dream vs. reality

The dream:
The reality:

Your Daily Shoe Porn

From our friends at Zappos.com - here's the Kenneth Cole Whipstitch.

Tonic Shirts

[PHOTO: Courtesy of Moss Brothers of London, we have this very nice hidden button long sleeve dress-casual tonic shirt. Thank you, Moss. Now please send me five. My neck size is approximately 18.]


I've found a few of these via Geoffrey Beene, Donna Karan/DKNY, Liz Claiborne, Kenneth Cole, Structure, and a few other obscure and/or nondescript department store labels. Generally the two tones brought to bear are the standard (copper + slate blue = a sort of shimmery, almost metallic violet) - although one of them comes together as rose and tourquoise to offer a sort of dark magenta - at the moment I have, I don't know, two or three long sleeve dress shirts and one polo.

It used to be you had to scour thrift stores like a lunatic in order to score the occasional ill-fitting, threadbare tonic blazer with missing buttons etc. The advent of the tonic dress shirt is, at least to me, somewhat revelatory. The goddamned things go with any damn thing you please. They sort of are a diabolical secret weapon - you can have the most prosaic gray outfit and throw in one of these, WHA-AM! All of a sudden, you have style.

I'd like some tonic dress socks now, please......

details: the double button collar

i have a very nice 2-button collared dress shirt (black with gold diagonal pinstripe, in a stretch blended fabric) that is very unusual, which inspired me to go a-googling....apparently these are considered a (what else?) peculiarly italian conceit of clothing. and of course! who else but claudio seems to be on the ball. it's like the bloke reads my mind. if i win the big lottery he's going to dress me from now on, head to toe.



hawes and curtis have one similar to mine in cut - the lining is also interesting.

dickies black lined eisenhower jacket

My partner insisted I ditch the rather worn-looking black military-styled field jacket I wrote about earlier, and suggested I put on this instead. Almost perfect condition, yard sale price: $3.

Apparently, this is now "regulation" punk rock gear, so there is that.

better late than never!

Okay, we're already almost halfway into 2009 and the posts have been mighty sparse. Let's ramp things up then and get opinionating!

I was interested to see the announcement about the Fred Perry 100th Anniversary line, particularly the collaborative/co-branding angles which were all very cool: Raf Simons, Vespa, Paul Weller, Terry Hall and The Specials to name a few. Everyone knows that the classic Fred Perry tennis jersey is right up near the top of my "please give me free stuff for writing about it" wishlist next to the classic Baracuta jacket, Italy's own DNA Groove [link to men's shoes, but man oh man could I ever spend money on their other stuff!], Munsingwear's "Original Penguin", Ben Sherman, and the only jeans that matter - in other words, stuff I'd wear if I could afford it, and until then have to be content with thrift store castoffs. I've found all of the above in thrift stores EXCEPT anything by FP - for that I'd have to brave the waters of eBay, and I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying clothing over the internet if I can help it.

[And if you're sending me free stuff - i'll take L to XL please. Shoe size 10 1/2 American. Pants size, well, that's rather personal.....I'd have to get to know you better.]

FP Granddad Collar Dress, D3762

Good Lord, you can practically see her.........

Edie Sedgewick would be proud.

The Fred Perry E-Store. Go buy something.