I was so happy to talk with Leigh and Charles about style in Episode 47! One thing that did not come up in the episode that I have been thinking about is how style connects with another of my obsessions: the blurring of the public and the private. We have talked often about how much of our public space is actually private or has been privatized. When we talk about manner of dress, I think style is a way of acknowledging that public space should be marked and maybe even honored.

In our fall term, I was on a subway platform waiting for an “L” (that’s what we call our rapid transit trains in Chicago). As I mentioned in the episode, I used to take pride in dressing for class or, frankly, whenever I went out. So I had on a suit and bow tie, complete with a pocket square. An older man, and I think it is relevant that he was a man of African descent, came over and started talking to me. The opening for this conversation was his insistence that style is what was so exciting about “downtown.” In his memory, people never went downtown without “dressing.”

His point was part “old man” complaining (“the kids these days…”) but I heard in it a warning about the loss of public space and a mourning of the loss of respect for public spaces. I realized that I will not take out my trash or pick up my mail without having trousers on! Sweats are fine in the house. If I am outside, I am dressed.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about style as “outward facing” and its relation to the public, public space, and common life. If you are not sure what I am talking about, consider this!