Trad-Ivy Tuesday…

…will probably be Trad-Ivy Thursday this week. I still haven’t caught up with my post Puerto Rico and post business travel last week, world. I feel like I’ve caught the last rung of the ADG fire truck ladder as it exited the station to reengage in the post LFG vacation world and I’m just kinda holding on, flapping in the wind, trying to inch my way back up to the driver’s seat. I think I just characterized my life in general. So how 'bout some randomanalia in the guise of reader questions?

Carolina Style asked…"Hope all is well, I come to you with more questions all mightysartorial one. Where about did you acquire your linen cowboy shirt, how much does it cost to have a d-ring made up by Flusser, and where can I acquire horse hair bracelets at a decent price?"

Ok. I can’t remember how much the Flusser belts are and there prices might have inched a little higher over the years. I bought these three over about a three year interval. Once you buy the hardware—or not—if you have D or O rings that you are happy with, the price for the strap is a little bit less. The Brethren and others sell alligator straps without buckles for north of $350 bucks so you can expect these tastier straps to be north of $500 bucks I suspect. And the ostrich goods are no less expensive. Poor birds.

The linen cowboy shirt is from J. Crew. They offered it about five summers ago and it was/is a unique animal. Like all linen, by the afternoon of its wearing, the desired bags—sags—wrinkles and linenesque nuances are in full form and for some reason, even more so with this shirt. Some of the J.Crew/Banana Republic linen shirts are made from cheap linen and it becomes apparent after a few hours of wearing. The bag—sag—wrinkle trifecta looks more like a wadded up paper bag as opposed to the hoped for nuanceticated undulationesque characteristics of better linen. That’s fancy talk for the fact that I loved this shirt so much that I bought two of them. After they went on sale I grabbed a backup for half price, knowing that I wouldn’t see something this fuzzy anytime soon. It’s kinda giddy-up meets Noel Coward and Ian Fleming in Jamaica. Yep, I’ve had coffee and chocolate this morning.

So where can you get one? You can’t. But if you want to spend a few hundred bucks, find someone who offers made to measure shirtings from Individualized Shirts and I bet they’ll make one up for you.

Horse hair bracelets…Of all the wrist junk…and historically, most of it has come from LFG…that I wear, this one is the most meaningful to me. Mark “Puerto” Rykken and his family travelled several years ago to the Galapagos as well as a few countries in South America. He and his sons picked up a few of these from local women who make and sell them and he was kind enough to give me one. I’ve had this one on my wrist for about five years. Last time I was handcuffed I told the officer to watch the horse hair bracelet or I’d have to use my pimp hand on him. I get attached to things in sentimental ways. Shut up. Oh, and where can you find them? Try eBay.

Someone also asked about the source of my shoddings. The cheap scuffs/slippers/espadrillians came from Urban Outfitters and they are about $25 bucks. Like espadrilles, these things for me end up being one or two season throwaways so why pay real money for them? And these things, with their rubber soles, seem to stay on my foot better than those ropey soled espadrille things that sag and bag in ways not are not as complementary as a linen shirt.

And another question about my watches came up. I’m on the record for not spending big bucks on watches. My favorite is a quartz—modern version of the Hamilton Seckron Duo Dial Doctors watch. Hamilton resurrected it about fifteen years ago but it's not on display here. I'm too lazy to find a decent photo of it. I'm intrigued by Doctor's watches and as I shared in a post a few years ago, I think it goes back to my undergrad days when I thrived as a freelance gynecologist.

My other favorites, of which I own three, are from Barrie Law at Waterman’s Watches in England. Go here and tell him I sent you. I’m wearing one of his watches in the photo above.

Ok, this is all I have the juice for right now. Thank you and have a lovely day.

ADG II