Why?

from Classical-Kit.tumblr.com.

Friends I come hat in hand hoping to learn, from you the experts.

Brooks Brothers summer 12

Perhaps it's the exuberance of youth, but in what setting, where or why north of Bermuda w/c/should one wear shorts, sport coat, dress shirt and tie?

Why no pocket linen on the BB guy? They have me stumped.

Toad

Crash?

I learned a new thing today, crash linen.

Toad

A too simplistic look at men's suits

It's a cheap shot for men to criticize how women's fashion changes from season to season, while their clothing doesn't change so much as glacially evolve. Friday's trip through The New York Social Diary made that abundantly clear.

Let's take a walk.

The photo below is of President Calvin Coolidge and his family in June 1924. The Coolidge's dressed in their conservative best, a tad dowdy for the age, yet a fair representation of their status and class.

Photo: You remember that

Mom's dress, in high style at the time, the men's high buttoning coats, with summer vests so right for pre air conditioned Washington DC.

Six years later men's and women's fashion had changed completely. Brooks Brothers had introduced the Odd Jacket, or sport coat a few years earlier. Before the odd jacket, gentlemen wore contrasting suit coats with summer flannels to achieve a sporting look, as are the two men below on the right. The photo below, taken in Havana in Feb, 1930 shows how much fashion for men and women had changed in only 6 years.


But look closely to the men on the right, especially the sport in the white suit. Unlike the women, would he look out of place today?

Next, taken a year later in Palm Beach. We may not choose the same material today, but the style is virtually unchanged over time.

I've reached the conclusion that men's clothing doesn't change so much as its sense of purpose evolves. With only moderate changes to lapel width, and drape, men's suiting hasn't appreciably changed in 80 years. The best give-a-ways to a photo's age are shirt colors and his ties.

Cocoanuts Party, Palm Beach 1927

Baltimore 2011

Hope by now you are safe and out of harms way.

Toad

(all photos save the first and last are from NYSD)

it takes a very rich man...

Several weeks ago I was seeking the source for the quote "only very rich men wear seersucker clothes." As so frequently happens, fate stepped in in the guise of The Elegantologist who led a post with that quote, attributed to Damon Runyon.

In the late 19th century US, seersucker was a poor mans cloth. Found mostly in the south, it began as a cheap, lightweight substitute for silk. In 1909 Haspel began making seersucker suits in New Orleans. By the mid 1920's fashionable northern college students picked up on it. Runyon went on to write " that his new habit for wearing seersucker was "causing much confusion among my friends. They cannot decide whether I'm broke of just setting a new vogue."

Brooks Brothers introduction of light cotton summer suiting, including seersucker, lent the suit it's patrician image. The idea being, only the rich could afford to look disheveled. Brooks still vends a great off the rack seersucker suit.

What prompted this history lesson was a trip through EBAY. BB's Black Fleece headboy Thom Browne has designed a seersucker suit for the new millennium. An yes it takes a very rich man, gone soft in the head to wear it. Shown above,$3200 retail, pre worn for your convenience $1450. I merely report the news, I have no hand in this sale.

Toad

When Brooks serves you lemons....

As long as BB's serves up softballs I gotta swing. Jim Bob's dad instructed us early that if you don't take advantage of idiots, God will stop sending them your way, believing that you no longer want to play. Please Coach, put me in.


After school mom and dad collect the kids, telling them it's time to do a bit of spring clothes shopping. Your oldest daughter asks where are we going? There is after all the lame mall and the less lame mall, but it's farther away. Mom says, why don't we go visit the folks with the cool old truck in their ad. Oldest son wets himself in disbelief.


So everyone's in the car but dad's going the wrong way. Junior smells a rat. He's about to get screwed but doesn't know how, where or why, until Pop pulls into the Brooks Brothers lot.

Mom this isn't the Hilfigers store with the truck. Mom. The anxiety is palpable. Imagine a Greek chorus chanting "I'm not getting out of the car" becoming louder and louder.

Says mom, it's just the same as that other truck. Come on in, it will be fine.



Mother, I attend a public high school, not New White Bread City High!!!! Are we moving, I'll never be able to show my face..... What is this crap?

Dad, of course is oblivious to the noise around him. He's timed this perfectly. They shop and he's home in time for martinis and the news.


Ladies is this fetching shirt dress burning a hole in your credit card? Only $65. I didn't think so either.


There is something really creepy about the photo above. Young Barbara Bush looks 15 while he's old enough to be hitting on moms at the tennis club.

My personal favorite is the photo below. Western wear from BB's. There was a time when BB didn't have shirt pockets.



The treasures above are from BB's Supima Cotton Collection catalog.

What is he wearing?

Ever catch your reflection in a shop window or mirror and ask yourself WTW am I wearing?

It never used to happen. I am a creature of routine, my daily work around the manse wardrobe has become a cliche including Bill's Khakis, a well worn Oxford shirt, and topsiders. Throw on a navy blazer and it's a California Tux. Nothing too outre for working around the yard.

In February I wrote about a pair of Gurkha shorts I purchased which were large enough for 2. Trews for 2 is not a style I hope to live to see catch on.

Yesterday, on my way to the barn, the day windy, I caught an eyeful of my usual getup reflected in a window. I must have been wearing sail pants, as the extra width of the pant legs wrapped around to the front. Trew legs for 2 on me, ah the shame of it.



I'm a believer in the quaint notion that a gentleman's clothes should fit. No dunlop, no pants hanging around your thighs, no unsightly exposed belly shirts. My list of sartorial excess is well known.



