Monday, March 29, 2010

1930’s Riviera Homeless…..Courtesy of Liberty-Target

I don’t think I could have contrived a better description of my Liberty of London inspired rig. That was the response I got when I emailed a picture of my contrivance to ….a girl…for an opinion. Girls. How much of what a guy does is tethered back to girls. Sounds like a topic for someone more grounded and sage in their blogging posits. I nominate Toad. Speaking of nominations-awards-contests etc. … I’ll be posting later this week about a rampant scandal-rip-off going on in the blogosphere. Don’t panic, your hard drive is not in peril but there are a few less than ethical things abounding out there right now.

So my LFG weekend begins with the usual fun and frolic. About an hour of it was spent at this photo caricature website. Go there-you know you want to. We endorse it and will go back again for sure. Here are our before and afters.
And her Liberty of London twenty four dollar Wellies….a home run of immense proportion. Do home runs have proportion?
Tell me that this isn't my child. The randomness of this contrivance seems to be compelling evidence to support that sartorial GTHeckness is inherited. I love you LFG.
To the movies and then Target, Jeeves!
Target. Am I the only one who says that regardless of the reason for walking in-there’s a one hundred dollar cover charge? I could go in there to buy one lightbulb and end up with a cart full of random shitake. It’s an ADD person’s nirvana-nightmare. So after LFG and I see the brilliant Alice in Wonderland in 3-ADG, we walk over to Target for some odds and ends. I have a cupboard full of delicious home made jam that my favorite Aunt makes but LFG prefers good ole Welch’s Grape. We also needed some ghastly non-butter spread, peanut butter and a new measuring cup. I blew my other one up-literally-when using it to boil the remote control. Amazing the germs that accumulate on the TV remote.
Now I’m not trying to get too far above my raising here folks but I’ve spent enough money on clothes since college to retire the national debt. I actually did a little projection a few years ago that looked at how much money I’d have today if I had dollar cost averaged my clothing spend into a couple of fairly aggressive funds…I threw up a little bit in the back of my throat-god forbid the emesis actually landing on the three hundred dollar Flusser shirt I was wearing. After boiling the calculator I swore I’d never do that again.
Howsoever-as my stepfather used to say, I never in my life thought that I’d be purchasing a shirt that in transition from being theirs to mine, would ride a rubber conveyor belt to bar code Ellis Island with peanut butter, jelly and a Pyrex measuring cup. Damn. Shut up. Damn again.
LFG and I looked at the Liberty of London 100% cotton shirts and at $19.95 LFG said “get one daddy”. And so I did.
Twenty minutes later and I’m figuring out the appropriate rig for this shirt-as if appropriate is ever a criteria for my sartorial assemblage. I know I promised to get rid of these linen trousers last summer but I just can’t. I can’t do it and nobody’s gonna make me.
I remember wearing these trou …drinking too much at The Columns one night in New Orleans with a date who later climbed through the little zip down window of my weekend car-a Miata-shut up…and scratched the sh_t out of the rear trunk lid I the process.
I remember also that her level of intake was such that further activities involving zippers and scratching were not in the cards that night. That’s how old these britches are. Stubbs and Rootin' Tootin' Wootton  needlepoint shoddings from at least as many years ago. When you could buy the things for a buck ninety five-before they got so proud of these cheaply produced girlie shoes from Spain and started axking three fifty for them. Please, that's the price of a pair of Belgians. Shut up.
So for $19.95…go get yourself one…if you can pull it off-after you put it on. Stay tuned for Spring Break antics with LFG…including the train to Gotham for almost front row seats to see Phantom of the Opera.

Adios…from my little Riviera. Homelessly ADG.

22 comments:

James said...

As usual I stand in awe. A great weekend for you both. I'm going to have to visit that photo website with my grandsons. You're right about our lives being tethered to girls, as your elder let me assure you it doesn't change as you grow older.

Anonymous said...

