Homesick For London: Tompkins Menswear

Being from nowhere --  I never get homesick  -- depending on the company.  Even though Clay Tompkins and I come from vastly different places...we share a connection over London.  I worked in London in the late '80s and never once was homesick but ever since, almost every day,  I get a little homesick for London.

Clay's line of shirts and trousers bring back bits and pieces of London and that language of clothing.  Side tabs and cocktail cuffs are giveaways of bespoke in the wine bars and pubs of the financial district known simply as, 'the city.' I was fascinated with these details  having come from button downs, center vents and Tiffany monogrammed buckles.

It was a uniform in every sense of the word but like the branches of the military...insurance men dressed differently from advertising men who dressed differently from bankers.  Each sent out very clear messages about who they were or who they wanted to be.   Americans seem to stick out like a sore thumb, until acclimated, and then they begin to adapt. Usually slowly.   As an army brat, I went native inside of two weeks.  Out went center vents suits, button downs and tassel loafers -- In came side vents, spread collars and cap toes.

Clay has taken subtle London design cues, not to mention some humor, and had it all made in the US.  A trouser by Brooklyn's Julie Hertling is a magnificent thing. Even more so when made from a 130s gabardine.  Light but tough, you shouldn't blow through the crotch for donkey years.  Shirts are made in NJ by Mitch Gambert.  The party pocket will hold one condom, or 'rubber' as it was known in my time, but not an 'eraser' as it's known in a London office.  There's also an optional iPhone 5 pocket which I chalk up to Clay not being that far removed from Wall Street.

Right now proper winter weight trousers are on sale for $150.  That's a steal for Hertlings.  An updated web site should be up any day -- along with a stunning Savile Row like navy blazer with that distinctive flair below the waist which dates back to 18th century English great coats.  Nothing like wearing a little history.  As someone once told me about my being homeless, "You have a home...they're your friends." True, that.  Give Clay a call.  You never know...you might score a great pair of trousers and even find a friend. 

The Friday Belt Sans Belt - Sting Ray

"Pick up the color?"

I can't get a regular flu shot in Manhattan. Everybody is out of the vaccine. And that's okay because I have a page from the Trad Dad Playbook. His advice to stay healthy during flu season is to consume lots of hot and spicy food. I grew up going to a lot of Mexican restaurants with my family. I assume we went to Mexican restaurants because that's where Dad wanted to go. He was driving. We were along for the ride. In more ways than one if you get my drift.

I remember one place had a Mariachi band. Had they been playing when we walked in... we wouldn't have stayed. While Trad Dad certainly likes music -- he does not like it table side. I remember his expression when the first chords were plucked. In our world... his stress was our stress. The Mariachi Band made their way to our table... big smiles on everyone's faces while a guitar player lead the way. Suddenly the leader's smile turns to a frown and he makes a hard left and moves clear to the other side of the restaurant.

Feeling relieved, I turned to Trad Dad and caught the last second of, "the look." You can see it here. I was tying my tie one morning when I was a 30 year old newlywed and was having an argument with my then wife. I turned to her and said something I shouldn't have. When I looked back into the mirror I saw that very same look. It frightened me then and to be honest - it still does. Who needs to spend money on Saw VI when you can scare yourself.

No belts today. I'm traveling and hate packing belts. You generate a wardrobe beyond cargo shorts and golf shirts and the belt thing can get maddening. The trousers are a traditional English cut with side tabs and buttons inside the waist band for braces. If you're traveling through an airport - leave the braces in your luggage unless you enjoy being taken aside and "wand-ed."

When I worked at Brooks Brothers, I often encountered men who brought their wives or girlfriends. I doubt they brought them along when buying tires. Women are about as useful in selecting men's clothing. If I heard, "...you need to pick up the color of the tie in the shirt..." once - I heard it a thousand times. "That really pops" seemed to have been in vogue then as well. And while I've always loved contrasting colors rather than matchy match - I admit to looking for a turtleneck sweater the color of that spicy Sting Ray Bloody mix. You know...to pick up that color in the trouser so that it really pops.

I'm thinking a cable knit, wool not cashmere, turtleneck. Like the U Boat commander in Das Boot wore -- but in a deep rust. That Bloody mix really nails the color and man is this mix good. There was concern 10 years ago that the owner was giving her product away. At $9 a bottle she ain't giving away anything but it's wonderful stuff. I love it in the morning all by itself. It'll certainly wake you up. And it's one more spice to fend off the flu. You can even use Sting Ray in a turkey chili recipe. It looks a little white bread but I'm betting some folks here have some ideas of cranking up the heat.