We met Chris Latas behind the counter of Chris’s Hot Dogs on North Halsted. His bright uniform seemed prepared to fill the service industry’s standing order for deep-fry and quick-serve. But our Quality Control Fashion Inspectors had a few questions for the man in the paper hat. Was this outfit able to deliver service with a smile, or was it mixing up the orders?
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The look rests on a bun-white T, hard at work since the 16th century when the leisured classes slipped into linen undies and workers got stuck with cotton. Even then, according to The History of Underclothes, exposing a swatch of tank top at the neckline gave casual admirers a hint at social status. Revealing the concealed evolved from Tudor men slashing their jerkins to 18th-century dandies unbuttoning a few notches of their waistcoats to the convenience of the built-in V-neck; these days we’ve come full circle to the slash-and-flash method of lingerie-baring.
The layers of hard work and professionalism, capped with entrepreneurial resourcefulness and accessorized with the Greek immigrant’s keepsake timepiece, heat up a meaty Fashion Statement: Every dog has his day.
