In February, towards the end of my contract, I began going to work later and later. I guess I was feeling a bit tired and burnt out so I just slept in a bit more. As such, I saw a different group of people on my bus to work. Depending on when you go, there will be different regulars.
In the later group, there was one guy who also works at EA. He’s a fast walker so he usually walks ahead of me on our short walk from the bus stop to the studio. He normally wears a blazer style jacket as his outer coat. It’s styled like a suit jacket but a bit bulkier so it can be worn as a real coat. Because it’s like a suit jacket, it also has most of the corresponding features, like a suit vent. If you’re not familiar with what a suit vent is, it’s at the bottom of the jacket at back where it splits into two (for a center vent).
Normally, when a suit jacket is manufactured and transported, the jacket pockets and vents are loosely sewn into place to prevent damage, like ripping and tearing. You’re supposed to take a pair of scissors and carefully cut the threads after you get the jacket home. If you want to see what it looks like when a vent is still sewn shut click here.
Anyways, the first time I walked behind my fellow EA employee, I noticed his jacket vent was still stitched together. In the grand scheme of things this isn’t a big deal but is this a fashion faux pas? You bet it is. Let me be clear though that I did not judge this man’s entire existence and value as a human being based on two stitches on his coat. Having said that, I really wanted to speak up and tell him to cut those stitches and free his vent.
I didn’t know this guy at all though. At first, I wasn’t even sure what his name was or what his function was at the studio. How do you bring up such a random thing to someone you don’t know? It’s one thing to say “your shoes are untied” but how do you formulate “your center vent stitches are still in place and I think you cut them immediately before Paris fashion week starts”?
For about a week, I just let it go and every morning I watched him walk ahead of me, as those stitches beckoned to be cut. Eventually I found out his name through an internal newsletter that was sent to a whole bunch of people. For about a second, I thought I should maybe send him an e-mail but then I realized what an absolutely crazy thing that would. Like how would he feel getting a message from a total stranger about a totally inane detail on his coat? It would be too weird and he’d then think I was stalking him.
In the end, I decided to do nothing because there was no other option that didn’t make me look like a crazy person. My hope is that one day, in the near future, a close friend or family member sits him down and points out his error. Ok, that’s your fashion lesson for today.