A State of Dress: Fashioning style that suits the occasion

Men’s fashion and style has always intrigued me. As a kid, I remember credits at the end of 1960s television shows that read something like, “Men’s Wardrobe by Brooks Brothers.”

My first visit to the Brooks Brothers flagship store in New York City was a revelation, especially since it was at Christmas. The Christmas trees constructed of colorful ties were a wonder to behold.

To buy a suit there is a wonderful experience and the customer is treated like a king.

I recently posted a fantastic photograph on my Facebook page. It was taken near Havana, Cuba, at the home of Ernest Hemingway, La Finca Vigia. The photo was of a shoe rack, and several identical maroon penny loafers were arranged as if the great writer himself would return soon to place them on his literary feet. I am a great fan of the classic loafer and I keep mine until they fall apart.

Out here in central New Mexico there is a completely different model of dress. A gentleman in a suit is a rare sight. Casual shirts and jeans are the style and rarely is a shirt tucked in.

I, due to my activity in the business of show, have a relationship with a law firm in Albuquerque. The law office is modern with a formal boardroom and the entire suite features elegant lighting and bespoke furniture. In short, it looks like what a law office should look like.

I was dressed nicely for my first meeting when, to my surprise, my two lawyers bounded into the room with casual shirts and jeans. This is how they rock in New Mexico.

Contrast this with my lawyers in Rome, especially Bob Berry, David Brearley, and King Askew. They enter the room with starched shirts, beautiful suits, and shined shoes. They exude the archetype of the southern gentleman, and I always attended meetings at the Rome law firm suitably dressed. It just seemed proper.

I should say that both law firms render outstanding legal work, but the individuals’ appearances are, to say the least, an interesting contrast.

Down here in Valencia County, New Mexico, agriculture is king. Western wear is evident in the cafes and on the highways. During most of the year, farmers and ranchers wear a straw cowboy hat (one is sitting on the table next to my computer as I write this), Wrangler jeans, and a snap button yoke-style shirt. Boots, of course, are required.

My brother in things equestrian Kevin J. Ellis is completely comfortable with the aforementioned wardrobe. However, there is another type of western character out here, and they endeavor to take part in the vibrant motion picture and television industry. They dress in a way that is not to the liking of working cowboys like Mr. Ellis.

They sport exotic cowboy hats, elaborate Victorian jackets, and long mustaches. They affect the look of the Hollywood desperado, and working cowboys tend to look askance at these dandies. These cinematic cowpokes dress in cinematic style at all times, and I enjoy meeting these folks.

I have a great friend named Tony Estrada. He is of the Navajo people, and they call themselves, quite properly out here, Dine (with an accent on the ‘e’). He usually dresses in southwestern casual style and since he is a filmmaker, he wears jeans and shirts that keep the sun out and the cool in. I asked some film crew folks when and why their ubiquitous cargo shorts became the international uniform of film crew workers. One responded quite quickly: “Pockets!” A grip needs pockets for everything from pocket flashlights to gaffer’s tape.

So my suits sit in the closet, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn a sport coat out here. When I enter a local restaurant wearing a cowboy hat, boots, and jeans, no one raises an eyebrow. When I decide to really spiff up and wear a turquoise bolo tie, I usually get a compliment.

The great American writer Charles Bukowski wrote, “Style is the answer to everything. A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing. To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without it. To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art.”

Whether one is fighting 2,000-pound rodeo bulls, teaching a dangerous voice lesson, or arguing a copyright case before a tough judge, style may have a case.

Here’s looking at ya! HARRY MUSSELWHITE Jim Powell of Young Harris