Criticising the service provided by volunteers in charity shops marks new levels of curmudgeonlyness for you AFS. However after your opening remarks I can see why you spend so much time in them.
AUS - you’ve had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra.
In from my daily walk and now changed into a rather nice old USA-made Reebok tennis shirt, fresh 501s and those nicely faded socks from Nantucket. Almost summery now outside the back door, cat at full stretch. I've just put a Mr.Chet/GM CD on one side and am looking forward to the next cup of coffee.
JS Madras popover
McGeorge cashmere sweater
Navy RL chinos with leather/fabric belt
Jack Purcell
sockless...
Sun is up but it is still cold.
Gloverall Navy Duffle
PRL Brown Cords
Uniqlo Charchoal Wool Sweater
Lands' End Blue OCBD
Loake Bedale Brogue Boots in brown
Falke socks. Red.
The hens and the rooster are occupying the cats favorite spot. She's taken refuge behind the trough, waiting in the shadows to make her move.
Hot in Beeston high street.
Lots of female flesh to be admired.
Oxfam (yes, Oxfam) yielded an uncommon book on and by Hampton Hawes.
I drank a glass of raki ('filthy stuff', according to Kerim Bey) with my Turkish coffee.
AFS: Are you Ivy style appropriate when you take your daily walks?
I take two 90 minute walks every day and my assesment is function over form. Sadly.
I suppose I must be, to a greater or lesser degree, as I never wear anything else. But the clothing is always appropriate to the activity, so, for walking sweatshirts, flannel shirts, quilted jackets or down vests, sometimes a Gloverall and college scarf. Generally Levis or chinos. And, at the moment, Converse or (disliked) New Balance.
Grassroots football action yesterday:
Stetson "straw" cap
Olive cord Keydge
Ancient Ralph Laurent button-down
John Simons navy chinos
Anonymous ism socks
Sanders x Oi Polloi lo-tops
A favourite 'at home' look of mine: Brooks navy cashmere sweater with faded 501s. Soft Gant shirt with the collar buttons unfastened.
In to what passes for a town in these here parts this morning;
grey university stripe button down, with the pocket flap "John Simons Apparel Company", under a locally(ish) sourced Aran jumper.
Beige flat-front, selvedge chino's, with buckle adjuster at the back. The rise is a bit low but otherwise they're really nice and I suspect that a lot of you missed them - from French Connection of all places about five years ago. I bought two pairs in the beige and two in a very very dark, bordering on brown Olive green, which are my favorite, they've been in storage since mid-2018 when I got too fat to wear them, I can get into them again now!
Blue with a white fleck "ragg" socks - Democratique, perhaps a bit less known than their Japanese counterparts, they're actually Danish but make some really nice "ragg" style socks. & a load of pretty hideous stuff too.
Church's suede chukka boots, in that super dark chocolate.
Church: footwear my late father favoured. Soled and heeled many times over. Impeccable taste, Tim, I'm thinking.
I'm not so sure about that AFS but thanks none the less.
In for a swim first thing this morning before a trip to the quack.
Brooks Brothers "Makers" OCBD I picked up from a Thrift Shop as NOS in North Carolina almost a decade ago. It's the palest of pale pinks. Possibly my favorite shirt, worn infrequently and mollycoddled when so. Sleeves rolled to 3/4's. White beefy underneath to keep the morning chill off.
Above mentioned trousers, the super-dark Olive this time round.
Slightly lighter Olive ragg socks. I think from Anonymous-ism but I'm not certain, they're almost certainly Japanese this time however.
Very elderly Florshiem "Imperial" plain-toe derbies, complete with V-cleat. Oxblood shell cordovan.
The suicide cleat? Good heavens, Tim, you're taking your life in your hands! A nice shoe, though. My own (not cordo) may soon see the light of day.
No cobble stones in this part of Ireland and I'd never wear them when wet. They are due to be re-heeled in the imminent future though, so I'll probably capitulate and have a rubber heal.
Funeral duties: my aunt who was 98 at the W Herts Crem. J Press grey flannel two piece suit, Allen Edmonds black split toe Bluchers, white point collar Brooks Makers and, as the family requested no black ties, a Brooks navy repp tie with BB#- can’t remember which BB# number it was white stripes.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all: …. I spotted a guy attending one of the other funerals, he looked to be in his 60s, wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket, black T shirt, grey canvas sneakers … and black *shorts* I was somewhat amazed. As most of the other men in the party he was with were wearing dark suits and black ties. I thought, ‘is it just me? Do I need to loosen up a bit? After all the main thing is that he’s here.’
I thought about this for a while, then I thought ‘no, fuck it, that’s just downright disrespectful, he either has to have something wrong with him or he’s a prat’.
Woof, your instincts were right. A complete idiot. Now, our esteemed poster KingstonIan knows - like yourself - what's fitting. That's becoming a rare quality.
Rarer and rarer.
There’s a part of me that gets that a lot of blokes don’t own a suit to grab for a wedding, christening or funeral. But there’s really no excuse when Tescos sell them for what? £30 odd? Okay they look bloody awful, but at least there’s SOME effort made.
I wore a suit to a funeral where we were requested to wear a favourite band T shirt. I said I don’t do T shirts - apart from at the beach. A couple of us wore suits.
Same ‘celebrant’ turned up at another cremation at Morden in November. It’s mostly for people who don’t want a religious funeral.
Dress codes are more or less gone now. Maybe Ascot or Glyndebourne are the exceptions. I saw a bloke in shorts with a backpack in the Royal Opera House. Another time there was a bloke in track suit bottoms with no socks.
I’ve heard that some people don’t even have Jerusalem sung at their funerals.
‘Jerusalem’ is for Protestants.
‘Ave Maria’ (Schubert) is a good one. Get a competent woman to sing it - not a recording - they usually make a good job of it.
‘Salve Regina’ would suit me. My old school hymn.
We were discouraged from having ‘Faith of our Fathers’ at my dad’s funeral. Clergy seem to have gone all ecumenical post second Vatican Council.
Going for a Redford-like 3 Days of the Condor look today in wheat Levis, suede chukkas, denim button down and USN peacoat. Hopefully rogue CIA agent’s won’t try to assasinate me. Struggling with the lack of long blonde hair.
'Faith Of Our Fathers' I like - heard in the funeral scenes in 'Our Friends In The North', which has a number of Roman Catholic characters.
My first wife was a Catholic and I would often attend Mass with her. She turned out not to be a good Catholic in the end.
Woof - without being too nosey or intrusive have you finally retired yet, and if so how's your daily dressing changed ....