Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Pied Piper of Bougie Excess

There must have been something in the air this weekend. Y’all have piled on me and my mustard yellow half price London togs with enthusiasm. Bring it on-I can take it and actually, if you didn’t give me a little bit of grief I’d think I was falling down on the job.

Captain Mike said…”I just realized where I had seen the "red striped socks + mustard pants combo" before”. The link in his comment yielded this….

I’d say Captain Mike is spot on.

Then Anonymous English Female posited ….”There's one thing that can be said for the red striped socks + mustard pants combo - they match the room-service pizza...”

And ELS with her always delightful assemblage of words offered…”You should listen to your mate at the airport - half-price still doesn't make them any less shouty”. 
I’m the fuzzy dice, Go To Hell pants, slipper shod CEO of don’t give a sh_t. However, the mustard britches response has prompted me to send the trousers to Aunt Tootie’s husband Uncle Neugene. He’s known and prone to assemble some real zingers-as evidenced in his tartan cowboy rig so I’m certain that he’ll put ‘em to good use.

And this is a classic…. Cecelia Mc. … So many cars, so many toy soldiers, so many shirts... You're so used to an embarrassment of riches and that you long ago quit blushing. Who are you, the pied piper of bougie excess?  “The Pied Piper of Bougie Excess”. If I didn’t love my LPC quote in the title of my blog I’d flat out replace it with Cecelia Mc’s stellar contribution-with attribution of course.

My weekend with LFG was great with one little twist in our ongoing father-daughter frolic. She’s growing up. She’d already manifested some of the cool-not cool “don’t hug me in front of my friends” kind of expected manners-no biggie-I can roll with the phases. I know that some of you more experienced parents and those with more than one child are rolling your eyes at this “no big whup” update on LFG. I realize that many of you are saying “just wait old sport-you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

Ok, ok- I get where you are coming from but I’m good at denial. I thought that some of the moody brooding traits didn’t hit till eleven or twelve. My baby is still the sweetest most fun person on the planet but at nine and a half-some of the “next phase” of growing up behaviors are kicking in. She was indifferent about the die cast cars that I bought home from Florida. Even with the complementary back story about the Messerschmitt car replete with You Tube clips-all shown her before I unveiled the little car-she wasn’t very moved. 

Three years ago she would have squealed with delight and talked about it for the rest of the day. As one sympathetic parent told me…”You and your role with LFG aren’t going to be replaced-it will just be rearranged”. Got it. But I ain’t gotta like it.
Thank goodness my Valentines gift bag for LFG represented a decent recovery after the die cast car delivery fell a bit flat. 
Please realize that its' not all fun and games over here. We spent seven grueling minutes making flashcards for reinforcing the revisionist history of our great Country's founding. Shut up Pilgrim. Dig the lime green footies. We stole 'em from Aunt Tootie.
The snow will not melt. The Baltimore-Washington corridor has become Buffalo South. 
The piles of snow have made pedal and auto navigation an often harrowing endeavour if you aren't on main roads. 
And Old Town Alexandria is an early 18th century hamlet which means we have a lot of little lanes and roads that aren’t “main”. Some have yet to see a plow.
So I needed to do a bit of homeless trad man layering. Camel hair was requisite but not my overcoat. The snow is dirty and I didn’t want to drag it through the ice-muck. Nor did I want to check it at the Newseum.
Flusser kerchief-JCrew zip neck sweater from a zillion years ago assure adequate neck dressing. Redneck dressing.
Merkin went with us-manifest in my pocket square. Still humbled by the gesture.
Dark brown David Saxby flat front cords-by far my best London procurement.
Decided to take a break from Red Wing boots and Bean Hunting boots. Bluchers remained a good choice only because I was careful where I stepped.
I think I mentioned that it's been years since I've darkened the doors of a barber shop. And yes, it's time for a haircut. I'll just snip off all the rogue outcroppings around this cap and I'm good for another month. Shut up.
The Newseum was our Valentine’s Day venue and I highly recommend it. We spent over four hours there with DG…Lily’s best friend and my favorite of all her United Nations Diversity gang. 
They both cut a demo clip as News Reporters. DG choosing a West Wing White House report and LFG choosing a Woodstock Anniversary spot. The Newseum folks type their names into the teleprompter computer. 
The kids then do a dry run and then cut the real video-about a 45 second spot. Five bucks later you have a photo and a link to download the live report.
Parking on the street is an absurd idea. The parking spaces are all plowed in so I relented and parked in a nondescript garage. I knew it was too good to be true when I rolled into a space almost as soon as we descended into the bowels of some building. Alas, I was encroaching on the moorings of the Argentine Navy. We all three got a chuckle out of it.
Johnny Rockets in Georgetown was our co-parenting hand-off destination. LFG’s mother joined us for valve closing-cardio killing fare. Of course LFG and I had the chili laden offerings-why go to Johnny Rockets and order anything else? I don’t even use a menu when ordering. I simply admonish them to “kill us”. LFG’s mom of course had BLT-no mayo-Rye bread-not toasted. Hell, I don’t want to live that long. LFG's sartorial proclivities are troubling. 
I've tried to reason with her my suggesting that she use my choices of color and texture as a guide. She laughed.
Ok…I’ve gotta get to work. I’m gonna post something provocative about my other half price britches-the green moleskins. Can’t wait to hear the response on these-before I send them to Uncle Neugene.

