Travel Kit

Take one large Lands' End tote bag. The obnoxious kind, with the pretentious monogram...

 ...fill with...

 Two pair shorts, in distinctly a distinctly New England feel (left: L.L.Bean, right: vintage '80s USA made Polo)

 Two pair swim trunks (the cheap kind, discussed ad nauseam here)

 Five tennis shirts; three white, two navy

 Two long sleeve shirts, the comfortable, old, soft kind. The kind that not only don't require ironing, but actually look better without it. Coastal New England can get cool and breezy, even in August, and shirts like these function well as a light jacket worn untucked over the tennis shirts. Tucked in, you become almost presentable in a pinch, should you decide to dine at that particularly snooty fried clam joint one night.

 Two pair long pants: one as "Go to Hell" as it gets (1960s vintage real madras), one simple khakis, dull as it gets (very old L.L.Bean...so soft)

 One pair boat shoes, one pair tattered old Converse, retro-fitted with rawhide laces.

 One striped ribbon belt, one old leather belt.

 One cotton sweater in neutral cream. As I said, it can get chilly, especially at night

 One goofy high tech waterproof pullover windbreaker thing, the kind that folds up into its own pocket. Nothing looks sillier in the rain than total unpreparedness. A good thing to keep in the car.

 In case of total emergency, one pair low top Bean Boots, one (and only one) pair of socks. These will hopefully spend the entire trip in the trunk, but you never know when the wife and kids will feel the itch to spend the day doing something woodsy. Proper footwear, or something like it, is essential.

 One cotton ball cap. If you don't know what that number 9 stands for, just keep it to yourself, or risk severe recrimination. (Yikes, this almost looks like a Summer collection fashion spread. Can you imagine how expensive this would all be if someone like Mark McNairy had his name sewn inside all this stuff? Frightening. I'm scaring myself.)

All of these clothes go with all of these clothes, which is a good trick to know when traveling. Any combination will do, and none of it requires much care. There's not a thing in the bunch that can't have the wrinkles knocked out of it with a couple of good shakes and a few minutes of wear. All of these clothes also go with:

Noticeably absent: blazer or ties. This is, after all, a casual, beach-centric family vacation. Despite what some of you may think, I'm not a total stiff.

Also noticeably absent: t-shirts. By now I'm sure you all know how I feel about grown men in t-shirts.

That'll do for the next few days. I'll check in next week with some tales from the North country.

AAW on Vacation

An Affordable Wardrobe will be on vacation next week. This doesn't neccesarily mean no posts, but it does mean no self imposed obligations. I have put up a bunch of new items in the Shop to tide you over. Be advised that all orders placed between now and August 22nd will not ship until August 25th.

Well Curated Authentic Heritage Americana

For me, the long winded phrase that titles this post has little to do with expensive work wear boutiques in Manhattan. It has everything to do with spending a Summer day at a place like Salem Willows. Along with my other favorite spot, Castle Island, the Willows is as good a reason as any to be on the Massachusetts coast in Summer. Honest, unpretentious, well worn and relatively cheap. Six hours go by in a snap at places like these, and we're lucky to still have a few left.

At a glance, Salem Willows would appear to be little more than a relatively trashy arcade, a one-sided strip of rickety old buildings brimming with the things that we once considered mindless diversions, a relic from a time before we all carried an expensive mindless diversion around in our pocket to use between the time we spent seated in front of another expensive mindless diversion at home. I love it.

Willows Casino is a noisy place full of flashing lights. Inside, no end of quaint coin operated machines will dispense tickets to the lucky winner who may then cash them in for all manner of junk at the desk. The prizes aren't even worth taking, but it is fun to play the silly machines. If you're really old school, and you like your Heritage Americana really Well Curated, they have skee ball.

Personally, I prefer the arcade next door. It's chock full of video games, with plenty of old 1980s stand up units (Galaga or Pac Man, anyone?) But the best part is the random collection of very old, and fully operational, arcade machines.

This pair of Mutoscopes have got to be about 100 years old. For a penny, small children will still stand in front of them on a stool and watch a minute and a half of footage so archaic as to leave them slack jawed.

For a dime, the Musical Monkeys will play a distinctly 1940s style Hawaiian tune.

and your kids, the same ones who know better how to operate a laptop than you, will still delight in this. What kid doesn't love monkeys doing human things?

