Dandy
Posted in Uncategorized on May 10th, 2008 3 Comments »
The boyish face in the blurry snapshot above is that of a man named Boy, sitting beside the antique sewing machine that has been his companion for many years. Since I came to Cebu, Philippines, Boy, based in a hole called Gaisano Country Mall, has been my tailor.
The staff of Gaisano Country Mall had probably never had such a meticulous client, and they seemed unaccustomed to my level of pickiness. In fact, once, after I’d requested some alterations, I caught a glimpse in the dressing room mirror of one of Boy’s seamstresses crossing herself.
Below are some photos of Boy’s craftsmanship.
A tailscoat.
A double breasted Chesterfield Suit with velvet on the lapels.
Three piece.
Over the past few years, my fondness of nice men’s clothes has made me something of a Dandy.
At some point I just noticed that I tend to feel well when I’m dressed well, so I decided to try over-dressing for every occasion, with marvelous results. This leads me to wonder whether the tremendous lack of self esteem 21st century Western Man seems to suffer from is responsible for his tremendous lack in fashion sense, or caused by it.
As a fellow Dandy named Oscar Wilde once said:
“One should either be a work of Art, or wear a work of Art.”
Call me narcissistic, but I like to think I can pull off both.
In other news, Count Jaye and I are writing some unusual songs that I’m very excited about.
