Friday Sartorial Randomanalia and Body Jewelry Redux

Greetings from the Maxminimus Global Nerve Center. Handling some Friday odds and ends before gearing up for the big LFG weekend. Just call me Chauffeur Daddio. Christmas Cotillion tonight-Alexandria Scottish Walk in the morning-Trim the Tree Party in the afternoon…daddies aren’t invited. The Alexandria Holiday Parade of Boats Saturday night and the LFG-ADG Christmas tree procurement on Sunday. Stay tuned as I should have one heck of a weekend update for you on Monday.

 LFG and I did a collage for our 2009 Holiday card. Email us your mailing address if you want one.

So, how about some sartorial randomness till Monday ok? First I’m pleased to say that the back issues of The Rake Magazine arrived. I’ll report more on the magazine later but I can tell you for now that it’s top rate in terms of layout-materials-as well as content. I worry though for the future of any print media these days.

Sharp Suits also arrived. I’m not disappointed since my expectations weren’t too high. It’s long since been reconciled that I’m biased but the Flusser and Bernhard Roetzel books pretty much have the sartorial erudition-mission complete.

 I took a quick gander at it and snapped a few images for you. Here's one of you know who...replete in yet another interpretation of windowpane.

Check out the blades on this vintage Ralph image. I bet he'd probably soften the shoulders on this contrivance today. 

In the spirit of giving the green flannel blazer another go-I donned it yesterday with jeans. Two things are going to help mitigate my inability to figure out how to rig this baby. 

First, the other buttons are en route from Flusser and that should help matters a bit. Second, I have so rarely worn this coat that the “new” remains fully part of this garment. LFG will do some grape stomping on it for me this weekend in an effort to further the cause.

Today its Levis 501s-Flusser navy with light gray windowpane…peak lapels three-two roll and pleated open patch pockets. 

Step back please. There's nothing here that concerns you.

Alden shell cordovans with cashmere blend yellow socks. No extree charge for the little pills on the hosiery-just take 'em with a full glass of water-thank you. Shut up.

On a final note before I turn you over to Body Jewelry redux…I had dinner the other night at Bistrot du Coin and I’m facing this completely out of context little tin sign on the wall. I think it’s a cruel joke of fate to make me stare at this numeric reminder of my current state of celibacy.

Onward…at sixty nine miles per hour.

ADG

Body Jewelry

Kinda like the old Brylcream slogan…”A little dab'll do ya”. Wearing body jewelry is a bit like wearing cowboy boots. It’s a perilous endeavour and a slippery slope, even for the most facile participant. Be careful. Be very careful.We don’t use much of it around here. Other than one pierced nipple anchoring a simple gold loop, we have a watch, a ring and a necklace. A simple gold chain holds a cross and a Masonic talisman. My sister gave me the cross when I was in high school and I’ve worn it ever since. It has bite marks on it-I used to have a nervous habit of clinching it between my teeth while taking tests in college. I know, Freud would have a field day with that one. The Masonic charm belonged to my grandfather. And yes, before the question is asked, I am a Mason. I wouldn’t wear the emblem if I wasn’t.
My code says that other than a wedding band, you may wear one ring…ONLY. Mine is a carnelian crest ring. I opted for something a bit more unique than the typical gold crest ring. My family crest includes a double wide, some plastic flamingos and a lion with his mane cut in a Billy Ray Cyrus mullet. You know, “business up front-party in the back”. I had a black onyx fraternity ring in college. I never wanted my college ring…ours looked too much like high school.
My watches are reasonably priced tank watches…duo dials…I’ve posted about them before. Leather or grosgrain watchbands. My wrists are too skinny for metal bands and clunky watches.Now, regarding pinky rings. I’d say that there is about .001% of the population who can pull this look off and most of them have titles and live over “there”. Don’t even try it. Nothing good will come of it.

