Coronavirus The Fall of The Suit, The Rise of The Sock

The suit's best friend today is the actor. The entertainment industry is one industry that still requires its workers to dress up in suits and ties.  I have gotten by the last two years with my early 2000-era black suit but figured it was time to update my game and add some color. 

So I donned my coronavirus mask and drove to Nordstrom Rack. As I stepped off the escalator to the second floor,  I was surprised by the lack of suits. Prior to Covid, a good chunk of the second floor of the men's section was dedicated to suits, sport coats, and business wear. Today, only a small section in the middle of the store was dedicated to business wear and the once illustrious (and potentially expensive) suits were confined to a small section of the back wall. 

How fashion has changed. 

Lawyers, bankers, corporate office types once needed to own multiple suits that fit well. This goes for men and women. They were the symbol of professionalism, status, and style.

My wife's company said they would be lucky if they returned to the office next year. A lawyer I know has not been in the office for months.

So does anyone need a suit if they are working from home? Even if you have to dress up for a Zoom call, why would you need a suit? A sport coat, shirt, tie, and shorts would suffice. Sport coats are a lot cheaper than suits. And on Zoom, it is hard to tell the difference between a $60 clearance sport coat at Nordstrom Rack and a $1000 suit unless you have an amazing webcam and you are doing a (very unlikely) full body shot.

And shoes? Let's not even talk about how even more inconsequential the need is for multiple pairs of nice dress shoes let alone one pair if you are never in the office.

How are clothing manufacturers staying in business during the coronavirus epidemic?

The answer must be socks.

The evidence lay before me. A section of the store where suits once hung was now an expanded sock selection. Some socks were quite colorful. There were ankle socks, thick socks, Christmas socks, and others with amazing designs. Obviously, if people are staying home and winter is coming, socks will be one of the most important clothing items when a person is on that all important Zoom board meeting.

Perhaps coronavirus was the tool of the socks to overthrow the rule of the suits. 

But fear not, suits, a coronavirus vaccine is on the way, creating a pathway for your return to elite status level. And just remember, actors will always need you to create the fictitious worlds where suits are worn daily.  Seriously, only in Hollywood movies is business casual not the norm in an office.

My search for a suit continues.

Take care and be safe.

Posts weekly (target date Tuesday)

Coronavirus New Curfew - Ridiculous!

I was annoyed when I heard about the new statewide curfew ordered by Newsome that went into effect this weekend from 10 pm to 5 am.

People said, "John calm down. The only businesses it affects are the bars. It's the young people who don't wear masks and get drunk and are not cautious." When I stood outside my friend's bar in Oregon, the majority of people inside were older men. There are many types of bars

I said, "Watch this is just the beginning."

Lockdowns and curfews create anxiety. Trader Joes had a line half-way around the block this morning. Yes - around the block. My Pavilions had me wait outside for the first time in months. Toilet paper and paper towels were gone.

Today, LA County announced all outside dining will be closed effective Wednesday. Only take-out will be allowed.

Now waiters, hostesses, and bartenders have all just lost their jobs right before the holidays. Merry Christmas.

Many dining establishments have applied for permits and remodeled to provide outdoor dining or to provide more outdoor dining space. I have seen the changes in my neighborhood on my daily walks. Concrete barriers on the street to create dining areas, awnings installed, heat lamps, etc. 

California Adventure just opened its main street this weekend for shopping and dining. So much for those recently hired employees.

Someone asked me, what should we do.

I said:

• First, tell everyone to wear a mask when you are not eating.
• Second, enforce what outdoor dining is. Look at that joke of the French Laundry where Newsome was eating. Three walls enclosed by plastic. That is not outdoor dining. I have seen more and more restaurants close-in their outdoor dining spaces.
• Third, enforce the six-foot distance rule between tables in these outdoor areas. I have seen food areas getting more and more cramped as restaurants try to accommodate more diners.

But do not close all of these businesses down. Enforce the rules, so that the ones who do play by them don't have to suffer. That is how government can keep us safe. Governor, don't go the French Laundry, see the rules being abused, and laugh it all away.

