VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Happy Halloween

VintageGent’s Menswear Daily wishes you and yours a Happy Halloween.

The card reads: “A Pumpkin Head I Would Like to Be If In Your Arms You Would Take Me.”

Well, truthfully, I would not under any circumstances want to be a pumpkin head.  I would get pretty rotten after awhile and start to smell.  Maybe I would be a home to small creatures after I was thrown out.  Who knows.   The general idea of being willing to be turned into a pumpkin head just to get the rare chance to be held by an admirer is pretty desperate, don’t you think?  I wouldn’t want to be in a relationship where someone wouldn’t give me the time of day unless I transformed myself to an unassuming vine growing vegetable or a household object so that they may be tricked into holding me without their consent or knowledge.     The early part of the century had a few macabre traditions or superstitions that thankfully are not widespread now, no matter how delightful some of the clothing or modes of transportarion were.

I digress.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.  Razors in candy are largely an urban legend with a few copycats so let your kids have as much candy as they want.  They are only kids one time, and if they trade candy with the shrewdness of Las Vegas bookies with their friends until the wee hours, and then all fall asleep on the floor in a major sugar crash, they can learn from their own lesson.

Tissot Watches Stand the Test of Time

It is Trivia Time once again for all the vintage clothing history enthusiasts reading out there in the blogosphere:

1) When was the first non magnetic wrist watch developed and by who?

Sorry, but time is up…

2) The Tissot Watch Company was founded in 1853 by father Charles-Felicien Tissot and son Charles-Emile Tissot, when developed the first mass produced pocket watch. The first non magnetic wrist watch was developed by the company in 1930. 

The Tissot Watch Company is still based in Le Locle, Switzerland, where it began.  The company is well known for having its watches be the official timekeepers for NASCAR and many other sporting events and leagues.  Quality wristwatches are still produced by the company to this very day.  The Watchery has a selection of  of  Tissot watches for both ladies and gentlemen in their collection for your consideration.   There is everything from sporty chronographs to some very elegant styles like the Carlson with its leather band, to the unusual Bascule at right.  Right now, at my count, there are thirty-four styles available in total.   The Watchery offers a deep discount on their designer watches because they buy smart and operate on the internet.  Their site is highly worth checking out.

Winter Is Coming: Someone May Need Your Fur

Winter is around the corner.  Many folks have men’s fur hats, and fur coats that they have been passed down from grandpa or grandma that they will never wear. Fur hats have not been on the fashion radar for men in quite some years unless you live about the arctic circle.  And the style that might have flattered grandma might not fit or flatter granddaughter.  Many folks will also not wear animal fur period. While many vintage items go on to new and exciting lives, these types of items are usually passed down, only to stay hidden in a dark closet.

What to do with them?

One very great cause is to offer them for wildlife rehabilitation programs. There are a variety of species, from the endangered who folks are trying to help thrive, to injured adults, to more common wildlife such as squirrel, raccoon, and fox who are orphaned by mom getting hit by a car, or their tree being chopped down and falling from their nest. Having a pelt of the animal fur allows rehabilitators to have a “hands off” approach with young animals so they do not imprint to humans, but to their own species, if they have a chance of being released back into their environment.  They an put a heating pad behind it and put a bottle through a hole that they make so the young one feels the warm fur of their species against them instead of being imprinted by humans.

What to do with them?

One very great cause is to offer them for wildlife rehabilitation programs. There are a variety of species, from the endangered who folks are trying to help thrive, to injured adults, to more common wildlife such as squirrel, raccoon, and fox who are orphaned by mom getting hit by a car, their tree being chopped down and falling from their nest. It allows rehabilitators to have a “hands off” approach with young animals so they do not imprint to humans, but to their own species, if they have a chance of being released back into their environment.

If you would like to find out more, please visit the Humane Society of the United States.here. If you are in California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, New York, and Philadelphia, the Buffalo exchange will start accepting furs very soon up through most of April. I will have more detailed information when the time comes nearer.

