Memorial Day meant a trip out to support the flagging economy. I.E. five hours at the Gilroy outlets. It passed a lot quicker than you would expect (thank God and Jobs for the iPhone) and I left with some surprisingly good value for money (huge sales at Eddie Bauer).
For one, I did pick up that canvas-looking jacket, in a light color. This is, for all intents and purposes, the first jacket I’ve worn as an adult that was not a fairly dark color, and the effect is somewhat jarring when I glance in the mirror. It wears very well, though – and thanks to the unseasonably cool first week of June in the Yay Area, I’m actually getting some use out of it right away.
I also picked up two or three button-up long-sleeve shirts, an item that pretty much disappeared from my wardrobe about the time my DC job went five-day casual in 1998 or so. I went through much of the 90s in the American civilian uniform of chambray shirt and khakis, but the endless run of black casual shirts started about the time of the dot-com bust and I never needed the long-sleeve button-up for anything but the occasional date night since. Sleeves rolled four times each, of course, and jammed to the elbow; some things never change.
But the real change is the footwear. I broke down and ordered a pair of Palladium’s Pampas LITE in “aluminum”, which is more of a khaki color. For those who haven’t seen them, Palladium is a classic old brand of the punk era, somewhere between a Chuck Taylor hightop and a Dr Marten 1460. These are canvas, with a moisture-wicking lining that’s perfect for summer, and they may be the lightest-weight pair of shoes I’ve ever owned up to and including my Teva sandals. Couldn’t ask for better for a summer commute, and they fit remarkably well.
Take the whole look, in full, and there’s your radical costume change. If I were a Timelord, you’d look and say “huh, regenerated.”
Of which more later.