Onward-Pastily in the snow.
ADG and LFG

22 comments:

Pat said...

Love the mustard yellow trousers and the green moleskins, but hey, I live on the Eastern Shore of MD. and that is how we roll. Especially when said pants belonged to great uncle Elmer and were dug out of the closet after a 30 year internment.

TWJ said...

ADG,
Love the cords and socks. Every year around the colder months the RED cords with shield come out. My kids look and just say, "it's ok, he'll be fine, just smile at him and he won't know the difference." As for the "phases", girls and boys are different. I have two of each. But the girls, no matter the phases, always come back to "Daddy".
TWJ

CeceliaMc said...

I'm honored that you enjoyed the piped piper appellation. I'm glad too that you ascertained that it was meant in the spirit of one beauty lover to another.

Daughters go through a stage in adolescence where they pretend they don't know you while in public, to one where they're all over you when they're older.

My daughter now holds my hand in the car, in restaurants, at the picture show, and walks arm and arm with me down a city street.

I pretend nonchalance, but inside it's...what's your word... bliss?

Oh yeah, "bliss" is on the money.

Gail, in northern California said...

Oh dear. It's painful but you're rapidly approaching,
"Dad, I'm not a baby anymore."

Trust me; years from now she'll still have that little Porsche pulling the trailer and she'll consider it one of her treasures.

JMW said...

Bought my husband the hoof pick belt like the one in your last photo - great accessory. I actually like your mustard pants. Perhaps because I have similar cords in orange. Great for fall, but tired of being asked if I'm a Tennessee fan. :)

ilovelimegreen said...

ADG- Told you to watch out for when LFG gets sophisticated...but that shot of her in the goofy glasses is fabulous!

Just don't wear a green jacket-shirt-sweater with the green moleskin trousers- otherwise folks will call you the Jolly Green Giant.

James said...

DO NOT SEND THE MUSTARD CORDS INTO EXILE!If you like them that's good enough. You know you make the clothes not the other way around. As for your baby, I have no half-assed words of wisdom. It still makes a little ache 20 years later. You old boy are doing a top drawer job on both child and clothes!
This collection of photos is among your best, thanks!

Patsy said...

LFG may be growing up a little faster than a counterpart who lives in a less cosmopolitan environment.

You also don't treat her as though being a child makes her less of an interesting companion.

The scarf/tee shirt combo is pretty bad, though.

Michael1style said...

Hello, I've now run into someone has it just as bad (probably worse) as I do! I can only your closet. Love your sense of style... it's always nice to see a fellow "clothes horse" who appreciates color.

I'm also in the DC metro area, and you look familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, stay stylish, and remember... life is good, but living is better!

Schorsch said...

Green moleskins = yes

Schorsch said...

Unless they're 36 waist, and at least 32 inseam, in which case I must dispose of the heretical items in a secret ceremony.
/obligatory grifting

Anonymous English Female said...

ADG - My comment regarding your mustard cords and the pizza was merely an observation, in fact disguised admiration, It's that old English irony thing you Amrican's don't quite get... As for the green moleskins - they're fabulous! - don't even think of trashing them before St Patrick's Day!
LFG - not to be underestimated - I think Marc Jacobs would be truly inspired...

