Reader Questions (on orphans)

photo badly taken "in the field", via phone

Thrift shops can be a full with hidden treasure, but they are jammed to the gunwales with exponentially more incomplete things. So what does one do when confronted by a high quality part of an incomplete whole?

Reader Derek writes:

Hi, I've been getting amazing deals on suit coats (Brioni, Canali) or blazers but they are orphaned (that's why I call em blazers now).

They are solid colored (one is blue and one is black). If I purchase some pants of the same brand/line (Brioni/Canali) or different brand such as J.crew,

BUT the pants have the same weight/material and color as the blazers...could I pull off making a suit with these separates with maybe some alterations in stitching and buttons?

I am desperate in trying to make this work, so any suggestions please let me know.

and reader Michael writes:

Recently, I picked up half a Henry Poole suit--beautiful navy wool, with thin chalk stripes every half inch. I've written to Henry Poole to ask if there's any chance that they might still have the material-it seems fairly classic-- so that I might have a pair of matching trousers made. But I recognize how unlikely this is.  I know you've talked about orphans in the past, but can't recall if you ever found it possible to get away with an unholy marriage of a coat such as the one I have with, say, appropriately weighted gray flannel trousers. It does seem a shame never to wear this wonderful piece of cloth. If it were solid, you might regard it as a navy blazer, but those think lines give the game away.

I find myself confronted with this problem quite often, particularly in the matter of suit jackets missing trousers. Many men with jobs still requiring suits tend to take off their jacket as soon as they reach the office, wearing it only in transit and for meetings. The result is suits with trousers that are more worn than their matching coats, and many "orphaned" suit coats wind up donated alone. This is generally, though perhaps not always, the kiss of death. In rare instances the top half of a suit can live on as a sports coat. A navy,glen check, or tweed jacket can sometimes receive new life with new buttons. Brass or knotted leather work best, as these are rarely seen on suits. Summer fabrics such as seersucker or poplin can scoot by as well. Charcoal grey or anything pinstriped, however, will always look like half a suit. 

Michael's question serves to illustrate a particular kind of heartbreak one can encounter in this situation. He found a coat of unimpeachable good quality from a storied producer on Savile Row. Pictured above is the top half of a navy pinstriped suit by H. Huntsman and Sons I recently found, sans trousers. Michael bought his, hoping to resurrect it somehow. In my case, I took mine with me to the trousers, searching for its mate. Suits frequently become separated in thrift shops, and I have reunited more than a few. This time I was unsuccessful, and so I left the coat behind. Broke my heart, but it will never anything more than half of a suit, and no well dressed man would wear such a thing, despite its provenance.

Derek's question poses a different problem. In his case, he found two coats which may well work alone, with perhaps a change to more casual buttons.I might try brown horn on the black coat and white on the blue coat. As for matching them with other trousers and faking a suit,the answer is emphatically no. Better to work with what you have than to fake it.

As much as we may want to salvage every quality scrap we find in thrift shops, your closet shouldn't be an orphanage. I've said it before, but learning to be extremely pick is a key element to thrift shopping well, and avoiding hoarding. Sometimes (frequently), you just have to say no.

What's In A Name? (answer)

Here is the "reveal" to the question in our last post. It's interesting that so many of you figured that the "mail order/mall brand" tie was Lands' End. I think that says something for their overall quality. More interesting still that the consensus was overwhelmingly that the brighter color must be the cheaper tie. As an odd side note, the Andover Shop tie bears one tag that reads "Made in Italy", yet also says "Made in England" on its brand tag. Curious.

What's In A Name? (guess)

Silk knit ties in solid colors are a useful component of a man's wardrobe, especially in Summertime. Good one's have some weight and heft to them, but also a lightness inherent in the weave. They strike a great balance between dress and casual, which is often just the ticket for looking nice on sweaty hot days when more sensible people just wear shorts, or at least eschew ties altogether. I have quite a few in my arsenal these days, and they have become warm weather favorites. Pictured above are two of mine in different shades of green. Both work well with a navy blazer and tan trousers. The darker one keeps things a bit more subdued, while the kelly green is the more GTH  ( that's "go to hell" for those who don't know). Both help keep other Summer items like bold striped shirts and madras jackets in check with an anchor of solid color.

They are the same width, and the construction is of perfectly equal quality. Look closely.

Both are made in Italy. Both were purchased at thrift stores for less than $5.00 each.

