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* Jacob Gallagher in the Wall St. Journal…

The fleece zip-up vest, the capstone of a new corporate uniform, lurks in air-conditioned corporate cubicles across America. It covers the sweating backs of nervous interns ordering supersize coffees at Starbucks . It’s worn by silver-haired executives in the elevator, heading up to their corner suites. It appears in myriad shades of grey and blue, on men of all shapes and sizes who earn all kinds of salaries. It has become as ubiquitous as the take-out salad in humdrum workplaces, and is slowly supplanting the suit and tie as essential office wear.

Typically, the vest is worn over a button-up shirt and paired with chinos and brown dress shoes of any flavor. “The uniform” is how this ensemble has been branded around the office of one 36-year-old working in capital markets in Pittsburgh, a past practitioner of the much-mocked look who asked that his name be withheld. During a recent trip to New York City this month, he observed scores of men wearing grey fleece vests even as temperatures touched the mid-90s.

The trend is so pervasive that an Instagram account with nearly 40,000 followers, The Midtown Uniform (@midtownuniform), has sprung up to savagely document these corporate clones in cities like New York, Toronto and Washington D.C. The anonymous account adds pithy captions to crowdsourced photos, riffing on the omnipresence of this particular outfit. “Money isn’t really ours unless you’re fully vested,” read a caption on a recent post showing two men in matching pink shirts and blue vests.

I did not know any of that.

* As you are most certainly aware by now, both major party candidates for governor sport a fleece vest on occasion…

* The Question: Who wears it better? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

web survey

[Hat tip: Whet and Kim]

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:22 pm

Comments

I can’t believe I just voted for Bruce. I never in a million years thought I could press that button.

Comment by Never Know Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:27 pm
Said they should both stop, but JB as a big guy myself, I can say vests are not a good look for big guys.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:27 pm
The vest just doesn’t wear well on chubby men. Sorry JB, nothing personal.

Comment by Flat Bed Ford Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:29 pm
Sadly, both men wear Spanx under those clothes as well.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:30 pm
i didn’t think it was possible to get worse than a hoodie. everyone should stop, this is a terrible look.

Comment by Homer J. Quinn Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:32 pm
It’s not funny, using JB’s catalog model photo from the 2018 Husky Billionaire Shop.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:33 pm
JB wears his vest, whereas Bruce’s vest wears him.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:35 pm
Oh man. It looks like they both tried on the same vest…

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:37 pm
Voted both stop. Please please stop

Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:37 pm
OneMan, I think I disagree.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:38 pm
Both should just stop and immediately issue an apology to the fleece.

Promise never to wear fleece again.

#SaveTheFleece

Comment by Anon Downstate Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:38 pm
Voted for JB, the black is rather slimming…

Comment by Notorious RBG Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:38 pm
People, this is supposed to be a light, easy question about the vests, not the body shape of the people wearing said vests. Stick to that or face deletion. Final warning.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:41 pm
“Bruce is shown wearing our Faux Swede number. Look at how it camoflages unsightly sweat stains.

Marvelous Bruce.”

“JB is coming down the aisle in our newest number, the “Flusher”.

Look at how it slims.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:41 pm
They both have a vested interest in not looking silly.

Comment by B-non Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:43 pm
This is crazy that I have not noticed this. I feel like immediately going out and seeing if this is, in fact, true.

Is it slimming? Is it to be a man of the people? Do women executives wear it? Is it so that you can attend a company picnic on a moment’s notice?
Do we need to be more energy efficient with our offices - are they kept too cold in the summer? What about people with dogs? Or cats? Or ferrets? Does it actually have kevlar in there to protect against attacks? Do they zip up all the way, or are they partially pullovers as well? How high does the collar need to go on the neck? Does it have to be popped, or can it slightly fold? Is it just blue and black, or is red allowed? Button fly fleece? Are they waterproof? What about the children? What about pockets, are they allowed? Are they wearing fanny packs under there? Electric heating vests? Performance fleece? Carhartt fleece?

So many questions… I think I have burnt out a core.

Comment by Ok Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:45 pm
I actually voted for JB.
Bruce fills his about as well as he fills his job as governor.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:46 pm
JB. Collar up FTW.

Comment by I Miss Bentohs Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:46 pm
JB. It was a close-call between JB and neither. At least JB’s fits. Rauner, again, doesn’t seem to understand a reasonable landing spot for a shoulder seam.

Comment by SinkingShip Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:48 pm
As a fashion accessory, nope.

Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:48 pm
Bruce wears it better but I prefer my Governor in a suit and tie. My dad used to say “the way you dress shows how much respect you have for the occasion”.

