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The Serendipity Gazette The Serendipity Gazette is slowly starting to take shape..... We will be writing about an eclectic range of topics covering everything from clothing to anthropology to sports to travel. Some articles that we are working on: Thai open air markets, and a series of articles about neckties. by David Hober and friends. Something eccentric and or eclectic (as usual) by Chris Kavanaugh Please let us know if you have suggestions or perhaps an article that you would like to write? You can contact us at: editor@serendipitygazette.com
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Elephants, mammoths and kids, By Chris Kavanaugh
Samantha 'Sam' Hober and I have something in common - we both like elephants. Sam fed JoJo a baby elephant sugar cane in an open air Thai market when she was 2 an exciting event that she has not forgotten. I once helped an Indian elephant that was purchased by the Hare Krishna’s from a bankrupt circus and then rescued by a sanctuary when they failed to feed it. I simply arrived on scene with 5 bales of alfalfa for my horses and a bag of ripe cantaloupe melons. Years later I got to see 'my' elephant and they truly never forget; the greeting was one of immense pleasure for us both. But sadly, most of my elephant adventures are the less lively finding of the fossils of ancient California Mammoths. I get called because people think archaeologists dig up dinosaurs. Mammoths do fall in our study when hunted by ancient people. The last one was discovered in the bottom of an excavation for a swimming pool. I'm not sure what Sam will make of me years from now trying to explain I found a prehistoric mammoth in a southern California swimming pool! For now I found a marvelous web site www.elephantcountryweb.com/Ellies3.html
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Unlined 7-fold Neckties This is the first in a series of articles about tie construction. 7-fold ties are a type of necktie construction made popular in the 1980s by Robert Talbott in Montery, California. Talbott was a man who loved ties and was great at public relations. He claimed to have rediscovered the construction which was once popular before the great depression. His story was made even more colorful by describing how he found two old ladies in retirement who had made 7-fold ties a long time ago. "The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier, 1949 has sections for tailors, shirtmakers and ties. Nothing at all is mentioned about 7 fold ties. Absolutely nothing. Nor are they mentioned in even one of my library of books on dress history." (This quote is from the editor of the The Cutter and Tailor forum ) In 2006 I asked Richard S. a retired necktie maker and amateur tie historian his thoughts. "I've seen ad's from early 1930's magazine's showing the Seven-Fold ties. One such shop which sold also dress shirts and other haberdashery was "Wilson Brothers Haberdashery" from Chicago, Illinois" Necktie aficionado "Decline and Fall" found fascinating advertisements from 1935 to 1938 in the New York Times from Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Weber and Heilbroner, Rogers Peet, John Wanamaker, Stein Bloch & Macys. The prices ranged from $.85 at Wanamakers to $4.94 at Macys. In December of 2006 Mariano Rubinacci was asked by Matt S. about unlined seven-folds and he said that he remembered selling the 7-folds like Talbott makes in the 50s as a kid, but thinks that they changed sometime in the 60s. He gave two reasons: So now we have sightings from 1930s in America and the 1950s in Naples. Is it possible that like the unlined 7-fold never really died out at all?
Another variation is the "Italian" style which is actually a lined 6-fold tie. Often Italian 6-folds will be incorrectly referred to as 7-folds. Most likely this was an innocent mistake made in the late 1980s by a number of Italian tie makers. Lined 6-fold ties tend to drape better, wrinkle less and make fuller knots - with all the elegance and artisanal craftsmanship of the unlined 7-fold. The story that seven-fold construction was the original method of tie making is a wonderful story but is a sartorial myth.
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A new clothing web site review: By David Hober The Cutter and Tailor forum is just what it sounds like a very, very serious new web site on clothes. Sator (the nom de plume of the site's creator) is a gentleman with a formal academic background who loves clothes and believes in a solid research based approach to discussing clothing style and construction. This is in sharp contrast to the more emotional popular clothing forums where socializing is often on a par with clothing discussion. Whimsy is in a short supply but if you are looking for a fact based source of knowledge on for example how much shirt should show under a man's jacket sleeve you will have arrived in the correct place. A popular sartorial myth is that 1/2 inch should show to see the truth visit this link: http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=44&hl=sleeve+length So in summary if you want to laugh and have fun talking about clothes and their construction The Cutter and Tailor forum may not be for you. On the other hand if you are a very serious aficionado of clothes or in the trade this is the best web site that I have seen and the only one that is so refreshingly based on facts. I know that I have book marked it. Rated: 9 out of 10 rolls of silk Note: I give the web site a perfect score for editorial vision, creative vision and content.
