Sunday, June 13, 2010

Love The Sinner-Hate The Sin: GTH Redefined

My trip to today’s Handlin’ is grounded in earth tones and monochromacity. To say that it’s antithetical to my June sartorial mores is an understatement. I’m doing this in honor of those who find most GTH contrivances an abomination. I’m also doing it because as much as I pay attention to what I wear, Jesus doesn’t care. He and his disciples dressed for comfort. Come to think of it, I do too but I just like a little more color and pattern than the boys from Galilee fancied. But if solid colors and earth tones were good enough for Jesus, they’re good enough for me—for one Sunday—one time—not forever—maybe never again—at least not in the summer.  
I’m reminded of some state or county official in Texas who when asked why he didn’t support funding for Bibles printed in Spanish said that … “if English was good enough for Jesus it oughta be good enough for everbody else”. EverBody—for some reason I’m thinking that would be a good name for board shorts or maybe even a surfboard line.

So this is my multivendor assemblage of things less GTH. Crocket and Jones for Polo, The Brethren, Flusser MTM courtesy of Southwick and back to Polo—Ralph to round out the belt and trousers. And other than the silk pocket handkerchief and my lycra thong, this rig is one hundred (or "hunderd" if that fella from Texas was sayin' it) percent linen.
Black linen trousers...these must be twenty years old. What was I thinking? I don't wear black trousers in the daytime butcept today...and black in the summer? Additional evidence of their age is manifest in the Deney Terrio Dance Fever "mini-cuff".
Linen...guaranteed to wrinkle. The perfect ADD man's fabric and also the manifest wrinkly metaphor for not giving too much of a shitake about precision and correctness. Worry unduly about such things and you'll end up looking overly crisp...the Adolphe Menjou syndrome I like to call it. Two buttons on the sleeve...an old WASP affectation seen routinely on jackets intended for the weekend.
As much as I loathe admitting it, the color palette connectivity of this mongrelosity really works well. Too bad I can't get my foot up around my open patch breast pocket when I have all of this on. I'm going to church, not hot yoga. The reason for going to church is to seek forgiveness for scores of impure thoughts manifest peri-Bikram. Peri Bikram...a post Raj lounge singer perhaps?
And finally, I picked up my dry cleaning yesterday and the reality is immutable. I am the antimonochromaticsolidcolornopatternrestraintlessismore man. Kinda like what Charlie Parker said about heroin..."you can get it out of my body but you can't get it out of my mind". 

Onward. Monochromatically for a day.

A D G


25 comments:

K.S.Anthony said...

Black and brown in town. Looks like a perfectly serviceable ensemble, old sport. NICE pocket hank.

Main Line Sportsman said...

Ah...I believe Jesus conversed in Hebrew Mr.Texas officious official.He was kinda off point in addition to ham-handing his diction.
Love that Linen for the oppressive humidity days.

Anonymous English Female said...

ADG - Apart from the shoes and the pocket square this is the most boring post you've written, EVER. Hope you got home and set fire to those pants.

Paul said...

Love black/brown or black/tan - Now I'd like a Guiness.

SouthernProletariat said...

ugh. Agree with Anonymous English.

Unfortunately, while not in TX, I have the misfortune of knowing men like ol' Tex...I live in the deep south....

Wear proper snake handlin clothes next time...remember Jesus preferred the "sinner" over the proper (and I am sure demurely dressed) Pharisee

Pigtown*Design said...

linen was perfect for yesterday... something like 90 degrees by 10 a.m. and 85% humidity. ugh.

W.Essex said...

I'll have to ask my dry cleaner if they'll do cellopahne wrap.

LPC said...

Restraint has its place. And shouldn't it be HUNNERT?

Anonymous said...

Dustin

A wry post indeed.

Illegitimi non Carborundum!

Regards,

Duc de Ann Arbor

JAM said...

Great post - great outfit. And, if you are color blind, it works perfectly... Or, if you are afraid of what others think... Or, if you are slightly less confident in your directional interest (and act manly to over-compensate for this buried insecurity)... Or, if you are color blind... Oh, I already said that...

Here's my take: If one has an eye for color and pattern - as, you indeed do, it is an affront to one's genius to walk around in blandness (with respect to the, I am sure, excellent cut and craftsmanship of the above mentioned garments).

'nuf said. (Of course, I defended the "oh so lovely 914..." so what the hell to I know anyway...

ilovelimegreen said...

ADG- I hope this monochromatic thing lasts just a day - and it seems more achromatic rather than monochromatic. Absence of color is a bit on the scary side for me.

And I agree with Anonymous English Female regarding this being your most boring post EVER and with LPC that it should be "hunnert" rather than "hunderd".

Anonymous said...

Nice shoes, nice belt- I have 'em too.
What really caught my eye in the first photo are the windowpane pattern sheets.

Anonymous said...

