Against the Modern Sloane

Once upon a time, a sloane ranger was a term used to describe someone who ‘…[i]n dress…wants to look tidy, reassuring and appropriate…not visual and arty-farty.’ (The Sloane Rangers Handbook).

They wore pie-crust collars, polished loafers and pearls; they represented a lifestyle, their clothes were a form of self expression.

Today, the word Sloane conjures up a rather different image; one of an Abercrombie tracksuit wearing, Hollister bag wielding, secondary school going teenager.

A teenager who has more money than taste, more friends than opinions, certainly not the kind of dedicated hard working individual you would expect to see around campus…

Forgive the vicious stereotyping, I do exaggerate, however, one cannot deny that this is a widely distributed view concerning devotees of certain brands.

Whether in jest or not, the term Sloane has evolved into something far from its original meaning and, the Sloane uniform has morphed into something far less meaningful than those frilly collars of the 80s.

Are you a fan of the Jack Wills ‘look’?

Now, just before I get in trouble, let me state that I see absolutely nothing wrong with shopping at Jack Wills, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and the like. Integrated into a well-balanced wardrobe, their clothes are nothing to contest.

The problem, for me, with the clothes in these shops (and don’t get me started on the shops themselves, that’s a whole other issue) is that they encourage young people to be generic.

Of course, a style choice is a style choice; it’s an individual decision for a person to make. But how can someone develop a personal style, work out what they really like, when they’re being told to buy the same items, season after season, in slightly different colours.

The pressure that these shops put on their customers to look a certain way is overwhelming.

Their clothes are, more often than not, a uniform that when worn en masse, stifles a person’s personality. The ‘style’ that they are marketing is one of laziness and a lack of imagination, and, unfortunately, shows no sign of changing.