All the Details

An urbanized country jacket from the early 1960s, this little number has all the details:

"Urbanized"  because it's sleek and trim, fashioned of a soft lightweight tweed...not thick and heavy and thorn proof, and clearly not for shooting birds in the wet high grass. Killer cool nonetheless.

Hacking pockets (you know, the kind set at an angle)...

...a throat latch, for cold days...

...a flap breast pocket. The button is a fake, and will have to go...

...single button cuff tabs, unusual but I can dig it....

...admittedly, the full Norfolk belt may be a tad much, even for me..

...fortunately, the front and back are separate, attached by buttons at the side, giving the option of wearing only a half belt in back....and a hooked vent for good measure.

The cheesy grey fake leather buttons will have to go. For some reason, in the early '60s, so many great things were adorned with bad buttons. No matter, it's a small fix. I'm thinking dark brown real braided leather, or maybe even wood.

I've got the charcoal flannels and wide wale cords covered. All I need now is a cashmere turtleneck in tan, cream, or dark charcoal. Better keep the attitude in check, though. The line between stylish and unbearably pretentious is razor thin with garments like this, but I'm willing to have a go on the tightrope.

The generous gift of Mrs. G., bought at a thrift shop for less than eight bucks.

Thanks, Hon.

The Line-Up

No, not that kind. I mean the one for Top Shelf Flea Market IV. I'm pleased to announce that as of today, the roster is set, and it's a good one full of choice vendors. Click here for more details.

Top Shelf Flea Market IV (a teaser)

We got ties for days......

...stripes...

...paisleys (the next big thing, mark my words. Be ahead of the curve), foulards, and other "neats"

in silk, madder, and challis...

...big fat woolens, perfect for the cold season.

Tres trendy, from before they were trendy...

...grasshoppers, whales, beer, dogs, and other embroidered tomfoolery.

Something for every taste and every occasion, available at TSFMIV. Consider this the first in a series of shameless self promoting posts. If this seems a little crass, my apologies, but, a fellas gotta eat, you know?

p.s. we're currently searching for a record/music vendor to fill the final spot. Interested parties please contact me via email for rates and information.

The Jams

The Equinox, the official cosmic switch from Summer to Autumn, occurs tommorrow morning. Given the heat and dense humidity here in the Northeast, it seems only fitting we discuss hot jams from the Southern hemisphere.

Segio Mendes and Brasil '66...hot music from a hot place...the progenitors of the very category of music known as Brasilian jazz...hopping out of the wooden speakers by way of the needle, nothing does a cocktail party at home more justice...if only I could host one.

In keeping with the topic of a few posts ago, it takes a heavy dose of style to pull of a tux in a South American rain forest.

Sometimes when this band is mentioned, people snigger and make cracks about the waiting room of the dentist's office, the one with the Naugahyde(tm) couch and the plastic curtains. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Though similar on the merest technical level with all things associated with the general genre, and in spite of being discovered by Herb Alpert, Brasil '66 plays music that is all about a fire in the belly and well dressed grown-ups enjoying themselves like well dressed grown-ups.

If you don't believe me, take it up with Ms. Eartha Kitt...


...I dare you.

p.s. ear-rings
p.p.s pink French cuffs
p.p.p.s Gretsch drum kit
p.p.p.p.s. you don't get to wear a scraggly beard and nerdly hair cut until you come up with a Jam like this.

Off Season: Unsolicited Advice from a Know-It-All Stranger

Younger men might be generally a bunch of slobs, with a staunch few struggling to do better. But we need to help these guys, not disdain them, for it is their parents, if anyone, to blame for their complete social and sartorial ignorance. Here's a snarky story:

Pictured above is a pair of 1960s vintage real madras jackets, acquired last Saturday. They're dirty as hell, and one needs a button replaced, but honestly, two real madras jackets, in my size, in excellent plaids, in one day? Worth every bit of $14.98. But the jackets are immaterial. How I came by them is the real story.

A young fellow, early twenties, was in the thrift store with his mother, father and kid brother (18?) looking for a blazer. Mom kept trying to get him to buy orphaned suit coats. Dad kept telling him everything that fit was too small, and tried to coax him into two sizes too big. Kid brother just kept giving him a hard time, the only member of this family actually doing his job. At one point, he had on a perfectly serviceable navy blazer with sleeves a hair long, which mother told him would be impossible to alter. My ears were burning, but it was none of my business, and so I stayed out of it. So I turned away.