I've often spoken of the pros and cons of brand consciousness when thrift shopping, so forgive me if I seem like I'm beating a dead horse. While a knowledge of brand names and their respective design and quality is of course helpful in thrift shopping, it is no match for the ability to directly recognize quality in clothing, regardless of brand name or provenance. Simply put, good stuff is good stuff, no matter where it came form. Similarly, junk is junk. With that, I offer this little guessing game. No prizes, just for fun.

One of these ties is from a popular mail order/mall brand. The other is from a venerated American men's shop. Can you tell which is which? Based solely on these photos, what makes you think so? I'll reveal the answer in a few days.

p.s. even more new items in the Shop. With 92 of a possible 100 items now available, we're operating at high capacity. Vintage 1960s repp ties, suits from the Andover Shop, Paul Stuart,and others, and a couple of cheap novelties. Have a look.

Gratitude

Our Indiegogo campaign has closed, and I would like to express my deepest thanks to all who helped out, whether with contributions or just spreading the word. We managed to raise $2690 from 67 contributors, a nice bit of seed money to get things started. I'm looking into a couple of nice locations, and hope to be have a more permanent version of the AAW shop set up by September.

As I said before, asking for money like this is not something that's easy for me. Not only to I appreciate your help with the fundraiser but also your patience in having to listen to me about it. AAW would be nothing without you.

Thank you.

Upgrades and Improvements

The trouble over what to do with my new but stinky Eastland camp mocs has been solved, and wonderfully at that.

That's what these shoes should have looked like all along. Firstly, allow me to correct some of my misused terminology from the original post discussing these shoes.(thanks to Derek Guy for his recent informative glossary of shoe terminology at Put This On) I mentioned the importance of leather linings, but what I really meant was leather insoles. These shoes are in fact unlined, which is a major reason why they are so comfortable worn without socks. It was the insoles that were made of an awful, sweat-producing, stink-absorbing synthetic.

Acting on the sound advice of reader Mr. Midwester, I purchased two pair of Pedag insoles. They're made of soft pig skin leather, with a odor fighting carbon layer underneath. I bought mine a bit big an trimmed the ends, to ensure a snug fit. They are soft and comfortable, and after a full days wear in warm weather, did not make my feet sweat too much or stink. This one simple fix has upped the game for these shoes. As I said before, the leather and construction are of very good quality, despite perhaps their overseas provenance. The only drawback was the insoles, cheapening the shoe and rendering them practically unwearable. Problem solved. Frankly, I don;t know why Eastland wouldn't just produce the shoes with an insole like this in the first place. The shoes just seem more "right" now.

At $12.87/ pair on Amazon, these are definitely worth every penny. I bought two pair, the second of which will go in a pair of Chuck Taylor's as soon as I purchase them. Converse used to use a cotton insole in the old days, and I had no problems. Years back they switched to a synthetic, and the stink became unmanageable, and I haven't bought a new pair in years as a result. These Pedag insoles just changed that.

An easy upgrade and improvement, knowing about these can open up options in shoes you might not knew you had.

p.s. new stuff in the Shop.

First/Last

Tomorrow is the first day of Summer, and also the last day of our Indiegogo fund drive. That means I'll stop begging for money and you can all go to the beach. As always, thanks to all who have contributed. Help spread the word in our final hours or contribute if you can

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"Where do you find this stuff?"

I get asked that questions a lot, right a long with requests for the detailed locations, complete with driving directions, of my favorite thrift shops. But I never tell.

There's an old rule among inveterate thrift shoppers that you never give up your best spots, because once you do, they get mined to death. Its a rule I still abide, and I realize that it tends to drive some of you mad. I get accused of hogging all the good stuff. But truthfully, that old rule is pointless these days. My continued adherence to it is sheer nostalgia. You see, in the old days, thrift stores were found through hard work and luck. You stumbled on them, mostly. And when you found one, nobody else knew. Those days are gone.

Yesterday, I hauled three big bags from three different stores, two of which I'd never heard of before. I found them using Google on a smart phone. Its that easy. There are even websites with directories on them where you only need the zip code or name of the town to find them. My adherence to an archaic rule may be silly, but so is asking me to hold your hand in finding these places. Its nothing short of a luxury to live in the information age, and I'm just old enough to remember what it was like before.

