Unless I'm getting out of the country. Which we are. Ms F and I are on our way to Brussels, the north of France, and Paris over the next week. We're going to explore the area my grandfather and his regiment fought through during that last weeks of World War One, and the town near where he was wounded a month before the armistice. It's a blended trip, partially in the fields and partially in the cities; we fly into Brussels and have a day and a night there, then take the train to Amien and two days on the battlefields--The Somme, the Hindenberg Line and the San Quentin Canal, and then on to Premont. Then train to Paris for a few days and out.
Since we're going out to the battlefields and to the cities, we need a mix of clothes that will be country friendly and city acceptable. The added degree of difficulty is that it all has to fit into a roll-aboard--no checked luggage on this trip, and it's cold.
So here's the rough packing list:
The lay-out
Blue and black jeans (a pair of chinos worn on the plane), two black half-turtlenecks, a couple OCBDs (plus another dress shirt worn), for evenings we're in town. Vintage (I bought them new and I've had them one month shy of twenty years) Timberland Gore-Tex lined boots for the field and longer walks in town, plus some wool socks to wear with them; cotton crew socks to wear with the black Gucci horsebit loafers I'll wear at night and during travel.
Two Brooks Brothers 1/4 zip sweaters, one lambswool and one cashmere (respectively, grey and blue); a black merino wool polo sweater. A tweedy RL Polo hound's tooth sport coat, and at the risk of being presumed to be one of Les Rosbifs, my Barbour Beaufort jacket and a Burberry cashmere scarf.
As for accessories: For the head: a fleece cap, in case it's really cold in the field, and maybe a ball cap but I'm not yet sure, and Ray Ban aviators. For the hands: a couple pairs of gloves--fleece and rabbit-lined leather. I suspect the Submariner 5513 will be on my wrist, although the Omega Seamaster calibre 351 would also be a good, understated choice.
In the backpack: the iPad will have to do, no laptop on this trip--though I'll likely stash a bluetooth keyboard; Bose noise-canceling headphones, two small notebooks; I'll have a small Canon digital and Ms F will have her Nikon DSLR. The iPhone will serve mostly as iPod, audio recorder, and storage device because we have an old flip phone we'll put a European chip in so we can have a local phone number; an old Business-Class amenities bag filled with chargers and plug adapters. Plus, a book about the 30th Division's war as a reference--my grandfather was a corporal in the 119th Infantry.
Now, about those horsebit loafers. One of my very favorite clips from The Trad's many blogs and tumblrs is this question and response from The Trad Rejection:
Anonymous asked: Gucci Horsebit loafers: Are they only for Persian nightclub owners and Douchebag Hollywood actors? Or, are they an essential part of a well dressed man's wardrobe?
Good question. It carries a lotta baggage for a shoe. It’s also a very comfortable shoe and can be worn with Bermuda shorts or a DB suit. My ex-wife hated ‘em. She had more taste than I ever will. I still have a pair but wear them sparingly and only around friends who know I’m an asshole.
Well, to paraphrase just a bit, TinTin's rejections page has more style than I ever will, and I absolutely agree with him on this, the shoe carries a ton of baggage. My personal take on this shoe and its baggage was to purchase the version with the thicker, chunkier sole. I've not seen many of this model, especially on #menswear blogs and Tumblrs, so I suspect it's not popular. I bought this version because it walks a whole lot better than the thin-soled 1950s version--especially in cold Paris and Brussels, but also because that sole takes away some of the edginess of the shoe (particularly because I can't wear them with anything but jeans) and thus, I think, some of the Douchebagginess that Anonymous questioned above. At least I hope so.What about guides, you ask? Yes, to all: human, paper, and digital. We've engaged a battlefield guide. I've studied the war; I've learned the routes of my grandfather's division and regiment, but why not have an expert to fill in what we don't know. It's a once in a lifetime event, let's do it right. For Paris, on paper and online, we consult Pudlo, the guide locals use.
