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Christmas Classics. Two Last Minute Finds for 2011. Walk-Over Saddle Oxfords + Bass Sportocasins
Last minute finds - both shoes I've been searching for regularly for some time. The elusive Walk-Over saddle oxford - the original, not the coco the clown modern version - and the 1980s Bass Sportocasin reissue - slightly beefier than my 60s originals. Both decently priced considering their rarity …
Highwater 501s & Derby of San Francisco : Black Ivy in Watts, LA
Update: Not knowing the exact source of this image, I'd googled 'Westminster Neighborhood Association' and found one in DC, which seemed to match the location of the shot. Today Herb Lester, a master of research par excellence, sent me some more images by LIFE photographer Bill Ray, from the same …
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J. Press Shaggy Dog Sports Coats & Corduroy Suits to Die For…
I don't usually post other people's material, but I have to make an exception here. The mercurially 'now you see it/now you don't' blog of Heavy Tweed Jacket today features a post of special quality. A complete scan of the 1977 Fall & Winter J Press mailer. It's 1977 and the world has the death …
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Baby, It’s Cold Outside…
Perhaps more fitting to the season, careful you don't slip like this fellow from 1965 in Quebec, Duffle coat and Playboys. The Illustrator probably had the same gear at home... …
Seasons Greetings with Seersucker
As always, I'm buying stuff out of season. Duffel coats in August and Seersucker in December. It's not on purpose. It's simply a fact of life that the things we love and search for are not easy to find in our size, good condition, good price etc. The thing is, you need to accept the fact that if you …
Gant – The Hugger – Caravan Striped Oxford – 1968
For a long time it seemed that only solids or heavy plaids were acceptable when wearing a button down shirt. Stripes were fine as long as they were the university kind. However, there has definitely been a subtle shift towards the late 60s trend for what are generally called awning stripes - deck …
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Clarks Shearling Desert Boots
As much as I live in my Clarks Desert Boots, I have to confess to an ambivalence towards Clarks themselves. For decades an arrogant and monopolising business (for years stockists of Clarks shoes were controlled by Clarks as to what else they were allowed to stock), their lack of attention to their …
Some Kind of Grail – A 1960s Sack From eBay That Fits
For many years I wore a jacket I picked up in Flip in about 1985. It was the perfect early 60s sack sports coat, in mint condition, raised seams, patch and flap pockets, narrow lapels, hooked vent, two button cuffs, 3/2 roll. Everything. It was a wonderfully dark green herringbone woven from …
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Trujuns – The Saturday Shoe
St Louis is the Heartland of the American mass market shoe maker. The Brown Shoe / International Shoe Company dominated the middle market for many years, often with brands and styles that imitated their more traditional New England competitors. So, instead of Weejuns we have Trujuns. But, …