Then I hear father and brother really laying into him for how silly something looks, while big brother tries to defend his choice of something which clearly appeals to him on a real level. I look up to find the kid in a vintage Indian madras jacket, big plaid in burgundy, navy and gold, that fits him well. As he momentarily escapes the clutches of his parents' useless and misguided advice to find a mirror, I immediately dive on these other two.

The kid comes back and says to his parents something like " I don't care what you say, a cute girl just told me I look good in this jacket so I'm getting it." I smile. Mom and Dad are not happy, and I can hold my tongue no longer.

"You know," I said, " in another kind of store that jacket would sell for quite a lot of money. It's really something special you have there, a real Indian madras jacket. That cloth hasn't existed in a long time, and collector's would go mad over it. That's why I'm getting the other two. Good job."

"Really?" says mom.

"Really." says I.

"See, I knew this jacket was cool." says the kid.

Dad and younger brother are speechless.

Maybe I shouldn't have butted in, and I'm glad I didn't hand out a business card. But c'mon, this kid was feeling it, and he just needed some encouragement. If mom and dad, especially dad, wasn't willing to give it, I'd like to think, in my own demented way, I helped that kid down the road to dressing well.

The kid even said to his shocked parents " Let's keep looking for something more conservative, too. This is a fun jacket." There's hope for the future yet.

p.s. after a period of neglect, there are new items in the Shop, with Fall/Winter items beginning to trikle in. Have a look.

The Trick to Formalwear

...is to wear it comfortably....casually.

Despite what they say, it shouldn't be a "monkey suit".

Clean and Simple...and Casual?

It's not often that I write about evening wear, given it's near total lack of relevance to my own life. But in the past few weeks I've been using this photo, recently taken for the AAW Shop, for various purposes, and it's got me thinking.

To begin with, the tuxedo is a vintage one dating from the early 1960s, year round wool with satin faced shawl collar, two button cuffs and single pleated pants. It's by After Six, a name by now so synonymous with cheap rental monkey suits as to make one gag. Funny thing is, this suit reminds me that After Six might not have been so bad in the old days. I sometimes find old Joseph A. Bank stuff from the 60s that throws me for a similar loop. Sooner than we think, we'll likely be saying the same things about Brooks Brothers.

The tie is vintage 1960s Brooks Brothers. I'm not generally one to advocate anything other than a black bow with evening clothes, but I like the look of the tiny white pin dots here. It turns the formality down a half a notch, in a good way. But it's the shirt, a plain white pinpoint with with a spread collar, crisp and clean, but certainly not a formal shirt, that has me thinking.

My mannequin, Bill, always wears a white shirt, because it makes it easy to photograph any type of jacket or suit. His tie changes from time to time, but not his shirt. So when I had a tux to photograph, I was set. I chose this tie over my own black satin evening bow because it was narrow, more in keeping with the cut of the lapels. Though the shirt and tie may not be technically formal, I have to admit I like this look.

It reminds me of a time when evening clothes were worn frequently...in the evening, to dinner, or shows, or just house parties. It reminds of a time when men were comfortable in these clothes. It reminds of a time when these clothes were known as "semi-formal". It brings the tuxedo one step closer to any other suit and tie combination, while still maintaining all the aspects that make it a special outfit. It's black and white, clean and simple, a bit shiny here and there, and quiet counterpoint to showcase the ladies clothes. The shirt may not be pleated or closed with studs, but as long as it has French cuffs I think its fine. Polished, matte finish black oxfords, rather than patent pumps, would finish the job. This may seem like blasphemy, but think of all the photos you've seen of guys in tuxes with plaid pants or tartan jackets. Same idea, but I like this better. Save the tartan stuff strictly for Christmas and Bobby Burns parties.

In a tux like this, not-quite-all-the-way-formal, a guy could actually ride around town in a taxi, hitting bars, shows, restaurants and parties, in comfort and style. Just by softening up the details a bit, a tux actually becomes...wearable? It could be something a guy has and wears with some frequency, rather than some stiff ugly thing worn only to functions he'd rather not attend only to be returned the next morning.

Bring back the barely formal, regularly worn tuxedo. Who's with me?