The influence of the past is with us always. Books like  Cally Blackman’s “One Hundred Years of Menswear” are particularly good at tracing the evolution of the suit especially.

After a satisfying few hours with the book (a few factual errors notwithstanding), it got me thinking about my time with Britches of Georgetowne, the basis of [...]]]>

The influence of the past is with us always. Books like  Cally Blackman’s “One Hundred Years of Menswear” are particularly good at tracing the evolution of the suit especially.

After a satisfying few hours with the book (a few factual errors notwithstanding), it got me thinking about my time with Britches of Georgetowne, the basis of my sartorial aesthetic and my wardrobe in general.

I’m a big fan of two decades when it comes to menswear. For those of you following closely, you will have noticed it most in my choices of eyewear. There is the Bertie Wooster/Fred Astaire/Duke of Windsor/Fellowes influence and the Cary Grant/late 50’s/Early 60’s influence. (With a stop along the way for the Mods and the Neo-Edwardians like Cecil Beaton and Bunny Rogers ca. 1954).

The difficulty has always been reconciling the two looks with the modern era. Not so much the man in the grey flannel suit who has never really gone out of fashion in the business world, but the elegant lines of the others were often in conflict with the reigning aesthetic of the day: the sack suit, for example. Enter Britches, an early adopter of the Ralph Lauren/Alan Flusser aesthetic. Suits were drapey, patterns were mixed and matched, shoes were brown and often suede. Heady stuff in the D.C. area in 1980 when I first was introduced to Mark Wilson and my tailored and forward pleated khakis that were to be a staple of my school wardrobe.

Take a look at today’s motoring wardrobe above. It was a bit cool, but I knew that I’d have the sunroof open. The tab collar, tweed jacket and Fair Isle sweater were accompanied by a tweed cap and brown leather gloves to ward off the chill coming through the open windows. A fine look, in my opinion, but a bit anachronistic for everyday wear. Venture outside and you will get looks. So, how to “update” the tab collar, brown trousers and brown shoes is the question.

Now and then, pair them with something “safe” like the perennial blue blazer. Yes, you will get comments, but the second glances will be more admiring rather than questioning. To save a day’s dress from looking too costume, always anchor your choices with a traditional, tried and true classic.

There is another alternative, of [...]]]> Mrs. E. the children and I are going to a photo shoot today. The directive is to wear a dark top with jeans (or other trousers in my case.) I’ve been pondering what to wear. Most likely it will be my winter weekend staples of corduroy trousers and a cashmere turtle(roll)neck.

There is another alternative, of course, and that is wearing a scarf. This one is by Tootal, a fine old Mod brand. In truth, I was rushing out the door yesterday, exhausted, and simply grabbed a sweater and threw it over my t-shirt and a pair of (pleated) cords.  But, being neck forward, this look has always bothered me. The scarf, inspired by that man again, solves that dilemma. But it will garner looks. Under my tweed carcoat, buttoned to the neck, there is nothing that seems out-of-the-ordinary. But you will feel and look a whole lot better than you would not “dressing the neck.”

Consider a scarf on your way out to get a cup of coffee and the paper tomorrow morning.

(Finally, please forgive my unshaven state, it is in preparation for the photoshoot and will ensure a smooth and, hopefully, nick-free shave this morning.)

I’m in need of a little cheering up today. I’ve got a couple of very, very close friends who have the blues and there’s precious little I can do but listen, offer a cocktail and a meal or two. Life does get messy. Cary Grant was married five times, but according to David Niven, he [...]]]>

I’m in need of a little cheering up today. I’ve got a couple of very, very close friends who have the blues and there’s precious little I can do but listen, offer a cocktail and a meal or two. Life does get messy. Cary Grant was married five times, but according to David Niven, he rushed into each completely confident that the latest would be the one. My point is that hope always trumps experience in the easy and elegant life.

So today, I am taking the time to return, at least virtually, to the promised land glimpsed during the early nineties; that place where Mrs. E. and I once left espadrille prints in the white sand beaches of St. Raphaël, and followed in the footsteps of F. Scott Fitzhemingway, the Murphys and others. Ours was not a lost generation. We had been found.

Like the voice over once instructed, “sit back, relax and enjoy the show.”

Many thanks to kind reader DAS, Jr. for passing this along. It is much appreciated.