A Sweatshirt of a Certain Age

I've dragged this hooded sweat shirt around since 1985. I haven't been able to wear it since 1992. It's not that I've gained weight. I have. And like the weight I've packed on -- this sweatshirt is witness to years of change -- In myself and in my closet.

I wore this sweatshirt on a date in Philadelphia one night. Under a leather flight jacket with skin tight 501s and Timberland work boots. I complained to my date, later my wife, later my ex-wife, that I had been hit on by two gay men on my way to pick her up. She looked me up and down, arched an eyebrow and said, "Maybe it's the way you're dressing."

A lotta oxford has flowed through the closet since 1986. What I swore I would never wear: bow ties, double breasted blazers, suede shoes, club collars...not only reside in my closet but fit as well. My sweatshirt looks on. No longer worn. Not because it's too small, but because it isn't who I am anymore. A medium.

Off My Back: The Club Collar

The Club or Golf Collar

Split Yoke Two Button Cuff - A little too ADG for me

Sleeve to Yoke

The shirt was seen at the outset of the week. A simple club collar (also called golf collar) done up in a 1930's stripe dug out of the Brook's Brothers fabric archives (what a great idea). Well made and fairly expensive until they went on sale for $45.

The sleeve cuff is adorned by an affected (to me) double button cuff but it's passable. Perhaps I'll leave one unbuttoned. No pattern matching at sleeve to yoke but what do want for $45? There is a split yoke in the back that you see on finer English shirts. I've always liked the detail and it's rarely seen on shirts in the states.

The narrow collar opening demands a smaller knot tie but this adds to the whole 1920's echo. A contrasting bow tie in a yellow foulard picks up on the primary colors. A natural linen sport jacket with patch pockets is my favorite pairing. I wore a DB navy blazer and white ducks and Bucks with this shirt and tie in Bermuda at a film festival dinner. A reporter from Switzerland asked me how long I had lived on the island. I was so happy.

Keep an eye out for unusual shirt colors and collars. Often they'll wind up on the sale table. Greens, yellows, purples. Club, tab and spread collars. They're fun to experiment with and the cover charge is affordable. A man can handle only so much blue oxford.