Frugally Trimming the Web Bill

I have been considering trimming some costs and looking at webhosts for a new project.  There are an unbelievable number of companies that are slashing their prices to undercut the competition.  It is easy to see how “free” webhosts can operate as you have to out up with ads on your website.  Webhosts that were under the $10 a month range used to mean that you have very limited bandwidth.  When i first started online, all I really needed was picture hosting so it was no big deal.  Now, there are a number of hosts who offer services from $4.95.  They must make their money on sheer volume or upgrades.

AlreadyHosting.com aims to compare them side by side so you can determine what the best web hosting company is for you.  The listing is not complete, as not all hosts feature a complete review, so I will visit at a later date, but the reviews there are comprehensive enough to at least help you weigh the pros and cons.  The reviews appeared to have user comments giving their take on the review.  However, I couldn’t figure out how to chime in, unless the comments were taken from people who took the time to email.  It may be just my overworked eyes.

Have you recently migrated from your host or tried out another?  Tell me how it worked out.

January 6, 1947: (Don’t) Burn, Baby, Burn

What exactly happened on January 6, 1947?  No, I am not going to trick you with one of those “on this date at this spot, nothing happened” signs.

I have recently learned that The California Flammability Act went into effect. (Exciting, huh? Well, it certainly changed the fabric and clothing industry)

Retailers were ordered to clear their shelves of any clothing and “yard goods” were constructed of a flammable fabric. Some retailers purchased or were provided with test equipment to determine which goods were at risk. Not all retailers immediately complied.

Fabrics were not graded on the failure to protect the individual from a large scale fire (such as a house fire or those also involving flammable liquids), but the sudden catching of fire from a very small source such as a heat glow or a spark. Fabrics were considered flammable when they caught fire in less than 6 seconds. Materials most targetted were, according to Fairchild’s Mens Wear Magazine of March 7, 1947, “long napped rayons, sweaters and robes with the same characteristic, or with short or finer nap, nets as used in evening gowns, and thin, coated fabrics.” In fact, for a time, any synthetic fabric more flammable than natural cotton was banned.

The ban did not include hats, gloves, shoes, purses, or interlining materals that were not exposed.

Not only mills in the state were barred from producing them, retailers were fined or penalized for carrying flammable clothing and purchased or supplied with equipment to test fabrics. They were ordered to clear their shelves and check their insurers for liability.

Retailers did not all immediately comply. There were some questionable fabrics that individual stores inquired the fire marshall about. In doing so, the retailer could probably sell off the remaining forbidden items because it took 6 months at times for the subsequent ruling.

It is very interesting to think about the presence of particular fabrics lending towards accurately dating a garment. However, since the regulation did not immediately spread across the country, nor did it become federal law, fabric content alone cannot be relied upon to accurately date a suit or a nightie, except perhaps in the case of California Designers of the times.

Going Private

There is a lot of panic about the economy right now.  Some are saying things will pass quickly and some say that its “the next Great Depression.”  Either way, people are very concerned about where they are putting their money.  While a bank or two has been bought out recently, and accounts will be protected by FDIC, more so the word on the street is that they don’t want to lose their “people.”  There have been bank tellers, account managers, or financial planners whom they have followed when they had moved banks because of the personal attention or knowledge of the person.  They fear that the person or people that have been looking out for them and that they have learned to trust will be downsized or moved.

Someone asked me the other day, with the big asset management companies merging every day, if I knew of a private one. Martin Sands with Sand Bros. based in New York and Connecticut is not going anywhere anytime soon. He has had 24 years in the business with large portfolio clients. He is worth checking out if you are with one of the “big guys.”

Choosing Cufflinks for Everyday Wear

I just discovered this older blog entry about everything cufflinks. Up until reading this, I thought I knew enough to hold my own on the topic, but I stand corrected. Cufflinks are an essential item to think about when it comes to vintage fashion, but sometimes a guy just doesn’t know where to start, or a gal wants to figure out what pair she should choose for her guy without it ending up being unworn in the bottom of the drawer.

Author J.M. Anderson recommends:

As a general rule, cuff links should be  made of the same color metal as the belt buckle, watch or wedding band that a man wears. If the accessories match, it will lend to the fact that this is a well dressed man who takes the time to coordinate his look.

That makes perfect sense, especially since the wedding band and watch, or at least the wedding band, are going to be something a guy wears every single day and it is worth taking into account.

