A Sob Story

I've recently been making the rounds of Boston's venerable old men's shops in a desperate search for part time employment. I've hit them all: J.Press, Andover Shop, and most recently Brooks Brothers. No dice yet. But that is not the sob story.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have made a habit of filling my closet with clothing from these three brands, as well as others on the same level, and I have been fortunate to come by a lot of great items. I've been even more fortunate to have paid some kind of bargain price every time.

Truth is, I have never, repeat never, actually purchased anything in any of these places. Sure I've gone in and looked around. I've politely declined sales help with the usual "No thanks, just looking". I have never been the first owner of any of my better clothes. I have never put on a brand new suit, had it fitted, and come back a week later to pick it up. Truthfully, though I often wear such clothing by choice, I haven't been required to on any kind of regular basis for at least 15 years.

As I read the accounts of others regarding places like these, it makes me pine even more for some kind of "good old days" that I am too young to have experienced. One by one, as these places lose their identity and sell their souls to sweatshops and marketing, I wonder if I will ever be fortunate enough to experience them first hand, or am I doomed to a lifetime of sartorial archeology.

" World's smallest violin" and all that...

Even I Can't Believe This One

It's a good thing screwing around on the internet is a sedentary activity. You'll want to be sitting for this one, a thrift find that exceeds even my own comprehension as a well seasoned thrifter.

Meet the "Silver Trumpeter" by Hart, Schaffner & Marx.

You read that right, 100% cashmere.

From Finney Woods Men's Shop in Haddonfeild.

The cut, label and two button cuffs date this coat firmly in the early 1960's.

$19.99

I don't watch Mad Men like I know a lot of you do, but that coat is awfully Don Draper, don't you think.

The best thing about thrift stores is when they keep the 'good stuff' behind the counter because of its $20 price tag, and all day long people become incensed that they could have the nerve to charge so much for a coat. Until someone like me finds it and has to contain himself so as not to let on what kind of stealing it really is to pay so little for something so nice.

Everything's relative, I guess.

More D.I.Y. Guerilla Tailoring

After having recently complained about some shoddy hems that were way too long, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I taught myself how to produce cuffed hems, on dress slacks by hand (without a sewing machine). If I do say so myself,I'm happily surprised with the results:

The first pair I tried were these dark grey J.Press flannels. I bought them about a year ago at a thrift shop, never got around to having them tailored and never wore them, so I figured that even though they're nice pants I wouldn't miss them if I screwed up royally. But I didn't and now they fit like a glove.Next up was this pair of pleated grey flannels. I recently had these tailored, and I wore them the day after, and even posted about them. But I have a confession to make. They were so long that I wore them all day uncomfortably high. All shame on me, I picked them up without trying them on, so you can all go ahead and have a field day on that. When I took the pictures for the blog post, I settled the waist correctly, and made sure my feet weren't showing in the pictures. But all's well that ends well and they fit great now.

So have a look at this little secret I discovered when I took down the old hems:

Looks like somebody cut my pants too short, caught the mistake, fashioned a patch, hid it in the cuff and didn't inform me of it. Shame! All the more reason to do it myself.

Not to bust all tailors, though, because the Tartan slacks were repaired with fine hand made craftsmanship and care, by a more attentive professional. And there's nothing like a jacket that has been tailored properly, nothing.

How did I learn all this so quickly? I watched some videos on youtube about it, thought it over for a while and gave it a try. I don't advise this approach for everyone. To be fair, I have worked in men's clothing retail before in a shop with an in house tailoring department, and my Dad's Dad was a tailor and my Mom's Mom was a seamstress, so I have a good understanding of clothing construction. Plus, being a student at architecture school, I'm good at measuring things precisely with rulers. But if you're feeling confident, why not pick up a junker pair or two of slacks at the local thrift, never mind if they fit you, and give it a try. Knowing how to do it can't hurt, and you may wind up saving a couple of bucks.

Heavy Duty

To borrow a term from fellow blogger Heavy Tweed Jacket, I give you my own humble version of the full "Heavy Duty Ivy" look:
Comfortable, casual and relatively waterproof. The three things I was looking for today, as the weather was dreary and I was feeling a bit lazy. However:Throw a bow tie at it and you elevate the whole look from 'lazy over-priveleged white boy (which I most certainly am not) ' to 'quirky New England country gentleman (which I most certainly am not) ' in a snap.

The Jams

The radio can be a real drag to listen to, but here in Boston we are fortunate enough to have a handful of really good stations, thanks to the proliferation of universities in the area. Every morning, after n.p.r. news, I like to listen to WHRB, the Harvard station, because they play outrageously good jazz until 1 p.m. One d.j. in particular shares my taste exactly and has a proclivity for l.p.s, so you get to hear pops and scratches even in your car. This saves me the trouble of dealing with the record player while I'm puttering around the house.

Today, a guy I'd never heard before came on. Two songs into his first set, he played something with the most disgusting noodling guitar I've ever heard. It was indescribably bad.I don't know who it was, but it sent me running for the record player.

This was a blessing in disguise, as I wound up rediscovering this l.p. in my collection, which I actually forgot I had:

Talk about the Jams with a capital J! It's a bit blurry in this picture, but this was recorded in Stockholm in November of 1962. If I were posed with one of those silly questions like 'If you could only bring one jazz record with to a (fill in the blank)" this would rank high on the list. Taking into consideration the personnel and the date on this record, I don't think I need to say more. Any jazz fan will understand.

Arguing with the Tailor

I've used a few different tailors over the years. Each one has had his particular strengths and weaknesses. But they all have one bothersome thing in common: I invariably have to argue with them over the length of my pants.

I like a 29" inseam, just touching my shoe and covering my sock with only the slightest suggestion of a 'break'. They always want to go much longer. When I've deferred to them, I've ended up with pants a mile too long, or wearing my pants up to my armpits to make the length right. What's odd is the fact that this seems to be typical of almost every tailor I've used. I often have to say something along the lines of 'I'm the customer and they're my pants, so just do what I ask.', which diminishes the whole experience of having a tailor, in my opinion. I always want this to be something to look forward to, not a chore or an errend. Now I'm sure these guys are used to dealing with a lot of people who have no idea how clothes should properly fit. You would think they would be glad to get a customer who knows clothes and knows exactly what he wants. Or maybe they find it a bit odd, since most men today tend to like their pants to fit like a set of window drapes.

My wife has a sewing machine. I think I'll just learn to do it myself. My grandfather was a tailor, so maybe it's in my blood.

More Shoes

I don't really need a pair of brown suede split toe oxfords, but when they turn up for $12.99 it's hard resist the compulsion:

They promise to be awfully sharp with grey flannels, a herringbone sport coat and a blue button down. Tomorrow, as long as its chilly enough.

And now a sartorial conundrum: are natural canvas Converse Chuck Taylor's strictly a summer shoe, or do they work with khakis and a crew neck sweater when its a sunny 60 degrees in the Autumn? Your thoughts are appreciated.