Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
illustration by daniel o'leary Dapper Andy Roddick and his wife, Brooklyn Decker, who was captivating in a sleek blue gown with a billowy skirt, set the glamour bar high this spring at the Andy Roddick Foundation Gala, an event featur- ing the eternally spangled Sir Elton John. So it was jarring to see other guests wearing wrinkled jeans, untucked plaid shirts, and f loral tops paired with weary leggings. They looked as though they'd taken a wrong turn on their way to the Chuggin' Monkey on Sixth Street. Why do so many Austinites revel in deliberate dishevelment rather than dress- ing nicely for an event, party, or restaurant that's costing them a pretty penny? Take, for example, the opera, which is where old and new Austin seem to collide, creating an unfortunate sartorial split personality. We saw everything at the season-closing performance of Don Giovanni: a few eve- ning gowns with stacked high heels, some cotton sundresses, and not one but two gentlemen who carefully selected cutoff jean shorts. OK, it was the matinee, but still—jorts? And there was the man at The Nature Conservancy of Texas luncheon wearing a zip-up hiking jacket. Sir, we appreciate your environmental spirit, but when an invitation adds "eon" to "lunch," it means a tie is in order, and maybe even— dare we dream—a jacket with lapels? Perhaps vaguely worded dress codes are part of the problem. Austinites see the words "cocktail attire" and think that means "wear something you'd drink in." And "black-tie optional" translates into, "Thank God I don't have to wear a tux," for men, and, "Wear whatever you want, just get your hair and makeup done by a profes- sional," for women. "Business casual" is open to interpretation in a city where the only people who ever don suits are law- yers, legislators, and lobbyists. And nobody has ever been able to figure out "dressy casual." But there was nothing vague about "Attire: White" for a Miami-themed party, and yet several people took that to mean jeans or shorts and a white T-shirt that looked like underwear. People! Your get- ups (because these are not outfits) do not read South Beach. They don't even read Key West. They read Bubba's Backyard. We don't deserve nice restaurants in this town—not when the guy at the next table at Jeffrey's is enjoying his crispy oysters while wearing running shorts and a tank top. This man has not earned crispy oysters. (Do you know who has earned the crispy oysters? The parking attendants in their pink seersucker uniforms.) There is hope for the future, though. The best-dressed demographic in Austin has to be the children. Mom and Dad make sure their kids reek of sartorial splendor—pants legs creased, shoes shined, dresses runway- worthy. Hmm. Maybe that's why the grown-ups don't have time to dress them- selves properly. AW Sorry, We're Clothed WHAT's THE DEAL WITH AUsTINITEs' ARDENT AVERsION TO GETTING DREssED UP? by HELEN ANDERS 120 AUSTINWAY.com And FinAlly Fall 2015