Would Rufus Wear Tshirt and Jeans?

Musonius Rufus was very utilitarian in his dress, and he advises us to be as well. I'll take my lesson from "Musonius Rufus, translated by Cynthia King," Lecture 19.

Rufus tells us that we should wear a chiton and a himation and call it good (he lived in Rome a good part of his life, so I think he may be referring to the tunica and the toga). In fact, if we can manage it, Rufus says that it's better to go about in a himation alone.

We should never wear two chiton, and we should only wrap up in shawls if we are ill. It's good to get a little cold in the winter.

And no shoes, if possible; shoes hamper agility.

Here is how that would look (sans sandals... this gentleman lives in luxury!):

Rufus tells us not dress to attract attention. Rather, "...one should use clothing and footwear in the same way that one uses armor: to defend the body, not to show off."

If I walked around in a tunic and toga I would most certainly attract attention. So what to do? What is the modern day equivalent of a tunic and toga?

The tunic was worn informally, either indoors or for rough work, while the toga was seen as more of a public garment. With that in mind, I propose two configurations. Please note that I am NOT saying that Neo Stoics will wear this and only this, or that they will even wear this at all. Dress how you like. I'm just saying that I've been doing this lately as a Stoic exercise and to me it seems worthwhile.

First, for informal wear, I submit to you the humble T-shirt, jeans and windbreaker:

Second, for more formal occasions, I suggest the chino trouser (or "khaki"), button-up sport shirt and sport jacket:

Suggesting this uniform isn't at all revolutionary, and that's the point. These clothes are seen everywhere, all the time. They don't attract attention. And where I live if you go to a wedding in shirt, trousers and sport coat you'll present a more formal appearance than at least half the men there, so I imagine that these clothes could suit a person for most occaisons, most of the time.

Rufus advises us to buy cheap as well, because it will free up money to "...help many people, both publicly and privately. "...isn't it more praiseworthy to help a lot of people than to live expensively?"

Fair enough. If you were to buy the T-shirt and jeans at Walmart you'd spend $17. You'd spend another $25 for the windbreaker. Sport Shirt and Chinos would run you $25-30 and a sport coat can be obtained from a thrift shop for $10-20. Job done. Or is it?

"Cheap" might be a relative term here, because in Rufus's time clothing was not cheap. It was hand woven and hand stitched, often by slaves. Sweatshop labor in our terms. How can clothing produced by slaves, or by virtual slaves, be worn ethically?

Here is what Walmart claims about its overseas factories:

• They meet or exceed our requirements
• All labor is voluntary
• Children aren’t used in the production of merchandise for Walmart
• Workers are properly paid for all hours worked
• Hours aren’t excessive and are consistent with local laws or regulations
• Factories provide safe and healthy working conditions

They claim that all of this is verified by an independent auditing organization. Then there's this:

That's not good. So what to do?

The Ethical Consumer scores clothing manufacturers on five criteria:

1. Is the manufacturer good to the environment?
2. People? Is it fair trade?
3. Animals?
4. Does the manufacturer respect democratic principles?
5. Is the product sustainable?

Of course we could debate all of these points. If you are going to "score" ethics numerically you are going to have to draw some arbitrary lines in the sand. Leave that for another day... who scores highest according to TEC?

People Tree Organic Cotton Clothing, scoring a 16 out of 20.

Simple Men's T-shirt: $42 US

Ewan Trousers: $120 US

We haven't even contemplated underwear, socks and shoes yet.

OK, is there a more affordable option? How about Cock & Bull? They score lower at 14.5, but maybe that means that they are more affordable?

Persian Easy T-shirt: $37.50 US

Hemp Jeans: $180

Nope.

How about American Apparel? Made in the USA? Sweatshop free? I don't know how they score, but I like "sweatshop free."

Fine Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt: $7-18 (Now you're talking!)

Regular Fit 100 Jeans: $92 (um...)

Here is a page which tells us where to buy fair trade clothing. The list seems populated by hip 20 year olds in $40 T-shirts. Skinny T-shirts. Not for me.

Ah, I know! Carhartt!

Relaxed Fit 5 Pocket Jean: $39.99

Maddock Non Pocket Short Sleeve T-shirt: $15.99-$17.99

So far so good, but you'd have to check the label because apparently some of their clothing is made in Mexico.

So I don't know. It's hard to find fair trade clothes that are also cheap, but then on the other hand what is "cheap" to an ancient Stoic? $100 jeans might very well have been cheap.

I have some thinking to do.

As a post script, how do the Stoics of Stoic Week dress? Pretty much how I've laid it out here.

And a final post script: I'm a man and my article is clearly geared towards members of my own sex. I would not presume to advise women on how to dress.

* * *

Public domain image courtesy of the New York Public Library.

T-shirt, jeans and windbreaker are from Wikimedia Commons and attributed, respectively, to Camisetas, Juanmac, and Ingolfson

Sport shirt, sport coat and chinos are from Wikimedia Commons and attributed, respectively, to ChristianGlaeser, PKM and Ed Yourdon