Whatnots & Bon Mots

Destiny: Made in Italy

There are certain items that I am destined to own- a nice bike, pressed pennies from around the country and, when it comes to clothing, various pieces I have picked up over the years.

In September, I was on one of my many scouting expeditions to the local Filenes Basement here in New York City. There was a huge rack of wonderful designer clothing from Marios, an upscale store from the Northwest with locations in Seattle, Washington and Oregon.

I spotted many nice items, a Loro Piana button down, a Luciano Barbera sweater and what would soon become the item I covet, a funky dress shirt from Etro. Priced at $100, it was a bit out of my price range but I tried it on anyway just to get a sense of how it fit. It fit very nicely.



Alas, it went back on the rack and I left the store without giving it too much thought. Several weeks later, on another visit, it was still on the rack. Again, that is where it stayed. Another 2 weeks and I returned to Filenes but the Etro shirt had disappeared. I wished the new owner well in my mind and went about my business.

After my 401K lost a good 25% of its value and some months had past, I was back at Filenes and the rack of Marios clothing was discounted 40%. The shirt was back on the rack but at $60, I still didn’t want to pull the trigger.

Another week and I was in the area, back at Filenes and the shirt was gone. Again, I wished the new owner well and thought, “Someone definitely got a pretty good bargain, as the retail on the shirt was close to $300.”

Cut to December 7, and on my way home from the gym, I thought I would pop into Filenes once again. The Marios clothing rack had been moved from the back of the store to the area right when you step off the escalator in the men’s section. This could only mean further discounts as Filenes only puts items there that they want to get rid of. Lo and behold, a 60% discount sign loomed above the few items left.

The Etro shirt stood proudly, among stretched out cardigans and pants in size 38 and 40. At $40.00, it was a purchase I was comfortable making. But there was no pricetag to be found. Knowing that Filenes has the precedent of coding very reduced pricing on items with no tag, I snatched it and patiently waited in line with other holiday shoppers.

I inquired to the manager who had to call downstairs to find out how much the shirt was selling for. Several minutes later, he connected to someone in the abyss of Filenes who told him the price of the shirt was $49.99. My heart did a small backflip inside my chest.

The price, with a 60% discount, was $19.99. I handed over a Jackson and smiled broadly as he rang up my purchase. The manager put the shirt in a bag and apologized for the delay. I responded, “No problem, I’m glad it all worked out,” and breezed out of the store as if on a cushion of discounted air.

Introducing the new shirt to my wardrobe, I could tell everything would work perfectly with the items I knew I could wear it with. After putting it in the Whirlpool steamer and ironing the shirt crisply, it took its rightful place in my wardrobe, destined to be a part of my sartorial expressiveness for years to come.

Destiny, it seems, can come in many forms.

Labels: clothing, Etro, new york

posted by UpperWestSideGuy @ 8:13 PM