EVENING WITH THE DUCHESS


As I said in my last post, my recent visit to Cascadia was one of the most wonderful trips I've taken. In the next week, I'll be posting excerpts from this little journey of mine.

My good friends at Duchess Clothier and Winn Perry kindly asked me to make the customary spectacle of myself at the open house event of their new shop, the former lobby of the old Ford Building (2505 SE 11th Ave., Portland).



Friends I'd met on my last visit showed, as well as readers I hadn't yet had the pleasure of knowing. I have to say that, from an East Coaster's perspective, Portland is a disarmingly kind and friendly town; I've never met a single unpleasant person there, which is both unsettling and delightful. They are also not adverse to dressing up, and do so with dash, humor and playfulness.



The evening started off with some breezy, deftly rendered musical selections by the talented Pete Krebs Trio.



This was followed by a lively and erudite presentation on the finer points of men's black tie formal attire, performed by the charming (and it must be said, fetching) Mr. A. Gustav Bayer. Starting in his underwear, Mr. Bayer proceeded to dress, explaining the point of each garment as he donned it. He not only gave us the practical points of this rarefied style of men's dress, but also gave us the historical context. It was a playful, improvised and unpretentious lecture that had everyone fascinated and amused. He was even kind enough to write and design a booklet on the topic, which was passed out to all. I can imagine him scoffing out of modesty, but the general opinion was that it was the height of the evening.

At this point I mounted a bench and did my bit, such as it is. But before I did, I photographed those of you who attended. After all, my life would be much poorer were you not in it. Thank you for a wonderful evening!



~W