Oops! Delete the name-dropper, dude!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2

You did such a good job with the divorce essay I requested that now I have another humble request which is totally off this post. I drink scotch but need to do a nice small weekend party. I don't know brands of other liquors and do not want to appear cheap. Could you advise as to brands to buy in gin, vodka, bourbon and whatever else you think I need. I buy the really good scotch for sipping purposes but would prefer bottom of the top or top of the middle prices. Is that possible or do I have to go top of the top shelf? Then if you write this, all the comments can start a debate. Thank you in advance and I know you know this stuff because I see the martini glasses.

Anonymous Texan said...

No tie, back slidin toward Sodom & Gomorrah. Best church house story I ever heard is when they asked 10 year old Joan Robinson if she went to Sunday School, she replied that "She was goin to hell with her daddy". Certainly put the quietus on a doyenne's interrogatory. Enuff said.

Young Fogey said...

The 80s called--they want your pants back.

Black and brown--eww! Give me your horse-scaring, fainting-in-women-inducing, small-animal-stunning GTH monstrosities ANY day.

Speaking of hideous, yesterday, I saw someone who looked like the French's factory threw up on him. He was wearing a mustard-colored silk suit with a frock coat-like jacket that ended about 6" off the ground, with two self-faced buttons in the back that were about 6" from the bottom. He completed his ensemble with a mustard yellow V-neck sweater and mustard yellow loafers that were about 3 sizes too big.

Given the choice between curry-colored vomit and your blepharospasm-inducing GTH, I'll choose the twitchy eyes.

Gail , in northern California said...

I'm sorry but I don't agree with any these people.

Classic style through and through.

Main Line Sportsman said...

Yo Anon(2) party host...Gin: Tanqueray or Gordon's.
Vodka: Absolut or Stolichnaya
Bourbon: Wild Turkey or Jim Beam
Rum: Myers's Dark or Mount Gay
Tequila: Pick 'em...(not necessary really and Patron's too pricey and you really do not want fistfights amongst your party guests.)
Scotch: Glenfiddich, Abelour or Glenmorangie for Single Malt...J&B or Johnny Black for Blend.
2 kinds of beer...a lite and a pilsner...Coors and Pilsner Urquell
White and red wine
Mixers: Tonic,Club, Bitter Lemon,Coke, Ginger Ale as well as cranberry,orange and grapefruit juice..depending on time of day...Bloody mix and celery stalks
Lemon peel/twists, lime,orange slice and Maraschino Cherrys...olives and Angostura Bitters....bar/simple syrup.
Plenty of bagged ice
Roses Lime Juice and triple sec...
With that array you will have a properly stocked bar for most any party eventualities...
Sorry ADG...had to swing at that pitch while you were in the on-deck circle...do some of your light lifting...and I did own a Bar so I have some professional chops in this realm.
Hope that party is a smash...was my invite lost in the mail?

Anonymous said...

ADG,
It is nice to know that they have such a good gentleman supporting them during this difficult time.

~Hilton

Easy and Elegant Life said...

Anon2. I stock Famous Grouse for the big parties.

ADG, classic combination. Great pocket square. And I gotta love the dry cleaning shot.

Hope all's well in your neck of the woods.

Matt said...

I always heard that Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew, though I guess they are related.

More to the point that interests me, Why are the cleaned shirts so wrinkled on the right side of the placket? I could live with fold lines, but the wrinkles would drive me crazy. I can wash a shirt fine, I pay to have them cleaned because they do such a good job ironing them and starching stuff I want starched. I have never gotten my shirts boxed, but maybe I should to see if they come out like yours did. Folded would otherwise be nice for travel.

Nice outfit, a change is good once in a while. It keeps you out of the rut, I think.

Young Fogey said...

Matt,

Indeed, Jesus spoke Aramaic, which, being a Semitic language, is related to both Hebrew and Arabic, not to mention Amharic (spoken in Ethiopia) and ancient Akkadian (written in cuneiform but not related to Sumerian, for which cuneiform was developed).

The Old Testament is in Hebrew and Aramaic, while the language of the New Testament is, of course, Greek.

Any more questions for Mr. Language Man? ;-)

Sandra said...

. . . Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.
“They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.”

{Sorry I couldn't resist that quote when I saw the pic of your shirts! Love that picture by the way}
Hope you've had a great few days. I'm way behind in my reading!! I have wedding pics posted :-)

xoxo

Debi said...

@ Preppy 101 and Young Fogey - Be still my literary, language-loving heart! Both of you made my morning!

AEF said...

Anon Party Host - don't forget a Vermouth. If my host can't mix a Negroni I'll settle for a Gin and It. Then you mix Manhattan's too. As for gin - Bombay Sapphire. I think it's better to offer a selection of gin's as you would whisky's. Mixers - Schweppes full fat.

(Where's Laguna Beach Trad when we need him??)