Friday 23 August 2013

What not to wear

Ok, so I admit it, I used to be a bit of a scruffy git back in the UK. One of my favourite things about working in TV was that nobody really cared what I wore, which meant I could basically carry on dressing like a student years after I graduated. I never had much need for grown up clothes. However, since arriving in Bangkok, I've felt the need to adjust my look. Once you've been here a while, the tourists in beach wear really seem to stick out like a sore thumb in the city. I got the sense that the locals weren't very impressed with them, and I don't want them to judge me the same way. So, despite having brought over a load of shorts and t-shirts, they're now relegated to wearing round the house, or maybe the odd quick trip to the 7-Eleven. Anywhere else, even a shopping expedition to Tesco-Lotus, and I wear grown-up long trousers and a proper shirt. The kind you have to iron and everything. That way I can walk the broken pavements of Bangkok with my head held high. But not too high - you still need to look where you're going to avoid breaking an ankle. There are other benefits to adopting trouser legs and sleeves, too. Sun block costs a fortune here, so covering up is an economically sound decision, as well as a sartorial one.

I think I was also trying to distance myself as much as possible from those expats who haunt Sukhumvit Road's sleazier environs. I still get that weird, suspicious look when out by myself during the day - mostly from other westerners. The one where you just know they're thinking 'A man on his own, in a city like this? What's he up to?' But at least I haven't fallen into any of these traps -

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/08/22/five-things-farang-men-must-stop-wearing

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