Remember, less is more. And no, I don't have, nor intend to have anything pierced. Maybe I'll risk my heart again one day but that's about it on the piercing front

Top Drawer Stuff

Just rolled in from Chicago on a smaller than usual plane-felt like I was in an H1N1 capsule. As much as I travel and spend time sequestered on planes I feel like it’s just a matter of time before the viral spore hits me. The smaller planes are packed-I’m glad that airlines remain solvent but they've become an incubator for vicious virus congregation. On second thought-I’m too damned mean and cranky after two days of work to be a good host for a virus.

I don’t wear suits and ties too much anymore so most of the things in my accessories box spend more time entombed therein that out and about. I have another quasi junk drawer where this and another couple of boxes live. When packing for Chicago the other day I opened the boxes and saw good fodder for a post.

I thrive on memories and there are a few nuggets in here that take me way back. My wedding band is in here. I have a box of things for LFG and if and when she wants them I’ll pass them over to her-my wedding band included. I want her to know that there was a time when her mother and I had a good connection-one that was equally yoked at least for a period of time long enough to yield this incredible gift from God-LFG.

My maternal grandfather's pocket watch.

Vintage Cuff Snaps

There’s also something in the box that I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing but I just can’t seem to discard it or sell it for scrap gold. It is testimony to why I beg my family and have always admonished girlfriends to NOT try to buy me a watch or jewelry. I don’t wear much jewelry and chances are if you buy me something I’m not gonna like it. I don’t wear watches with metal bands/bracelets because my wrists are small and I don’t like the scale. The Rolex thing is lost on me-unless we are talking 1930’s Prince with a leather band. So if you look closely you’ll see elements of a gold rope bracelet slinking around the other items in there. A lovely-nice-stunning woman gave me that for Christmas almost twenty years ago. I was aghast. Too disco for me.

My Lee-Jackson cuff links live here. Wore them to the Union League Club in Chicago years ago. Kinda liked taking my Southern boys into that club with me. I can tell that they are Lee and Jackson. Most wouldn’t be able to. These are gifts from one of my best buddies who is a native Virginian. Matter of fact, he called me tonight when I was in the airport in Chicago.

An old fraternity ring and my father’s signet ring. My mother gave it to me when he died. I’ve worn it from time to time and even though I had it sized to fit me-the scale is a bit much for my hands. LFG can have it one day.

Cuff links from London with the Vanity Fair image of the cricketer Lord Hawke. The print hangs in my bedroom. I also have a set somewhere that have the Vanity Fair image of Winston Churchill on them.  Hawke was typical in his view of amateurs versus professional cricketers in his day. Walter Hagen broke that same barrier for golfers in the States during the early 20^th century.  Hawke on professionals…."Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England. I love and admire them all, but we have always had an amateur skipper and when the day comes when we shall have no more amateurs captaining England it will be a thousand pities."

My uncle gave me this little Willie Wirehand lapel pin when I was a kid. I thought it was just the coolest thing and I wore it to church every Sunday when I was a little fella. He spent his entire professional life as an executive and lobbyist for rural electric cooperatives in several locations across the country.

When I first moved to Washington he was still coming here for work and we would always meet for dinner and he’d take me to some of the legislative things that interested me. Here’s some additional scoop on the mascot… 

“Willie Wirehand was created for use by rural electric cooperatives and public utility districts. Willy was a stick figure, with a lamp socket for a head, an electric plug for legs and feet, and wore gloves similar to those worn by farmers.”

Next month will be the one year anniversary of my uncle's death. I was a pallbearer-along with Willie Wirehand on my lapel.

My childhood pocket knives are in that old collar box that I bought at the Georgetown Flea market. I carried one all the time except when at school. Today that would be scandalous I suppose. The tiny one is a cheapie but I wouldn’t take anything for it. It was my first ever pocket knife-from my grandmother. I still have the massive scar on my left index finger where that Barlow knife took the end of it off. The tip was hanging on by the nailbed only. Hurt like a mother ____ when they sewed it back on. 

And finally-rolling around in the drawer are two great memories. The gearshift knobs from my MG Midget and my Triumph GT-6.

Onward. With Stuff.