This might sound like old news to many of us in L.A., but the NYT reports that dressing down, even in big city locales, is the way to go. Anything NOT to look like a banker. Of course, it does require a new wardrobe.

What has landed on the slag heap of style is the old three-button power suit: slickly conservative, oversize and overpriced, worn with a boxy white shirt and a wide silk tie. It was all, as GQ's creative director, Jim Moore, put it, "too big and too bold in all the wrong places." Not so long ago, that ensemble blared of Wall Street success. Now, with public sentiment against financial institutions still high, racks of expensive Italian beauties languish in shops across the country.

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"This is different than anything we've ever seen before," said Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief analyst, who in 32 years in retail has seen many ups and downs. "Traditionally, men's wear is the first category to head south in a tough patch. This time, guys have looked at the downturn, and said, 'I have to look the part, find ways to compete.' " And given that both men in general and men over 40 have been disproportionately hit by unemployment in the last eight months, a more youthful outlook offers a better edge on the competition than clinging to old ways of thinking, or dressing.