Turning Down The DB Blazer

M Magazine - April 1986 (click on image to read text)

Cashmere blazer and turtleneck

Turning the DB down with corduroy

A reader asked,

"On this note of tieless dressing - help me out. What the hell do I do with a blue blazer, double breasted one, brass buttons etc..I love it on the hanger, but everytime I put it on I seem...overdressed, too sea captain?? Any thoughts? Casual with jeans? - the great zamboni"

There is the natural aversion to a DB blazer with a turtleneck. Especially a white one. Bad memories are triggered of my days working for the Boss, having my ass chewed and being forced to eat cinnamon toast somewhere in Tampa.

But as 'M' Magazine so elegantly presents above, it can be done with understated taste. After all, I don't care how much money George had. He was from Cleveland. Anyway, 'M' answers the Zamboni question better than I ever could and with much fewer words.

The cords are a great touch and everything here is about texture rather than color. The ribbed turtleneck. The ribbed trouser. The ribbed thing in his wallet. All contrasting against the smooth surface of the blazer. Casual but not sea captain. Or, baseball team owner.

Remembering GMS

It was a small serif monogram centered on the top of the pocket. The shirt was always a white oxford button down. The monogram was always blue. I never heard an employee call him, 'the boss.' He was, 'GMS.' "GMS is pissed off about this." "You gotta stay at the hotel GMS owns." "GMS won't let me go." And the infamous, "GMS wants cinnamon toast."

For almost four years I handled an account called the NY Yankees. There are a lot of stories that came from it. But for now there is only the monogram. GMS. By the time I came along GMS was wearing white turtlenecks. But employees wore his 'hand me down' white oxfords with his blue monogram. From the man who cut grass to the man who bought the insurance. Those monogrammed shirts were everywhere.