All that walking around will tire the older folks. Good thing they have this doctor recommended contraption. Simply insert a quarter, grab the handles...

and step on the foot plate while the mechanism rattles you so badly that you'll break a knee and throw your back out. Excellent.

Can't say much for the Rotary Merchandiser. I just thought this one was funny. Could be a case of English by way of Japan getting lost in translation...or not.

Ever wondered what kind of lover you are? A Flat Tire?  Violent? An Iceberg? Or just plain Lovable?

Drop in a dime and place your right hand here, that's all it takes. No significant other could possibly refute the science. And the woodwork and paint job on this thing are stunning. Well Curated Authentic Heritage Americana...with Patina on the side!

The public telephone may be long gone, but I bet that sign stays up till they tear down the building.

There's plenty of sustenance to be had. If hot dogs,  French fries, chicken fingers or pizza aren't your thing, don't worry. You can also get fried clams, lobster roll, or cheeseburgers. I'd stay away from the Chinese, though. I have high standards, you see.

It's not all brain melting fun, though. There also happens to be a lovely and sizable park, with winding paths and tree shaded benches in abundance. 

I bet it's fun to see a band play under this Well Curated Authentic Heritage band stand, but it's fun enough just to appreciate it for the mini monument of white washed cast concrete mid-century architecture that it is.

It's on little Beverly Harbor, full of sail boats...so East Coast preppy, right?

There's even a beach.

If you're young, this place is a great, relatively cheap date. Especially if you bring a couple sticks of grass and a bottle concealed in a brown paper bag.

If you've got kids, this place is paradise.

If you're old, they have ice cream and park benches.

In any case, it's well worth a half hour car ride from the Boston area. Remember, the most Well Curated Authentic Heritage Americana is found where nobody knows what the hell you're talking about when you utter such a silly phrase in the first place.

For The Last Time?

There's nothing like the comfort and feel of a well loved, well worn article of clothing. Good stuff only gets better with age, but nothing lasts forever, and one day we have to admit that this may be the last time we get to keep company with an old friend.

This shirt is, for me, one such old friend. White oxford broadcloth with wide pink Bengal stripes. An oldie, with a six button, not seven button front.

This label, plus the six button front, plus the pocket, lead me after some homework to date this shirt about 1965. The fit is the kind of fit so many of us wish was still common on production shirts, and age has rendered the fabric as soft as a Teddy bear.

Sure, the collar is plenty frayed...

and forty years of washing has shredded the edges of the old fashioned extra long shirt tails. This old bird won't last much longer....

but that won't stop from continuing to wear it, because the collar has the elusive and inimitable roll of a real vintage unlined Brooks Brothers "polo" collar. Perfect.

The blessing of vintage and thrift store shopping is that it allows a guy like me to actually own and experience the bygone things I'm just to young to have experienced first hand. The curse lies in the knowledge that when your favorite things do finally go the way of the wind, replacing them is unlikely at best.

Any day could be this shirts last, but I intend to give the life it was intended for and wear it till the end.

Consider the fact that this shirt was new, and very much in fashion, when this film was shot.


Now that's $1.99 well spent.

p.s. there's a heap of new ties in the Shop, along with some dead stock Lee jeans, real skinny like, in case you wanna dress like Mick. If you've outgrown that sort of thing and have kids now, there's a few things for them as well. Check it.

Real Men (and boys) Wear Pink

An easy and comfortable Summer outfit, perfect for a day of scouring some far-flung thrift shops:

Un-ironed Brooks Brothers pink oxford, sleeves rolled, collar un-buttoned, with plaid Bermuda shorts and an old brown leather belt. Just something to throw on, but still it maintains a modicum of style and presentation.



The Boy, when it was his turn to get dressed, absolutely insisted on his own unironed pink oxford, worn sleeves rolled, collar un-buttoned, with an old brown leather belt and camo cargo shorts. The combination of camouflage and pink oxford is killingly stylish on a young boy, but leave it alone if you're out of high school. The more my son develops his own sense of style as a loose derivative of my own, the more I realise how much youth, and maybe even childishness, is the lynch-pin of the Polo/RL empire.

