Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr from LIFE Magazine

Originally Posted by KObalto

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It's such an extreme difference I find it jarring. But then, what do I know. George Frazier apparently called him the best-dressed man in America:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony...xel_Biddle,_Jr.

See the link in my reply about his socks above.


- B

His name seems familiar to me. Was he in Britain during WWII?

As long as we are on Frazier, I thought that the following excerpts from the Some of the Best-Dressed Men in the United States section from his iconic Esquire article to be especially amusing:

FRED ASTAIRE—This sixty-one-year-old song-and-dance man, who is a member of the posh Brooks and Racquet & Tennis clubs in New York, favors English-type jackets, suede shoes, often uses silk handkerchiefs as belts. He has had many suits made by Anderson and Sheppard of London, but, at the moment, he is using John Galuppo of Schmidt and Galuppo, Inc., of Beverly Hills. His shoes are by Peal of London; his shirts by Beale and Inman and Hawes and Curtis (both of London), Brooks Brothers and Wendley in New York, and Machin and J. T. Beach of Los Angeles.

AHMET M. ERTEGUN—A jazz authority and president of prospering Atlantic Records, Ertegun was born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1923 and was educated abroad and at St. John's College in Annapolis. Dedicated to chic living, he has a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. He buys ready-made suits at J. Press (around $100 each and has them recut for around $50) by Martin Kalaydjian, the legendary valet of the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

ALEXANDER COCHRANE FORBES—At fifty, Forbes, who is extremely handsome, looks little older than he did as a Harvard undergraduate (1928-1932). A graduate of Groton, he was a member of the Porcellian Club, probably the choosiest men's club in the United States. A resident of Needham, Massachusetts, and a member of the Country Club, Forbes is a trustee for various interests. His tailors: Brooks Brothers and others.

CLARK GABLE—Since his switch to Brooks Brothers custom department shortly after the Second World War, the fifty-nine-year-old actor has become a model of subdued chic.

CARY GRANT—Although Grant, who is fifty-six, favors such abominations as large tie knots and claims to have originated the square-style breast-pocket handerchief, he is so extraordinarily attractive that he looks good in practically anything. He insists upon tight armholes in his suit jackets, finds the most comfortable (and functional) of all underwear to be women's nylon panties. Something of a maverick as to tailors, he now goes to Quintino (around $225 a suit) in Beverly Hills, California, and, whenever possible, certain of the preposterously low-priced geniuses in Hong Kong.

ROY HAYNES—The thiry-five-year-old jazz percussionist belongs on any best-dressed list if only because of his taste in selecting clothes that flatter his short stature (five feet, three and a half inches). His suits are custom made (around $125 each) by the Andover Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The late JOHN B. KELLY was one of the few self-made men on the list. Like his daughter, Princess Grace of Monaco, he was always impeccably dressed. His tailor: Witlin & Gallagher ($265 for a two-piece suit, $10 more for a three-piece) of Philadelphia. (Note: iammatt's grandfather)

HENRY T. MORTIMER—A graduate of St. Mark's School and Harvard, class of 1939, Mortimer is a Wall Street broker, holds membership in the Brooks and the Racquet & Tennis clubs. An extremely fussy dresser (who has his own-designed coat lapel), he insists upon such details as dull-finish bone buttons, skeleton alpaca linings. Tailor: Lord of New York.




- B

Originally Posted by George

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His name seems familiar to me. Was he in Britain during WWII?

google him, he was the ambassidor to a number of balkan occupied countries in wwii, he served in wwi, and his family has contributed a lot to the country.

Originally Posted by George

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His name seems familiar to me. Was he in Britain during WWII?

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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google him, he was the ambassidor to a number of balkan occupied countries in wwii, he served in wwi, and his family has contributed a lot to the country.






- B

^ I thought he was a marine in wwi.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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As long as we are on Frazier, I thought that the following excerpts from the Some of the Best-Dressed Men in the United States section from his iconic Esquire article to be especially amusing:





The late JOHN B. KELLY was one of the few self-made men on the list. Like his daughter, Princess Grace of Monaco, he was always impeccably dressed. His tailor: Witlin & Gallagher ($265 for a two-piece suit, $10 more for a three-piece) of Philadelphia. (Note: iammatt's grandfather)

- B

Hmm, I guess that explains how Matt knows all those Hollywood stars from his youth.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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google him, he was the ambassidor to a number of balkan occupied countries in wwii, he served in wwi, and his family has contributed a lot to the country.

He was Ambassador to Poland 1937-43. Poland was occupied by Germany and the
Soviet Union in the Fall of 1939. The photo of him in a reviewing stand seated next to a Roman
Catholic cleric , probably the Primate of Poland, is undoubtedly taken before Word War 2.
Sartorial note: In the first row of the photo are some ancient and be-medalled
veterans who are wearing the distinctive czapka caps. For an excellent film depicting
Poland during the Occupation and early Post War period, I recommend : Katyn

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879843

Thanks for the pics.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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As long as we are on Frazier, I thought that the following excerpts from the Some of the Best-Dressed Men in the United States section from his iconic Esquire article to be especially amusing:

- B

Can I start a Roy Haynes thread?

Dean Acheson wins this threak hands down.

Originally Posted by Parker

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Can I start a Roy Haynes thread?

Please do, these to prime the pump

Originally Posted by Manton

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I wonder what it would be like to live in a country whose upper class was so unabashadly patriotic and public spirited. I think I would like it.

+1

What factors do you think have led to the decline? Were there key events?


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