No, its not just because I know where these places are or how to find new ones that I do so well. It's about perseverance. Besides finding and visiting new stores yesterday, I also spent all morning in the highway far from home driving to them. I did this not knowing whether I'd find anything. Fortunately, I did, but I might just as easily have struck out. Good thing I enjoy the hunt almost as much as the kill. It simply does not work if you only pop into some place, and only one place, every now and again. You have to be crazy enough to give it a lot of your time. 

So that's "where I find this stuff". I hope this didn't come off all sour grapes, because that wasn't my intention. But seriously, begging me to tell you where the good thrift stores are and believing that if I don't you'll never find them is a silly as saying you'll never eat again unless I point you to the nearest pizza joint.

You gotta do your own homework.

The Home Stretch

The Indiegogo campaign now enters the home stretch, with only one week to go. This means that you'll have to endure my pleas for another seven days, but then it will all be over. Thanks to all who have helped.

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What's on the Inside

Now, now, settle down. I'm not about to proclaim that clothing is but a skin we invent for ourselves, and therefore ultimately meaningless,  but rather it is one's character and thoughts that count the most. You should know by now that I am far more shallow than that, at least so far as "blogging" is concerned. No, instead I intend to discuss how the inner construction of a shoe determines its suitability for wear without socks. Relax.

As soon as we have the first day warm enough to go sockless, around mid-May or so, I generally do, until the Fall. I know that socklessness has become something of  a de riguer look among the fashion-for-fashions-sake crowd, but simply put, it doesn't work with all shoes, and certainly not all of the time. Softly constructed moccasins or canvas sneakers are the only acceptable choice, with penny loafers (a kind of moccasin) the only hard shoe allowed. Double monk straps, tassel loafers, oxfords of any kind, even white bucks, worn without socks are the mark of the fashion slave, not the well appointed adult. Wearing those ding dang "pedi socks" with such shoes in order to ape socklesness while actually wearing socks is akin to non-alcoholic beer, de-caf coffee, or diet soda...pointless.

Pictured above is a pair of Eastland camp mocs I recently purchased new online for $79. Camp mocs, along with boat shoes and blucher mocs, are the quintessential no-sock shoes. Softly constructed and painfully New England, one might venture to sat that wearing them with socks is simply wrong. This pair is constructed of reasonably good leather in the traditional style.The toe is a but boxy, but it wears down quickly as it softens.

They have a proper camp sole, and sturdy raw hide laces. So far so good.

The tag on the outside is not ideal, but I can live with it. Hell. even my Quoddy's have a tag like that. But...

They're lined in some kind of gross synthetic. After only one wear, they stink. Using a synthetic liner is really bad design, as this shoe is practically meant to be worn without socks. So I ripped the lining out.

This is what we have inside, and I am left with a fully unwearable shoe. Anyone know where I can get a pair of leather linings? You see, leather is natural. and as such, shoes lined in leather don't stink, regardless of how the feet that wore them may have sweat in them.

Later, I found a pair of L.L.Bean blucher mocassins in nearly unworn condition at a thrift shop. Classic though they may be, I am leary of these shoes, as the last pair I bought wore out really quickly. The leather is not as good as the Eastlands, for one thing.

And the soles are awful, all wrong. But they are lined in leather, and they don't get all gross after one wear. Plus, the shoe laces wear out really fast.

So, which is better? The shoe well made of good leather with the crappy, stinky liner, or the crappy plasticy knock-off from the company that invented the style, lined in leather. Both are,in my opinion, a terrible compromise, especially given the provenance of hard wearing old yankee thrift atached to both brands.  But I digress.

If you're going to wear shoes without socks, be sure the liners are natural. If not, the ensuing stink will not be worth any idea of suffering for fashion you ever had. It will just be gross. And don't ever wear hard dress shoes without socks with a suit. That's just bad.

See, told ya' it would be shallow.

The Old Days

Today I heard of the death this past weekend of a man I knew in the old days. Torr Skoog was the vocalist, songwriter, and driving creative influence behind Boston band The Kings of Nuthin'. I wouldn't describe him as a close friend, but he was a guy I knew, who was friends with other guys I knew back when my life centered around the punk rock scene in Boston. His death, and the memories of my young life that it has brought to bear, has me feeling rattled enough the talk about it here. I'll try not to get too maudlin about it, because maudlin definitely ain't very punk.

