You are looming as a favorite of mine, not just because you meet my high standards when choosing reading material for the soul (and brain), but .... your paintings. Where can one see them all, or are they all sold?
MAAAAAC!!! Oh how much I love the Ospitals! I bought my first new suit from them in the late 1980s, a New Republic knockoff from something Mick wore on a Rolling Stones album cover. The morning coat still fits, but the trousers…
I remember when Robin Williams bought the only example of Walter van Bierendonk’s ‘penis burka’. People, I ask you, where else? Nowhere. Modern Appealing Clothing.
PS I bought my ex wife the very Dirk Van Saene bow dress mentioned, form fitting in grey wool, but will keep a lid on the possibilities of bow-restraint as my daughter reads you too. Let’s just say it was a mutual fave.
MAC is the very best, like your writing. Both are San Francisco institutions without equal (no matter where you live). The Ospital's are as warm and stylish as that $400 Ryan Roberts zippered coat you coveted and wrote about. I couldn't afford it either, but decided not to eat for two months and brought it home in 2005 or something. I still wear it - in fact, I wore it this week - and it still looks fabulous, modern, and appealing.
Seems like every city has a beloved, long-lived clothing store owned by fashion obsessives who live and breathe style. In Austin, it's By George. In Houston, it’s Tootsie’s. Glad to know the go-to in SF.
Next time I'm in Frisco I'll be sure to stop by the store. When I lived in Brooklyn I would go to places like Cog and Pearl basically to window shop because it was pricey. But I would always buy some little thing just to support the place, because I was glad it was there.
Ahhhhhhh MAC, an ex girlfriend introduced me to the Ospitals and their little oasis of wonderful when it was in the tiny space on Post (or was it Sutter, pretty sure it was Post) and Mrs Ospital was still in the shop almost every day. I kept dipping in there over the years, making highly selective, smart purchases.
Fast forward a few years and I remember one day I came in on my old BMW in knee high engineers boots, Girbaud jodhpurs, a heavy white silk knit mock turtleneck tshirt and the Harley style bike jacket (that I still have and wear) that I'd recently had made (with a soviet buckle on the belt that had been a gift from a friend who'd recently passed from the plague). Ben took one look at me and said, "You don't need anything here today, you're complete."
I was working at a big ad agency at the time as a sr art director and the accounts I was on were big tech and cars so I was often dragged to fancy events in SF and I looked at Ben (as his mother chuckled in the corner) and said that I needed a shirt. Of course he asked what kind of shirt and I had to admit that, to my horror, it had become clear that I had to actually buy a tuxedo because it was getting too expensive to keep renting them (and the rental ones were awful) and had ended up with a beautiful and subtle Italian double breasted tux (no fucking satin). I needed a shirt and I had all the studs, links etc because my grandfather had given me a beautiful, complete of set classic gold and mother of pearl links & studs.
Ben looked thoughtful and his Mom came over, and, using my elbows to navigate me took me over to a small rack in one of the narrow walls and without looking at size, handed me a hanger with an absolutely gorgeous cotton pique (no fucking ruffles!) subtlely textured white wing collared, French cuffed shirt. They knew me.
My waistline has increased as the decades have gone by and the tuxedo no longer fits, but that beautiful shirt still hangs in my closet — and it got a lot of wear for a few years.
Really wish I hadn't missed this one in the NYT back in the day...
You are looming as a favorite of mine, not just because you meet my high standards when choosing reading material for the soul (and brain), but .... your paintings. Where can one see them all, or are they all sold?
Be Well.
I would like to have 1000 teddy bears *first,* to make absolutely sure that it’s not the cure to what ails me.
MAAAAAC!!! Oh how much I love the Ospitals! I bought my first new suit from them in the late 1980s, a New Republic knockoff from something Mick wore on a Rolling Stones album cover. The morning coat still fits, but the trousers…
I remember when Robin Williams bought the only example of Walter van Bierendonk’s ‘penis burka’. People, I ask you, where else? Nowhere. Modern Appealing Clothing.
PS I bought my ex wife the very Dirk Van Saene bow dress mentioned, form fitting in grey wool, but will keep a lid on the possibilities of bow-restraint as my daughter reads you too. Let’s just say it was a mutual fave.
MAC is the very best, like your writing. Both are San Francisco institutions without equal (no matter where you live). The Ospital's are as warm and stylish as that $400 Ryan Roberts zippered coat you coveted and wrote about. I couldn't afford it either, but decided not to eat for two months and brought it home in 2005 or something. I still wear it - in fact, I wore it this week - and it still looks fabulous, modern, and appealing.
Seems like every city has a beloved, long-lived clothing store owned by fashion obsessives who live and breathe style. In Austin, it's By George. In Houston, it’s Tootsie’s. Glad to know the go-to in SF.
Missing the Critical Shopper...happy you're happy on the right coast. Read this and thought of you.
Cheers!
https://extrafinewriting.substack.com/p/the-rotring-core-balium-is-the-most
Next time I'm in Frisco I'll be sure to stop by the store. When I lived in Brooklyn I would go to places like Cog and Pearl basically to window shop because it was pricey. But I would always buy some little thing just to support the place, because I was glad it was there.
Ahhhhhhh MAC, an ex girlfriend introduced me to the Ospitals and their little oasis of wonderful when it was in the tiny space on Post (or was it Sutter, pretty sure it was Post) and Mrs Ospital was still in the shop almost every day. I kept dipping in there over the years, making highly selective, smart purchases.
Fast forward a few years and I remember one day I came in on my old BMW in knee high engineers boots, Girbaud jodhpurs, a heavy white silk knit mock turtleneck tshirt and the Harley style bike jacket (that I still have and wear) that I'd recently had made (with a soviet buckle on the belt that had been a gift from a friend who'd recently passed from the plague). Ben took one look at me and said, "You don't need anything here today, you're complete."
I was working at a big ad agency at the time as a sr art director and the accounts I was on were big tech and cars so I was often dragged to fancy events in SF and I looked at Ben (as his mother chuckled in the corner) and said that I needed a shirt. Of course he asked what kind of shirt and I had to admit that, to my horror, it had become clear that I had to actually buy a tuxedo because it was getting too expensive to keep renting them (and the rental ones were awful) and had ended up with a beautiful and subtle Italian double breasted tux (no fucking satin). I needed a shirt and I had all the studs, links etc because my grandfather had given me a beautiful, complete of set classic gold and mother of pearl links & studs.
Ben looked thoughtful and his Mom came over, and, using my elbows to navigate me took me over to a small rack in one of the narrow walls and without looking at size, handed me a hanger with an absolutely gorgeous cotton pique (no fucking ruffles!) subtlely textured white wing collared, French cuffed shirt. They knew me.
My waistline has increased as the decades have gone by and the tuxedo no longer fits, but that beautiful shirt still hangs in my closet — and it got a lot of wear for a few years.
Really wish I hadn't missed this one in the NYT back in the day...