L'aura del Campo

Colors! And freedom from the uniform.

Write about the changes in fashion over the past couple of generations and compare it to the current fashion trends. What clothes are you most comfortable wearing?

Color!

For men I think the major change has been color. Growing up it was blue, white, grey. Nothing colorful allowed. Never pink or lavender.

My favorite colors were green and orange. Orange was almost impossible to find. When I was 20 I had about 10 orange shirts. I also had a favorite yellow one and a lavender one as well. Never did care for pink...

But what color I liked or not wasn't the issue. It just wasn't allowable to wear bright colors in a blue-collar neighborhood.

It wasn't exactly welcomed in Kansas either. Tie-dye? Sure. But that was California counter-culture. It meant you had dropped out and weren't serious about job or career.

Nowadays it's easier to express oneself as a man ...with color.

Freedom from the uniform.

Yes, there are still dress codes, but they don't seem to be a strict as previously. It's no longer necessary to change one's clothes multiple times a day. The line between formal, casual and beach-wear is somewhat blurred.

I am most comfortable with clothes ON. I don't do nude or mostly nude. I feel uncomfortable when I feel exposed. Still, in a tropical clime like Costa Rica it's advisable to compromise. I sit in shorts at home. I don't go out this way.

Color-wise, Costa Rica highlands are conservative. Here in the Zona Sur, it's brighter and more casual. Still, I keep my wardrobe simple as I want most things to match. That way I don't have to buy clothes while I'm here. My shirts are yellow, green, white and blue. My pants are khaki, white, beige and blue jeans.

When I go back to Montana I'll be wearing long sleeve maroon shirts and blue jeans. In Missoula, home of the U of Montana, it's the local "uniform". But I can wear whatever I want. And I do.

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