House and Home: The Dining Set

(warning: this post contains lots of photos, but almost no content pertaining to clothing)

Today marked the completion of a project that I've been thinking about since September. In my quest to rid the house of much of it's Ikea (mentioned previously here), I had recently been turning my sites to the dining room. Our kitchen is extremely small, so we actually eat in the dining room quite a lot. I like that. Many people with apartments like ours keep a computer in the dining room, or use it as a living room and use the living room as a bedroom, but, to be frank, I always thought that was kind of crappy...fine for a college flop house, but not for a young family of four.

So, we've had this chair forever, but it's a bit worse for the wear. Recently, it was down in the basement beside the table where I built my architecture models:
Living in a college town, the first weekend of September is like a trash picking holiday. You can't believe some of the stuff people leave on the sidewalk when they move. I'll admit it, this year I was crappy enough myself to drive around on trash night looking for treasure. I found this chair, probably late 1960's vintage. I liked it, I took it home, but I had no specific use for it.

Then I had an idea. Being home with the kids in the day-time, and an artsy-crafty type, I came up with a plan. I bought these two chairs for five bucks each at the big thrift store with the furniture warehouse in back:

Then I took off the seats and sanded them down. We had a bit of "Indian Summer" this weekend, temps in the seventies, which is good since sanding old furniture is best done in the yard, wearing a t-shirt. Mrs. G. and Mom took the kids out all day Sunday, and I got to work, using my Dad's electric sander...still new in the box. It's funny, my Dad is the least handy guy on Earth, but he buys all of these power tools, and then never uses them. I think he does it unconsciously knowing that I'll appropriate them when the need presents itself.

Mrs. G. likes to sew. In her fabric box, I found this beautiful piece of wool in a black and white hounds tooth check. She purchased it years ago, but never found a use for it. It would have made a hell of a sports jacket.I appropriated that, too.

My Mom had this idea years ago that she would re-upholster her dining room chairs. She went out and bought foam and cushion batting, then five years later just bought a new set of furniture instead. I appropriated these supplies as well.

And I bought a can of high gloss oil based black paint and a new brush from the hardware store.

The end result is pretty damn sharp, if I do say so myself:

This chair was the most challenging, being the only one with a cushioned back.

I call this one "the New England"

This one's got a little bit of an Eames/ Herman Miller vibe

And this one ain't bad for the garbage.

Taken all together, with the white Formica table,they make a nice matched/not matched set, don't you think?

Mrs. G. is talking about making black and white tie-dyed canvas curtains to complete the look. I'm all for it.

Sum total for chairs plus supplies: $30

The Debut of Patch Paisley

A while back, I picked up this borderline awful patch paisley necktie. Some of you loved it, more of you hated it, but I thought it had potential. Today, after months in the closet, said tie made it's debut:
Robert Talbott patch paisley tie, Polo university stripe shirt, vintage Brooks Brothers "University Shop" tweed, pocket square that kind of doesn't match, but it was in the pocket from the last time I wore the jacket...close enough...sprezzatura...whatever...

finish with brown suede wingtips by Cole Hahn, red socks (#$%@^&* New York Yankees!!!) and tan cords.

I knew I could pull this one off. Even Mrs. G., my fiercest critic, thought I looked nice today.

In other news...

Toad is back (whew!). Today I finally got around to putting his link back up.

Drinkin' and Dronin' has been added to the list of instructions as well. Don't know how I could have ignored that kid for so long, even if he is a New Yorker...

R.I.P. Ray-Bans...x2

Living the affordable life isn't all a bed of roses. Recently, I have had the grand misfortune of laying to rest not one, but two pair of vintage 1950's RayBan Wayfarer sunglasses...real ones, with lenses actually made of glass.Even worse, both were gifts of Mrs. G.

I had one pair in brown tortoise, with lenses tinted green. Being a brown shoe sort of guy, these were quite the thing, and damned if they didn't look murder with a Barbour jacket. Then one day I dropped them, and they broke, but I kept them, always hoping that salvation would come.

Recently I posted about some other broken eye wear, and a commenter put me wise to Hilco, in Plainville, MA. According to their website, you simply mail them your busted glasses, and for $25 plus s&h, they fix them and send them back. Score!

So I sent them off. But today I received a call from a very nice lady at Hilco. She said they received my glasses, by they were unable to fix them. She felt so bad, she said they would eat the cost of mailing them back to me. Ashes to ashes.

