New (Old) Shoes... and New Socks!

Last week I discussed in a post my purchase of two classic pairs of low vamp Braganos shown above. I am very pleased with these two pairs and plan to get a lot of use from them. But what good are the shoes if I do not have new socks to go with them? I haven't bought socks in a long time and decided to take a chance on a new brand, Happy Socks. At $10 a pair and reasonable shipping fees of $4 from Sweden, it is worth a try. I should get them in about two weeks.

The contrast of the white base color with the black shoes should be a great combination. Warning: do not wear this combination of socks and shoes outside certain sections of New York and San Francisco as it may be hazardous to your health!



On a personal note, today I met my new brother-in-law. Theodore III (aka Three) resides with Jon Dean's parents in Madera. He is a healthy, happy sixty pound English bulldog. Welcome to the family, Three.

The Three Cadets Get Around!

Jon Dean and I, along with his cousin Tamara and her husband Steve, visited the Nevada State Museum in Carson City last week. It is a great museum of state and local history, with wonderful coin and mining exhibits. Of course, what is a Nevada museum without some gaming equipment? We ran across an antique slot machine exhibit which had some very interesting pieces.

One old slot machine caught my eye. It is an oddly designed machine with beautiful graphics, entitled "Three Cadets." Note the image of the three marching soldiers. This is a beautiful device and I'm glad it is preserved so well. It was made in 1936 by Charles Fey & Co. in San Francisco. Attached to the device on the right side is a gum dispenser.


The title and the graphics triggered a synapse in my brain. I've seen those guys before. And then it struck me. This logo was on an old condom tin that I saw on eBay a long time ago. This brand was sold in the 1930s, about the same exact time when the above slot machine was in use. Condom tins are very collectible and they have a strong market. I've seen intense bidding wars on eBay going into the $500 range for rare types.


Gambling and fornication. LeDandy salutes the Three Cadets.

Real Family

On Saturday, LeDandy received this beautiful Bonsai Ponytail Palm from Steve and Tamara. Tamara, Jon Dean's cousin, and her husband Steve join us on our travels. They make the best travel companions and we always manage to have a good time. Unfortunately they live quite a distance from us and we can only get together a few times a year.

Thank you Tamara and Steve for the thoughtful gift, and even more for being real family.

Apexes

Merriam-Webster defines apex as "the highest or culminating point." LeDandy believes that there are many apexes in one's life. A physical apex where one is at his strongest ability. Another is career achievement. Or spiritual apex. Sexual? Thankfully these apexes do not all happen at once.

What about the apex of LeDandy's dandyism? I want to believe that it will be when I'm eighty, I'll be wearing a simple white robe and plain sandals. I will announce to the world "This is the apex of dandyism." Just kidding. Or maybe not.

LeDandy found an old family passport from 1970. You can see a very young LeDandy with his parents. We were about to leave for Spain and France in the summer of 1970. When I think back as to the highest point of my family life, it would definitely be this time. May the apexes be remembered.

LeDandy's Summer Vacation, Part II of II

The first leg of the trip was spent in Reno, as I discussed in a post earlier in the week. After Reno, Jon Dean and I headed out to Virginia City which is about twenty miles away. Jon Dean's cousin Tamara and her husband Steve joined us. Virginia City was at one time larger than Los Angeles in population during the late 19th Century. This place has a rich history as an Old West mining town.

The main thoroughfare in Virgina City, "C" Street, can give you the wrong impression of this historic city. There are several good stores on this street, but most of them remind me of the tacky tourist shops seen in the movies. If you've seen National Lampoon's "Vacation," you know what I'm saying.

Virginia City was home to a prominent dandy / author / socialite by the name of Lucius Beebe. Mr. Beebe moved to Virginia City in 1950 with his partner Charles Clegg (yes, Lucius was 'family'). As you can tell by the Life cover from 1939, Lucius was clearly an exponent of Orthodox Dandyism. He had a very colorful history and he held a deep interest in railroads. He even had two private railroad cars. Two of the chairs from his private railroad car were in our suite.

I plan on writing a separate article on Mr. Beebe in the future. For those of you in a rush, I recommend the Wikipedia article on him as a starting point. The interesting thing about him is that his style is the polar opposite of LeDandy. He, along with LeDandy, are characters worthy of historical preservation.

After two days in Virginia City, LeDandy and Jon Dean headed out to Carson City before returning home. I had a strong desire to see the old Carson City mint since I have an interest in coin collecting. The mint is now part of the Nevada State Museum and there are many other interesting exhibits. The museum surpassed my expectations and I recommend a stop here if you are in the area. Please see my review and photos on Yelp.

