So after almost a decade of hemming and hawing about it, I finally splashed out today on a legit Navy peacoat – as in, bought from a surplus store, with no branding aside from the Navy inventory label, size 46L and made in the USA. If Gabriel Hounds made outerwear, this is what the first product would be. And given that it’s going to be wicked cold for the Napa Valley tomorrow when I have an early New Year’s Eve dinner at Ad Hoc, it’s not a minute too soon purchased.
I also tried on (but ultimately didn’t buy) an Alpha MA-1 bomber jacket, and came to the realization that I really do need long sized for shirts and jackets. Unlike my lovely wife, whose six-foot height is all in the legs,* my height is all in the torso length, which is why most jackets just come off way too short or way too wide on me. Having a nice classic coat which should (and could) last until I’m 60, and will be in style the whole time, is a straight-up win.
Speaking of two decades, it’s remarkable to me that in my life, I’ve seen the textile industry move from the South to Central America to China. I was flabbergasted at how almost everything in the surplus shop was actually made in China. I mean, if I wanted an American-made pair of hiking boots, where the hell would I even start to look? God help me if I needed something even more specialized, like trail runners. I think the whole “Buy American” phenomenon is an interesting hybrid of the nationalistic right and the union left, and I’m tempted to go mulling about in the contract-apparel business to see if I can find some nice sturdy long-lasting shirts and things. Although even the Ben Davis chore coats are made in China now. I mean, WTF…
That reminds me, I need to call in a service on my DM 1460 For Lifes – the right one appears to have picked up a squeak in the sole, as if some sort of whoopee cushion has formed under the arch of the foot somewhere and is squeaking with every step (and much worse on tile or hardwood). Now we will see what’s doing. I admit I have been looking at LL Bean Maine Boots for warmth and water-resistance (of no small consequence when commuting on foot), but the only piece of footwear I could conceivable justify at the moment would be MAYBE a pair of cross-trainers more suited for non-running forms of exercise. And duck boots ain’t gonna fit the bill.
Eh, whatever. Time to decide what I’m going to wear into 2011…
* I believe that among the kids, the done thing is to add “U Jelly?” God, I’m old.