The Sad Sack Slinger Dress Code

When did the hedgies start wearing backpacks? And it's not just the brash young hedgies but i-bankers and brokers, too. You may have noticed this trend shortly before the stock market went to hell, which would make one think that the backpacks might have contained golden parachutes or the like. But then again, Tom Wolfe pointed out in a New York Times Op-Ed that the Masters of the Universe had long ago left the building. And he recounts an overheard snippet of dialogue in which one trader informs another that he is leaving the floor for good—to become a firefighter. Why? Because "The pension plan is awesome." Surely this is a candidate for a backpack.

One young lady complained after having her hedgie date show up wearing a Northface pack: "What is with these guys and their backpacks? It's like they don't have time to dress themselves, so they are just throwing everything in a bag fit for a child and running off to save the markets?"

Apologies, but shouldn't financial types generally be attired like Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho"? What's next? Bankers in Tevas?

These rules should have been established long ago, but if you are an adult (unless you are going hiking, are a tourist, or attend NYU)  it is unacceptable to wear a backpack in the City.

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