Happy St. Patrick's Day

…from my green Edward Greens and last Sunday’s New York Times. It’s been an unusual week and thus it took me till this morning to get to it and through it. I kinda miss reading an actual “paper” paper.

And just a quick bit of St. Patrick’s Day randomanalia for you…

This madness MUST stop. I thought that a third round of dating photo snarkiness would turn the tide. It may take a fourth round given the evidence above. I discovered this breath taker yesterday. So, without any pride in the effort—trust me—I’ve now begun yet another file to collect these …what shall I call them? … “Teaching—learning” examples for us all. Stay damn tuned. Oh, and for a good number of you, I might well call these the “I sure am glad I’m married” photos. Oy.

The Duke and Duchess have been “done” and done and done, in my opinion…book-wise. Kinda like Churchill, Robert E. Lee, the Civil War and scores of other topics. But admittedly, I’m probably gonna read this one. Might the gal from Smalltimore have saved Britain from an impending national tongue of a Germanic lilt? I’m tisk-tisking less at the thought.

To further the randomanalia this morning. I love the Yuketen croc mocs above. Kind of an industrial version of my old Polo ones.

But these little Yuketen babies are a bit much. Even for my Belgian and slipper wearing self. Shut.

Can we get any more random? Sure. Here’s a young Merkin the collector…in windowpane. R.I.P.

And a cool little ink-wash sketch of Whistler. By my other favorite … Carlo Pellegrini. Buy it for me. I’m broke.

Ok, I’m off to the tub for a soak. NOT a hot tub. It’s been three days and I’m  gamey. 

Onward

ADG, II

The Mouse Fart Chronicles…And Cordovan

It still seems like a good idea…a reasonable compromise. Then there’s always theory versus practice…a twain within which I actually earn my living so you would think I’d know better. But my loden green cordovan shod self practiced it a moment ago and my first pass at actualization didn't go well. In my haste to embrace—my hurry to scriven (scriven probably was but definitely is a word now. Shut up) the old fashioned way…pen to paper…I ordered a Five Year Journal.

Butcept I didn’t take the time to assess the dimensions. It’s a tiny little book and there’s about enough room to write half an ADG’s thumb worth of profundity at best. My handwriting is kinda reflective of the ADD man I am…I can’t write tiny. I don’t think, feel or imagine tiny so this ain’t gonna cut it. I can’t chronicle a mouse fart on the lines provided much less anything else. I suppose an upside to this little vehicle is that I’d never be able to write anything with enough flourish to worry about my mama reading it and then vapor locking on me.

Here’s proof. But I’m not gonna give up on the Five Year Journal idea…It suits me. I just ordered a larger one and we’ll see if its spatialosity is such that I can profundicate suitably. Stay tuned.

Oh, and someone reminded me that this used to be a blog about clothes and shit. So here. Have another take on cordovan…cigar and corduroy.

Patinating nicely I'd say. LFG patinated at nine months. We remain astonished.

And the trousers here aren't just any corduroy swathing. Here's horizontality’s maiden debut for 2011. Rumble strips I imagine them…since they are going sideways. Speed bumps for my britches. And if anyone’s britches needed slowing down, courtesy of a horizonticated vibratory prod, it would be me.

Oh. And there’s cowboy boots here too.

Onwardish. 

ADG II

Patina

If I had to sum up my intrigue with shell cordovan in one word, it would be patina. And I’m challenged to sum-up, posit, declare, announce, report, rebut, exclaim, disclaim, denounce or profund anything in one word. Patina. With a gleam. Translucent Patination if I'm afforded two words. I’m also reminded of Patina Johnson. A gal I could never get a date with in High School. Then again, I could rarely get a date with anyone in High School butcept Roxanne Burgess.

But that’s what it is…Patina. I told you the story about seeing a pair of Horween color 8 Weejuns when I was in college and trying to shine/buff/polish/admonish my leather Weejuns to preen shiny in the same way. It won’t happen folks. You have to swath your dogs in horsehide to get the gleam. Gleam gettin. Yep, that’s the rationale for plunking down the dough.

Tintin who fronts my other blog said that he was taught by an old Brooks guy at CasaBrethren to offer new shell cordovans a first coat of polish in black. I get that. A contrasting colour taunts the original vegetable dyed patinatinaterishness to preen conflicted with a swirl of different colouring. The trick with any polish applied to shell cordovan is to apply a stingy amount. The shells are impregnated with secret Horween sauces in which they’d been soaking for ages. Don’t over anoint them with anything.

I got an email the other day from a reader who has a storage unit adjacent to the Horween tannery in Chicago. He told me that he can smell the aroma of Horween’s broth when he’s in said storage unit. When he mentioned that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if his belongings took on a permanent smell of Horween Potpourri, it caused me to think of other options. I’d be tunneling my way in to the Horween hide-bathing locale. After a couple of midnight skinny dips in the century old secret brine, a private patina…a dermal depth might manifest. And my peeps would say… "ADG, you look shiny—and rested.”

My green-loden-vert Yuketens are en route. I keep checking the UPS tracking number every five minutes. I don’t think they’ll make it before LFG and I decamp to South Carolina for Thanksgiving but we’ll see.

Onward. In solitude for another little while. Before my girlfriend wakes.

ADG, II and LFG, the Only.

Yuketen Green Cordovan Update

Oh happy day…leastways in a few more weeks. Here’s the update from Yuketen…

Hi D________,

Thank you again for your patience as we await your loafers to arrive.  I have received information that your shoes should be here with me in the office by the end of next week which means I can send you an invoice most likely during the 3^rd week of November.

Once again, we appreciate your patience and please let me know if I can answer any questions or concerns.

In the meantime, I will contact you in the next week or two for payment so that the shoes can be promptly shipped out to you once they have passed inspection.

Have a pleasant day!

Kind regards,

Paul __________________

www.yuketen.com

Ah, it all started when Cannonball sent me a link to this picture. After that, it was all over. The folks at Yuketen have been over the top conscientious in handling my passionate request to add one more pair to their manufacturing run. Alas, there wasn’t another pair to be added. But they didn’t blow me off. They had me trace my foot in addition to inquiring about my shoe size. They sent me a pair of try-on Yuketens to assure that their sizing and my size presumptions were aligned. They commissioned another loden green shell from Horween and all along, kept thanking me for my patience. Are you kidding me? It’s a pleasure to find artisans so committed not only to a unique and absurdly high quality product, but to courtesy and customer service that so far, has been superb.

If money wasn’t an issue, my next Yuketen commissions would be in rank order, the following…..

The Cherry Cordovan Moc

The Navy Cordovan Moc

And the ultimate of Moc-ery. The CrocoMoco

The Yuketen folks operate out of Hermosa Beach. Looks like I’ll be at a little place nearby called Shutters on the Beach about the same time my shoes roll in. Maybe I’ll just swing by and pick ‘em up in person. I've not had any work assignments that found me in Southern California in a while and I'll take a few R&R days while there. I'm looking forward to it.

Onward. GreenlodoCordovanishly

ADG, II