The Man Blouse

It all started this past Friday afternoon.

I had a business-related lunch with this "slightly senior" gentleman at a local Wendy's Restaurant.   As we set down to our hamburgers and started to have a discussion, I found myself unable to look away from this guy's shirt.

Luckily, he was doing all the talking and not really making eye contact with me, so there was no social awkwardness involved at all as I slowly ate my hamburger and stared up and down at the large purple paisley print and the disproportionately large collar of his button down shirt.  It kind of had an "Austin Powers" type of vibe to it, for lack of a better description.  (He also had a shag haircut to match, so at this point I'm assuming this whole look is deliberate).

"Maybe it's vintage," I thought to myself.  "Maybe he bought it in 1967 and still thinks he rocks it.  Fine.  It's an odd cut, but an interesting pattern.  The collar is HUGE and the lavendar paisley pattern is not subtle in the least.  It looks like...it's almost as if...it reminds me of...think...think...think...."

Then the truth struck me, and I found the words that I wanted to scream out loud...

 "A MAN BLOUSE!"  OMG!  IT'S A FREAKIN' MAN BLOUSE!    That's it, that's what it has to be.

So I return to the office, determined to get to the bottom of this.  I google "Man Blouse" and what I suspected has been there all along: 

Man Blouse:  "A button down shirt with a pattern or style that gives it a rather feminine quality."

Of course!  It's all making sense now...the man blouse phenomena is out there in our society.


A few hours later I headed to an upscale hair salon in Old Town.  The girl had just shampooed me and sat me in the chair when I looked around to see two more men nearby wearing...what else... Man Blouses!  Their Man Blouses were more of a cottage floral pattern with darts and velvet trimmed pockets.  I was like, wow, this thing is for real.  These guys were rocking their Man Blouses too, with no apologies.  Just two cool guys being awesome, secure, happy-go-lucky guys, Man Blouses and all. 

I learned something that day.  The Blouse does not make the man, but the man can definitely rock the Blouse...and that seemed so right to me just then.

Then I proceeded to have a conversation with the "almost 21-year-old" hairdresser who is going to VEGAS with friends for her 21st birthday and LIVES IN A LOFT IN OLD TOWN.  ***Sigh***  (This whole situation warrants it's own post, but I'll save that for another time...)

Friday was just about more than I could take.