The Guy in the “Popped” Collar and Suit in Grand Central This Morning.

No.

I can’t be more blunt.

No.

Last summer, I think it was, guys started wearing the Izod shirts with the collar up (a “popped” collar, I believe, in today’s young-people parlance). Initially, a few figured they were being ironic. The rest thought they were being trendy. Presumably none realized they were being truly, ungodly awful.

I saw the trend some more this summer. But, like an Izod shirt after its 100th washing, it finally started to fade.

Then you came along. You had slicked back dirty blond hair and the purposeful stride of a would-be Master of the Universe; surely you read American Psycho, and thought Patrick Bateman was “kind of cool.”

You gamboled through the concourse of Grand Central, wearing a tidy blue suit, a blue dress Oxford with white stripes, and, yes, that collar up. A dress shirt with the collar up, peeking over the suit like a boardwalk Mole begging to be Wacked.

Please tell me, sir, you simply forgot to fix the collar. You started putting a tie on, got sidetracked–a yelling fiancee, a moment of jubilation on Squawk Box–and simply forgot to return the collar to its down position.

Please tell me, sir. Please tell me you’re not trying to start a trend. Because as trends go, the popped Oxford collar ranks up there with parachute pants.

Proceed with caution.

Sincerely,

Trainjotting