The hat, the suit and the shoes

My father was a really sharp dresser. He wore custom made suits and Brooks Brothers shirts and his shoes were from Stacy Adams. The shoes came from Brockton, Mass. which was then known as the shoe capital of the world. Rocky Marciano worked there before he became known for his boxing prowess. Once a year my father would box up a pair and send them back to the factory to be refurbished, resoled and heeled when necessary. He would get them back and always exclaim to us that they were like new. The company didn't charge for this because the shoes were meant to last a lifetime. Every day he would brush his shoes and on Saturday he had a whole routine about polishing his shoes. He had Kiwi tins in oxblood and cordovan, a brush and his "spit and polish" cloth. The combination of colors had to be put on in such a manner that this perfect and individual color was achieved. It was a slow and steady process that he never deviated from, a remnant of his time in the Army where you had to be able to see yourself in the shine of your boots. The ad that is shown here is actually from that time, Life magazine 1950. My father also wore a fedora and I thought he was tremendously handsome.