RCF here- I wandered into Targe last week with my friend. She was getting balloons and we might have slipped out for $25 had she not decided to color coordinate, etc. There was a particularly chatty endcap showing a few items of Liberty stationery and telling of the storewide flowerization. We were able to see the lovely yellow sateen trenchcoat, but not buy one because some other medium person had been there. We dittent even know there WERE sateen dresses until I checked online, but I was able to score all three flowerdy shirts. I have previously found LoL (or close imposters) by Lands End and Ralph. I was sorely tempted to buy multiples. You never know how long it will be before this kind of boggin resurfaces again. Anyway, found a dress at a second location, guessed right on the size, and came home and bought her the yellow outfit. What does it say when you break Lent to buy an Easter present? I loved the boots and am glad to see LFG sporting them.

... I didn't go to the Caro Cup either. Shame on us for letting age slow us down.

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

"1930s Riviera Homeless"...perfect! I like it, go with it. Riviera-Bohemian-Gerald Murphy Style. Great style here as usual. I'm not sure I could get away with the LoL floral shirt, female input or not. Floral boxers, maybe, though sure to raise an eyebrow at the club. The LoL boots, apparently worn like Uggs!

Mrs. Blandings said...

I, for one, love it, but fell victim to a very snappy Liberty print sunflower shift. As for the pants, I met a terrifically stylish gentleman once who had a bit of Gatsby either in his blood or his psyche. He had a favorite pair of khakis with which he could not part, so he sewed a rep tie over the top just where yours are showing their appreciation.

Have I told you this before? I know I've shared it with Chris and Toad. Maybe I do need to shut up.

Suburban Princess said...

19.99 for that shirt? 100% cotton? WOW! I need to make a trip to Tarjay soon! Tho my visit always involves a border crossing so I refuse to leave without a full cart!

LPC said...

I only want to know why they didn't have those shirts for us females? For us they had only polyester frou frou, which looked killer on my 22-year old daughter and I didn't even need to try on...

DAM said...

That shirt is capital "A" aggresive. Paid with chinos and a blazer it could totally work for the younger set. I may give this a try.

In other news, ripping off in the blogosphere - no! Seems like the topic of much discussion these days.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for being the sartorial opposite of Ralph Nader. Target has given us that Liberty spirit this spring...if we have the courage to wear it! Hallie

Sandra said...

Well, I love the shirt + linen pants. But what entertains me the most as always are your biographical inserts! As usual you are the perfect dad!! And your daughter is "preciousness personified". Have a great week!

Memphis88 said...

I was thinking the other day about how much money I would have in my account right now had I not been so gullible to buy about 10-15 pairs of ghastly "designer" jeans a few years ago. It certainly wouldn't have touched your total clothing purchases by a long shot, but it would have been a good amount for a college student like myself to have in his account. Then I quickly realized that the money would not be in my account now anyway because I would still have spent it on clothes, albeit much better clothes.

JMW said...

I couldn't agree more about Target. I can never exit that store with the single item I intended to purchase. It's just not possible. And now that there's Liberty of London? My budget is shot...

ilovelimegreen said...

ADG - You need to start shopping at estate sales for housewares that you might buy at Target. (Foodstuffs excluded.) I'm not going to tell you how much extra $$ you'd have to spend on clothes if you stopped paying full price for Pyrex.

I WANT that green belt - you probably knew that though.

Easy and Elegant Life said...

Pair the shirt, open necked of course, with a tan poplin suit.

Do away with those linen trousers? Patch 'em with a bit of colourful batik, wear them every weekend this summer.

Anonymous English Female said...

ADG - 1930's Riviera Homeless?! Couldn't have put it better myself. But do yourself a favour and stay away from the girls (especially at your age) and stick with the women...
PS - Bring LFG to London, she has more style in her little finger than a whole bunch of CSM students put together...

Anonymous said...

Having the shirt doesn't mean you have to wear it does it? I mean, please!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Seriously linen this early in the year.

pearlywhitegirl said...

