GQ Ranks Chicago Fourth Worst-Dressed City

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mocking the provincial Midwest in its description, GQ Magazine on Friday deemed Chicago the fourth worst-dressed city in America.

But it may not be such bad news after all. Chicago outranks Los Angeles in the rankings, and comes in just behind Manhattan, which is separated out from the outer boroughs of New York.

In its "Top 40 Worst-Dressed Cities in America" list, the men's periodical says Chicagoans "like to hedge descriptions of their style with, 'It's not New York, and it's not LA...'" and goes on to dismiss Chicago's style as "self-conscious Midwestern."

But GQ says the "harsh 11 1/2-month winters" – actually a far thought from Chicagoans' minds right now as the temperature is poised to creep above 90 degrees for several days – "serve to excuse a look that screams third-coast insecurity."

GQ's Robert Fischer calls the look "the Parka Pierogi," and says it features "blown-out Nikes, torn cargoes, favorite novelty T-shirts, Bears/Bulls/Blackhawks hoodie – all wrapped up in a totally nondescript parka."

And the picture that accompanies the description is not one of actual Chicagoans in winter or any other time, but a screen-grab of Joe Mantegna and George Wendt in a "Bill Swerski's Superfans" (a.k.a. "Da Bears") skit on "Saturday Night Live."

But Chicagoans need not be humiliated by GQ. Despite being "home to some of the greatest and most vital minds in the fashion universe," Manhattan is mocked for packs of men who go around in "tacky black 'go out' button-downs, embroidered denim, and product-inspired configurations on their head."

And Los Angeles comes in second worst nationwide, for "fantasy-dressing" in which "men dress like boys, women like tweens, and middle-aged women like the trophy wives they once were."

Pittsburgh also ranks lower than Chicago, coming in at third worst. GQ called the style there "'Game Day Casual' (or 'Meth Lab Formal,' depending on your preference)," dominated by oversized Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys and worn denim shorts.

Coming in at the No. 1 worst city for fashion is Boston, which is described as "America's Bad-Taste Storm Sewer," where the style is characterized by "jeans baggy enough to shelter a family of four" and an "undershirt with vomit stains from the latest Boston sporting event," alongside "undergraduate hoodie monsters" and prep style that leads to awkward mixes of casual and formal attire.

And coming at No. 40 – the least-worst dressed city – is Boulder, Colo., where North Face and Patagonia labels reign, seasonal trends mean shoe changes for every season, and "you will be hard-pressed to find one person here, including your 85-year-old grandmother, without a six-pack."