Comment by Casual observer Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:49 pm
Madigan doesn’t wear the vest, instead he wears a fleece cummerbund.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:50 pm
just stop with the fleece. impractical because you can be sure it will not survive game day rain and will keep you wet. waste of closet space. guess they both have big closets.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:54 pm
As a Han Solo fan and a fat guy, I like the vest. But they are definitely ubiquitous in The Loop these days and it does feel like its all corporate stooges wearing them (and me).

I suppose I could just exercise more.

Comment by Ben Gazzara Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 1:57 pm
Stop, period. Looks hokey on both of them.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:01 pm
Vest just look stupid on almost anyone I do not see the fashion thing in them at all. To keep you warm well it is July and in the winter they have no sleeves?

Comment by cler dcn Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:03 pm
If you are gonna wear a vest, it better be leather and have a lot of flair.

Comment by Henry Fancis Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:04 pm
I said they should both stop. Hard to imagine either would wear one if not for the politics. Everything about BR is contrived, think Carhartt. As a very big guy myself I know what JB is doing. I don’t fault him at all. I like the fact that he is big and he owns it. Is there a big guy constituency out there? Rich, can you ask for a poll to see how many people 30 lbs or more overweight support JB?

Comment by What's in a name? Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:07 pm
Fleece is baby soft comfort, JB wears it better, Rauners wears like a life preserve

Comment by Rabid Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:08 pm
I feel the vest does help JB look more slim, so JB wins.

Comment by 44th Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:10 pm
Looks natural on JB. On Rauner it looks like everything else he wears: a costume.

That said: both stop.

Comment by Nick Name Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:12 pm
Voted “both should stop”.

Message to both men, the Nordstrom Men’s Half Yearly Sale is going on, they can pick up some stylish deals.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:14 pm
Rich,
My wife hasn’t gotten me one in a long time, I am taking that as a sign.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:23 pm
Just be glad they’re wearing shirts underneath.

Comment by siualum Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:26 pm
JB looks more natural. IF Burce wants to get folksy with “us hicks south of I-80,” he needs to wear it without a shirt.

Comment by Ryan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:34 pm
Have you seen my black fleece vest? Nevermind, I’ll just cut the sleeves off this black Carhartt jacket. Probably won’t need it after November anyway.

Comment by Kayak Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:38 pm
I voted “They should both stop,” but have changed my mind.

They should both keep wearing them because hey, one can never get enough fleece-y comfort in the dead of summer.

P.S. The hubby wears them too, but he ceases and desists around summer solstice time.

Comment by dbk Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 2:59 pm
Of the two, I think JB wears it better. Honestly, I think the darker grey/black vest on him helps hide his size. Plus, his actually fits. It looks like BR’s is a size too big.

But really, neither should be wearing it.

Comment by Uninvested Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 3:02 pm
a poll i felt like i could vote in!

they should both stop. nothing says you have too much money like those vests…

Comment by bored now Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 3:04 pm
Fleece is what the State of IL does to my bank account.

Comment by Hickory Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 3:09 pm
Hickory FTW.

But how does each cuff their jeans?

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 3:21 pm
Neither. I’m old fashioned. Wear a suit. You’re running for the highest office in one of the largest states in the union. Dress like it.

Comment by Southside Markie Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 3:47 pm
In Illinois summers, they should go to Old Navy and get a cotton one for about ten bucks that fits as well as their fancy fleece. Unlikely that either one has heard of, let alone sat foot in, Old Navy, though.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 4:00 pm
Even a decade from now, neither vest will be showing any actual signs of wear.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 4:01 pm
I’m just glad both guys stopped wearing jeggings.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 5:17 pm
JB is the man . He looks very Illinois…

Comment by Steve Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 5:58 pm
I think Bruce’s would look better if it had some flair pinned to it, and JB’s would look better if it were made of leopard skin with a blue tie (proper Fred Flintstone look)

Comment by Stuntman Bob's Brother Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 6:01 pm
Is it even appropriate weather to wear fleece right now? I have been in Fairbanks AK and now South Carolina this week and not even Fairbanks was fleece weather. Maybe wearing fleece is just an admittance what they what to do to us?

Comment by FormerParatrooper Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 6:16 pm
Respect the Office. At least wear a sport coat and tie.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 7:26 pm
Bob Dold beats both of them hands down in this department

Comment by BlackForestLicorice Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 7:27 pm
Wearing a fleece vest during height of summer is condescending. If dead of winter, different story. But summer time, means AC is set too low.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jul 24, 18 @ 7:29 pm