The Talmud (Shabbat 113a) tells us that Rabbi Yochanan called his clothing, “The things that honor me.”
Seraphic Secret believes that what we wear tells the world who we are and how we wish to be treated. If you dress like a slob and then get annoyed when people treat you like a slob, well, you only have yourself to blame. To ask people to see beyond clothing to the “real person” is a denial of reality. Clothing, male and female, is a great big sign, a cultural and frequently a religious signifier.
For everyday wear I favor L.L. Bean khakis, crisp button down cotton shirts, and slip-on loafers. It’s a classic Ivy League look that’s both comfortable and appropriate for shlepping around town.
To honor Shabbat, Jews are obligated (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 262:2-3) to wear their finest clothing. Thus, I wear a navy blue or charcoal gray suit, silk tie, pocket square, and a pink Brooks Brothers shirt.
Yup, pink for Shabbat.
Except for the clueless who show up for Shabbat services looking as if they just came from the gym, the majority of men in my Orthodox synagogue favor white shirts. Or, for the more daring, a light blue.
But pink is considered somewhat risqué if not downright meshuga.
As one of my friends in synagogue recently remarked: “Robert, you must be really secure in your masculinity to wear pink.”
When I’m feeling totally wild and crazy—usually on Shabbat afternoon when I attend a Torah class—I wear a blue blazer, tan gabardine trousers, and fasten your seatbelts, pink socks. (See photo above, not taken on Shabbat.)
Normally, pink is for girls, but ever since Brooks Brothers introduced the pink business shirt for men way back in 1900, the pink shirt has become a fashion favorite of the sartorial class.
Life Magazine, 1955, celebrates pink for men.
The May 2 issue of Life magazine declared 1955 as “The Peak Year For Pink,” stating:
The color that women have traditionally appropriated from babyhood has taken a turn in the other direction. Across the U.S. a pink peak in male clothing has been reached as manufacturers have saturated more and more of their output with the pretty pastel. Against the charcoal gray with which it is usually worn, pink is shown here in almost everything short of a trench coat — even in a golf jacket and a dinner jacket. Now more of a staple than a luxury, the color is even acceptable to teen-age boys.
Like most male fashions, including the Ivy League Look, this pink hue and cry has taken some time to develop. Sole responsibility lies with New York’s Brooks Brothers, whose pink shirt, introduced in 1900 but long unnoticed, was publicized for college girls in 1949 and caught on for men too. Already being copied in clothes by such rival bon-bon colors as light green and lavender, pink is heading into home furnishings.
Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives an inspiring and fashionably pink Shabbat.
Thanks to Rabbi Steven Pruzansky whose Jewish Press article The Costume is my source for the quotes.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
13 Comments
Good for you! I had a weightlifting friend in high school who wore the occasional pink dress shirt, and ever since I’ve felt the same way. It just has to be the right shade of pink. (I personally look better in coral.)
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Alter:
Years ago, I was on my way to a yeshivish banquet. I put on my Brooks Bros. pink shirt. My son Ariel, ZT’L, said: “Are you sure you want to wear that shirt tonight?” I smiled and changed into a white shirt.
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Guys in pink shirts look great. So do men in cowboy hats and boots.
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Franny:
I have really nice cowboy boots but only wear them in the rain. Cowboy hats are just not moi:-)
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Except for the clueless who show up for Shabbat services looking as if they just came from the gym
Sorry, but the clueless dress in a pink shirt for Shabbat..
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Robert – I can tell that you don’t follow fashion so much as set it!
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Bill:
I’m a pretty traditional dresser. Nothing crazy or outrageous. Even my yarmulke is basic black:-)
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Robert,
You would fit in great here in Boca with a pink shirt on Shabbat. I try to mix it up with purple too sometimes. For me though, it’s all about the tie. A sharp looking tie can turn a nice shirt into an awesome shirt.
I recently started getting back to my Colorado roots by wearing a brown cowboy hat to shul with matching boots. I’ve been getting so many stares and quizzical looks that I may need to save that look for special occasions.
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Shimon:
Ties are crucual becasue they draw the eye to the face. Too many men wear ties that wash-out or overwhelm the skin tones. I plan on blogging about ties.
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I’m a big fan of bright colours, especially in shirts and socks.
Given that clothing reflects the wearer’s personality, it was interesting to see that the Australian PM’s media advisor who leaked the details causing Thursday’s fracas seems to favour an ill-fitting and mismatched jacket and tie stolen from a Salvo’s bin, a paper serviette pinched from a cafe tucked in the top pocket, a poorly knotted tie and the fashionable five-day growth.
He’s been sacked, but I’d like to know just who was it who looked at this clown and decided that he was the right man for the job.
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Earl:
I have not seen a pic of the media advisor but I have seen pics of your PM and her lost shoe as she was whisked to safety. Goiod security detail, but hell on heels.
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So I’m guessing your liberal, Hollywood friends see you as the “conservative, Orthodox Jews” and your friends in synagogue see you as the “artistic, liberated, free-spirit” — that’s not a bad thing. I have that parallel in my life. At the University, my (liberal) colleagues see me as a social conservative and in my private life, my conservative friends see me as a social moderate (to them, that means liberal).
It just means we’re complex and can’t be pigeon holed
Btw, Robert, I used to have a pink shirt…. back in the day. Now, I’m afraid I would look like a Pepto Bismol Monster if I wore a pink shirt!
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Prophet Joe:
Sounds like you and I have dual identities that play out in a cultural Bizarro world.
Yes, my liberal Hollywood friends see me as a right wing, religious fanatic who, oddly, has some talent.
And of course, my friends in shul see me as a “creative” type, thus my tastes in fashion elicit tolerant if affectionate smiles.
Brooks Bros. pink, a specific shade, pretty much avoids the unfortuate Pepto Bismol association.
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