Category: Just Because

Source.

The only thing better would be if it was a 3-day weekend. Oh wait…

"Olyxas' brilliant double companion sun was in conjunction with the primary, two of its three moons would not rise until after midnight, and the third—the smallest—would not break the eastern horizon for an hour or more after my arrival, so that night was, indeed, very dark. As I powered down the speeder, parked, and walked out onto one of the piers, I looked up to see the hazy band of the galaxy stretching overhead in the western half of the sky from northern to southern horizon. And hanging in front of that glittering tapestry, forming a huge arc like a string of brilliant blue-white diamonds, six nearby supergiant stars curved eastward across the sky. In a later life, on a different world, I would call three of them Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, but the names I used for them then eluded me. Despite my best efforts, I was still unable to trace out any meaningful constellations upon this strange night sky, and in fact I wondered exactly what constellations would've grown out of legends and mythology if an indigenous sentient race had arisen on—instead of been transplanted to—this world." ~ From a Book I Started Writing in 1978 That Will Never Be Completed

via @mvrc.t on Instagram

No, not that kind of alligator hunting. I would never. (And it would be a little difficult in Arizona in any case.)

No, I'm talking about alligator shirts. As I wrote about a month ago, I've been picking up gently used LaCoste polos from eBay because back when they were the rage I couldn't afford them at $25 and while I probably can afford them now, I refuse to pay upwards of $100 for new one.

I noticed, however, that the third shirt I bought seemed a bit…off. The sleeves were longer than usual, the fabric thinner, and for some reason it had three collar buttons instead of two. It was obviously a counterfeit, a knock-off that had an alligator sewn on the chest, but it was not a genuine alligator. That led me online of course to do my due diligence.

There are several markers of authenticity for the solid color pique shirts, including 2 (not 3) vertically-stitched buttons on the collar, a specific location and pronounced teeth and claws on the alligator patch, a multi-language use-and-care label on the lower inside seam of the shirt, and a two-part label at the inside collar. The buttons are generally white mother-of-pearl, but they also apparently used a dark mother-of pearl with darker colored fabrics and color-matched buttons at times. So…based on all this, of the 6 shirts I've purchased, four are most likely the real deal and two (including the most recent one I bought) are most definitely not.

Caveat emptor.

Remember when Boomers were the "it" generation? Everyone was beating a path to our door.

Now it seems we're the root of all evil.

I am not a fashionista.

My uniform for the last forty years has been some brand of pique polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Back in the 80s—when I still had a relatively flat stomach, and was able to get into size 31 jeans—this combo was the gay uniform. (At least in the clubs I frequented at the time.)

I was relieved when it finally became standard casual Friday office fare and later pretty much acceptable office dress any day of the week no matter where I worked.

While I've worn polo shirts since 1980, I've never really been able to justify the cost of what I viewed as the ultimate polo, a Lacoste, opting instead for the much more affordable Brittania brand back in the day. I did, however, own one red Lacoste in 1983 after splurging on the purchase ($25 as I remember).

I was finally a member of the Alligator Club, even if the fit (medium) was a little snug back then.

Flash forward 40 years and Target discontinues Merona—my go-to polo brand for at least a decade—leaving me in a lurch. I tried their new Goodfellow shirts, but the fabric was cheap and the shirts just didn't fit the same way as Merona. I tried St. John's Bay from JC Penney, but they didn't fit the same way as Merona either.

So this sent me to eBay to see if I could snatch up a few "gently used" Meronas. But then I got to thinking…if Merona, why not Lacoste?

Jackpot!

(I knew they were still being made; I happened across a table full in a Macy's a few years ago, but was aghast that they were still as unaffordable as they were in the 80s. But I'd never thought about buying them used.)

Times and priorities change, y'know?

So anyway, after 40 years, I'm now close to having a week's worth of those little alligators to wear to work, knowing full well that they're probably viewed as an anachronism, a throwback to ages long past (when our country seemed relatively sane), but I don't care. They make me smile, and that's what's important—especially with the world being in its current state.