Back when I broke these glasses, I had in reserve a second pair of black Wayfarers, also the gift of Mrs. G. I lost those back in August. Damn it!

Now, I wear these bad knock-offs that I bought for eight bucks some place. Sure, from a distance they look fine, and they do keep the glare out of my eyes when I drive, but they really are junk.

Back to pestering Mrs. G. for a new pair in brown tortoise shell for my upcoming birthday. She reads the blog, so feel free to leave comments in support of my plea for her to see.

Stadium Gear

Mrs. G. had the day off today, and so, of course, we set off in search of other peoples cast offs at cheap prices. Good thing , too. I picked up this really killing old style football coach sweater for $6.99:
Check those big wide lapels, they really make the sweater...
and those wooden buttons ain't half bad either.



I'm sure Ralph pays people to scour the thrifts in search of items like this for "inspiration". Think of it, with a silly skull and bones patch or fake varsity letter on the chest, this thing could be selling at Rugby for $150 or so...

...perfect with the red cords and some new argyles, another pair of socks recently acquires at Target. I would have preferred my penny loafers, but the blucher mocs will do. You see, after this thrift excursion, I had to go straight to work. This sweater completed my outfit better than the brown goose down vest I left the house in...so I left the vest in the car and immediately put on the sweater. Call it good fortune, or mild craziness...which ever you prefer.

Made in Italy for Filene's. That name really meant something once. This label tells me that the sweater has likely spent it's whole life in the Boston area. 50/50 wool/acrylic...I would rather all wool, of course, but believe me, this thing is nice, bullet proof and warm, so I'll take the compromise. Though this sweater has a decidedly 1940's football vibe, the acrylic, in my educated guess/opinion, dates this piece firmly in the mid to late 1960's...I'll take it.

Also procured, the elusive university striped button down in Lavender, courtesy of Ralph, $3.99

Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work. Hey, Ralph, wanna give a fella a job? On second thought, never mind. You'll just make me move to New York...

Happy Autumn!

Since I fell asleep on the couch last night, I think I'll take the liberty to combine last nights post and tonights post if you don't mind.

Last night, I decide to kick off November with a rustic Autumn meal. I know this is a clothes blog, or a style blog, or whatever, but I like to cook. Every now and then, I get so excited I feel the need to share. Here is my own recipe for a fall pork tenderloin roast.

You'll need: Pork tenderloin, bacon, maple syrup, mildly spicy grainy brown mustard (I like Gulden's, country style Dijon is also a good choice), plenty of fresh sage (preferably from the yard), an onion and some potatoes.

Mix together a half-and-half mixture of mustard and maple syrup, then brush the entire pork loin with it. Add a layer of whole sage leaves to the top and sides. Wrap the whole thing in bacon (nothing like pork wrapped in pig).

Brown the loin in a cast iron skillet over high heat, until the bacon just starts to crisp all the way around. Toss the cubed potatoes and chopped onions in on either side, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat in the bacon grease, which by now should have collected in the sides of the pan. Throw the whole thing into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, occasionally tossing the potatoes.

The finished product should look all delicious, like this. Served with a salad of baby spinach, apple, red onion, dried cranberries and shredded English cheddar in a simple vinaigrette, it was really quite yummy.

The whole thing was inspired by my purchase of the last 22 oz. bottle of Cisco brewer's of Nantucket pumpkin ale. I'm not usually a big fan of the pumpkin beers, but those guys at Cisco really know what they're doing. The stuff is pricey, but good. If you can find it where you live, spring for it. It's worth it.

Follow the whole thing with a slice of homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and a mug of hot spiced cider with rum, and you can see why I fell asleep all content on the couch an hour later.
In keeping with the Autumnal theme, here's a bunch of brown, green and tan punched up with a yellow (didn't they used to call that color 'Goldenrod'?) shirt. Dig the houndstooth pocket square in earthtones...a silky scarf heisted from Mrs. G.
Down below, J.Press grey flannels and some stripey socks. I bought those socks at Target yesterday...I have to go there periodically to procure formula and diapers for the baby, cut me some slack. Anyway, they came in a package of three for $5.00! The other two pair were an argyle in the same colors, and a pair in solid grey with a brown toe, yellow heel and orange band around the top. Not bad. I bought another set in a navy blue/ kelly green color scheme. File under 'cheap commodities'.

