A Peek Behind the Curtain
Acquired Taste, vol 04
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Happy Super Bowl Sunday, to all those who celebrate. We do not and therefore are headed out to ski. Or as we call it here on the East Coast, ice luging on two legs.
In the last Acquired Taste, Jessica kicked off a series on the origins of our personal style. I’m continuing with a peek into mine today.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST STYLE MEMORIES AND INFLUENCES:
My father was a dapper dresser. Movies and TV. James Bond, Indiana Jones, Magnum PI. Cary Grant, Michael Caine, James Dean, Steve McQueen and many others.
MY STYLE AS A TEENAGER WAS…
The truth is I lived in a school uniform, which I loved. The uniform was white or blue button down shirt, khaki pants, leather shoes with socks and belt. A school tie was required with navy blazer for morning assembly. Because the uniform was so strict you had to find ways to make it your own. Bow ties were not sold in the uniform shop so I had a tailor make my school tie into a bow tie, usually tied hastily at the one traffic light on the way to school. I seldom disrobed without a class (wood shop, pottery or welding) that required it. Junior year the idea of blazer buttons with a school crest was inspired by the Ben Silver catalog that arrived in the mail. The Charleston based shop is a classic shop for timeless quality menswear, but the catalog offered mail or phone order blazer buttons licensed with college crests. My proposal was approved by the headmaster, who saw this as a perfect donor gift, and he gifted me the first pair.
The uniform taught me to have a tight group of HFGs and to make them stand out as my own. It also taught me to be comfortable in a jacket and tie all day no matter what I was doing.
The simplicity of this timeless wardrobe was perfect and it looked acceptable everywhere. The uniform was ideal for the jobs I had during those years and it continued to be a mainstay into college when I added more color to my shirts and pants. Otherwise I shopped the JCrew sale rack and leered longingly at finer men’s stores. At some point my father gifted each of his boys a custom dress shirt. It turned out to be a gateway drug.
MY STYLE PET PEEVE IS…
Banality. The dreary blandness of dressing like everyone else. To go through life as a facsimile of another person, indistinguishable from others. Also, the increasing casualness everywhere you turn. Dressing up is enjoyable when you find the clothes that fit properly. For me at least, my spirit is lifted and my confidence boosted come what may.
Life is THE occasion. Dress for it every day. It doesn’t always have to be your finest, but it could be if you choose.
THE ONE THING I WEAR EVERY DAY IS…
Underwear.
I AM ALWAYS TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT VERSION OF…
The penny loafer. This is by far my favorite shoe. I’m always looking for that perfect fit. I’ve designed a few over the years with success. But I’m always pursuing the shoe that is just casual enough to go with shorts, but dressy enough with a casual suit, comfortable enough for endless walking on cobblestone, while durable and recraftable.
MY FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP IS…
I love to peruse more than shop. If a place is unique to a locale I’m likely to take a deeper look. I don’t really like shopping but I like to look. I enjoy the experience of a well run establishment with trained, helpful and friendly staff. I’ve learned to only buy stuff that inspires me. Authentically crafted originals or classics, things that can’t be found just anywhere. One of the most memorable experiences was Buly 1803 in Paris. It’s a slow shopping experience in the best way. The staff is impeccably dressed in black uniform dresses with lace collars. Knowledgeable and attentive does not begin to describe their training. Your selections are wrapped with care and labelled with hand calligraphy. Truly an experience from the pages of a Waugh novel.
MY MOST MEMORABLE CULTURAL INFLUENCE…
My most memorable is probably my most shocking. Daytona 500. This was a work trip. Maybe that was more like culture shock. It was a sea of barely dressed sweaty sticky humanity. I felt like Michael Caine in Ms. Congeniality. It was not my scene.
I had a good bit of culture growing up and in my early adulthood. My parents were older. They loved to travel, enjoyed theater, ballet, concerts. Nothing has taught me to appreciate more life than travel. Immersion in something or some place unfamiliar breaks down our preconceived notions. The momentary discomfort offers insight about yourself, the beings with whom we are sharing this blip in time and how unique life is. That’s the marrow of life. It can shake us free of pretensions and feed the soul.
I WOULD TRADE CLOSETS WITH…
Gianni Agnelli. I appreciate his aesthetic. He had a utilitarian air about him. He was a man on the move. He always looked great and kept it simple. The attention to detail in his handmade garments honored the craft and culture he championed as Italy’s L’Avocatto. His style was defined through ordinary clothes personalized with small,, unique details and the specific way he wore them. From the slopes of St. Moritz to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball, he was an icon of graceful elegance. Combat boots with a suit, that was him.
I LIKE TO COLLECT…
Memories. I’m not really a collector. I have a few items I’ve kept with me for sentimental reasons. I have a few pocket knives, but it isn’t a collection so much as the spoils of hunting for the perfect one. The same thing goes for fountain pens, but they have more of a circumstantial based utility. Same for eyewear. I guess I would ultimately rather have one perfect thing well loved and used than 50 that gather dust.
MY FAVORITE PLACE IN NEW YORK IS…
I’ll second Jessica’s Campbell apartment. La Grenouille - now gone. My first visit was as a child while visiting my older brother who worked in the city. But the real memory was sharing bubbly and soufflé at their gorgeous alabaster bar with Jessica before I popped the question.
FOR BREAKFAST I EAT…
I’m not a morning person, so 2-3 double espressos and a liter of water. Over the years it was a Greek yogurt, then it was green juice…but old faithful is 3 scrambled eggs with toast.
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST IN THE DIGITAL AGE…
Expertise. Real knowledge that has been tried and tested…not this hot take, armchair quarterback nonsense that so pervades our world. And kindness. Empathy really. Genuine acceptance and understanding for the hardships of the human experience.
MY LEAST FAVORITE TRAIT…
There are many. Self-doubt. I’m awful at self promotion, an unhelpful trait for my trade. It usually comes across as boast rather than substance. Procrastination takes the cake. It’s awful. It’s a struggle that sometimes prevents my best from materializing.
THE PERSON, LIVING OR DEAD, I WISH I WERE MORE LIKE…
I wish I had the wit of Oscar Wilde or Benjamin Franklin. I quite like Mr. Franklin. My mother says I’m a renaissance man, though only perhaps because that’s how I would like to be. Franklin did so much with his life in so many disciplines. It’s hard not to admire the curiosity and drive behind his accomplishments. Otherwise I believe it’s hard enough just to be oneself these days.
WHERE DO I FIND INSPIRATION…
Travel is #1. Old films. Art usually inspires color palettes and shapes.
THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I’VE EVER HEARD IS…
Truly this one was hard. My dad’s advice on dressing for the life you want is probably the most applicable here.
You can never be over dressed or over educated. - Oscar Wilde
Normality is a paved road. It’s easy to walk on, but now flowers grow there. - Van Gogh
Be careful who you trust. Salt and sugar look the same.
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Assuming you meant James Dean the late actor and not James Deen the um, adult film star.
Mr Agnelli…..swoon….🩵