I used to know them.

The Family Portrait, 1988

Like many military brats -- when it was time to settle down -- it was time to find the settled. A good looking crowd -- My ex-wife's family. Third generation Chicago North Shore. The wedding photographer announced the family picture and as my new Irish Catholic relations came from every direction a guest laughed, "When does Rose Kennedy roll out in her wheel chair?"

I didn't think of looking for a family to go with my wife. That wasn't my intent. With hindsight, it's easy to see how I embraced them and became a Chicagoan in short order. Much like moving in the Army - - You quickly absorb everything in your new surroundings or you're screwed.

I was married for 13 years... to my wife and to these people. I loved them very much but after the divorce, except for four people, I never saw or heard from any of them again. In all fairness -- I never reached out. I wasn't sure how. They may have had the same problem with me.

A friend is going through a divorce and I think how sad it is to not only lose your spouse, but their family as well. I lost so many friends in the Army after only knowing them for a year or two. It's inconceivable to me to lose people you know for 13 years. When asked if I knew someone in this picture... I said, "I used to."

The Art of T&A...

New digs in old Asprey digs...


Where buttons come from


Silk shirting from the archives


More silk shirting - via Instagram



WWII shirt from Jermyn Street



"Torches" from WWII


Brolly handles


Dressing room


Pocket frogging


and sleeves


Another world...


another Friday belt?


Silk dressing gown makes use of 12 screens


Sleeves


Moleskins


Limited edition shirts...


utilizing vintage T&A designed fabric


My "Magda" editor jacket


Traditional T&A stripes


Kingdom of Evening Wear


Smoking jacket



More sleeves

The Morning Coat


Custom shirts...


and even socks (by Corgi)


Photo by Cecil Beaton


The library


More Brolly handles


Preppy?

Turnbull & Asser recently moved a couple store fronts east from their old location to the long vacant Asprey Shop on 57th Street near Park Avenue. It's like walking into some very grand hotel... a hotel I could never afford unless I was on business. It's like meeting a beautiful woman in a bar, and I can't figure out why she's so interested in me, until I discover her business. In short, it's a place I don't belong.

But NYC is full of people who belong. Missing here is the, "We're not worthy" Midwestern attitude I came to love in Chicago... along with Old Style beer and the Chicago Cubs. T&A probably threw out the welcome mat after I wiped my feet upon entering but I never saw anyone do it. They're that discreet and even that friendly.

You enter the store through a small library. An archives of beautiful vintage shirts sit behind glass as if they're in a museum. And they are. T & A has taken great care of their history unlike many retailers I can name. But then we Americans love to throw old stuff away.

There's a hip new section of black, Gore Textual, Loro Piana (why are the Italians here?) that I found out of place. But I was reminded of how little I know when a celebrity, tall and good looking, made a significant purchase of a black, Gore Textual, cashmere lined something or other. Certainly he belonged.

Lighting grows with a beautiful sun like intensity while climbing the stairs from the ground floor library. Small boutiques are sartorially bordered by T&A kingdoms of evening wear, dressing gowns, shirts, ties, jackets and suits. Classics abound. A hacking pocket navy blazer might be considered a bit off the reservation but their solid charcoal suit has to be the best suit a man can buy.

But it is the dressing gowns I especially lust after...If I were a magazine editor -- the male version of Magda from Ab Fab -- I'd get a bevy of beautiful women and shoot them wearing nothing but T&A dressing gowns and smoking jackets. Of course, it's the celebrities who belong here. I'm just visiting.

The Morning Suit: Rules Rule

We've come a long way (photo Men's Wearhouse)


She's seen the future (from Trad Private Collection)



A Gentleman's Wardrobe by Paul Keer 1987 (click to read)



ABC of Men's Fashion by Hardy Aimes 1964 & 2o07 (click to read)




Duke of Windsor's Morning Suit from Sotheby's Auction Catalog




Gentry Magazine Summer 1952

Did you get all that? It's not difficult. Morning Dress is worn during the day. Before 5PM and not after 7PM. Most Morning Coats will have a peak lapel but Brooks Brothers sells a Golden Fleece Morning Suit with notch lapel. Not sure why that is. The tails of the coat should end close to the break of the knee.

Trousers are wool and I recommend you buy as light a wool as you can find. A Morning Suit can get pretty warm. Waistcoats are offered in linen as well. Boots work well and you don't have to sweat the color of socks. I'm just not into seeing socks with these trousers -- Checked or striped.

An earlier comment suggested a shirt with detachable collar. They do look better but I gave my only one away. Check out Keezers in Boston, Hornets in London and eBay (including the UK) for significant savings. You can buy decent kit for what it could cost to rent that train wreck up there from Men's Wearhouse.

Will it sit in the back of your closet collecting dust? Mine does, but I know it's there and that's comforting. When my boss is chewing my ass off I can lean back in my chair and think of my Morning Suit while I contemplate his Cole Haan kilties and my new found poverty.

The Morning Suit - All Dressed Up With No Place to Go

One can hope the royal wedding brings back more than hats. My Morning Suit has been cobbled together piece by piece over many years. The Henry Poole coat was cut by Angus Cundey in 1992 and purchased second hand from the owner in 2001.

The raw silk cravat and three waistcoats, all Favourbrook, were found at an Off 5th outlet in Orlando. The trousers were purchased at Hornets. I have no idea if any of it will ever see a wedding in the states. My only hope may be Ascot.

There are rules (tomorrow) but there's room for creativity in waistcoats, shirts and ties. The first option is double cuff spread collar shirt, purple cravat and lavender waistcoat. A bit daring. I might be confused for someone who works in advertising.

The same shirt is paired with a brown lapel waistcoat and Hermes ice fishing tie. I don't get it either but it works. If asked, one can always claim ignorance of any significance. The English will assume you're being coy and, if they get drunk enough, they'll tell you what it means.

The Hermes Griffin tie is paired with a blue double cuff shirt and silver waistcoat. Very boring insurance-man, lunch at Ball Brothers, Renault company car, looking, but showing some flair - albeit mostly in the vest.

The Chanel Porpoise tie with the same blue shirt and waistcoat is my favorite for a London wedding. It's very old and chances are I won't run into it. Not that I won't run into someone on the dance floor.

I read that in the 18th Century American colonists were savagely criticized for their apparel choices when visiting London by the natives. Nothing much has changed there. Still, they may give you some credit for making the effort and for loving their traditions.