Abercrombie & Fitch Take Savile Row

I'm a big fan of Justin Fitzpatrick over at The Shoe Snob - as the name implies, his content usually is almost entirely shoe-centric, which is fine by me. He must have been especially disgusted by Abercrombie & Fitch's invasion of The Row, which apparently came complete with locust-like hordes of teen shoppers descending upon the fabled sartorial mecca, to take the time to post about the whole sordid affair (see his account here).

The story is even sadder when one considers the illustrious history of this once-proud purveyor of luxury men's sporting goods.

The company was originally founded in 1892 by David Abercrombie as a luxury sporting goods store (here in the States, I suppose Orvis would be A&F's modern-day successor). He later formed a partnership with Ezra Fitch, and, after Abercrombie left the company, Fitch became sole owner and ushered in the "Fitch Years" of continued success. Prominent figures who patronized the company in its early 20th century heyday included Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, John Steinbeck, John F. Kennedy, Ernest Shackleton, Cole Porter, and Dwight Eisenhower.

After Fitch's retirement, the company continued under a succession of other leaders until its financial collapse in 1977. The present incarnation came into being in 1988, when Limited Brands acquired the ailing company for $47 million after having success in popularizing Express and Victoria's Secret. Sadly, at that time, the sporting goods inventory was cleared out and the new president placed a stronger emphasis on apparel. Then Michael S. Jeffries took over as president in 1992 and popularized the brand as a teen apparel merchandiser.

All of which brings us to the aforementioned hordes of kiddies lining the sidewalks of the Row . . . and to the inevitable conclusion that, once again, us Yanks are to blame.

Boardwalk Empire: The Straw Driving Cap

I've become a fan of HBO's Boardwalk Empire - almost as much for the intriguing storyline as for the absolutely dazzling men's wardrobe pieces that are on display throughout each episode.

Sunday night's episode floored me right from the beginning with this little men's accessory. You just don't see people wearing straw caps very often, if at all, but that was one bad-looking piece of headwear - and I mean that as a compliment. I took an additional screen-shot which, to my eye anyway, showed the intricate weave or design of the straw.

The rest of Steve Buscemi's outfit looks pretty good here too as well.

I'm not sure if I could pull that off at Saratoga next summer. . . then again, I'm not even sure that I could find something like that before next summer anyway. . .

More Vintage Johnston & Murphy: The Handmade 100s Captoe

After posting a few new images of my light brown J&M Handmades here, my friend Meister over at Style Forum was kind of enough to share some pictures of his own pair of Handmades. Its not every day that you see a pair of Handmades - and I still have never actually seen a pair of the captoes in person - and these photos only reinforced the idea that I'm missing out on something. I have to say that I'm usually not a big fan of the wide laces, but they look gorgeous with this pair of shoes.

With his kind permission, I'm posting Meister's images here to share with others who might appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making these shoes, which are another example of American shoe-making at its finest.

The channeled sole with a lovely bevelled waist - I just don't think any American company is producing anything like this anymore. If someone is, I'd love to see or hear about it. Granted, I'm only looking at the photo, but that work looks comparable to what you'd find on a pair of shoes from Lobb's Prestige line, or Gaziano & Girling.

The old J&M Aristocraft stamp, which would probably date this pair to the 1970s.

Absolutely stunning. Many thanks, Meister.