This was a wonderful little vacation and I'd definitely go back to Northern Nevada. I far prefer this area to Las Vegas. There is a lot of Old West charm and the people are friendlier than Vegas.

LeDandy Lied, JD Cried (but no one died)

LeDandy came to terms with his inner demons while staying at the Peppermill Hotel / Casino in Reno earlier in the week. No, the addiction wasn't gambling. It was shoes. This shouldn't come as a surprise to you as I made a confession sometime ago on this blog. I admitted that I am shoe fanatic. Well, a few days ago I did something about it. I bought more shoes!

Two shoe auctions ended while I was at the Peppermill. Both are the vintage, low vamp Braganos which come up infrequently on eBay. For my size (8 Med), I've only seen them twice over the last three years for auction. These shoes are about fifteen years old or more and I'm sure they will be harder to find as time passes. Hence my aggressive stance towards getting these babies.


My first pair is the reason for this post's title. The woven style shown above is known as Bragano's St. Tropez model. LeDandy discussed this specific model in his July 13, 2007 post,

"No, I do not like it. Not really my style. Just because others want the St. Tropez doesn't mean I have to like it. This type of shoe is something you'd see on old episodes of Miami Vice."

Ok, I lied. Now I like it.

I paid dearly for these shoes as there were three other motivated bidders. Based on the rarity of these shoes, I was willing to go up to $125. My winning bid was $111. Hence, JD cried. Actually he didn't but he should have cried at that price. The highest price I ever paid before for used shoes was $50 for a display pair of Allen-Edmonds.

One pair down and another pair still up for auction. Another seller had the old Bragano tuxedo slipper ("Bologna") which has a much lower cut than the contemporary models. This shoe, in my opinion, is actually more desirable than the St. Tropez model. Unfortunately I didn't have much left over in terms of money from the prior auction. My limit was $30 for this pair. This pair is actually a 7.5, not an 8. Low vamp loafers are quite forgiving in terms of fit and the old blue label Braganos usually run a tad large. I was not optimistic but hoped the 7.5 size might throw people off.


I was ecstatic when I found out that I got this pair for $22. The shoe gods were with LeDandy.

As I said, no one died from this experience. If I get one more pair of shoes, this situation may change.

Have I ever told you about the old Polo opera pumps? LeDandy may not have long to live!

LeDandy's Summer Vacation, Part I of II

Choosing this year's summer destination was a difficult choice. London can be very charming in the summer and Paris is quite enticing. After careful consideration, we chose Reno and Virginia City, both in Nevada. The first night was spent in Reno at the Peppermill Hotel / Casino and the other two days were in Virginia City, just a thirty minute drive out of Reno. My mother-in-law and young William joined us for the Reno leg of the trip, then Jon Dean and I went on to a delightful bed & breakfast in Virginia City.

Reno is a rather short drive of three and a half hours from the Bay Area. The first thing that happened in our room was a strong verbal warning from LeDandy to William. He instantly saw the candy treats from the mini-bar in our room and he grabbed for something from it. "NO, put those down." You would have thought he was picking up a loaded gun from the way I said it. I then explained to him that a pack of M&Ms costs $7 and a Coke can be $6. He quickly grasped my point.

LeDandy isn't much of a gambler these days. He spent the better part of the evening with William in the arcade playing air hockey, driving games and alien blaster stuff. It was a lot of fun! The casino, on the other hand, was disgusting with its smoke-filled air. Every time we walked through the casino for a meal, we had to shower and change our clothes. Yes, the cigarette smoke was that bad. It was good motivation to stay away from the casino.


So what did we do? Jon Dean and I ate and drank. William enjoyed his time in the pool and my mother-in-law relaxed. The following morning we all had room service for breakfast. LeDandy isn't much of a traveler but he does love room service when it is done right. The Peppermill did not let us down.

I find gambling cities to be depressing places. I would not want gaming where I live. When we arrived at the Peppermill, I found a very sobering reminder of the effects of gambling on society. In this photo, you can see a business across the street from our hotel that gives cash loans on car titles.

Zelli: The Last of the Low Vamp Loafers

LeDandy has ventured off the path of low vamp loafers lately. His latest acquisition, the black suede Braganos, are clearly not low vamp. One big reason for my recent waning interest has been the lack of supply of this gorgeous style. Clearly this look has fallen out of mainstream taste. Whenever I am in the men's shoe section of a department store, I check out their selection. I do not see any low vamp shoes. In fact, I see a lot of overpriced crap.

