Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

Here are two last minute gift ideas for a man in your life, including, of course, yourself.


First, a pair of Pantherella's maroon silk hose from Woods of Shropshire (£15.00 or about $30). Exactly what he needs to wear with his dinner jacket on New Year's Eve.


And then he'd better have sock suspenders from Albert Thurston (also £15.00 or about $30), so he won't have maroon silk puddled around his ankles after the first dance.

Happy holidays!

A Plea for Striped Socks

Whenever I've noticed socks in a particularly stylish Apparel Arts drawing, they've tended to be versions with horizontal stripes, worn with suits. And since I first noticed them, I've been searching for over the calf versions with little success. You'd think someone would recognize opportunity knocking.

Granted, Edward Green's London store had several colorways about five years ago but they've stopped offering them. Mine are worn out. And since, whenever I've heard of some they've turned out to be sport socks. Or atrocities.

I've come across several sources for interesting socks along the way.

A source for polka dots in a cotton sport version is Buffalo's O'Connell's Clothing. You can view the merchandise but need to call to place an order.

Another is the Kabbaz Kelly online haberdashery. In addition to being the leading source for Pantherella hose on the planet, Kabbaz offers some wonderful wool OTC Marcolianis in a variety of restrained and not so restrained polka dots.

But stripes are nowhere to be found.