(These two get the prize for best dressed afloat….)
Mrs. E and I recently took the kids for their first trip to New York City. Kosher bagels were exclaimed upon! Pizza was mystifying. Nuggets, non-existent. The sea-lions at the Central Park Zoo were highly entertaining. We stayed on the Upper West Side (a first for me.) No-one was dressed. Perhaps it was tourist season. Maybe we were in the wrong end of town. It might have been our lazy schedule that had us missing peak commuting times, but not a suit was spotted with the exception of a professional Town Car driver. Not even at The Plaza. I realize that times have changed, but I was hoping for a bit of inspiration. As my great friend The Architect put it, “you get inspiration on-line.” Pinterest has become the go-to, hasn’t it? Anxiously awaiting “King’s Men: The Secret Service,” if only for the tailoring.
Chris, who cares about New York. You are the antidote to sartorial mediocrity and I try to be as well. The biggest thing I think we need to be certain of is the line between excellence and costume. It is easy for me to transgress excellence by crossing that boundary.
Hey Chris,
Hope all is well. Summer is always tough in NYC. – although you’re apt to see more sartorial effort in midtown and downtown even at that time of year.
I’m back in DC now and look forward to connecting in person.
Regards,
Jim
My friend, times have changed and I have a hard time seeing how the genie gets back into the bottle. As in all things in life, the difficulty of course lies in your own approach. Do you wave the white flag and start figuring out the best way you can pull off a combination of cargo shorts and “humor” tee shirts? Or do you take a defiant and increasingly isolated stand by dressing in a way that incorporates a necktie thereby running the risk of becoming a living anachronism?
Came to town and didn’t even call? Well, I’ll remember that.
MP, children, an early bedtime and not even a blazer to travel in. Not my most elegant moment.
When dressing casually, I think our choice of shoes makes an oversized impression. The other day I was organizing things at my house and I wore tight fitting 501s and a polo shirt. I matched those with two tone suede hush puppies. Normally, when I go to the store, I am dressed in a suit or at least a sport coat. This time I decided not to change me clothes. Upon entering the store a woman approached me and commented that whenever I come to their store I always look elegant. She said this was the first time she had seen me dress casually and I still looked elegant. I really think it was the shoes that added a sense of sophistication and beauty. I am still learning how to wear causual attire while maintaining an appearance of distinction.