And of course, the now famous dirty white bucks. I promise to stop yacking about them soon, but I am way into this look. It may seem shocking and out of line, but I think it's got a real "class of 1959" kind of vibe:

(photo, Life by way of Ivy Style)

Enjoy the sage and white bucks now, before the Winter sets in.

p.s. see what I mean...bad ass.

The (not so) White Bucks...for Real

I've talked before about my theory that dirty white bucks are the ultimate Fall, not Summer, shoe. And I've gone on and on about how I wish my own pair would get dirty and worn so that they may find their way into the everyday rotation. But truth be told, I had yet to actually take the plunge. Tonight , Ole Ma Nature took matters into her own hands, as she is wont to do.





I wore the white bucks today, in something of an Indian Summer in New England. 70 degrees, and sweaty humid, with jeans to keep it casual. Just as I was about to leave my job at the local wine shop, she sees fit to open the skies. Fifteen minutes in the rain and mud did these shoes, in my humble opinion, a world of good. I love them this way...the more destroyed, the better. In the Summer with seersucker, white bucks are too dorky, even for me. But beat-to-sh*t and out of season with tweed in the Fall...unmistakeably bad-ass. Of course, this is only my humble opinion, though I hold firm that this will be quite the "look" in New York next fall...mark my words, friends.


I didn't mind the misty weather, though. You see, I had carried around this Harris Tweed jacket all afternoon. Then at night it got cold and damp. With the lapels flipped up, this jacket kept me warm and dry...but the musty smell of wet wool leaves a bit to be desired.

I'm tellin' you...tweed and white bucks are a combo to be reckoned with, boys.

The Trade

A few weeks ago, following a post about excessive use of Scottish Tartan, a conversation sprang up between me and frequent commenter the Young Fogey. You see, Fogey had recently purchased an entire suit in Black Watch plaid, but had mentioned having the pants destroyed and turned into a vest. I implored him not to wreck this piece of sartorial history, offering instead a trade. I, like most thrift obsessed people, have more than a few things that don't fit or I don't wear. So I sent the Fogey, who is smaller than me, two pairs of flannel slacks that don't have enough cloth to let out, and, ironically enough, a Black Watch vest, that sit a full inch above the waistline of most of my pants. The return package arrived today...if you thought my use of thick Tartan wool was excessive before, just wait until this number makes it out onto the streets:


Clearly a product of the 1970's, but it doesn't matter. Everything wasn't a polyester piece of junk back then. This suit may have taken the prize of Giuseppe's Craziest Item. I am giddy with excitement to wear it. It fits like a glove, thought the sleeves and pants are a little long, the simplest and most common alteration. The jacket is a darted two button, and though I'm generally a three button sack kind of guy, some times you gotta bend the rules a bit.

Complete with black braided leather buttons...and check out the pattern matching on the pocket flap! Impeccable.

Made in the U.S.A. by Pendleton. I've owned my share of Pendleton flannel shirts, and my Black Watch driving cap, and even the vest I traded for this gem, are from them, but I never even knew they made suits at one time. I've certainly never seen one until this afternoon. I am duly impressed with the level of quality and craftsmanship, but not surprised. Those shirts of theirs wear like iron, as long as you can keep the moths away from them.

Again, check out the pattern matching. Look at the alignment of the plaid at the pocket and on the waist band, it's perfect. The front pockets on the pants are top pockets, like on a western suit, an odd little detail that, along with the wide belt loops and lapels, puts this sucker in the 70's. But who's gonna argue weird little details when, after all, we are talking about a head-to-toe Black Watch suit.

In the jacket pocket, there was this little card explaining the heritage of the Tartan. Apparently this suit was part of a series. Can you imagine what the other suits in the line must have looked like?

All kidding aside, I think this suit is beautiful. I'm already planning to wear it on a chilly day with a heavy cream-colored cable knit sweater and a tweed driving cap, and I'm certain that I'll be forced to buy a charcoal grey wool turtle neck to go with it. Imagine it under a Chesterfield coat! Versatility might be the last thing you think of with a garment like this, but if ever a suit could function as two separate pieces, this is it. The jacket will look great with jeans or grey flannels, and those pants with a sweater and a navy blazer or Barbour jacket is also a damn good combo.

So, three cheers for the Young Fogey, for going along with my crazy proposal. Thank you so much, my imaginary blog world friend, and know that this piece of cloth has truly found a loving home.

Now what to do with my other Black Watch blazer, now so completely unnecessary?