Kind Of Blue

The infamous green OCBD donned by Miles Davis with a puzzled expression on the front of the “Milestones” album has eluded clotheshorses for decades. The photo referenced is often of course the album cover. When looking at the photos from the photo shoot, however, we are provided with much greater picture quality. The shirt in these photos appears to be a seafoam color. Kind of blue, one could say, and kind of green, with a tinge of gray.

A diluted version of the photo prominently picturing a blue OCBD. However, the pants and the face of Davis are off in color when subject to the filter. One point to consider is that Miles Davis was no stranger to wearing custom clothes. His custom-made suits by tailor Joe Emsley were made with only two seams and one button to fit his size 34 frame. It wouldn’t be too foreign, then, for him to have commissioned a shirt of that color. Evidence of this being a custom shirt are of course the odd color, slightly larger buttons and an ample shirt pocket. The album being released in 1958 would pre-date Brooks oxfords having pockets. Therefore, the shirt would be from a more obscure source if not bespoke.

Most recently the best green version of the shirt was created by A Day’s March. With a generously sized collar and traditional fit this seems to be the best readily available interpretation of the iconic oxford. In the end I think we can all consider the quote from George Frazier: “A truly well dressed man, but one the average man would be foolish to emulate.” Maybe one has to “change the course of music 5 or 6 times” to warrant an oxford in seafoam, green, blue, or some harmonious arrangement of all of them.  — LUCAS DE LEON

4 Comments on "Kind Of Blue"

  1. Hardbopper | May 17, 2020 at 3:03 pm |

    All colors. All hues. All blues.

  2. Hardbopper | May 17, 2020 at 3:15 pm |

    Correction:
    All SHADES, all hues all blues.

  3. Ted Soforthe | May 18, 2020 at 1:24 pm |

    Green OCBDs?
    If an OCBD ain’t blue or white, it ain’t right.

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