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Kav's Corner Christopher Kavanaugh's take on life:
My cat Piewacket is a devoted friend and family member. 3 years ago I rescued him as an abandoned kitten on a horse ranch seconds from being stomped to death by a horse. He was a perfect match for my gray herringbone Harris tweed jacket, and male. He has a rather inconvenient feeding schedule, persistently worrying my wrist with firm bites @ 4 A.M. until I rise and open a can of one of two basic flavors ( chicken or beef.) He won't touch any of the exotic chopped, gravied, mixed or other meats. No, Pie is a basic 'meat and potatoes' kind of guy. I couldn't find the sack of food I bought only yesterday. A thorough search and I knew the sad truth. So I dressed, walked outside to a magnificent moon, dodging the skunk family, opossums, raccoons and the twin yellow eyes of a coyote. I was lucky, only a thin layer of refuse lined the dumpster and I could see one of my sacks by flashlight. Only at 55 it's more of not injuring body parts I insulted at 25 when I was young and would live forever. Once back inside Pie rubbed against my legs and meowed. I triumphantly opened a can. So I brewed some tea and turned on the radio. I picked up an Eastern Orthodox program for our Easter calendar correctly one week later than everybody else. Russian monks from Saint Valaam's chanted, Pie rolled over on his stomach, content food was there at his convenience. My signed photo of his Holiness, the Dalai Lama smiled down on me next to the icons of Saint Hermann of Alaska and Saint Irene Crysovolantu. I finally understood the rational for rising early for prayer. It's as much service for others as oneself , if 'only' for a cat.
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Heart -warming rescue by a Bangkok fireman of a special needs boy on his first day at a new school: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090324/od_afp/thailandchildrenoffbeat
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TIE-ING A LOOK TOGETHER by The Tie Advocate Early morning, I have a big day ahead of me. I have a big trial, a big series of meetings, group presentations, you can insert anything that requires that you look good and present yourself well. For me, it’s a trial. Trials are strange things, they can last a day, weeks or months. One thing is for certain, though—you better look your best at all times and you had better be conscious of the message that you are presenting because you are center stage at all times, all eyes are on you, and you have to be careful about your non-verbal messages. That is, what are you projecting by non-verbal cues, your gestures, your facial expressions, your clothes? My tie is the most important non-verbal statement. Early morning, I have a big day ahead of me—what tie am I going to wear? As a practicing trial lawyer, I know that what is said, is as important as what goes un-said, a half-answer, a sideways glance, a lowered head. Those things are almost as important as what is perceived. I want to be perceived as a guy that is in total control of his surroundings at all times. In addition, I also want to be able to express my personality, but in a way that I’m the only one who is in on the joke. The tie, in my humble opinion, is the only item of clothing that can truly be used to project a message, to others and to myself. The tie is the thing that ties, pardon the pun, a look together. In the wrong and uninitiated hands, it can be utterly destructive causing onlookers to ignore the wearer/speaker as listeners tune out in unison thinking: “Where did he get that? Are those whales? Christmas trees? I think I had that tie in 1992.” In the right hands, the tie is a statement, it’s a palette, and for me, it’s a summary of what I’m projecting that day. Do I take ties too seriously? Maybe, but I think others don’t take ties seriously enough. Don’t care about your tie, whether it’s stained, old, frayed? That could be sending the message that you just don’t care. And in my business, not caring about how you are perceived means you just don’t care and that’s deadly. In the right hands, the tie is a prop or a conversation piece. In jury selection, you can ask about memory recall by asking jurors if they think they’ll remember six months from now what color tie you are wearing today. There is a famous story where one lawyer gets up during an opening statement and states that the evidence was as certain as the fact that he was wearing a solid blue tie. His adversary promptly pointed out that his tie was paisley, not solid blue. Message sent: “blue” tie wearer has no idea what he’s talking about. Message received, “blue” tie wearer lost. Coincidence? Not likely. Moral: if you are going to talk about your blue tie today, today make sure you are wearing a blue tie. After many years of trying cases, I generally know how long one will last and I can generally anticipate how the presentation of a case will proceed no matter if I’m prosecution or defense, plaintiff or defendant. There will always be days that are light and days that require a whole lot of heavy-lifting and the proper tie will be required. I know that for opening statements and summations I have to look sharp. On the days, I take apart a key witness, the tie will accentuate my look. Other days when there will be a lot of scientific or number driven evidence, a tie that’s more somber may be required or maybe something livelier if it’s my evidence. Trials that last for months are tricky. I don’t like to repeat my ties, yet I have favorites that are my go to tie that, to me, will always be “that” tie. Proper anticipation means not wasting meaningful morning moments going through ties to find the right one. Failing to anticipate means having that look that’s just not quite right, you’re a little off, and that means your game’s a little off. For me, that’s deadly. A logical question to ask is: why can’t a nice suit, shoes, shirt, socks or accessories play the same or even a more important a role? My answer would be that in modern American culture where I practice, the uniform is set: conservative suit, plain socks, conservative accessories, and yes, on trial, it’s still black shoes. A suit that screams expensive, multicolor socks or shirts, expensive jewelry may cause a jury to tune you out. Even if you’re tuned out because they are admiring your goods, the effect is still the same: no one heard what you were saying. A tie, the right tie, focuses the audience on the wearer. For me, that’s a great advantage. I take the tie I wear seriously. I feel that the tie I’m wearing during important events gives me confidence. In turn, I project that confidence and I’m able to deliver my message. Does the tie I wear affect the listener? I don’t really know, but I can’t dispute the results. I win. A lot. Coincidence? Not likely. Selecting the proper tie is about planning, preparation and execution of how you want to look. Failing to select the proper tie is failing to plan and failing to plan is planning to fail.
