A SURVEY FROM T MAGAZINE
(The New York Times STYLE Magazine)
Dear New York Times Subscriber and T Magazine Reader,
Thanks for agreeing to complete this short survey about our exciting Men’s Fall Fashion
2010 issue of T Magazine. We realize your time is valuable and appreciate your willingness to
help the staff of T better serve your passion for bold, breathtaking statements in fashion and
accessories.
Did you see the Calvin Klein ad in the front part of the latest T, the one where the model
has his back to the camera and his pants lowered so the crack of his butt is visible?
+ Yes
+ No
If you answered yes, would you like to see more cracks in T?
+ Yes
+ No
+ Only if the models belong to the Tea Party.
The ad for jcrew.com showed a model sitting on a ladder in a suit and dress shoes but no
socks. Does wearing a suit while going sockless strike you as:
+ Sexy and a real come on.
+ Ridiculous.
+ No opinion or one I don’t want to share with you.
In the Moncler clothing ad, there is a photograph of a man in an arm chair reading a
newspaper with a woman standing behind him while a large camel has his head and neck
stretched out over both of them. Do you find it difficult to concentrate on your newspaper if
there is a camel in the room with you?
+ Yes
+ No
If you answered yes, which of the following animals would you be comfortable with in the
room while trying to catch up on the news?
+ Tiger
+ Bambi
+ House-broken sperm whale
+ Dead barracuda
+ Wet walrus
The ad for Crate&Barrel shows a sofa on one page and on the facing page a model in cut off
shorts, above the ankle boots (and no visible socks), a dress shirt worn outside his pants, a
shoulder bag and a pair of sunglasses in his hands. What was your first thought when you saw
this model?
+ I wouldn’t get on a sofa with him.
+ If he can’t afford socks, he can’t afford that sofa.
+ I went totally blank for about ten minutes.
Would you be more inclined to buy something from Crate&Barrel if they learned how to
space their name better?
+ Yes
+ No
In future issues of T, would you like to see more models whose sex, if any, isn’t
immediately apparent?
+ Yes
+ No
+ Hell, why not – everything else is hard to figure out these days.
Did you see the short feature on clogs?
+ Yes
+ No
If you answered yes, what’s your view on the assertion in the headline that “men’s clogs are
coming out of the kitchen this season”?
+ Like hell they are. NIMBY.
+ That does it. I’m going to stop cooking at home.
+ It’s about time. They’re so relaxing and they’re good for your feet and back too.
+ We ought to outlaw those damn things. This isn’t Holland.
In reading the feature on clogs, were you surprised as hell that there was some editorial
content in T and not just a ton of wacky ads with wacky models who could all use a good
cheeseburger with cheese fries?
+ You betcha
+ No
+ You call that content?
Were you shocked to see that a store you had actually heard of, Macy’s, bought an ad in the
fall issue of T?
+ Yes
+ No
+ “Shocked” doesn’t even come close to describing my reaction. I was totally double F’ed –
F---ing Flabbergasted.
The full-page ad for 2xist Sliq has two men facing each other with nothing on but
underwear, one with his arms folded, the other with his left hand behind his neck and his right
hand pulling down the side of his briefs. What do you think the ad agency wanted you to think
about the two underwear models?
+ They were about to share a bucket of buffalo wings.
+ After the picture was taken, they swapped stories about scary airplane rides.
+ Whatever happens, happens and is no one else’s business.
+ Those briefs look way too tight for the average guy.
+ How do you pronounce the name of the company we’re shooting this for?
An editorial feature called Manly Things quotes the “head men’s-wear designer” of J.Crew
Men’s Shop as saying, about an Estwing hammer, “the more you use it, the more beautiful it
becomes.” Do you believe:
+ He was talking about a hammer.
+ He was talking about something else.
+ He is obviously working too many hours.
+ He would have been more convincing if his right thumb – perhaps with a badly banged
up fingernail – wasn’t hidden from view.
In the six-page feature on leisure suits, half the models dressed in jackets and slacks have no
shirts, not even T-shirts. What was your reaction when you saw the bare-chested models?
+ Why couldn’t they have been women?
+ When that style catches on big time, I’m moving to Iceland.
+ That’s one way to save money on ties.
+ Why couldn’t they have been women?
Would you like to see even more ads in the next issue of T?
+ Yes
+ No
+ Don’t think that is possible.
After looking at this or any other issue of T, which of the following sums up your overall
impression of the magazine:
+ I’m glad I never go any place where people wear such silly clothes.
+ Something’s messed up real bad if The Times won’t print comics, but it prints this stuff.
+ Doesn’t anyone sell combs anymore in this country?
+ This is one big charade. T Magazine is obviously financed by the paper industry.
+ I can’t wait for the next issue.
+ This whole thing, the magazine and the survey, is a joke, right?
You’re finished. Thanks for completing our T survey. As a gesture of our gratitude for your
time and input, we will soon e-mail you a coupon for $5 off the latest book by our business
editors – “Getting Inside Rupert Murdoch’s Head And What We Found Or Didn’t Find
There.”
(Posted September 23, 2010)
