For those of you who don’t know him, Alexander Kabbaz is very possibly the finest shirtmaker in the world (and his selection of hosiery is marvelous. Yes, I’m an infrequent but dedicated customer.) You’ve seen his work if you’ve ever seen a picture of author (and Richmond native) Tom Wolfe. Or Leonard Berstein at work. Or Dan Rather behind a news desk. Or…. well, you get the idea. He is also exceedingly well-versed in matters sartorial as befits a haberdasher.

Recently Mr. Kabbaz has been writing a series of articles that have to do with quality clothing — making it, identifying it and buying it. They are available by email subscription to his newsletter “Sartorial Excellence News.” Mr. Kabbaz is obssessive, compulsive about quality manufacturing and phenomenal customer service — I mean that in the best possible way. He has graciously given Easy and Elegant Life permission to link to the full series of articles for your edification and enjoyment. The first article “Caveat Emptor: A Treatise on Custom-Made Clothing” can be found here.

There is much to be learned and sometimes it is a bit hard to hear. But stick with it, and you will be rewarded. Mr. Kabbaz is very opinionated because he is very, very good at what he does. If I had the wherewithal, he would be making both my shirts and Mrs. E.’s.

This should give you an idea of what you can expect from Mr. Kabbaz and certainly what you should demand of those making your clothing.

“Manifestation of the Second Philosophy:

Attire speaks before you utter a single word. Your appearance is the window through which your (sic) are first viewed. The most important result of our initial consultation lies not in the extensive series of measures we place in your file, but in what we garner about your personality, your profession, your taste, and your station in life. Important is not that particular fabric which offers us the greatest profit. Important is the suitability of your wardrobe. This can be considered only if we gain a comprehensive understanding of who you are. Important lies not only in our complimenting your wiser selections and in offering you others from which to choose, but also in having the temerity to suggest that something you might want would be entirely inappropriate for you.

In short, the image you should portray is the responsibility we wish to accept.”

Amen.

“Patrimoine!” We heard it everywhere we went when we were in France.

The houses of President’s Washington, Jefferson and Madison have been lately in the news. Washington’s Grist Mill is once again distilling whisky (although the first batch was undrinkable.) Jefferson’s wine cellars are being restored. Madison’s Montpelier underwent a multi-million dollar historical restoration, stripping away years of DuPont coating. These were great men, whose words and deeds helped to give birth to a fledging Republic which would go on to become one of the greatest nations on earth.

Their words are considered more relevant today than are the writings of “the first woman and… the third novelist to win the Pulitzer Prize.” She was no war hero, after all, although her work with displaced persons, orphans and refugees of World War I, won her the French Legion d’Honneur. But I’m pretty sure that even French schoolchildren are no longer taught her name.

Edith Wharton didn’t feel entirely comfortable in the modern world that arose from the mud of the “war to end all wars.” She would have recognized many of the same problems that beset her world reflected in the one in which we now live. If only because of the current mortgage crisis.

Ms. Wharton, you see, is in danger of being posthumously evicted.

This is not a good time to ask for money. I’m aware of that. But if you can’t open your chequebook, you may still open your fountain pen and sign a petition or open your notebook and continue to blog about the closing of The Mount.

The deadline to avert a true horror-show is October 31st. They are halfway to their goal of raising USD$3 million. If they can’t reach the goal, none of the gifts will be processed and the house will be sold to a private individual. USD$10 will go a long way, if we harness the economies of scale of the internet.

The political candidates of both parties have more than enough at the moment. Let’s help save a little of our literary past to nurture our future.

I remember asking my Father what an interjection is.

“F***! Tomorrow’s Monday,” was his reply. Not used to hearing my father use profanity, I was startled and then amused. And it certainly stuck in my memory.

So, if your sentiment is roughly equivalent to my father’s feelings about a Monday morning, here’s a little gem of a movie that will bring a smile to your face tonight.

“Avenue Montaigne” or “Fauteuils d’orchestre.”

Highly recommended. Especially if you need to work on your interjections in French.