I’m still not getting what I want from Brooks Brothers, and I’m starting to wonder if I ever will. Bring back the pure, unapologetic, timeless icons of American sportswear & clothing– make it fresh, get the fit right, and roll it out. It still feels too much like a European (Italian) interpreting classic American style. It has a very continental feel in these photos from WWD.
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Slim Aaron’s most celebrated image was shot on New Year’s Eve of 1957 in the Crown Room at Romanoff’s restaurant in Hollywood. Called ”The Kings of Hollywood,” it shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart — what Smithsonian magazine called ”a Mount Rushmore of stardom” and the novelist Louis Auchincloss ”the very image of American he-men.” Why are the men in the picture all laughing? Mr. Aarons sometimes said he did not know why. In all truth, those chortling stars in ”The Kings of Hollywood,” Mr. Aarons sometimes admitted, were really laughing at him. Mr. Gable had said how bad he thought Mr. Aarons’s acting was in a small movie part.
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“The beauty of being able to draw, or paint, from an early age is that you never feel trapped, least of all by your immediate circumstances.”
–Bill Blass
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From The New York Times—
In early December 1999, the mood in the Bill Blass showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue was as gray as the film of dust on a potted plant that sat in the corner and always seemed to be dying.
Blass, arguably the most famous of all the American designers, had shown his farewell collection that September and sold the company a few weeks later. He had been ill for some time, living with throat cancer for years — he was then 77 — and he didn’t seem much inclined to argue with the new owners about who would fill his oversize shoes. They wanted a name. So the future of Blass’s longtime assistants was far from certain. Laura Montalban, one of two top designers, left to work for Oscar de la Renta; Blass called the other, Craig Natiello, who had been with him for a decade, into his office.
“You’re not going to like the people who bought the company,” Blass said. He made a phone call, then told Mr. Natiello, who recalled the conversation in a recent interview, that there was a job waiting for him at Halston. “Here is your out. Do you want it?”
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That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is class. Keep a stiff upper lip, tell it straight, and repay loyalty with loyalty. This kind of character is an increasing rarity, unfortunately. Kudos, Mr. Blass.
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James Dean in 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause”
The 1950s were a very cool time, I only wish I could have experienced them for myself. It is a time in American pop culture that is highly idealized for it’s music, fashion, style and culture. Everyone looked incredible, and seemed so squeaky clean– but you just knew there had to be much more going on behind the scenes. Rebel Without a Cause is one of the most iconic films from that era, and the stories behind the making of the James Dean classic are as incredible as the movie itself. And truth be told, Dean was not the only rebel on the set. Nicholas Ray, Dennis Hopper, Nick Adams and Natalie Wood definitely held there own.
“Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.” –Frank Lloyd Wright
It’s fascinating, sad, and ironic that some of the most creatively talented and successful people in history can be a complete train wreck when it comes to their personal lives. Frank Lloyd Wright is a perfect example unfortunately.
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With seemingly every known sportswear brand with a nickel’s worth of history coming out with an “authentic” or “vintage” line, I’m left wanting to step away and rediscover the “heritage” of dressing well. At least I won’t have to worry about being stoned to death for not wearing the correct of-the-moment hipster boot anymore. So I’ll have that going for me- which is good.
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Danish-born film star Carl Brisson & ’34 Isotta Franscini
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Hollywood leading-man Clark Gable & ’55 Duesenberg
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Cary Grant & Constance Bennett in the ’37 Movie “Topper” with Cord Special
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Hollywood western movie star and stuntman Buck Jones & ’33 Packard Special
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“A boat is like a horse… every ship has her own personality, the tricks she does, the foibles she has.” – Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn was born in the British Commonwealth seaport Hobart, Tasmania, on June 20, 1909. His father, a distinguished marine biologist, introduced him to the sea at a very young age. Flynn always said the one true love of his life was the ocean. Sailing became a lifelong obsession and his favorite escape.
“I like my whiskey old and my women young.” – Errol Flynn
A young Brigitte Bardot cooing over 47 yr old Errol Flynn. –1956. He passed 3 yrs later. The phrase “In like Flynn” originated as a coarse reference to his powers as a seducer.
Menswear designers new and old are tracing fashion roots and embracing brand heritage– whether it’s their own or borrowed. Ralph is the true master of classic American sportswear, and no one is more in their element at this time than him.
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Most often when we’re talking about Ghurka, it’s in reference to fashion– the Gurkha pant (and short) and of course, the great American Ghurka bags and accessories. We seem to vaguely know that there’s a military influence going on– but to fully understand the story of the soldiers that originally bore the Gurkha name is mind-blowing.
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The Selvedge Yard 