The Mayor’s blue suit
By Josh Resnek
The mayor’s wardrobe could use a remake – at least that’s the talk among those who notice the mayor tends to wear the same blue suit again and again.
Also, those who closely watch everything about the mayor, often remark that his leather shoes need shining or a bit of repair.
Since the mayor doesn’t show up that much at city hall, the same blue suit can work better than if he showed up wearing it everyday.
Even the mayor must get tired of wearing the same blue suit.
At $189,000 a year, you’d expect the mayor to have three or four blue suits – say a denim blue suit, or the New Blue Suit sold at Men’s Warehouse.
I don’t think the mayor is a Men’s Warehouse shopper.
He seems more a Giblee’s type, you know, expecting and enjoying the pampered rich men’s suit emporium over off the rack suits.
But let’s face it, fitting the mayor into an off the rack suit would prove to be a disaster.
Even with changes he’s recently made with his diet, he remains a large man, with a wider than most girth and so he just can’t try something on and take it away.
Simply putting on a blue suit and wearing it over and over is not the way to wear a blue suit.
The mayor should know this.
More than seasonal apparel, a quality blue suit can carry you the whole year-round, presuming you know just how and when to wear one.
This leads to questions like the following: What’s the right tie to wear with a blue suit? What’s the proper shirt to wear with a blue suit? When’s the perfect time to wear a blue suit? (all the time if you’re the mayor of Everett) Where’s the right place to wear a blue suit? Are different shades of blue appropriate on different occasions? And so on and so on.
Whew!
And you think wearing a blue suit every time is easy.
Just ask the mayor!
The same blue suit worn over and over in public is the mayor’s mark. In fact, he loves his blue suit so much, he has become identified by it so that it almost has a life force of its own.
In other words the suit can almost walk around without him wearing it – an achievement that comes only after wearing the same suit so many times.
I may stop referring to him as Kickback Carlo to The Blue Suit? What do you think?
Would he say that was salacious?This is the kind of discussion I’d like to have with the mayor about his tired blue suit.
“Can I wear my blue suit to a formal event?” the mayor might ask me. “Of course, Carlo. You can wear your blue suit to the Everett High School graduation,” I would tell him.
“So I can wear my blue suit to formal times?”
“Yes you can. Blue suits are common at formal events. To play it on the safe side, stick with neutral or darker blue suits,” I would have told him.
His suit is a lighter, brighter blue. Its design is as serendipitous as the man trying to button it.
Everyone knows that a navy suit is the cornerstone of a well-curated wardrobe. Once you’ve got that base covered, however, it’s time to branch out. A royal blue suit is an excellent choice for those looking for something different that also pushes the envelope slightly.
Carlo, you need two or three new blue suits.
What’s the type of blue suit for you, Carlo?
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the colour blue! Of course, sky blue is just one among a broad number of shades on the full spectrum of this versatile colour. It’s also not necessarily the shade we’d recommend you sport in the suit department your first time out.
Instead, consider sticking to the darker or more neutral end of the blue spectrum, especially when attending formal events like a city council meeting where you are expected to tell the councilors why you’re spending so much for legal fees.
I’m talking shades like navy blue, midnight blue, royal blue, Oxford blue, and so on. Like trusty black, these colours pretty much go with everything.
To be clear, I’m not completely writing off sky blue or even electric blue suits, as they can often make for stylish head-turners come summer and spring. The mayor loves himself. He believes in his own mind he is a head turner.
All I’m saying is that there’s a time and a place—and maybe even a person—for a bright blue suit, while neutral blue suits adapt to pretty much any individual or occasion.
That person could be Carlo.
I’m not here to tell Carlo how to dress in a navy blue suit because that’s a decision for him to make on his own. However, he should know the basics when it comes to things like ties, shirts, and shoes.
What I mostly wonder about is what would happen if Carlo wore a dark wool suit, finely tailored, with expensive leather shoes on one day and the blue suit the next?
What would his personal karma be like, then, I wonder.
Would he be recognized in a dark wool suit?
I don’t think so.
Everyone looking for the mayor would say: “Where is he? I don’t see the blue suit. That tells me he isn’t here.”
“Can I wear a blue suit to the casino?” he might ask me.
“Of course you can,” I’d tell him. “That blue suit you wear over and over is a perfect fit for the casino, and everyone will recognize you which is even better.”
“Is my blue suit cocktail attire?” he might ask.
“Of course it is. Your blue suit is perfect for that.” I’d answer.
If the mayor really wants to be noticed, he should wear his blue suit to the Connolly Center along with a nice pair of Under Armour Spacewear from Virgin Galactic – for that special out of this world look and feel.
The real question is how many times can he wear the same suit before it falls apart and he goes out to buy another one?
The answer: many, many, many times.