Scoundrels

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"

-Samuel Johnson, 7 April 1775

Samuel Johnson, famous English political crank and literary critic of the 18th century, said this in a speech denouncing the independence of what was then known as "The Colonies".

"Second last refuge of a scoundrel, being photographed with your children."

-Anonymous, 13 July 2014, in response to a photo of me with my children

"Penultimate refuge of a scoundrel, 'Drobe; I believe you are better than this..."

-"Redcoat", 29 July 2014, in response to a lighthearted installment of my infrequent "Thrifty Kids" series, in which I feature the thrift shop style of my children.

Um, better than what now? Really, I'd like to know.

Looks like Queen Mum herself is something of a scoundrel then. Not only is she photographed with her children, but in her bed clothes no less. Bet she loves her country too.

Even our man Charles is not immune. Thanks, "Redcoat". You really made your point. Johnson would be proud I'm sure, especially since you misquoted him. 

We will return to our usual shallow yammering tomorrow...I promise.

p.s. I was born in '76

Thrifty Kids, part 5

Last night, we decided to dine out at our favorite local Italian ristorante. The food there is honest and good, the atmosphere comfortable and homey, not the least bit what you might call "fancy". But the kids think it is, and they both insist on dressing in kind. On this particular occasion, The Girl knocks it out of the park in a classic yet current glamour/preppy look perfect for a Summer evening.

A fitted ladies white oxford button down by Polo Ralph Lauren tones down nicely with a slap bracelet  featuring Rainbow Dash of My Little Pony fame.

A floral print skirt in bright colors on a dark ground adds just the right feminine preppy touch, dressing things up just so while staying comfortable.

Plastic Cinderella pumps from Target remind us that she is, in fact, a five year old girl. These cheap shoes cost more than the rest of the outfit combined.

Well dressed people learn young, as do cheapskates. Give your kids a healthy sense of occasion, but don't let them develop a habit of extravagance. That money is better spent on food and wine anyway.

Preppy with a Twist

...or something. The kids and I dressed for a "cook out" at a friends house. Being able to wear a bow tie with shorts is a positive side effect of the "neo-prep" revival. I'll take it.

A Good Suit

Last Saturday, my first customers in the shop were a boy, about twelve, and his dad. The boy wore sweats, a ball cap and sneakers, and the dad looked like, you know, a dad. My first thought was that maybe the dad was going to make the boy suffer through an awkward vintage shopping experience. But I was wrong.

Turns out, the boy needed an outfit for an upcoming school production of "Guys and Dolls". It just so happened that I had a recently acquired Brooks Brothers blue glen check suit in less than 36 short, likely from the boy's department anyway. Not exactly period correct, but the kid tried it on and the coat fit him like a glove. Trousers were good too, but for a bit big in the waist. I also had a small size grey fedora hat in stock, and offered to throw in a couple of vintage 1940s ties I had laying around if they bought the suit and hat.

"Well sir, do you need a new suit" said the dad. "Really?" said the boy, beaming. "It's a good suit. You'll even be able to wear it for a few years if someone gets married or something. I bet your mother would approve." I said. The dad bought the suit, the kid was happy, and I was reminded of the best reasons why I do what I do.

p.s. new stuff today in the Shop. Check it out.

Respect

What's that I'm always saying about dressing well as a sign of respect for others? Good job, kids. A true bunch of gentlemen in the making. I guess there's hope for us yet.

Thrifty Kids, part 4

Lands' End blazer, new with tags ($79.50), $5.99, Polo green tennis shirt, $1.99, Children's Place khakis, $3.99, boat shoes, $4.99

The other day, I had to meet someone for a brief interview at the Shop. The meeting was in the afternoon, and I had the kids in tow. I told them we would go out to lunch at the local taqueria, and that afterwards I needed them to be good and quiet for just a little while so I could talk to another grown-up. When I got dressed in a jacket and tie to meet said grown-up, both children insisted in dressing in kind. The Girl was happy to wear a cute sun dress. The Boy actually argued for a proper shirt and tie, until I assured him that khakis and a tennis shirt with a navy blazer was perfectly acceptable for a warm afternoon in late Summer. Begrudgingly, he finally agreed.

Bare ankles and boat shoes are, of course, de rigeuer. Like father, like son.

Giving Back The House

Pictured above is a heap of stuff recently posted for sale as the beginnings of the warm weather collection in the Affordable Wardrobe online shop. Somewhere  underneath that pile is the family dining table. Not pictured in the background is a comfortable chair also piled high, and a rack in the back room full of clothing in process, as well as bags of stuff everywhere. By contributing to our ongoing fundraising campaign at Indiegogo, you'll not only help me grow my business and serve my customers better with more new items and quicker shipping,  you'll also be giving Mrs.G., the Boy and the Girl their house back.

Please allow me to say that asking for money in this way isn't easy for me. When I first launched the internet shop, I worried about how I was going to balance doing business and keeping this blog true to its roots. It hasn't been easy, and I probably fall short of the mark sometimes, but I do try to keep the two as separate as possible. I appreciate both your contributions to date and your patience with my having to be so vocal about it while the campaign runs. I remember as a child my parents watching the Channel 2 Auction, our local PBS television fundraiser, and thinking how I couldn't wait for it to be over so my shows would come back on. It's a little how I feel about this. I'll do my best to confine the begging to Facebook and Twitter, but it's bound to turn up here once in a while in the next few weeks. If you would like to contribute, follow the link in the right sidebar.

