WHO what where when how why I thought I might share my influences of how my affinity for American Classic Timeless Menswear has developed over the past 50 plus years if anyone is interested😴. In this first of a series of posts I thought I might start with WHO as in who have been my influencers. Naturally the many bosses and mentors at the three clothing firms (Bob Hunts, McCalls And Harold’s ) shaped my views more than anyone, but in order to make this post relatable I thought I would point out a few icons that virtually everyone should know. Let’s start with the more recent and work backwards. G. Bruce Boyer-this author of multiple style books and former writer for Town and Country has become the consummate expert on what denotes classic timeless menswear. He is featured on sites such as Ben Silver, J. Press, and The UK’s Permanent Style to name a few. Whenever I see a picture of Boyer I think three things, • I would wear exactly what he has on, • he exudes that fantastic Americana Sprezzatura look of comfort in a tailored outfit, and • he ain’t a movie star-so maybe just maybe I could look that cool myself. I love his subtle style tweakes like buttoning a cardigan with only two buttons , or leaving a waist coat’s top and bottom button undone, or his use of boldly colored socks in an otherwise mundane outfit, or his use of tattersalls and a complete nonchalant view of tucking his smaller tie blade into the tie keeper or not. His art is in the minutiae. He has exactly the style of dress we at Harold’s would have identified as a Harold’s man: Confident, comfortable, well put together. Here is an example of the brilliance of his writing: https://pin.it/1XOJcW62R Ralph Lauren- the Man who saved Menswear. My first experience with RL clothing was at Harold’s. At a former store we sold Izods (or Lacrosse) polos. Back then there were several knock-offs but no one had the fit and beefy placket that Izod had. That is until RL came on the scene with his interlock weave. RL fabrics were clearly superior. Upon buying my first one, I delved into the magic of RL. He scoured thrift stores in London and reverse engineered and contracted with old-line suit firms to private label his clothing. His plaid shirts had many more thread counts and thus more colors than anyone else. This added depth and softness to the shirts. This was all before the department stores were allowed to sell Ralph Lauren and the (gag) preppy worship of the high holy horse started. Simply put, Ralph virtually single handedly recaptured the allure and grandeur of the 1920’s through 1950’s golden era of menswear precisely when America needed it most, immediately following an apocalyptic disaster known as the 1970’s. I could write all day about RL, But suffice to say-he made an impact. He was a visionary rebel who relentlessly worked toward his dream and we caught his vision. Hear him in his own words:

“I honestly don’t think my style has changed much since I was perhaps 17 or so……Changes since then can be measured in quarter-inches. I find that as I age, I become more interested in simplicity, paring down, minimalizing. I’m a great deal more Doric than Corinthian these days. Simplicity of cut has become a hallmark.” G. Bruce Boyer 8/27/2023 USDrake.com https://pin.it/10UGAPy5p I can relate to this comment by Boyer. As an adolescent I dressed and thought as an adolescent. After working in clothing I adopted a more mature classic timeless understanding of clothing that has been fundamentally the same since I was 17. My philosophy has been that if a photo of me is taken,(especially if one is in a tie) the clothing should never give away the year the picture was taken. (Can’t really help the cruel ravages of Father Time and gravity ). Since beginning this journey in my late teens, it’s been a process of fine tuning rather than changing. I’ve included my Senior yearbook pic from 1978 against one taken this afternoon. In each I am wearing a navy blazer with a white shirt with a classic two bar rep tie (also sometimes called a three stripe regimental or many simply call it the Brooks Brothers stripe). In my attached senior pic I had never even heard of Brooks Brothers yet. Is the outfit here exciting? Nope. Could it have been worn by any guy on virtually any single day for about the last 100 years? Yup. My only style upgrades in the last nearly 50 years has been the fit is honed in and the fabrics have vastly improved. The function (what one wears when and where) hasn’t really changed at all. The mistakes I have made is to not take better care of both my garments as well as my body ( I bet I’ve had to give away tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing because I chose to eat too much). Essentially I took the quality of clothing I had and the money I was making for granted. The biggest style upgrades I have made have been quality of clothes and better care of clothing.

There was a brief time when I was using a stylish glasses-cleaning microfiber rag as a pocket square. Then I lost that rag. I have ordered a couple of true pocket squares just recently. One is linen at 12", and one is silk at 17". Do you like to keep a certain size square so your folds are all the same? Are your choices of fold dependent on different square sizes. Does your preferred size vary by material?