Love the linen britches--I have a similarly sad black linen dress that I will never part with as long as my cardigan hides the holes!

Also totally agree about the "cover charge" at Target--hope you don't mind if I steal that lil phrase :o)

Funniest words I've ever read online: "Howsoever-as my stepfather used to say, I never in my life thought that I’d be purchasing a shirt that would in transition from being theirs to mine, would ride a rubber conveyor belt to bar code Ellis Island with peanut butter, jelly and a Pyrex measuring cup. Damn. Shut up. Damn again."

Thank you!!

ADG said...

James…Thanks buddy. Re the girls thing….I’ve resigned myself that that reality.

Anonymous RCG...CaroCup…man…that's a throwback. Y’all ain’t that old man...what’s going on over there? Love the LoL Target story. I’m going back and get the other flowerdy one with the dark background. Then I’m going to check out the new Ralph Lauren Line at Auto Zone.

LagunaTradCodrington….Thanks man….I kinda dig the Bohemian-Murphy interpretation as an adjunct to the homeless thing. Butcept Murphy could pull off with aplomb-the wearing of a towel or a scarf on his head-even I have my limits. Clubs? No longer an issue for me.

Mrs. Blandings...We are not victims….I have no idea what the hell we are but we aren’t victims…ok, we are victims…can we get some kind of compensation or set aside-tax break…lemme know. I’m gonna take Elegant Chris' lead on the idea of patching my linen trou with something. And finally, you don’t ever need to shut up.

Suburban Princess...Yep…if it wasn’t 100% cotton I would not have pounced.

LPC...What about a size small from the men’s department?

DAM ...”the younger set”….damn DAM…I guess that makes me part of the “older set”….

Anonymous ... “the sartorial opposite of Ralph Nader”….funny Hallie!

Preppy 101...Thanks. I’m so far from perfect in all ways….daddying included. LFG is precious and thanks for saying so. She makes it easy for us to be good parents. I am though, waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

Memphis88 ...We all make sartorial mistakes…it happens. I also remember how tight cash flow was when I was in college.

JMW ...Budget? What’s a budget?
ilovelimegreen ...I hear you but the Pyrex wasn’t that much and I’d feel like someone else’s Pyrex would be haunted. We might be able to work something out on the green belt-my power bill is due.

Easy-Elegant ...Christodopholus…I’m gonna do it!

Anonymous English Female ...Catchy huh? I’ll send LFG to London for the summer.

Anonymous … “…Having the shirt doesn't mean you have to wear it does it? I mean, please!!!!!!...” I figured that sooner or later, some commenter would HAVE to play the race card.


Anonymous... “…Seriously linen this early in the year” …you obviously don’t know me. There ain’t a damn thing serious over here.

pearlywhitegirl ...Maybe we could swag tattered linen items. My black linen dress is a bit big for me now…certainly you can steal all of my lines-hell I steal most of them from others.

The Uppity Puppy said...

So I took a cue from LFG and bagged the cuuuutest Liberty dress from the Alexandria Target. I was stunned that they actually had anything since usually it looks like it's been picked over by vultures... but said dress did well with cowboy boots on Saturday night and will go just as well with heels and pearls. THANKS LFG and Dad!

Capt. Mike said...

There seems to be an unconscionable amount of support for that shirt, and something must be done. Friends don't let friends wear non-ironic knockoff neo/pseudo Mod, so in the spirit of camraderie:

Agador Spartacus called. He's afraid of your Guatamaleness. Your "natural heat."

(Bazinga!)

ADG said...

Vogue....LFG and I are glad you scored baby. That's our Target too. Call us next time before you go and we'll use your credit card...ok?

Capt.Mike...Leave it to you to keep me honest and humble. Thanks bossman-I'm all about trying to modulate-moderate my "natural heat"...

JDB said...

I have only one thing to say about the photo of you before the awful "caricature" incident:

You're yummy.

Terribly inappropriate, I know. But it's late and I've had wine.