Greetings, everyone!
I hope you're all staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. You all know An Uptown Dandy as a place that focuses on the historical and the sartorial, but over the next few weeks the focus will be entirely historical! I was looking to take a break from my historical fiction writing and as I was no longer commuting into New York City from the suburbs, I had more time to listen to various podcasts on the Black Sox scandal (Infamous America, Rob Neyer, etc.), a subject which never ceases to fascinate me. Of course, because some of New York's more infamous characters from that era came to be involved in the conspiracy to fix the World Series, these posts will fit right in here!
Recently, a school of thought has emerged to counter the popular position that the Black Sox were motivated to throw the World Series by poor treatment at the hands of White Sox owner Charles Comiskey. The arguments in support of the notion that Comiskey was actually quite generous with his players were certainly compelling but perhaps because of the popularity of ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary series, I found myself wondering why no one seemed to look at the question of whether the Black Sox were underpaid using contemporary notions of what it means for a professional athlete to be underpaid, i.e. within their own clubhouse or, in this case, vis a vis their Clean Sox counterparts, in the same way that Scottie Pippen was considered cruelly underpaid vis a vis his teammates’ salaries when considering their respective contributions to the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls.
With that in mind, I took the salary information made available by Michael Haupart and Bob Hoie (via the Society of American Baseball Research's Black Sox Committee) to evaluate the 1919 player salaries within the Black Sox and Clean Sox factions. A comparison of the salaries of the two factions will show that, to put it simply, Comiskey was more generous with the Clean Sox faction. Using WAR as an indicator of player performance that year, I then sought to determine whether the more generous pay for the Clean sox was justified. What became clear, however, was that the WAR numbers were heavily skewed in favor of the Black Sox. In other words, while the Black Sox contributed more (according to WAR) to the success of the 1919 White Sox on the field, the Clean Sox were the primary beneficiaries of Comiskey’s largesse.
Did this inverse correlation between salaries and performance on the 1919 White Sox contribute to the decision by the Black Sox to fix the Series? Obviously, we can’t say for certain. However, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to conclude that it’s entirely possible.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting the entirety of my analysis from a paper titled “Never Got The Big Money”: Charles Comiskey, Scottie Pippen and the American Ideal of the Underpaid Professional Athlete (Or Were the Black Sox Well-Paid? Say It Ain’t So!)I hope that you enjoy it!
Best,
Dan Flores
And without further ado, I present the introduction to “Never Got The Big Money”: Charles Comiskey, Scottie Pippen and the American Ideal of the Underpaid Professional Athlete, the first part of a detailed analysis of the 1919 White Sox player salaries which will be presented in a series of posts here at the blog. For ease of reference, I have simply pdf'd the original pages from the paper.
In the deep corners of the Internet, vintage clothing enthusiasts still whisper in hushed tones about the "inspiration" library that Ralph Lauren created in the 1970s and 1980s. So the stories go, unlimited funds were spent to amass a horde of reference material pertaining to classic menswear from the golden age of style, the 1920s and 1930s. As a result, a veritable cornucopia of vintage Polo pieces were created that harkened back to that era. In some cases, fabrics were sourced and patterns were replicated so that many of the Polo menswear from that era looks like it was ripped from the pages of Apparel Arts.
I've been looking for that quintessential 1930s staple created by Polo, the three-piece double-breasted suit, for some time now. A throwback to the days of poor interior heating, the three-piece DB is certainly an acquired taste. You see them from time to time in thrift stores or eBay every now and then, but they're usually in the smaller 38R to 40R range and run in the $400-500 range for a suit in good, wearable condition. Nevertheless, I kept my ear to the ground and did not get discouraged.
Bolstered by menswear stalwarts like UrbanComposition, who has snagged some beautiful vintage Polo double-breasted suits from the "Made In The USA" era, I persevered. Eventually, my patience paid off when I found a vintage Polo three-piece suit that looked like it might have been ripped right out of a Lawrence Fellows illustration. Cut from a heavy flannel wool that features alternating herringbone and blue pinstripes, the fabric is something to see. Fascinating to behold up-close, but pleasantly subtle from a distance.
The cut of the jacket is also interesting. The lapels are wide, as one might expect with a vintage Polo offering. The button stance, however, offers a pleasant surprise. I suppose one might call it a 6x4 configuration. The middle button can be buttoned, but the lapel runs through the second buttonhole - the coat is meant to be fastened at the lowest button; indeed, inside the jacket, there is no internal button to fasten the coat inside at the middle row. The internal button is also placed at the lowest stance within the double-breasted configuration.
It's worth noting that while it appears that the configuration was designed with the Duke of Kent in mind, the middle button could be buttoned if that is your preference. The middle button is not symmetrical with the lower button, but the placement of the two differs by perhaps an 1/8 to 1/2 inch.
And the suit was a generous 42R, no less. What more could I ask for? Sadly, the one blemish on this sartorial gem is a small moth hole on the right lapel. As a result, the suit was for sale for next to nothing. As minimal tailoring is required, I won't object to investing a few more dollars into re-weaving, preferably via the artisans at French American Re-Weaving on 57th street, assuming they're still in business by the time I ever make it back to midtown Manhattan. In the meantime, I'll put away this beautiful example of vintage Polo Ralph Lauren, until the time is right.