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Here is a variation of the pocket square puff fold known as the Guido Puff As the story goes Guido a distinguished and dapper Italian gentleman discovered this puff fold variation while shopping in a Hermes store.
The benefits are that it is a rich display (lots of volume in the puffs) and you get to show the pattern more, as the traditional puff tends to only shows the heart and/or the edges.
To see more Pocket Square Folds
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Kav's Corner Christopher Kavanaugh's take on life: I was four years old in our 1948, red Mercury station wagon going to the redwoods. Father passed his white, cotton handkerchief to me, a precursor to onboard video games since our AM radio ( proudly handcrafted in the USA) was proudly broken ( my father was an electronic engineer, thankfully, not an auto mechanic.) I eased it out the wind wing into the slipstream and conducted aerodynamic experiments. Eventually, some subconscious need to experience loss loosened my fingers, the handkerchief tumbling to oblivion. Mother scolded me, father qualifying it wasn't the good Irish linen.The pocket square was woven into a few brain cells for life, supplemented later by Dean Martin's red silk and many to follow. What are these bits of square cloth, subject to less understanding than their necktie neighbors? People almost always recoil at the price, though eager to spend on more ephemeral squares like lottery tickets. People either reject the idea or embrace it like houses competing at Christmas for the most elaborate outdoor display. To understand the pochette, one must understand the square. Look around, or in today's world past our constructs to the primal one. See anything square in nature? From salt grain to honeycomb, nature has mostly passed on being - square. It is our invention to contain the world; from boxes to buildings to city blocks we impose our stamp like the postal one to announce 'We are here.' But oddly, we take up the pocket square and, with one exception construct Japanese origami firebirds or volcanic magma flows. The square, simply isn't. And embracing their use neither are we, children again discovering life's boundaries, framed, yet free.
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Samuel Barber was born March 9, 1910 a composer as in he knew he was a composer from his early childhood as reflected in this quote from a letter to his mother: "Dear Mother: I have written to tell you my worrying secret. Now don't cry when you read it because it is neither yours nor my fault. I suppose I will have to tell it now, without any nonsense. To begin with I was not meant to be an athlete. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I'm sure. I'll ask you one more thing .-Don't ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football.-Please-Sometimes I've been worrying about this so much that it makes me mad (not very)." ----------------------------------
Years ago a man went to a shipboard auction of imported firearms. He bid on a huge collection of worthless muskets from SE Asia. Nobody else bid and everyone laughed at him. Then the other bidders watched the muskets thrown overboard. It turned out that the packing crates were rare teakwood and the winning bidder made a fortune.
------------------------------------ David's Thoughts David Hober's life as an American in Thailand: Daily life in Thailand is simply a delight. The food, weather and incredible temples while great are not what I am thinking of. Instead it is the graciousness and kindness of people in everyday life. While walking to the main road every morning with my three-year old daughter Samantha on our way to her school we pass by people setting up their noodle stands, sweeping the streets and many just walking to work and school. The friendliness and smiles that we are greeted with light up our day better than any cup of coffee. When we pass through the large modern air conditioned mall to use an overpass to get to the other side of busy Ramkamhaeng road doors are opened for us by uniformed doormen who sharply salute Samantha and I. We of course salute back - which creates a chain reaction of smiles between Samantha, the doormen and I. Speaking of Samantha she is a bit mischievous and when we pass the Bangkok city garbage men she holds her nose and waves her hand in front of her face to be sure and let the guys know that their truck has a special odor. Their response: to laugh and smile with her and let me know that she is as cute as a Barbie doll. Thailand truly is a delight - I love living here.
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Please email us if you have any questions. You can contact us at: editor@serendipitygazette.com
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