Again, thank you all.

Thrifty Kids, part 3

Few things ward off a bone chilling cold like a big comfy sweater and soft cords. The boy shows us how its done.

The red flannel shirt was a Christmas gift from a family friend, and he loves it. It makes me smile to see my kids developing a real taste in clothing. The sweater is knitted of oatmeal colored wool with brightly colored flecks throughout. Once again, the boy has something better than his Dad's version.

I'm not a fan of the look of an untucked shirt hanging out below the sweater on a grown man, but it's just the thing on a six year old boy.

Classic bucks, recently found for $2.99 at a thrift shop.

The sweater is the real deal, made in Ireland. Found by Mrs. G for less than $10. If I had to pay retail for such a thing, my boy wouldn't have one. But it's no matter. Like I said, penury is not an excuse.

p.s. Thanks to all of you who have been purchasing items in the sale. I've added new items to the Shop and decided to extend the sale through midnight Tuesday. As before, the code WINTERSALE used at checkout will apply a 20% discount to you entire purchase.

Thrifty Kids, Part 2

The Boy has a good sense of occasion, and always knows when to look his best. Like most six year old boys, he spends a great deal of time in t-shirts, jeans, and sweatpants, getting dirty as a boy should. But when it comes to dressing well, his tastes are particular. He tends to keep things classic, as we can see by his navy blazer, white shirt, and striped knit tie. The pearl grey Homburg hat is vintage 1960s, in unworn condition, a very small men's size. I initially purchased it to sell it, but when he insisted I let him keep it, there was no denying him.

Thrift shopping has a way of meeting your needs after a while if you stick with it. The boy is rapidly outgrowing his navy blazer, but I did turn up a better fitting jacket in  navy tweed with real leather buttons...

Made in USA by Brooks Brothers. $2.99 at an undisclosed thrift shop. Like father, like son.

Thrifty Kids, Part 1

My lovely girl knocks it out of the park with her hipster/preppy style. It's a cute look, especially on a girl not yet four years old. But then again, she can wear anything.

A deep purple quilted vest from Lands' End by way of thrift shop, a bold navy gingham shirt, and a handmade sweater in heavy kelly green wool, vintage in the first place, now also a hand-me-down from her older brother. Go preppy androgyny!

Button cute red shoes, white socks and skinny jeans...

with a bonus navy and red surcingle belt with navy leather fittings and a brass buckle, also now a

hand-me-down from big brother. I don;t remember exact pricing, but it all (except the socks)came from thrift stores. The whole rig couldn't have cost more than $15. Crewcuts be damned. Kudos to Mrs. G. for assembling the outfit. I only contributed the vest.

If you have kids, then you're a fool not to shop in thrift stores. They me be a gold mine of fine menswear for those persistent enough to dig, but they are easy pickings when it comes to the kids. Kids outgrow stuff, quick. This means that not only is it silly to pay full whack for things they're not going to wear much, but also that thrift shops tend to be full of stuff that hasn't been worn much. And then there's all the clothing gifts that didn't fit because Grandma always buys stuff three sizes too big that gets donated new, tags and all. Most kids clothes I see at thrift shops are $5 or less. Besides, how else are you going to get your kids that worn in East Coast look if some of the stuff isn't, you know, worn in?

p.s. new items available now in The Shop.

Breaking The Law

It's been a while since we had a post about flagrant disregard for self imposed sartorial law. Last time, I boldly suggested that maybe it was o.k. to wear a button down collar with a double breasted blazer. This time, things are far worse. Brace yourselves.

When you find yourself in a place like this, at 11:00 am, on a Thursday, and it's 100 degrees with 200% humidity...

...it's possible, just possible, that it is acceptable to wear shoes like this. Sit down, take deep breaths, it's o.k., I can explain.

I have no specific problem with Toms. It may annoy me that they are such a ubiquitous mark of abject pseudo-hipsterism, and while I think that the company philosophy is pretty good, I can do without the drum beating, flag waving self righteousness they've managed to build into every purchase.  However, they do look cute on girls. Mrs. G has numerous pairs, and sometimes she buys them for me, unannounced. I wear them around the house, and occasionally, albeit begrudgingly, in public. I cut the tags off, not to fool people into thinking they're not Toms (I'm not fooling anyone) but more to mark myself as the kind of jerk who thinks he's too good for what everyone else is doing (snark).

It helps to remember that these are just a version of espadrilles, a soft canvas shoe from Spain that is in fact a stylish Summer classic. Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, and Gary Cooper are just a few of the monoliths known to have worn them with great aplomb. True, the real version comes from Spain and is characterized by a sole made of jute rope. In preparing to write this post, I was planning to wish you all good luck finding them, then I found these:

Cotton canvas uppers with a jute sole, apparently hand sewn in La Rioja, Spain. $25.95 (plus $9.95 shipping to the US) from espadrillestore.com. Not only the real thing, but half the price of Toms. I just ordered a pair. I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out.

And so long as we're on the topic of hot Summer days and espadrilles and whether it's acceptable for a grown man to wear shorts, let me proffer this:

A certain painter from Spain via Paris taught us all that not only are shorts and espadrilles acceptable for men, under the right circumstances, they can be downright bad-ass. I dare you to find anything in this photo that doesn't make everything you have look totally lame. I can't compete with that, but I can try to be cool in shorts and espadrilles sometimes.

Dammit, it's so hot here right now! (melt)