I received an email with the subject ‘architect’s dress code’ from Martin Nagy. He found photos on google and he compiled them on list so now it is easy to see that the most favorite color for architects to wear is Black :). Apart from their dress code, the other similarities among the male architects are either bald or balding. Reminds me of my previous post on Architect’s Outfit. Coincident? Even the guys from the Toy Factory has this impression that architect’s favorite colour is black. Thanks Martin!
Fantastic post! But.. where is Le Corbusier with his glasses? Hummm =)
its so very true. architects love black.
Thanks for posting this :) well of course there are lot of other architects even from past that wear black, but it will be veeery long to post them all. Anyway u can do the same as me Google it out and post it here so we can see who else is joining this club.
The “basic black” uniform of many architects is also the outfit de rigeur of other design professionals: fashion designers, photographers, artists, etc. I would have to assume that this is four fold:
1) Our closets hold infinite combinations of clothes – everything matches!
2) We cannot be mistaken for engineers and those who dwell in the right brain world.
3) Black is slimming, so we always look thinner than we are.
4) It is a hold over from a more refined period where “office casual” was not in the clothing cannon.
@selophane
Yeah, probably it is the weather as well. Cold, windy, snowing… I’ve never come across architects in Malaysia (hot and humid) wearing black all the time.
When ever i ask an outfit what it wants to be – it says black.
you might enjoy seeing Mr. Glasses…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywo_v2YZNxA
black is classic and timeless.
Calvin Ngan – black is definitely the colour of choice for Australian architects too, so I’m not convinced that weather has much to do with it. :)
uh.. it’s like limkw (Limkokwing University)
Why do architects wear black? …you might like this: :-) Maybe there’s an answer to this mysterious question!
Eisenman’s tie is cute.
…and from now on I also wear black:
“Erick van Egeraat Associates has plunged into insolvency after the sudden cancellation of projects sparked a cashflow crisis at the firm”
I regret!
black? maybe cos it complements our eyebags and ink-smudged hands :D
Architects do ador black indeed! As every one can see, architectural projects as all creative kind of work stand out when they are set on a black background. They look beautiful, attractive, full of life despite their simple lack of perfection. Let say, architects like black for them to hide their mistakes and lacks within the “black darkness”
well i love black and i’m an aspiring archi. so i’m on the track…but i did not see FRANK LYORD
Black is a base, primordial, and the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning … :)
What about Mike Davies? He only wears red.
Architects don’t know how to dress themselves, so they naturally gravitate towards the black (which is worn mostly by highly intelligent people)
LOL I have two wardrobes, Summer and Winter, Winter is a Polo shirt and Levi’s, Summer is Aloha shirts and Levi’s, although shorts and flip-flops are an option. If its a particularly formal occasion I have a nice selection of guayabera shirts…life is too short and I’m too old to run around dressed like a stupid mortician, especially when its 98 degrees outside. Needless to say I really stand out at the AIA meetings. :o ;-)
Well maybe its because of suit.
In the middle ages in Europe a carpenter or a stonemason (not the modern mason) were very often the leader and master of the construction on a building site. In the old greek word ἀρχιτέκτων (architékton) you can find the words „top craftman or builder.” The education of modern architects has lost its historical basics and became a better draughtsman and specialized lawyer. The black clothing of the craftsmen of the middle ages remain preserved in a modern way of clothing. Not wearing a hat depends on a simple rule of this time. To be allowed to wear a hat you have to be finished with your education as a craftsman and became a free man. As long you are not free, you’re not allowed to wear a hat. Simple. This old tradition is still alive in the middle of Europe. Just a few guys every year decide to become a top craftman and maybe after that an architect or civil engineer on a university, after visiting the most places of the world on foot.
For more information about this tradition, read these articles. ;-)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderjahre
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kluft_(Zunftkleidung)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauh%C3%BCtte
Greetings!!