I believe LA County will ban all indoor retail shopping after Black Friday weekend. If they did it this week, there would be a riot, not necessarily by the customers but by all the businesses that just stocked up on instore inventory. Imagine the financial catastrophe if California did shutdown all in-person shopping for the holidays. That would truly put the nail in the coffin of small businesses in the state.

Can't get this at take out

My Saturday in Julian was great. 90% of the people wore masks. Everyone kept their distance.

I do not understand what was wrong with the other 10% not wearing masks. Seriously, by that 10% not wearing their masks, they just cost all Californians the opportunity to eat out or get a drink.

A family member said they were walking outside near a hospital and a nurse walked right by them with their mask in their hand - not on their face. If heads of the CMA are at a large dinner party with the governor and nurses are walking around not wearing masks, perhaps I can see why the 10% don't take our "leaders" and medical establishment seriously.

But, if a small group of people continue to refuse to follow the three basic rules, we will not go back to a relatively normal life for a long time: wear a mask, social distance, and wash hands often. 

Take care and be safe.

Posts weekly.

Coronavirus Vaccine's Impact

On 11/9, Pfizer announced that their covid vaccine was found to be 90% effective in a clinical trail of 44,000 test subjects. 

What does this mean?

The stock market soared 1500 points first thing Monday morning.

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock ended up 25% while Zoom dropped 13%.

I think that Pfizer's news is wonderful, especially considering the massive outbreaks happening in Europe and across the U.S. (The U.S. is tallying over 100,00 new cases a day).  Deadline reported that 3 entertainment productions have closed this week due to positive COVID tests and I know of at least 2 last week. One of these my son was going to work on and I was scheduled to work another. We dodge the bullet on those shows.

The world knows that we sorely need a vaccine, hence the stock market jump.

However, the exuberance party was short lived as Tuesday the market ended up only 262 points and it is down today 108 points. 

There are two issues.

The first is time. If Pfizer passes all the recommended safety tests, it could be June before the vaccine is made widely available to the public. That is a long time from now. 8 months. I just realized, tomorrow 11/13/20 is exactly 8 months since Los Angeles went into lockdown mode - Friday the 13th of March. 

Trivia question: who said, "Beware the Ides of March"? (Close enough to the 15th to make it relevant. Answer below.)

Second, who is going to get vaccinated? Many people I speak to are scared of getting a vaccine whether it is for covid or any other disease. Safety is their main issue. Can the government force people to get vaccinated? Can the government or private businesses deny services like access to public school or Disneyland or a cruise ship to unvaccinated individuals?

In the movie Children Of Men, a vaccine to stop a deadly plague made everyone infertile. That is a chilling worst case scenario. Only in movies right?

But if people don't get vaccinated, how long will the economies of the world economy continue to be at risk of future shutdowns? Months, years? I read that New York is looking at closing its schools again. Los Angeles' have never opened. 

For now, all we can do is social distance, wear a mask, and keep washing those hands. We have to for at least for the next 8 months.

Take care and be safe.

Posts Weekly (Aiming for Tuesdays)

Trivia answer: The soothsayer to Julius Cesar in William Shakespeare's play.

Coronavirus Escape

Camping last weekend reaffirmed my belief that life is still awesome during the coronavirus epidemic.

During the weekend we hiked, kayaked, took silly pictures, built cairns and campfires, told stories, and had great meals in the beautiful outdoors. 

The only time I was concerned was when we sat down with our dinner at the outdoor patio of a restaurant and the table had not been wiped down. My wife put some sanitizer on the table and we wiped it down ourselves. Better safe than sorry. 

People wore masks when they were around others. The cafes, stores, and kayak rental shop enforced wearing them. People in the campground wore them when they were close to others i.e. at the bathroom.

We had an amazing time. One of the best things was the lack of a tv so there was no news about politics, protests, or coronavirus. 

So enjoy yourselves, just apply the 3 basic rules: use a mask, social distance, and wash your hands. 

Posts Tuesdays