I'm not up to the task of measuring the ratio of adjectives to words in this article, but I'm certain it is significantly higher than most content we see these days. I think there was a point in the article beyond the author's literary exercise, but after wading through a few paragraphs the drag was so high I became stuck.
> wrapped in the unassuming guise of a common news item.
It...really wasn't. It was presented as a snarky piece about people wearing the "midtown uniform", which it was.
It's curious that rich people (at least some of them) still obsess over brands and relatively expensive stuff that can be purchased, my feeling was that for the past 5 years or so the cultural zeitgeist (for lack of a better expression) was to focus on "experiences" (for those that have the material means to do so) and generally speaking to treat the purchase of stuff for the sole sake of buying stuff as "tacky" (again, for lack of a better expression).
I admit that I may be wrong on this one, either way, I do feel that consumerism has dialed down a bit compared to the '90s and the early 2000s (the pre-2008 times).
So I think you're right; while there's still a focus on brands, the brands being discussed are relatively reasonably priced. For Wall Street, I guess that counts as progress. :)
If a jacket leaves the wearer feeling too hot (e.g. because they are doing something active like hiking up a hill), but just a shirt leaves him/her feeling too cold, then a vest would be a natural middle option.
I don’t wear vests, but if I spent a lot of time outdoors in medium-cold climates, I can certainly imagine using one. Have you worn this type of vest before? You might be surprised how much warmer it is vs. just a shirt.
Vests are designed to be worn with/under some sort of outer jacket to provide an extra layer of insulation, without adding an extra 'layer' of sleeves that will just be too bulky or hinder mobility.
Another useful aspect is that they pack up a lot smaller and are thus easier to shove into the bottom of bag when you're not wearing them.
It's less bulky than putting on a sweater or big fleece and is much easier to pack.
As people said, usually you layer these under say a ski jacket to keep your core warmer without losing arm mobility. In the amusing case of grilling, I actually don’t want a garment picking up the smoke/smells either.
[1] except of course superyachts - of which all of the 5 largest and 8 out of the 10 largest have been built since 2006.
You're right, much better.