When I became enamored with high-end shoes about 15 or 20 years ago, the creme de la creme of the industry were limited to a few locations, particularly England, France and Italy. To my mind and tastes, the top tier of shoemakers was limited to a select few such as Edward Green and John Lobb. Lobb, for instance, was the only maker offering models featuring museum calf. One of my first purchases during my trip to Northampton was a pair of Lobb chelsea boot, the Tudor. I still own them and the museum calf leather still looks wonderful. These days, though, just about everyone offers a model in museum calf sourced from the Ilcea tannery in France.
In addition to more accessible quality leathers being offered from a variety of makers, the quality and variety of shoemakers has increased in leaps and bounds since the early 2000s. In addition to the traditional countries mentioned earlier, there are now shoemakers creating incredible works of art from a number of countries in the Far East, particularly Japan, China, and Indonesia. These shoemakers are working very hard to improve their craft while at the same time combating the antiquated notion that only inferior quality products are produced in Asia.
Many of the offerings from these newer shoemakers can be found on Instagram and I have to say that I've been particularly impressed by what I've seen from Winson Shoemakers in Indonesia, Gordon Jim Jun in Shanghai, and Acme Shoemakers, another company based out of China. The quality appears to be oustanding and represents excellent value for quality. It should be noted here Justin Fitzpatrick, also known as The Shoe Snob and the force behind J. Fitzpatrick shoes, has been an outspoken admirer and advocate for this new group of shoemakers. Knowing as much as he does about the shoe industry, as well as having handled all kinds of high-end shoes from around the world, that fact that he is so impressed by this new wave of talent really speaks volumes in my mind.
With that in mind, over the next few months, I hope to be able to order from Winson Shoemakers, Gordon Jim Jun, and Acme, in order to experience these shoes firsthand, and hopefully share my experiences with the ordering process. I will also try to publish interviews with each shoemaker, to the extent possible (and language limitations permitting!), similar to the short interviews that I've published in the past with English shoemakers such as Alfred Sargent, Edward Green, and Foster & Son, and Italian shoemakers such as Bestetti.
ACME Shoemakers
I chose to begin my Asian tour with Winson Shoemaker, an artisan who is doing incredible things in Indonesia. I will share my thoughts on the ordering process in the next few days!
Schott Brothers is an American institution at this point, producing high-quality leather jackets and other mens and womenswear out of their factory in Union, New Jersey. As it turns out, the facility is only about 10 minutes from my home so I've been meaning to check out the annual Factory Sale, which is spoken of frequently as something not to be missed!
I left early on the appointed day but still found a healthy line wrapping around the factory when I arrived about two hours early. Ultimately, the powers that be ended up letting people in about 45 minutes early, so I'd say things worked out well for me. This year, due to the pandemic, the sale was held outside in an open area on the side of the Factory building. There was a decent supply of just about everything one could imagine, from leather motorcycle jackets, to leather military-issue gear, to wool bombers and overcoats to sweaters and accessories. Everything was organized by gender, size and style. There were also a few racks of random items and custom orders that I guess were never picked up. Finally, there was a large section of items all priced under $50.
I was on the hunt for the discontinued model 563, a cowhide delivery jacket in a vintage 1950s design that features a half-belted action back with side gussets. I couldn't find it in the odds and ends racks but there were many other styles that fit the bill so I was not disappointed. At one point, I saw a very tall gentleman trying on a lovely delivery jacket but the sleeves were just way too short for him. He added it to his pile of discarded items, so I asked him if he was going to get it. He said no so I asked him if I could try it on as I was about a good foot shorter than him.
He handed the coat over and and I tried it on and I have to say that it was just about a perfect fit. I was looking to purchase two leather jackets - one with a close fit to be worn with tailored clothing, and something a little roomier to wear with baggier clothes. This one fit the bill for the former and exceeded my wildest dreams. Most leather jackets from Schott, for some reason, have long sleeves but this particular coat was a custom order that had the sleeves shortened to an almost perfect length for me.
And the details on this jacket were just spectacular: a custom order P-663 delivery jacket featuring a sun-panel design on the back that has to be seen to be believed. Even more impressive, the P-663 Perfecto model eschewed the traditional cowhide leather that most Schott delivery jackets are made from. Instead, the P-663 is made from Horween Chromexcel leather, which shoe aficionados will be familiar with as a staple of Alden shoe offerings.
The prices at the Factory Sale were pretty impressive. This particular jacket retails for about $1,250 on Schott's website; other websites such as Bison Trading list this model for $1,650. So it was a bit of a coup to find a model in pristine condition that was basically already tailored to fit for significantly less, i.e. roughly 75% off the Schott retail price.
Finally, a brief word on Schott sizing. The P-663 was a size XL but it fit me pretty well. I'm typically a size medium or large if I want something a little roomier. In fact, the sweaters that I purchased at the sale were all size medium and fit very well. So something to keep in mind when purchasing Schott leather jackets, you might have to size up one size or even two to get something to fit that you might be normally accustomed to. As an aside, the 546 lightweight cowhide delivery jacket that I also picked up (and will post images of at some point) was in a size XXL but I'd describe the fit as roomy enough to wear with a sweater underneath, not gargantuan by any means.
