Harry's
"You should match the socks with the trousers," Todd Hamlin tells Reeves, who is listening intently, stirring his Beefeater on the rocks with a swizzle stick.
"Who says?" George asks.
"Now listen," Hamlin patiently explains. "If you wear gray trousers, you wear gray socks. It's as simple as that."
"But wait," I interrupt. "What if the shoes are black? "
"That's okay," Hamlin says, sipping his martini. "But then the belt has to match the shoes."
"So what you're saying is that with a gray suit you can either wear gray orblack socks," I ask.
"Er... yeah," Hamlin says, confused. "I guess. Did I say that?"
"See, Hamlin," I say, "I disagree about the belt since the shoes are so far away from the actual belt line. I think you should concentrate on wearing a belt that coordinates with the trousers."
"He has a point," Reeves says.
The three of us, Todd Hamlin and George Reeves and myself, are sitting in Harry's and it's a little after six. Hamlin is wearing a suit by Lubiam, a great-looking striped spread-collar cotton shirt from Burberry, a silk tie by Resikeio and a belt from Ralph Lauren. Reeves is wearing a six-button double-breasted suit by Christian Dior, a cotton shirt, a patterned silk tie by Claiborne, perforated cap-toe leather lace-ups by Allen-Edmonds, a cotton handkerchief in his pocket, probably from Brooks Brothers; sunglasses by Lafont Paris lie on a napkin by his drink and a fairly nice attache case from T. Anthony rests on an empty chair by our table. I'm wearing a two-button single-breasted chalk-striped wool-flannel suit, a multicolored candy-striped cotton shirt and a silk pocket square, all by Patrick Aubert, a polka-dot silk tie by Bill Blass and clear prescription eyeglasses with frames by Lafont Paris. One of our CD Walkman headsets lies in the middle of the table surrounded by drinks and a calculator. Reeves and Hamlin left the office early today for facials somewhere and they both look good, faces pink but tan, hair short and slicked back. The Patty Winters Show this morning was about Real-Life Rambos.
"But what about vests?" Reeves asks Todd. "Aren't they... out?"
"No, George," Hamlin says. "Of course not."
"No," I agree. "Vests have never been out of fashion."
"Well, the question really is - how should they be worn?" Hamlin inquires.