True, a father and son dressed in matching pink shirts may be "cute" to the point of "sickening", but when your son insists on dressing just like you for a day spent at the thrift store, it's hard to say no. Besides, with the current state of our collective standard of dress, I wil never refuse my Boy the right to wear a proper shirt by his own choice.

Incidentally, the days excursion netted quite a haul. Look for it in the shop over the next few days.

Gratitude, Heartbreak, and Paying It Forward

Gratitude: A few weeks back, our man in the middle, Mr. Midwester, shared this knockout piece with the world at large:

I quite rudely suggested that in some convoluted way the coat was rightfully mine, and much to my surprise, he agreed. A scant few days later, it was on my doorstep. Thank you, Mr. M. 

 

Immediately, I knew this was gonna make one hell of a kit with white pants, a navy tennis shirt, and of course, blaze orange boat shoes. Alas, after a few hours of trying in vain to ignore the truth, heartbreak finally took hold.

Heartbreak: the damn thing is just too long for me. Even expensive alterations won't help. Damn.

Paying It Forward: The coat is now in the hands of good friend Yankee Whiskey Papa. Besides being a WASP from coastal New England who knows a thing or two about actually sailing boats and the attendant fashions of such sport, he's taller than me. He also has a way of wearing such ridiculous clothing as though it were normal, and succeeding.

I suppose, in the long run, the cosmos is happy with the outcome.

Cheap Commodities

 As the author of this blog, I'm constantly amazed by the amount of junk and freebie offers come into my inbox from pr firms. Many of them get junked right away, like the ones that just outright ask me for a free plug. Others get read, if it seems to be something that might be of interest. A small few get a response and maybe give me something to review. These offers I gladly accept, with no guarantee of endorsement, but mostly I ignore this stuff. Lately, I've been flooded with stuff about swimsuits. When the currently "it" brand Orlebar Brown contacted me recently, I nearly asked for a sample. After all, these do look like nice trunks, and a lot of people are drooling over them.

I was particularly interested in this pair, the classic "bulldog" as they call it. A nice short inseam, pockets, and old school side tabs, available in good looking colors. But ultimately, I decided to leave this one alone. You see, the trunks in the photo above retail for $240, and there is no way I could recommend such a thing in good conscience. No matter how much disposable income you may have, spending such a sum on swim trunks is unforgivable, no matter how nice they may be. Allow me to explain.

A few weeks prior to being contacted by the semi-clueless pr firm hired to shill these outlandish trunks I had purchased these two new from Lands' End. True, I may make a lifestyle out of living in other peoples old stuff, but swim trunks, like underwear, should be new. These were on sale at the time for $24.50 each, available in a flight of classic, bold colors. They feature side pockets and one hip pocket, just like the Orlebar Brown trunks, plus a very comfortable mesh lining constructed without a seam up the middle, which is, you know, comfortable. They're made of space age quick dry material, just like the Orlebar Brown trunks. True, they eschew fancy side tabs and a zippered fly for the standard draw string waist, but who cares?

In fact, with their six inch inseam and vibrant colors, they are every bit as classic and old school as anything. They're comfortable and stylish, and they look well with an old white or navy blue tennis shirt and battered canvas sneakers, my full beach uniform. They dry quickly, and I don't tend to mind wearing them like a pair of shorts most of the day if that's how it turns out. I guess the main difference lies in marketing. Good old Lands' End doesn't seem to be looking to rape the last vestiges of this preppy trend whore market we currently find ourselves in, and as a result, they garner my respect...and they didn't even give me a freebie. From where I stand, Orlebar Brown seems to be making a fast buck on the fashion worlds obsession with Steve McQueen and everything a size too small. Don't fall for it.

To be fair, I've never actually seen an Orlebar Brown bathing suit, but I can't for the life of me figure that it could be ten times better than these ones, given that they cost ten times as much. Maybe I just can't see the point of fancy swimwear. It's not a suit, after all. Maybe, being married with two kids, I'm not so concerned with impressing people at the beach. Maybe I just can't believe anyone would pay $240 for swim trunks. If you frequent the beach in Summer, as I like to do, a good couple of bathing suits ought to be a cheap commodity. Take the money you save and spend it on beer, hot dogs, lemonade, ice cream, and sunscreen.

p.s. fresh items available in the Shop