Read on!
Most Unique & Complete Cufflinks Resource: Choosing Cuff Links For Everyday Wear

Retro Fabrics Makes this Sling Swing!

Being a retrophile and liking to wear vintage clothing head to toe can pose some problems for those with babies in tow.  The look just isn’t quite complete with a baby jogger stroller made circa 2006.

Last night I was at the grocery store and there was a guy in front of me.  I just him from the back, but it looked like he had either some really wide guitar sling (but no guitar) or he had some pretty funky back support.  When he turned around I realized it was a baby sling.  It wasn’t one of those “reverse backpacks” Newborn Slings that you usually see.  I always wondered about that “frontpack” style, because if there was danger from back pain from the backpacks…would you get front pain from those “frontpacks”?

Anyway, I was really surprised.  I inquired and looked up the HugaMonkey website.  There were slings that were plain black, stone colored, or there were a couple in black and brown in slightly retro fabrics, like the one at left.   It is kind of an atomic, Eames-y looking print that wouldn’t be so out of place on a guy, or a gal who prefers to dress out of the 1950s or 60s. Add it to your list of things to buy for cool, swinging, and fashionable expectant moms and dads.

Annual Floridiana and Highwayman Artist Show

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 7th, 2009.   The Historic Gulfport Casino Ballroom in Gulfport, Florida, will host the 8th annual Floridiana and Highwayman Artist Show, sponsored by Hula Hula Productions.   The day’s event is a great place to find all sorts of tropical furniture and vintage florida kitsch.   There is a little something for everyone.  According to Hula Hula productions:

All exhibitors highlight old Florida
souvenirs and memorabilia, with everything
from roadside attraction kitsch to the
hand-tinted Florida landscapes of Barnhill and Harris.
Enjoy a nostalgic trip back in time, browsing a beautiful
selection of vintage, collectible Floridiana,
including old Florida books, ephemera and postcards;
flamingo and alligator souvenirs; tinted photographs
from Barnhill and Harris, and other old Florida art;
vintage Florida license plates and roadside signs;
kitschy roadside attraction souvenirs;
fruit crate and cigar box labels;
rattan and other tropical decor, & much more!

Sounds like fun.  This is officially enough notice, so if you are going there from a distance, you have no excuse! For more information, visit the Hula Hula productions website HERE

Menswear Innovator: Then AND Now

Here is a trivia question for the garment history buffs out there:

Q.  Name the company that first treat wool gabardine to be water repellant.

A. It was Sanyo, a Japanese clothier with a history dating to the 1940s.  Sanyo Shokai extended the business by opening New York in 1978 to reach a North American audience.

In some places, fall seems to be taking a pass and winter feels like it is just around the corner.  It may seem a little premature according to the calendar, but my woolens are already unpacked and it is time to think about overcoats.  If you are looking to buy new so that you don’t ruin your antique or vintage overcoat in the wind and snow, the Sanyo Fashion House is making some very well made and luxurious mens wool coats.

In fact, not only was the company a trailblazer in the beginning, but it is continuing to make innovations.  The buttons on the coats are affixed by a special state of the art sewing machine that simulates the back and forth sewing movement of something sewn. It is certainly more stable, but might even fool you into believing no machine was involved. They also have a special windbreaker  interlining, at left, that is usually only reserved for police winter uniforms.  It retains heat as well as protects against the elements.

On their site, their coats are available for purchase, or you can find a local retailer to see them in person.

Capture Your Point of View (Literally!)

A lot of ghost hunting, myth debunking, stalagtite stalking, and slam dunking documentary shows these days feature a fashion accessory adventurers during the midcentury didn’t have at their disposal: helmut cam. It was once a thing relegated to novelty and comedy because the apparatus would have to be so big you wouldn’t be able to hold your head up for long.  I wondered if they get them from some spy store or they are constructed especially for the tv shows or production companies.  In my production days, we certainly had to make a lot of different things.

I was very interested to learn that there are entire website devoted to selling helmut cameras for a variety of uses.  I sure wish that the technology had been there when we were “making movies” as kids.  There were times when something that happened was so funny, I wish my brain had a “tape recorder” function.  A point of view camera would have what I had envisioned but didn’t know it would come out in the realm of real life instead of science fiction movies.

