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| Photo by Salt Water New England |
Dear Muffy,Could you please repost The Dinghy Test? It is a piece you wrote about stating that good quality preppy clothing allows one to easily get in and out of a dinghy and comes to represent a set of core values. I read it years ago and it really resonated with me.I hope you're enjoying this brisk spring weather. Thanks for all you do!
There is a need for formal and business wear in life. But as much clothing as possible should pass "The Dinghy Test."
The questions are simple. Can the clothes you wear enable you - even encourage you - to successfully get in and out of a dinghy? Can they allow the range of motions required? Can your shoes provide traction? Can the clothes recover gracefully from less than successful attempts of entrance, egress or transport?
For example, this means no "dry clean only" garments. Every garment should be able to withstand some kind of washing; spot-cleaning or by hand if necessary.
In ability and temperament, we become more like the clothes we choose to wear. So it makes sense to choose garments that represent both who we are and who we want to be.
The questions are simple. Can the clothes you wear enable you - even encourage you - to successfully get in and out of a dinghy? Can they allow the range of motions required? Can your shoes provide traction? Can the clothes recover gracefully from less than successful attempts of entrance, egress or transport?
For example, this means no "dry clean only" garments. Every garment should be able to withstand some kind of washing; spot-cleaning or by hand if necessary.
In ability and temperament, we become more like the clothes we choose to wear. So it makes sense to choose garments that represent both who we are and who we want to be.
I fail this test - never giving up my clogs, though!
ReplyDeleteIn one of my favorite scenes, from one of my favorite movies, the Birds, Tippie Hedren passed the test as she gracefully and flawlessly boarded the rented dinghy to deliver the lovebirds, impeccably dressed AND in heals while holding the birdcage. It can be done ladies.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fantastic scene indeed.
DeleteThe closing thought that clothes impact our activities and shape who we become is very good. Sometimes clothes are just clothes, but sometimes they're also about doing things.
ReplyDeleteThe current debate in our house is whether dining room chairs need to have arms. So many don't, and the Shakers would have approved, or perhaps those who remain still do. Wouldn't want to get too comfortable at the table. However, I'm not aiming to purify anyone's soul at the dinner table (perhaps the opposite), so I'm inclined to think hospitality calls for arms on the chairs.
I love the Dinghy Test. I read the original post years ago and it reset my whole approach to clothing, encouraging me to ditch those items that did not pass the test and allow in only new items that did. It is so practical, and ultimately, economical. As an old New England Quaker, Simplicity is an important ethic for living, being, and spending. Quality informs another ethical way of spending, as we all know. Thank you for the timely reminder. Suzanne in Boulder
ReplyDeleteIn Texas, we have the Furnace Test, which is whether you can survive in the clothes you've chosen for any outside activities in August.
ReplyDeleteClass will out!
ReplyDeleteThis sends waves of nostalgia for the yacht club our family belonged to when I was in my teens. All young sailors had to pass a safety test by capsizing their sailboats, then swim alongside and right the boat again. The shorts, polo shirts and Sperry sneakers we wore passed the dinghy test with flying colors (and gently fading colors over time with exposure to sun and salt water).
ReplyDeleteI visit the club’s website and Instagram now and then to see what’s happening on the water and on the tennis courts. There has been a menswear and womenswear shipwreck over the last several decades and fashion there seems to be adrift in the doldrums of athleisure. Nearly everyone at the club is now wearing hoodies, jeans, T-shirts and yoga pants (though an occasional navy blazer can still be seen at evening events). However, it still must be said that this clothing absolutely passes the dinghy test: the jogging shoes have treads that grip a deck, the jeans and hoodies aren’t damaged by salt water, and nothing needs to be dry cleaned.
Perhaps there also should be an aesthetic dimension included in this test? Clothing that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but makes the sailboat race look better?