# The Grade System ![[resources/american/americanforme-main-grade-system.png]] **The Grades:** **Citizen** · **Field** · **Headquarters** · **Diplomatic** · **Reserve** **Explore:** [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing and Wardrobe|Clothing and Wardrobe]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Men's Wardrobe|Men's Wardrobe]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Women's Wardrobe|Women's Wardrobe]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Accoutrements|Accoutrements]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - The Three Customer Archetypes|Customer Archetypes]] · [[american/American Ethos - Cultural Thesis 07 - Headquarters to Field|Headquarters to Field]] ## Mission Context, Never Human Rank Grades organize clothing, objects, preparation, and instruction by mission context rather than price or human worth. A Citizen Grade item may be inexpensive and morally central; a Reserve Grade object may be rare and still fail if it announces price more loudly than care. The system helps a person ask what the room requires without turning the answer into class anxiety. - **Citizen Grade:** accessible foundations of cleanliness, fit, order, dignity, employability, and social legibility. - **Field Grade:** mobility, weather, travel, site conditions, practical carry, and readiness without signaling. - **Headquarters Grade:** the institutional core of meetings, laboratories, enterprise, government, documents, and collaborative consequence. - **Diplomatic Grade:** formal, ceremonial, legal, international, and public-facing rooms requiring immediate calm authority. - **Reserve Grade:** stored strength, exceptional materials, mentorship, preservation, heirloom care, and value without announcement. ## The Grade Test Every recommendation should state the mission, room, climate, care burden, budget range, failure mode, and reason the item belongs. A grade is useful only when it improves selection. It should help a young citizen build a first serious wardrobe, an operator cross a site and briefing in one day, an executive enter public consequence, and a steward choose objects capable of lasting long enough to teach care. The detailed clothing architecture originates in [[american/AmericanForme - The Expanded Collections|The Expanded Collections]] and now has dedicated American Aesthetic homes. ## Men's Grade Pages [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Men - Citizen Grade|Citizen]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Men - Field Grade|Field]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Men - Headquarters Grade|Headquarters]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Men - Diplomatic Grade|Diplomatic]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Men - Reserve Grade|Reserve]] ## Women's Grade Pages [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Women - Citizen Grade|Citizen]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Women - Field Grade|Field]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Women - Headquarters Grade|Headquarters]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Women - Diplomatic Grade|Diplomatic]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Clothing - Women - Reserve Grade|Reserve]] Further American Aesthetic development can now descend from each grade into separate garment, color, material, footwear, outerwear, carry, grooming, room, and web-presentation pages without disturbing the complete grade catalog. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.” [[reminders/Design/Recognizing the Need by Charles Eames|∴]] > **— Charles Eames**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* > “The real questions are: Does it solve a problem? Is it serviceable? How is it going to look in ten years?” [[reminders/Design/The Questions Design Must Answer by Charles Eames|∴]] > **— Charles Eames**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* > “We want to make the best for the most for the least.” [[reminders/Design/The Best for the Most for the Least by Charles and Ray Eames|∴]] > **— Charles and Ray Eames**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* <!-- BEGIN AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE ROUTER --> ## American Knowledge Router **System:** [[collections/American|American Collection]] · [[wiki/American System|American System]] · [[wiki/American Aesthetic|American Aesthetic]] · [[american/American Aesthetic - Design and Material Culture|Branch source]] **Concepts:** [[wiki/American Grade System|American Grade System]] **Intelligence, defense, and alliance:** [[wiki/American Intelligence and Alliance Interface|American Intelligence and Alliance Interface]] <!-- END AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE ROUTER -->