Duke's Shoes & Socks

Gimme a pair of Caucasians in a 7.5 D.

The Duke's GTH Pants Trousers

Hard to believe the Duke was pressed for room in his closet but there you go. Three... maybe four pair of trousers on one hanger. Although, those kilts are taking up a lot valuable hanging space.

I have a love of GTH pants. That's what I called them until I was corrected in London. "They're trousers, mate. Never pants." But Go To Hell trousers just doesn't sing like Go To Hell Pants. Not to me. They were also called 'Jack Ass Pants' when I was in college. Probably a more apt description of my wearing them.

The Duke was an avid golfer. Consequently, there's some golf related lots in the auction. Couple sets of clubs. What is it about old golf clubs always looking like crap? They just don't patina very well. And there are some odd lots of golf caps. Most of them look like they could be purchased today at any pro shop. One Lacoste bucket hat looks like it came with a free bowelbowl of soup.

I hope this blog does for you what the Duke's closet has done for me. To expose you to articles of clothing you may never have considered. Hey, you may have even said, "Not in a million years." But when you see it - - and you see it a lot - - like those GTH pants...they're not so bizarre anymore. Especially if you see them in Palm Beach where they're worn with style and strangely enough...restraint. Fortunately, I didn't see a Bolo tie in the catalog.

The Duke's Closet

I try to keep my other blog separate from The Trad but did want to share something on Veteran's Day. You can see it here.

There were many influences on my southern sartorial upbringing. A golf pro cousin in Hilton Head. The Cowan's Ford Country Club on Lake Norman. Chapel Hill. The Ft Monroe Officer's Club. But nothing comes close to the effect my enlistment in the army had. Your appearance was everything and rarely did a good soldier dress like Joe Shit the Rag Man... although I was a good example of a poor soldier dressing well.

The Duke was a soldier, sailor and airman. Certainly there was an affection for uniforms but this love of the cloth -- and of the very best military tailoring -- must have influenced him for the rest of his life. Tailoring in my army consisted of $10 to the cleaners for pegged trousers and buying jackets one size smaller. I guess you have to start somewhere.

The Duke's Smoking Jacket

A friend who works for an auction house attended Sotheby's Duke and Duchess of Windsor Sale. His three volume set of catalogs are noted with his impressions of lots - - mostly silver and clocks -- and on the last page of the catalog he scrawled, "...it would appear all these two people ever did was play cards and eat."

As much as I would like to have made off with his catalog set...it's far too large to stuff down one's trousers (Perhaps if my trousers were pleated and made by H Harris I'd a gotten away with it), I finally secured my own set of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor sale sans any thievery on my part. Should you be inclined to do the same ... a word of warning. If, like me, you find yourself in a tony upper east side book shop and see this volume for sale...fend off any impulse to purchase it for $250. Rather, go on line to Alibris or Abe and secure a copy for $30. Which is probably what the owner of that book shop did.

If you, like me, enjoy peeking into other people's medicine cabinets and poking around in their sock drawers looking for methods of birth control - - You're gonna love this catalog. I can pretty much guess which readers of The Trad already have this catalog. But I would offer it up to anyone, with sartorial interests or not, as one of the most perplexing, interesting and beautiful books I have ever owned. Not bad for thirty clams.

This week I'll post photos of the Duke's closet. After the winter of 1936, the Duke had a lot of spare time on his hands. And he threw that spare time at his closet. Sotheby's reports in 1960 he had, " ...fifteen evening suits, fifty five lounge suits and three formal suits." There's no mention of Odd Jackets, Smoking Jackets or Blazers. One can only guess.

I own two Smoking Jackets and I'm not sure why. One reason may be cost. I didn't pay full freight for either one. The second reason may have to do with my natural inclination towards being an asshole. One Christmas I wore a Smoking Jacket at a home dinner party with the Golf Foxtrot's family. Black Watch tartan trousers, monogrammed black velvet slippers, double cuff shirt with enameled fox head links, a Black Watch ascot and a black velvet Smoking Jacket trimmed in quilted green silk and tied with a tassel belt. What a hit I made.

Lesson 57. Just because the Duke of Windsor wore it doesn't mean you can.