My son Owen and my father, Vern Plambeck

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Originally uploaded by thane.

Number 2, The Byrds, and JFK: a men's fashion visionary is vindicated

My brother-in-law used to run men's clothing stores. About three years ago we were talking about suits, and I mentioned that I thought suits looked bad for the most part and what was needed was a big return to the classic look of the 1960s.

DAVID: What, like The Byrds?

THANE: Maybe. I mean, you know, just a suit and tie exactly like John F Kennedy used to wear. Why can't I buy that? I looked for it, even at Brooks Brothers, but they didn't help me much because I was wearing what I am now, crummy jeans and a T-shirt...

DAVID: Well, yes, that would be hard to find....

So—yesterday he sent me a clipping from the Sept 2006 Esquire magazine with this note:

Thane, I found this article in Esquire while working out at the gym on the elliptical. Who knew you had such forward fashion sense?

The clipping says (in part)

STYLISH OBSESSION OF THE MONTH: The Brooks Brothers "Fitzgerald": In tune with the evolution of the current dressed-up, fitted mood in American's men's suits, Brooks Brothers has created an updated replica of the "Number 2" suit it introduced for a leaner, fitter generation of men in 1961. The suit encapsulated the polished look espoused by John F Kennedy, a look that prompted The New York Times to describe how Kennedy, after a day in the Senate, "walked to the floor, a model of Brooks Brothers perfection"...

HA!