I drew this poster for a show we played back in 1999. I was the drummer in the Speed Devils, the rockabilly outfit you may remember me mentioning before. Mr. Airplane Man was a killing duo of girls, drums and guitar, playing blues the likes of which any band named after a Howlin' Wolf song should. The drummer went on to marry another good friend. The Konks were a favorite of mine, a band that was "garage" to the core yet somehow managed to maintain an originality that no one could touch. The Boston Bootleggers were the new guys at the time, and our man Torr was the frontman. They went on to become The Kings of Nuthin', local legends to those who cared, and in plenty far flung places too. This show was one of the best I ever attended. To have been a part of it was, in retrospect, a real honor. In true punk fashion, it resulted in all of us being banned from The Lizard Lounge forever. Someday I might get into the details, but I remember stepping across a bed of broken beer bottles to my seat behind the drum set when it was our turn to play.

We went on to play with the Kings of Nuthin' quite a lot over the next few years. They always brought a level of fire and energy to the show that could only make you smile. To call them the living essence of punk rock would be a disservice to them. For one thing, they weren't really what I'd call a punk band. There were seven of them, or eight, and their music was based in the black rhythm and blues style rock 'n roll of the late fifties. A big band by the standards of any of the rest of us at the time, the line up included drums, piano (always a real acoustic upright, hopelessly out of tune, that they took to every show. Heroic), upright bass, guitar, horns, and this crazy dude called Necro running around playing a washboard. They dressed in matching black suits and ties, which were constantly filthy, but they were sharp by the general standards of the scene. None of this silly studded belt and funny haircut crap, leave that to me and my friends.What made them the darlings of the punk crowd was the sheer release of energy that came blasting out of these dudes, every f*cking time. It was thrilling to see, and it never, ever got boring. A lot of that had to do with Torr. He couldn't really sing, but he wasn't exactly screaming either. What he was doing was performing in a compelling way that held the attention of each and every soul in the room each and every second of each and every set they played. His lyrics had the anthemic quality of old hard core about them, which really got the kids riled, but he was much more of a writer than that, because his lyrics were actually good too.

That's the poster for our own CD release gig (damn, why didn't I say record release?). The Kings had set them up good, and everybody was in full swing by the time we took the stage. About halfway through the set, I see this giant flame come blasting out of an air conditioning vent. Startled, I looked up while playing to see it happen again. There in the vent was Torr, breathing fire. Seriously, I'm not making this up. When I confronted him about it after the show, he merely shrugged, smiled, and put a finger to his lips. What could I say? That was Torr for you. 

I do remember him as being a somewhat enigmatic fellow. I know plenty of you think my tattoos and rock scene past are a little rough, but believe me I was nothing but a puppy in this crowd. These dudes were for real, and Torr was the realest. Sometimes homeless, sometimes living on a garage or some such crazy place, always working on some 1940s hot rod or other that was never really done, and covered in real, homemade crazy tattoos. Trust me, my shtick was downright pedestrian next to him. But for all that, you really couldn't find a nicer, more polite guy. He was disarming in his politeness in fact. It always caught me off guard a little. Once, I ran into him in The Model Cafe, then the high holy watering hole for real degenerates and wanna-be degenerates like myself, and he proceeded get us both drunk on beer and shots of Galliano, of all things. Weird.

I had just run into him, randomly, on the sidewalk in front of my job, only a few weeks ago. It was the first time I'd seen him in years, but he was just as friendly as ever. When I heard about his death this morning, it shook me up a little. He was a young man, probably not yet forty. I spent the whole day remembering those times, the people I knew and the person I was. It's funny, I often talk about all that stuff I was into, all those punk bands and silly shows, as a learning experience best outgrown when adulthood kicks in. But many of the friendships remain strong and the memories fond, and I don't regret a minute of it. It's a big part of the man I am today, even if most people might never guess it at first. Torr Skoog was one of the more dynamic personalities I encountered then, a truly memorable person. He may not have been a close friend personally, but he stands in my memory as a representative of a formative part of my life, my own version of the "good old days". 

R.I.P. Torr.

-Joey from Somerville

 The Speed Devils

G.U.O.L. Pants

Adventure Time with Finn and Jake - 411a - Who Would Win [kyussone] from Peaceful Pandemonium on Vimeo.

9:04
Finn: Don't you always call sweatpants give-up-on-life pants, Jake?

Jake: I do, because peeps need to respect themselves when they leave the house, even if it's just for ice cream or t.p. or whatevs."

Not only does this prove that I'm not the only person with a deep aversion to sweatpants, but it actually serves as a sartorial excuse to feature "Adventure Time" on this blog.

