Waist not, want lots
November 12th 2008 07:12
There is an interesting blog post here by Janet Collins about expanding waist lines. It's a subject which I resemble.
Many years ago, shortly before the insidious Creep of the Middle Aged entered stage centre, I went to a tailor in Hong Kong and said I wanted two suits.
The tailor, a white-haired veteran of thousands of bespoke suits, reached below his counter and pulled out an enormous, leather-bound ledger, complete with brass-studded corners. An assistant, with tape measure around his neck, was summoned and the tailor, opening his ledger to a fresh page, wrote my name in capital letters at the top and started to copy down the numbers called out by the assistant. Amongst them:
Waist: 31 inches (79cm).
Four years later, in the way of suits worn every day, the trouser bums were wearing thin. I returned to my tailor and ordered two new suits. He pulled out his ledger, opened it to my page, summoned his assistant, and again began writing numbers. I saw the tailor smile.
Waist: 35 inches (89cm).
Four years later, in the way of suits worn every day, the trouser bums were wearing thin. I returned to my tailor and ordered two new suits. He pulled out his ledger, opened it to my page, summoned his assistant, and again began writing numbers. I heard the tailor laugh.
Waist: 39.5 inches (100cm).
He didn't mean it as a cruel laugh, but that's how my western sensitivity interpreted it. He made great suits though. I recommend him. Just tell him the expanding gweilo sent you.
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Janet Collins Blog
Thanks for the mention also. Very kind.