So now that I've had to endure the same sights innocent women and children have had to deal with I have decided to refreshen my wardrobe. I've tossed the pleats, gone directly to BB's for the Thom Browne work in the yard, help with the sandbagging, stand up straight big boy suit collection. Think the argyle sweater would go with my new short and jacket set?



toad

Then and Now

As a counterpoint to the Head Librarian's recent post on Brooks Brothers modern take on service uniforms I felt compelled to show how seriously they took their job when it counted.

The following scans are from The New Yorker, June 13 and 20, 1942.




The second photo shows a jacket rarely seen anymore, a summer plaid. Two things struck me about the photo. View the photo below as you would as a first time customer. There is a simple dignity about the drawing, and elegance that BB no longer espouses. The more striking thing, 70 years on is how not unreasonable todays prices seem.

BB has always been a high price spread, but translate a $14.50 seersucker suit to today's dollar and the value is still there. Quality may be another matter.



Toad

The Obama's go to Brooks

Have you seen the summer Brooks Brothers catalog?

Its a satirist dream come true. What's sad though, is watching a venerable tradition slide into senility. This catalog may be the greatest example of do not do as I do advertising ever put out by BB's.

Men's sartorial rules are few and far between. The simplest is this. Only one distracting item at a time. It's the same as the women's rule.

So take a gander at this Mad Man. Fourth of July at the club. Nanny reds -perfect. Nanny reds and a bow? No, and I haven't worn a long tie in a decade.



Once upon a time, BB sold a much better version of this shirt. Wasn't seersucker, had long sleeves. They called it the Blandings. It was a perfect summer shirt. This is ugly.




Unless you are British AND in Bermuda you may not wear shorts with a jacket and tie. If you are British and in Bermuda, you must wear socks. Preferably knee socks.

Ladies are permitted to refuse admittance to a man, old enough to buy his own drinks, who shows up at their door attired like the idiot on the right.

As long as we are taking shots, did you notice the coat length on the man on the left? Looks like the coat came from Jos Banks.



I recommend few sartorial rules. One I espouse is "If you wear a tie, you must wear socks." Simple to remember, simple to execute, and I rarely wear socks. He's old enough to know better.


He did it again.

Tom Cruise walks into a bar.....

Toad

The Brooks Bros OCBD

Regular readers may recall I first mentioned this Brook Brothers Oxford Cloth shirt several months ago. While neither fish nor fowl it has intrigued me ever since, and after a successful visit to Uncle Harry's on Friday I finally popped for it.

The shirt is unusually odd. Contrasting white button down collar on a blue candy stripe oxford cloth body. French cuffs in the striped body color. No pocket, with sleeve placket buttons.

Several things make this unusual. Men's contrasting collars, an homage to the days of detachable collars and cuffs, rarely button down, and are almost never oxford cloth. Button down shirts are very rarely equipped with french cuffs. Finally, purists mark the beginning of BB's downfall to the day in 1963 when BB added a pocket to their oxford cloth shirts. I contend, that a gentleman's shirts do not require pockets.

I was quite prepared to pay retail, but at checkout I entered my card number and corporate code, and BB took $51 off. I almost purchased another. I'll show it off when it arrives in early May.

Toad

Brooks Brothers

I found this picture on Mr. Mort ,then made up a copy of the shirt on Brooks Brothers, on-line, made to order shirt section site. Blue and white uni-stripe OCBD with contrasting white collar. The cuffs are standard, ie shirt body color. I was unsure whether to go with French or barrel cuffs. Most probably I'd go barrel and convert them to link cuffs later.

While neither fish nor fowl I kinda like it. Might look good with the white linen suit,eh?

Any thoughts? (the picture is from the BB fall '09 collection) My trigger finger is getting antsy.

Toad

Daniel Craig on Charlie Rose

Did anyone happen to see Daniel Craig on Charlie Rose last night?

I apologize for the quality of the photo, but I hope you will understand.

Take a good look at the suit and tie. I doubt Mr. Craig buys off the rack or much vintage. is this one of those deplorable Brooks Brothers creations, or even less likely did he find a tailor who would sell his soul to recreate a 50's Mad Man suit?

Daniel is a very good looking guy, but he had to feel like a dunce putting this on.


Toad

A youthful memory

Late Wednesday afternoon, the FED Ex man showed up with my semi annual Brook Brothers shirt delivery. Each year BB has their shirts on sale for 1/2 off the day after Christmas. With my additional 15% off its quite a deal. Mrs. T asked what was in the box, and somehow it carried me back to my wasted youth. I told her this story. She knew the principal characters from a different context, and is available to confirm some of the particulars.

Growing up, a good friend's father was a federal judge. To ease his life, he made a great effort to minimize the choices he had to make on a day to day basis. To get him out of the house faster in the morning, he always and only wore BB navy blue suits, white shirts and one from his selection of two or three ties. Black socks, black shoes. Six days a week, every week.

His four sons each took up the law, and eventually they formed a law practice together, with the understanding that there would always be an office for dad when he retired. Dad came sooner than expected and all went well until one day the oldest son showed up at the office in a pink BB button down collared shirt. The man was 35 years old.

Oldest boy got a dressing down that day that would make a Marine drill Sergeant proud. "Gentlemen of the law do not wear pink shirts", the old man is quoted as saying.

When son got home he tossed his shirt in the trash in front of his bride and children, explaining to all his day at the office. Rising to the occasion his adored bride called her father in law. In the Judge's eye, the sun and moon rose in her orbit, the woman could do no wrong.

"Papa" she said, "that was NO pink shirt. It was light red. I know because I bought it."

Within a week, the Judge had one too. Even wore it to the office once. On a Saturday.

Toad