Male Fashion

I struggled with a bad cold this week and am just getting over it. To celebrate returning health, I chose an outfit today which lifted my spirits. It also comes with a story.

A decade ago, I visited Memphis. While there, I shopped at legendary Lansky Brothers and bought the best jacket of my life.

In 1952, Bernard Lansky owned a men's clothing store on famous Beale Street in Memphis where he sold items he had personally designed. Bernard noticed a young man continuously walk past his window and look inside, but never actually came in. Eventually, Bernard went out and invited the man inside. It was seventeen-year-old Elvis Presley who was working at a local theater. Elvis explained he loved the clothes but couldn't afford them. Bernard took pity on him and gave him some clothes at steep discount. Later, after Elvis became an international superstar, Bernard Lansky designed much of Elvis's attire, including an outfit for his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. "I put Elvis in his first suit, and I put him in his last," Bernard recalls.

Due to this association, Lansky's shop became known as "Clothier To The King." It still sells reproductions of clothing Elvis actually wore, combined with new 1950s-inspired clothing. Its motto is currently "Dress Like A Rock Star." Lansky's creations have bold designs and bright colors.

I found a jacket exactly like one Elvis wore. It appeals to me because of its racing style and silk interior, decorated with a beautiful logo. I cherish this jacket and will keep it until my dying day.

I pulled the jacket out of my closet today to wear with a black-and-white striped shirt, sharply-creased black pants and b/w-checkered Vans sneakers. What do you think?