For example of what they can do, one of the most popular models is the Vholdr camera.  It is small and comes with a mount and is geared towards face paced action, such as downhill skiing.  There are lasers that help you see what the camera is capturing in its range of vision and how it is framing the action up.  They also sell Vholdr Memory Cards for them as well.  I was a little surprised, though the answer is so obvious, that the technology would be based on memory cards just like any other digital camera is.

Take a look at Helmet Camera Central.  You will be amazed at what’s out there.

Boxing In, Boxing Up

Just an idle thought…and this may be just a rhetorical question.

Some psychologists say that the desire to have many little boxes is an outward sign of compartmentalizing one’s life and one’s relationships. In otherwords, if one struggles to force one’s life into neat little stackable boxes seperated by inlaid lids and cocooned by ring bags, than one can certainly do it with their knick knacks and their accessories!  Or is that vice versa?  The outward decor is the sign of a deranged mind.

But….Can’t a box just be a box? Heck, even the most freewheeling folks need to put their stuff SOMEWHERE. (Unless the point is that their “stuff” is freewheeling, too, and should be allowed to fall where it pleases anywhere at any time).

So…is a valet box or trinket box just a box or does it have a more Freudian meaning? What does it say about you if you happen to collect boxes?

Extreme Rudeness

When I was in high school (here we go, another story from “the way things were”) we each had to volunteer for a local political campaign.  We could pick any candidate we wanted to, and most of us worked for the candidates who were running for a seat in the state senate.   We called people leading up to the election just simply as a courtesy call reminding them to go to the polls and vote.  State senate is just something that is not paid as much heed as races for US Senators.

I really don’t mind if a person calls me to remind me to vote.  What I do mind is all of the canned, prerecorded political messages that come down the pipe. I counted ten yesterday from various races telling me why I should or shouldn’t vote for judges and representatives.  Sometimes, the message talked about several candidates in one message.   Most prerecorded messages hang up if they get your answering machine or voicemail, but these just clogged up the machine to the point that it runneth over.  No one else could possibly leave a message.  What if there was a real emergency and someone was trying to get through?

Political messages are exempt from the “Do Not Call” list. Privacy Council is lauchng a petition against “Robocalling.” In otherwords, the political exemption had neighbor to neighbor interaction in mind, not armies of automatic dialers and recordings. Add your name to the petition if you are interested. Privacy Council also offers to take your name and number off major mailing lists for a $9.00 donation.

A Night At the Museum

When I was in grade school, we spent the night at the natural history museum. It was great fun. We walked around with flashlights in the dark among the mammoths and dropped our sleeping bags on the slick floor of the ice age exhibit. I distinctly remember at that age still being a little afraid or repulsed by the headhunting tribe exhibits with the shrunken heads, but I digress.

The Guggenheim is opening its anyplacewhatever exhibit. As a part of it, there is a bed and bureau on rotating discs that you can actually stay overnight in.  You will receive breakfast in bed, but must check out by eight thirty in the morning, lest the museum visitors see you or get a hint of your presence.  Oddly enough, the room is booked for the entire rest of 2008. Rates are $299 to $550 a night to be “part of the exhibit.”

There is no minibar, and no other food is allowed in the exhibit, so make sure you have dinner and get yourself all set for the night before turning in.

For more info: Rotating Hotel Room

A Music Library Must Have

Hey lady! do I look all blurry to you? ‘Cause you look blurry to me!’

- Dean Martin

Are you looking to treat yourself? Hop over to Amazon. There is a Dean Martin at the Sands long box set that is the perfect backdrop for any swanky party.  Maybe it is just a party for yourself as you tidy up the place.  What’s more is that it features some of Dino’s best and is under twenty bucks.

It was recorded on February 8, 1964.  It was before his big comeback, and just before “Everybody Loves Somebody” made him chart topping gold again.  The recordings give you a real good sense of what his stage presence and touring act was like back then.   In otherwords, go grab it.

Trivia time:   Did you know that during the Dean Martin show and his prior appearances with Jerry Lewis, most of the time, the glass of booze Dino seemed to always had in his hand was fake?   Yep.  Many people thought it was real, but he was just playing it up.