As I've written before, the relatively obscure Italian brand Zelli makes a number of excellent low vamp loafers. This brand is superb in their quality and array of styles. The scans presented here are from Zelli's 2009 catalog. The shoes are not cheap as they are in the $275 range and up. However, they are sensibly priced when viewed against their competition such as Santoni. LeDandy owns two pairs of Zelli loafers (unfortunately both in a normal vamp) and he loves them.

Now on to the Zelli choices for those who like less coverage of their feet. LeDandy likes the Spaniel and Numano, both in suede. Very elegant yet casual.


The Arezzo model is also very attractive.


Zelli shoes are not easy to find. It seems that everything LeDandy likes is hard to find. The results though are well worth the effort. Nordstrom carries a limited selection of Zelli shoes so you may have to do some internet searching for a retailer. If you are stumped in your search, you can always contact Zelli at the link noted above and they'll help you out.

LeDandy Loves Bold Pants

The San Francisco Chronicle is a virtually worthless newspaper. Jon Dean insists on keeping our subscription despite my objections. There isn't much to read in there as more news can be found on the internet. Nevertheless, today was one of those rare days in which I came across a good story. Today I read an article about the maker of the outrageous golf pants that John Daly wore a month ago and received a lot of media attention.

This photo should jog your memory. Yes, these are bold colors. Eye-catching. Of course LeDandy really likes these pants. They are made by Loudmouth Golf, a company located here in Northern California. Scott Woodworth founded the company about ten years ago, creating an innovative product. In the fashion world, there isn't much creativity these days. As in art, almost everything seems to be a derivative of former styles. Woodworth's designs are a breath of fresh air and capture the spirit of Reform Dandyism.

I don't own a pair of these pants so I can't speak from experience. These pants retail for $90 a pair which isn't as outrageous as the colors. If you feel inclined, you may want to try out these pants. LeDandy recommends a neutral colored shirt to go with these pants. A navy blazer would look great with the orange and pink argyles shown.

Be bold, be daring. Have some fun. These pants are not just for golf.

Keeping It Real (and a poem!)

Anyone who browses the online clothing forums or who has read some of the more traditional blogs has come across the Apparel Arts illustrations from the 1930's. These drawings are gorgeous. There can be no question of the artistic merit of this work. However, LeDandy stops his praise for these works at this point.

Reform Dandyism has a reality-based approach. As I've said earlier, I live every day with a sense of dandyism. It is part of my being. I make a conscious effort to enjoy my appearance, whatever the circumstances. It is not dressing to the nines only a few times a year.

The scenes pictured in Apparel Arts belong to a time very long ago and they were available only to a privileged few. Yes, I do believe the scenes pictured in this magazine existed at one time. I recall a nice photo of the Duke of Windsor walking from an airplane with his Pug as shown in my prior post. Please note that these scenes are not found today. It is not reality.

Why am I making such a big deal out of these pictures? First, because I am bored and don't have much to discuss. Second, the Apparel Arts' drawings should not be seen as the ultimate standard in dandyism. For Orthodox Dandies, I would make an exception. But for the majority of us who fall in the ranks of Reform and Conservative Dandyism, it is best not to take these drawings literally.

Switching topics, I recently received some poems from Max, a very creative and talented Russian reader.

LeDandy’s created and brightened the blog.
There is information, which might disperse fog,
You don’t make a sight of yourself however
And how to look cool for all and forever!

In search of reality you will not be lonely
The Guru‘d enlighten you. That isn’t only.
In picture LeDandy exhibits the box,
In which you may hoard a collection of socks.

Many thanks to Max for the beautiful prose.

LeDandy and General Motors

One does not think of General Motors as related to dandyism. It is in the case of LeDandy because at one time he worked as a temporary employee at the GM office in Flint, Michigan back in 1989 for six boring months. I worked in the purchasing department doing something with Lotus worksheets. I do remember the two highlights of the day: going to lunch and then going home. There wasn't anything interesting in between these two times.

Even though I wasn't a full-fledged dandy at the time, yours truly did have a preference for colorful socks and low vamp shoes. I had a great pair of pale yellow socks with tiny black dots which I wore with some low vamp Cole Haan loafers. It may not seem like a big deal here now in San Francisco, but in Flint, Michigan this combination raised some eyebrows. LeDandy came up with a creative response to justify his wardrobe. Please read my "Herman Goering Defense" post. A fun read, I guarantee it.