BAUBLES, BANGLES and BEADS
T.Paul Ste. Marie

Originally published in the FASHION VICTOR Column of MORE ON MAIN Magazine, Vancouver

Weddings. Parties. Anything.
No. This is not an availability ad for a band.
Accoutrement is the word of the day, guys.
Pearly studs. Pocket folds. Cuff links. Ties of all widths, be they half windsored or bow tied can make that suit fly. Say goodbye to the backwoods backwards baseball hat and hello to the Pork Pie jazzy guy fedora style!

That's right, gents. Decoration, old school style. My grandpappy was a tailor whose forced retirement at age 84 led him sadly into the last two years of his life. The man loved his work. So, along with inheriting an incredible gold mine of 30's 40's and 50's hats, shirts (still in their packaging), pants, monogrammed hankies, coats and crazy ties, the piece de resistance passed from he to me had to be the odd shaped boxes of wood and velvet and time worn satin scented sweetly with a faint hint of mildew and time, all brimming with shiny faux jewel tie tacks and matching cuff links, mix and match buttonhole studs. All of the shiny things a guy could love (short of raiding mom's jewellery box).

Remember the Lounge Craze a few years back? That's when fellows like myself shone, donned in retro gear, French cuffs and their friends Link and Link tying in with the shiny tie pin, lifting our gin Martinis exposing our snazzy made to be seen wrist accoutrements.

Ahh...those halcyon days of bachelor pad swinging-ness. All the cool cats and kittens may be behind us now, but, fellows, we've been left a legacy thought to be lost with pops or granddad. The readily available bobbles and beads needed to give that razor sharp suit you're sporting that added gleam.

Hats are another way to go to either add or to completely change that same old day old doughnut stale flavour of an outfit. The versatility of a Porkpie hat is where it's at. This particular chapeau has a low crown and a not too wide brim that turns up slightly around the edge. Wear it as it is and with a sharp pair of pants, a neat shirt and some two-tone shoes (we'll get into shoes further sometime soon), you've got the bebop jazz thing going on.

Keep it the same way with some sneakers, a tee shirt and a grey hoodie jacket under a leather overcoat and the boxer look, a la Rocky Balboa comes out of your woodwork. Flip the front of it's brim down, and with a four button suit, thin tie and pointed shoes you're in the early 60's, with a Spy Guy or Modish appearance. Of all the hats that I own, I find that my Porkpies go the furthest for me in a pinch. Many a bad hair day has been saved by the way it fits with whatever I give it to work with.

One of my favourite stores for such goodies as tie tacks, cuff links, ties, hats and so many other fantastic vintage items is LEGENDS at 4354 Main St. in Vancouver. The display case at the front of the store is an accoutrement lovers dream. The walls are lined with fine hats. There you will also find the kind of shirt necessary for your 'links' -the French Cuff shirt. This simply means that there are no buttons on the sleeves. The cuffs fold up once doubling the material at the four matched up holes that your cuff link passes through and fastens. Those cuff links give that touch of subtle sparkle to a suit. If you can find a pair with a matching tie tack, you've just created that magic number three in your appearance; that visual triangle is complete.

You also may pay a visit to Burcu's Angels' display case down at Main and Broadway, where you'll find cuff links and fine shirts, hats and suits. Or hop-skip-jump downtown to Gastown and hit Deluxe Junk at Cambie and Cordova for your accessory needs. If it's the new stuff you're looking for, try Oddball at 439 W. Hastings. They have all the latest in cuff links sporting pictures of dice, hula girls, flames and the like.

Did you know that there is a National Cuff Link Society? No kidding. And, again, all kidding aside, the president's name is Eugene Klompus. Visit Eugene and the National Cuff Link Society at www.cufflink.com. Get on board with fellow "linkers" (a term, says Eugene "that cuff link buffs often use to refer to other collectors"). He'll take you through the importance of collecting, the history of cuff links and offer you (pardon the pun) links to sites all about, well...links.

The possibilities of jazzing up an outfit are endless. Manly bejeweling needn't be a lost practice. Have fun with offsetting your baby blues with a faux blue hued sapphire matching set of cuff links and a tiepin. Just remember to check your watch frequently, or adjust your fedora or porkpie hat so as to expose their eye-catching glitter.

Have fun!!! And remember, "The clothes don't make the man, man made the clothes, and only so we all wouldn't be in jail for indecent exposure!"

Click here to find out a bit more about T.Paul St. Marie.  

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Quicklist of
Downtown Stores:

Blue Eyed Grass
Button Button
Cabbages and Kinx
Deluxe Junk Company
Fashion Junkeez
Kawabata-Ya
True Value Vintage
Trash and Treasures
Adventures Ltd.
Virgin Marys

Quicklist of
Main Street Stores:

Barefoot Contessa
Bodacious Consignment
Burcu's Angels
Echo Unique Resale
Eugene Choo
E.X.Sales, Inc.
Front and Company
Legends Retro Fashion
Lines
Mod to Modern