God was telling me it was time to change my wardrobe

I never had anything but hand-me-down suits and second-hand ones until I went out with one of my first Esquire checks in 2004 and bought three Joseph Abboud suits and a couple of jackets plus a tux. The tux still works great, but the suits were worn out after almost five years. Plus, migrating through my 40s, you tend to put on weight in your upper body, which I keep tight enough with the Bowflex but even if you do that, you simply get bigger (you can wear it sloppy or tight, but you tend to collect no matter what).

Anyway, I knew I needed new suits bad. My grey one was showing wear points and my navy and black ones were losing all form.

So this is how God spoke to me: First, I lost all my cuffs (I believe, somewhere in the house but can't be sure). Then I put my black suit in a bag and told my younger son to throw in car so Vonne would take to dry cleaners. Unfortunately, the van was full of bags to go to Goodwill. Whish! My best suit gone.

Then I apparently left behind my black sports coat somewhere on this last trip (NYC, I suspect, given my lack of sleep then). Or maybe that coat went to some needy person at Goodwill's too (I was so blitzed when I returned home that I might have stuck the coat in with the suit).

All of a sudden, my closet is looking a lot roomier and more threadbare.

Vonne's been begging me to buy new suits for a while, so last night we went into Indy and I tried on a ton of Abboud's, but they all felt a bit pinched in the shoulders, where I have always been wide and thus get that behind-the-neck hump the tailors need to kill.

The Euro suits were worse, because they tend to wear tight to begin with. But then--on suggestion--I went up a size on them, and everything clicked. No hump in back. Suit lays great. Have to take in at various places, but I learn a lesson: Euro cuts are great for me and all I need to do is go up a size and then cut down instead of using American-style cuts and reconfiguring.

So located a black, a blue and a grey--all Hugo Boss.

Doing my bit for the economy.

I won't miss the old suits whatsoever. When they get beat up and start losing shape, it truly is time to move on.

I will, however, miss the black Abboud sports coat. But since I have a navy one that I've almost never worn (I always went with black), I'm okay there.

And at least I got the shot above taken before I lost the black one so I have something to remember it by . . .

Got all my newspaper writing done for a while. Tying to finish all the commentaries on GP today and tomorrow, plus a backlog of blogs and one more email interview. Hoping to leave on tour Tuesday with only my worn personal copy of GP in hand.

Comments

[Tom Barnett]

Good news: the hotel in NYC still has my black sports coat, so I'll pick it up Tuesday when I fly in.

[Javaid Akhtar]

you should get some tailor made suits with wool +horse hair interlinings.They will make you feel a million dollars compared to off the peg stuff...no matter who makes them.