Many of you might find it ridiculous for a grown man to watch a cartoon. Others may just find Adventure Time not to your taste. From an artistic perspective, I find it to be funny, well written, and surprisingly deep. A good balance of juvenile humor and psycho-drama.

Two Weeks To Go

Our Indiegogo campaign has a scant two weeks to go. I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far,and remind those that haven't that if you only give me some money, I will gladly stop asking for it.

Push, push, push....give, give,give....

Contribute here

The Jams

As of this morning, this is actually happening in my house.  I am beside myself with glee, praise the lord!

More to come....

Worth Every Penny: Quoddy Refurbishment Service

I'd be at a loss for footwear in Summer were it not for a good pair of boat shoes.In the past I've had many, mostly Sperry Topsiders. They were a favorite for my mother to buy for both me and my brother as children, I think because the store in Charlestown where we got our kid shoes always had them and for cheap. Just dressy enough to pass muster under the uniform guidelines at Catholic school, but soft enough so that we weren't constantly bemoaning the fact that we were required to wear shoes.

A few Summers back, I got a pair by the fabled Quoddy of Maine, much revered among the artisinal Americana set. They are clearly better made than Sperry Topsiders of better leather, and cut higher, more like a real shoe. I don't know how happy I'd be actually paying $225 for them, but they last well. To be fair, I should tell you that my pair was bought in a thrift store for less than $10, and I wear them pretty much constantly from May until September. The battered pair on the left arrived home today after trip to Maine, and came back as the much refreshed pair on the right, complete with canvas shoe bag.

The white boat soles had worn down to nothing, and even much of the stitching was gone, leaving the soles flopping off the shoes.

Literally peeling away. But the shoes were worth saving, so off to Maine they went. A day later, I was contacted by a friendly lady from customer service inquiring as to exactly what repairs I wanted done. I only wanted them resoled, I told her, with the same white soles they had originally. "I think we can do better then that" she replied. What I got back, a scant two weeks later, were shoes with new soles, new cushioned leather lining, reconditioned leather, and new rawhide laces. Total charge was $34.95, $25 plus shipping. In keeping with my previously stated belief that sometimes the best new things are old things that you already own, I now have an excellent new pair of boat shoes ready to go another three Summers at least,

with just enough cozy wear and tear on them that I don't feel as though I need to knock the "new" off them. Admittedly, I may have gotten these shoes very cheaply, but even if I'd bought them new my opinion of the service wouldn't change. 

The shoes themselves may be a bit dear, but Quoddy refurbishment service is worth every penny.

Two Shirts

This blog, like so many others these days, is still ostensibly about clothing. I would like to get back on the subject. We frequently see writing on the men's blogs centered around some manner of dress clothing, but a post about good honest casual clothing for a rainy spent working around the house and performing other mundane tasks can add a healthy bit of perspective. No one lives in a suit 24/7, after all.

Lately I've been toying around with the old preppy two collar look. Though admittedly something of an affectation, dare I say tres Muffy Aldrich, I find it comes into it's own late Spring/early Summer. I find it handy on warmish days of variable temperature, where the outer shirt can act as more of a light jacket over the tennis shirt. I generally stick to solid, light colored tennis shirts under soft old dress shirts. In this case, a well worn pink tennis shirt from Lands' End (bought new four Summers ago, see here) and an old Brooks Brothers oxford with an unlined collar (thrift shop, $5.49). Remember, this is about dressing comfortably, not like a slob. There is a difference.

I know this may cause a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth among the hard-liners, but I think it works best with the top shirt untucked, jeans, and a ball cap. Like I said, this way the top shirt is more of a light jacket. Shorts or khakis work as well. (I hope nobody out there is zooming in on this picture and keeping a detailed journal of the books on my shelf, what time the clock reads, and the presumed provenance of my furniture ...snark,snark,snark. Sorry).

It can work dressed up a little too. Here, a white tennis shirt and university striped oxford are worn tucked into khakis with a navy blazer and surcingle belt for a parade on Memorial Day weekend. The flag was given to me by an old lady in the VFW women's auxiliary.

In either case, bare ankles and moccasins are de rigeur. Camp mocs with the jeans, penny loafers with the blazer. Of course boat shoes work as well.

I must admit to having some trepidation not long ago about my, or anyone's, ability to pull off the two shirt thing. It always seemed to smack of some mean spirited spoiled character from some bad movie from the 80s. But I've grown to enjoy it, and I've found that the trick to wearing it is, as with so many other sartorial "moves", confidence. It's kind of like jumping in cold water at the beach: once you just go in and dunk, it gets easier. It helps not to have to much concern what others think of you. 

