A few days ago I met Tom Davis in Central Park to snap a few photos. I’m planning to share some of his spiritual wisdom at Trad Man (please chip in if you can; the Kickstarter campaign ends in a week and we’ve a ways to go), and needed a shot of him. We did some improvising, and with my iPhone I was able to snap this shot with trees reflected in the water.
Davis, for those unaware, spent 50 years working at Brooks Brothers’ Madison Avenue flagship, and now works part time at J. Press running the custom shirt program. I did a Q&A with him in March, which you can find here.
On this gray and damp day, Davis was wearing a 35-year-old waxed jacket by Barbour, which had been stitched and repaired several times. I told him Prince Charles would approve. — CC
A gentleman and a scholar, the best of all possible worlds.
C,
Excellent photo of Mr. Davis.
I’ll kick myself to contribute to the Trad Man Kickstarter campaign.
I’ve enjoyed and been entertained by Ivy Style and look forward to your next adventure.
Cheers, BC
I mentioned on social media that had he and I been born at the same time and in the same place, I believe we would have been good friends. I hope he feels the same way, and has enjoyed our long conversations as much as I have. He’s right at the top of those I’ll miss in NY.
A fine gentleman of the old school.
The Barbour and flat cap is a traditional English look. Like Prince Charles, my Barbour is a Gamefair which is no longer available. It’s ideal in this damp and wet weather. If it’s a bit chilly, zip in a liner. Mine is worn most days with a tattersall shirt, a saddle shoulder shetland jumper and thick moleskin jeans or cords – all from Cordings in Piccadilly. To be honest, Trad doesn’t mean anythingr to me. It’s just practical and very comfortable for soggy Britain.
Failsworth flat cap here, along with a Barbour Chelsea which I find more comfortable than their waxed variants when driving.
So good to see Mr. Davis. He was one of the last links with the heyday at 44th and Madison, and I’m so glad that he is still active. I’m looking forward to hearing from him on the Trad Man site.
As for the Barbour coat, I keep putting off needed maintenance and wearing mine, purchased at Harrods around 1990 or so, in a fairly decrepit state. My “flat ‘ats,” however, are in good repair.
I hate to be negative, there are enough trolls on this site and others, but the photo looks “shopped.” What is he sitting on?
I was struck by how professional the picture looks.
Had a large patterned hounds tooth tweed flat cap when I was in my twenties. Always got complements from black gentlemen of a certain age who refered to it as an apple jack.
Cheers
Will
LJW — It looks like Mr. Davis is sitting on the edge of one of low the walls around Central Park or possibly the Gapstow Bridge over the Central Park Pond. It does look like he is floating, but I think it is just the effect of sitting/leaning on the edge of a low wall.
I have a fine coffee table book from 2006, “MR CLASSIC JEREMY HACKETT.” A very flattering full page picture and another full page homage to Mr Davis from Mississippi while he was still at Brooks. Edited by Jeremy Hackett and photographs by Garda Tang. Advice by actor Eddie Redmayne and others. One of the nicest books on my coffee table.
Sloane street, duffle coats, Fox umbrellas, wooden sailboats, waistcoats, top hats, household cavalry officers, polo, paddock jackets, Purdey shotguns, old Etonians, more. And Mr. Davis!
Street, duffle coats
@Sacksuit:
If you google “applejack cap”, you’ll see the difference between an applejack and the cap that Mr. Davis is wearing.
@LJW – I’m pretty sure Mr. Davis is sitting on the rim of Central Park’s, “Conservatory Water” aka Sailboat Pond.
Great pic of Mr. Davis. I am grateful that I’m able to buy the shirts I love from him at JPress. When he moved on from Brooks, so did I.
Linkman
I knew the difference. I figured it would be poor manners for a twenty something cracker punk to correct old black men who had just paid me a compliment. Not southern gentlemanly.
Cheers,
Will
How right you were.