Evening Dress

I have absolutely no need to own evening clothes, formal wear, or any of that jazz. Hell, you could say I don't really even need to own a suit (sigh). But shopping in the thrift world, one must be open to the things that find the shopper, as opposed to vice versa. The following is nothing short of a severe example:
Feast your eyes: a 1960s vintage tuxedo, well kept in near perfect condition, fits me like a glove. Best of all, it's not black, but rather the elusive 'midnight blue'. What could be more bad*ss than an old midnight blue tux? Check the fine details...

I always did dig the shawl collar. But look closely. The pants have a satin stripe down the out seam. The lapels, however, are not faced in satin, they match the suit. A tiny detail, but a damned important one. So cool.

Hailing from the no doubt long gone Miami Beach men's shop Jules Gillette. Anybody have any stories about this place?

Also, the thing is made entirely of silk. Real heavy stuff, with ribs, maybe shantung or dupioni. Anyway, seriously, a silk tux? Vintage? With dry cleaning tags still attached with safety pins? $12.99 (damn right)? How in the name of all things holy could I turn my back on such a prize?

And what with the recent gift of this bib front plaid tux shirt, from London-by-way-of Tin Tin, my formal wear knob was turned up to 11.

Complete with detachable pique collar. As Tin Tin himself said, a real pain in the *ss, but totally worth it.

Now, I could go on a rip about how I'll never be in need of this outfit, but that's just not true. If I don't get invited somewhere black tie, Lord knows with a rig like this in the closet, I'll damn well create the situation, host the event myself if I have to. Stay tuned.

Instead, I'll use this extreme example as a reminder of this blogs original intent, it's very heart, if you will.

A lack of money does not necessarily coincide with a lack of taste, as much as having money doesn't necessarily grant one good taste. Nor does a lack of money mean that any of us should be relegated to a slovenly and unkempt lifestyle. Many people think that thrift shopping is a dirty and pointless business resulting only in the acquisition of dead people's stuff and nasty old junk. In large part this is true, but remember, persistence will always be rewarded.

I'll bet this tux is better than a lot of rich guys. I could crash a mean fundraiser in that get-up. Maybe all this formal wear coming around at once is a portent of something to come...