Some fine work of late by Mr. Katon over in Tradland.
And what's good is that he just goes back to primary sources & reports the news, unlike Mr. Alden Pyle who goes back to primary sources & then seeks to twist them to fit the 'Trad' paradigm he's picked up off the Internet message boards.
The truth will set the 'Trads' free & that's what Mr. Katon shows - Diversity & nuance.
Fine reforming work.
I'm a fan.
jim
I second this. He actually posts about clothes, and specific, interesting items of clothing. I'm starting to tire a bit of the formulaic intro, two pics and open-ended 'waddya know about x?' routine. I suspect a feigned naivete, but his posts are the closest thing to a renaissance in the last couple years.
I think the difference is just as you say - He posts about the actual clothes, not an interpretation of the clothes or a theory of the clothes. And what he shows is just what a broad canvas the real American Tradition gives you in terms of fabrics, cuts, colours, the whole shebang. Daily he busts the notion that this subject is narrow & limited & it's all ben said already.
I have to praise Mr. Katon again & also to note that Mr. Alden Pyle is spreading his wings these days too...
THE REAL AMERICAN TRADITION is really creeping into 'Trad' these days.
- And I couldn't be happier!
'Make it big, then make it smart' as we used to say in London.
Best -
James.
Kudos to Katon. The recent post on pre-War Barrie Ltd booters has undermined quite a few of my assumptions about the timeline of footwear e.g. various conservative shoe models offered with crepe soles (extra thick or rippled) from 1936 - admittedly in an area with a significant college population. Never expected heavy-weight wingtip brogues with ripples soles, though. Shell cordovan loafers in 1940 !
I appreciate the delving into the advertising of a regional retailer , rather than the established shoe manufacturers catalogues, as this can reveal some unexpected, and short-lived , hybrids and sports in the footwear bloodlines.
Well done.
a link, please!