Club Dress Codes

Dress codes have long been the secret language of New York City night life; fluency can mean the difference between an epic night out and a humiliating kick to the curb. The days when “jacket required” was enough to ensure a better element of patron began dying after World War II, said Anne Hollander, a fashion historian and author of Seeing Through Clothes. As fashion standards relaxed and television and movies took a more central role in American culture, people ceased to dress according to class and began dressing according to character.

“Today, people dress in costume...We wear what we wish to be seen as.” Hence, the surest way for proprietors to create the “right” atmosphere in their clubs is to keep out the crowd they don’t want by banning an essential element of their style. Those poor souls who prefer Ed Hardy shirts, those dragon-happy hallmarks of “Jersey Shore” chic, will not be getting in. If you prefer your dress shirts colorful and boldly striped, don’t bother trying. Baggy, low-slung jeans your style? You have exactly zero chance of gaining entry. Guys need an edge; (custom suit, anyone?). It's a fact: you need to dress like you just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren Purple Label advertisement, or better.
(New York Times,www.leparvenue.blogspot.com)