Vintage nameless madras sport coat, $7.99, Brooks Brothers white oxford button down, $4.99, navy cotton knit tie, $0.99, grey "year round" wool slacks from the Harvard Coop, $3.99
Finished with bare feet in penny loafers. Perfectly dressed on a steaming hot evening in August.
Accessorized with two carry cases full of vinyl records, as the evenings activities involved tag-team disc jockeying with Kid Brother at a cozy little local watering hole. They don't pay, but dinner and drinks are on the house . So after salmon cakes with fried potatoes and a bitter green salad, I spent a fair amount of time behind this:
(on the left, Curtis Mayfield, on the right, Wilson Pickett)interspersed with cold glasses of Campari and soda, and conversation with old friends who I don't see often enough. Many compliments on the plaid. Perfect.
A big bold plaid like this can be tough to pull off, but the old rule of "keep it simple", as usual, applies. Sure, when I was laying out my stuff I tried this jacket with patterned ties (too busy), striped shirts (way too busy), and even bow ties (too 1950's dork costume-y). But in the end I always knew that strong solid colored items, punched up just a touch by the lack of socks and the texture of the knit tie, were the only way to go.
I hope I get at least one more chance to were this jacket before the summers out, but at this point that's doubtful. I'd like to wear it with a tennis shirt, canvas shoes and khakis next time.