Of course, to be fair, I do live in a liberal place full of arty college kids of every stripe, so most likely I'm just perceived as a Dad whose becoming more and more of a fuddy duddy the older he gets.

p.s. lots of great new Summer stuff in the Shop.

Square One

When I first became aware of the furor surrounding the "outing" of the man known as "Richard" from the blog "WASP 101" by Christian Chensvold of Ivy Style, my immediate gut reaction was to sit back and keep my mouth shut about it. I found the whole thing to be childish and unseemly on all sides. But I will readily admit to being drawn into all the gossip (because really, that's what this is), and the longer it drew on the more upsetting I found the whole thing, enough so that I now feel compelled to address it here. If you've had enough of all this the last few days, and perish the thought of reading more about it, then simply don't. Before I begin let me remind you that we all have the free will not read anything we find objectionable, silly, stupid, or whatever else.

I'm not going to address WASP 101 directly, or offer my opinion on it. "Richard" has long been the  whipping boy of whatever nerdy menswear "scene" a small handful of us have created via blogs and alter egos these past few years. So many people found him odious and foolish, and yet he persisted, in no small part because people kept reading. I will not tell you what I thought of it, because it simply doesn't matter.

And then there is Ivy Style, a site regarded by many as some kind of quasi-encyclopedia of what a 23 year old rich boy wore and liked in 1963, or something. I'm not going to offer my opinion of that site either. Again, it doesn't matter. Another favorite, but again only among our own goofy little clique.

They say there was some kind of "feud" or "rivalry" between these two for years. What I saw was a somewhat clueless fellow making an easy target of himself, and another fellow willing to step in and bully him about it. Bullies like easy targets. They either run and don't fight back, or worse, fight back ineptly and in doing so only add logs to the fire. While "Richard" could have exercised more tact in leaving well (or bad) enough alone, Chensvold could have done the same. Blame, for what real crime I'm still unsure, can be laid on both sides, but there is a big difference between blissful stupidity and obsessive and vindictive behavior. Chensvold seems happy to hide behind a wall of "journalistic integrity", but that somehow never stopped him from taking periodic potshots at a very, very easy target. Making fun of people for the amusement of others and a boost in traffic doesn't sound like any kind of journalistic integrity or code of ethics I know. It sounds childish and quite low to me.

So much has been said about whether a person who writes a blog has the same rights to privacy as anyone else. I agree that once something hits the big ole internet, it inherently becomes public, and that no one can expect full anonymity while publicly writing and posting photos for the whole world to see. Clearly, anyone seeking full privacy would do well to stay away  from any active role in the internet. I won't speak to the legal issues surrounding this. And then there's this altogether too involved discussion of what effect this will have on the career of a state rep. from a rural district in North Carolina. Not surprisingly, no one seems to care except our little nerdy community....because it simply doesn't matter to most people. Mountains from mole hills, boys.

Maybe you found WASP 101 to be vapid and misguided. That seems to be the popular opinion. In that case, don't read it. Maybe "Richard" could have used his head a little (lot) better in all this, but that's not my problem. What really stinks here is the stalking, obsession and sheer amount of time and effort someone has put into "taking down" a small beans politico who happens to have been the author of a silly blog. Seriously, its out of hand. Had we all stopped reading "Richard" he might have gone away quietly anyway. Now, with all that's happened, the whole "online menswear community" (gross, did I just say that?) looks like a bunch of petty geeks and nerds with little better to do than gawk at their laptops nitpicking the activities of complete strangers.

I've enjoyed clothing my whole life, and spent most of it struggling against negative response from the world at large for it. In the last few years, the few of us who care about this almost managed to be "cool", for a minute anyway. Not that I ever really cared what anyone else had to say about it, but it was nice to be on the other side of the coin for a while. Things like this throw that all out the window, and make us look like resentful nerds, and drives us straight back to square one. I find the ongoing attack far more distasteful and pointless than anything "Richard" ever wrote.

Thanks, Chensvold. Good job. You really made your point.

p.s. Ivy Style has been removed from the blogroll. I will publish all comments that come in for this post, but come Monday the matter is closed. Until then, speak your minds. We need to put this behind us, because it really is a waste of everyone's time. No one cares but us, and continuing to carry on about it makes us all look bad.

p.p.s Also, what he said.