Anonymous said...

Mr. Green Jeans, how I have missed you! For those of you too young to get the reference, Mr. Green Jeans was the sidekick of 1950s TV's Captain Kangaroo.

First Ronald McDonald, now Mr. Green Jeans—is there a pattern to this colorful behavior? (We won't even mention the Howdy Doody boots.)

Hallie

ADG said...

Pat...I think my Aunt Tootie used to run around with your Uncle Elmer a little bit.

TWJ...thanks. I hope so.

CeceliaMc...it's the inside bliss that makes the non-bliss ponderances so daunting. Thanks.

Gail...I hope so.

JMW...thanks. The belt is the bomb.

LimeGreen...thanks as always. I'll never be accused of being "giant".

James...as always, thanks for the affirmation.

Patsy...."You also don't treat her as though being a child makes her less of an interesting companion..." I never have-mainly because I can't imagine being happier than when I'm hanging out with her.

Mike1Style...thanks.

Schorsch...thanks. Can't help you size wise.

AnonEng...Jacobs? Hell, I'm sending LFG to you.

Hallie...I forgot all about Mr. Greenjeans.

Anonymous said...

The black and white picture of you here

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y1AaCCgGLDs/S3qb5ylmoHI/AAAAAAAADuM/pwbf5rzloL4/s1600-h/layers2b.jpg

made me LOL to no end, and I'm not prone to doing so, especially not on trad style blogs. But for some reason it made me envision a homeless man in dire need of a haircut trying to steal an entire winter wardrobe from a discount rack at a Polo/BB outlet, all while averting his eyes from the black and white security camera in the corner.

If your "fuzzy dice" clothes get any fuzzier they're going to need a haircut even more badly than you!

BMO'C said...

So, I can't tell you how much I did the green moleskinds but not nearly as much as the yello cords. So, quick question for ya: what is your time limit for wearing said pants (and other Fall/Winter GTH pants - specifically cords). I recently got a great deal (even better than your 50% off) on two pairs - one yellow (bright, yield sign yellow) and a light blue. They are wide wale so I can't wear them too late into the Spring. So, when should I mothball them?

Thanks.

ADG said...

Luke....man! Y'all have been on me like a rat on a damn Cheeto this week...it's all good...I deserve it.

BMO'C...it depends on where you live. Here in the Mid-Atlantic I'd wear both of those pair you mention all the way through April. If you had the pinwale cords...early May would be ok as long as it's not too warm.

Capt. Mike said...

I admire a man who can laguh at himself now and then, and I'm glad to see that you know we poke fun because we care.

Good job not pissing off the Argentine Navy - recall that they held the upper hand against Her Majesty's armada for two and a half months back in '82, so they're pretty tough. Also, the subsequent beat-down really stung and they've been looking for someone to beat up since.

I could easily see LFG's hat on an Olsen sister- you could sell a million of them and let her pay for her own college.

BTW: I have the same green moleskin, which I refer to as my Tormé trousers - because when I wear them I am "The Velvet Frog."

Kathie Truitt said...

Don't listen to 'em! You're a southerner. You're supposed to wear color. It's your birthright.

I went to LL Bean last weekend and bought a pair of cords just like your brown ones. Not sexy, I know, but I think I'm past that. I prefer comfort and warmth, which reminds me - I am sick to death of this snow. Seriously.

Don't you worry about LFG. She will always love you. Heck I'm 47 and my family still teases me that I'm 'obsessed' with my father. I still spoil him. It will always be that way for you, too so don't you worry.

Easy and Elegant Life said...

The Velvet Frog! Beautiful.

Hold on to the moleskins, by all means.

Yeah, my little Miss, age 5, won't wear half of what I pick out for her. Dark colours are, apparently, for boys. Girls wear lots of lime green, red and pink.... sometimes at the same time.

LPC said...

And you can rotate quotes. I'd be honored to be associated with bougie excess. Except that of course, with my all that education, I thought you meant candle in French.

ADG said...

LPC...Can't rotate the quotes baby. Yours is way too stellar. And...I DO have an excess of candles. Candles, candles everywhere. No middle class prole here.