downtown.

Last night, I was at Banana Republic and they appeared to be liquidating their current inventory. They had on offer a black suit in my size at an almost ridiculously low price. I tried on the jacket and it fit nearly perfectly. The pants also. So I bought it thinking I could wear it to the New Year's party. But it's not that simple.

True story: When I was a younger man, my dad took me shopping for suits. As we looked at the various cuts and patterns, he explained to me that navy, gray, or charcoal suits make the most sense because you can wear them during the day or at night. He also explained that black suits aren't very practical because they are viewed as too formal, too heavy, and not well suited for daytime or business wear.

I got home last night with my new suit and I just kept thinking that rather than buy an impractical black suit on sale, I should put that money toward a more practical suit that I'll wear more often than just a random New Year party or even a more formal event. But then I wondered if my dad's advice still held true. I mean the shops all carry black suits these days. For example, Banana Republic is always stocked with one black suit or another. So are black suits fine for daytime these days?

I sat down at the computer and googled "black suit daytime". And this was the first result. I challenge you to read that thread. I did. And now I need to know if everyone feels that strongly about black suits or if it is just a handful of strange sartorialists with vehement opinions. Go on, check it out if you have a few minutes. The short answer to my question: black suits are ABSOLUTELY inappropriate for daytime unless you want to look like a poverty stricken idiot with no sense of the greater world and you are a complete fool for even asking the question and an even bigger fool for buying a suit off the rack that cost less than $2000. (Of course my inner dialogue was all "Well, they make good points and I do respect good taste and fine things" "But then are these guys really that great if they are spending their time commenting on this dumb forum - shouldn't they be out wearing their fine things rather than just sitting around talking about them with strangers?" And back and forth and back and forth.)

So what did I decide? I decided that the suit is fine for a downtown party in SLC. And I'm betting that within the next 14 days, the suit will be further marked down and I will go and get a price adjustment. And then it will have been so cheap, I won't care. Most importantly, I decided I will be very careful about reading the AskAndy forums. Because sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Today's Song: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (Jackpot Mix), Black Widow