Posted on 04/06/2013 3:49:02 PM PDT by LibWhacker
"I essentially write like a tailor," Gay Talese says at one point in the video above."It's very methodical, it's very careful… I have a sense of design before I even put a needle in my work." The legendary journalist (and Esquire writer) is talking, here, about how he's carried the sense of style and the general approach to one's work that he learned from his father — an Italian immigrant and tailor by trade — through to his chosen profession.
"My idea as a writer is to make the stitching last. The writing, the shape of the story, the seriousness with which it is approached, the sense of craftsmanship — I have all that. But it's out of tailoring." Revelatory words from one of the great writers of the modern age. And one of the best-dressed. Talese's suit collection is the stuff sartorial dreams are made of, both expansive and exceptionally well-made. It's on view, in part, in the video, along with his hats ("A man isn't fully dressed if he doesn't have a hat on") and shoes. It's enough to spark envy, yes, but also, hopefully, the impulse to emulate his particular brand of refinement and style. We should all aspire to be a little bit more like Gay Talese.
Gay Talese: who likes to write about massage parlors and has the face of Frolo out of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
When I was looking for jobs in my youth, most of the advisory manuals advocated wearing a hat. I made sure to wear a tie, but I drew the line at hats. I’m wondering how many job-seekers wore hats and if it made any difference. Employer: “Yeah, you didn’t graduate from high school, you’ve been arrested and convicted of multiple violent offenses, but you’re wearing a hat, so congratulations, you’ve got the job!!!”
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