We met Mike Archambeault loitering outside Lincoln Park High just after the final bell. His slack slacks and tight tights raised a hand to recite the ABCs of classroom comfort. Still, our Fashion Principals called the look into the office. Did it conform to the dress code? Or was it shooting spitballs behind the teacher’s back? They issued this report card:
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Black dominates the discussion–from tip to toe. As fashion historians Richard Martin and Harold Koda note: the darkest dark is reserved for rebels. Whereas demure ladies buy into the establishment by slipping on a little black dress, their gentleman escorts eschew the hue, choosing instead socially acceptable grays and browns. When men wear black (look up rockers, poets, bike gangs) they’re mad as hell.
The outfit picks up extra credit from a black snap-back backpack, which shouts, “I am not a freeeeek. I’m not. Am I?” The question is posed in the show-and-tell tradition of all writing on the wall, yet directed, Jenny Holzer-style, at a specific audience: the wearer’s father, who takes issue with long hair.
