Most college jobs are a fleeting afterthought.  A campus job, ticket taker at a theater, or whatever retail gig that happens to be available.

Luckily, a select group of friends and I had a magical experience in Westwood Village. ’80’s fashion evokes memories of New Wave Village Mews plaids, Flock of Seagulls Hairdos, or Dynasty shoulder pads.  But, it was also the time that Preppy got really big.  At Ease on the corner of Westwood Blvd. and Weyburn was ground zero for West Coast preppy.  With outlets in Orange County and Pasadena, At Ease owner Al Douglass had established his signature take on prep, with a California meets Tokyo twist.  While Pasadena played to the locals and their progeny, who had grown up on Atkinson’s signature red seersucker, Newport was all about SC frat rats in Dacron and cotton Reyn Spooner reverse print popover Hawaiian shirts, Biltwell khakis and Top Sider smoked elk lace ups.  But, it was the proximity to UCLA that made working at At Ease so special.  Selling trad gear to fellow students, studio exec’s, and anybody else we could hit up for the post graduation job, was pretty perfect—being able to clock in, work two hours, clock out, go to class, and clock back in, made it pretty amazing.

The merchandise was prescriptive.  I couldn’t imagine walking into a men’s store today with a pant wall that was 25’x10’ stocked in prefinished chinos in trad colors from khaki to banana yellow.  Price $29.50.  Belts were striped surcingle by Trafalgar and tailored clothing ranged form Southwick to Norman Hilton.  We had the finest sock selection in the world, backed up by Alden shell cordovan plain toe bluchers, saddles and the Alden LHS (Loafer Hand Sewn.) A recent chat with the current Alden rep put sales of the loafers at nearly 600 pair/year out of the Westwood store alone.

The At Ease sale was an annual extravaganza.  With hundreds of intrepid preps spending the night in line in beach chairs.  Think Best Buy on Black Friday, but with well dressed clothes horses looking for a decent markdown on Shetland sweaters and button downs.

Working at At Ease was all about family.  I’m still in touch with many of my co-workers, who became my dearest friends.  Joe Vasco, who rules Gary’s and Co. in Newport Beach today, and LA’s finest tailor, Paul Kaloustian, who operates Wilshire Tailors, is still known for his sublime hand sewn buttonholes and shoulder work on suits from Kiton and Thom Browne to J. Press sack suits.

All of this nostalgia came back incredibly strong in November as Joe Vasco organized the first At Ease reunion in honor of Al and Nancy Douglass.  At Ease first opened in Newport Beach in 1968, and was ultimately sold in 1984.  And while hundreds of employees worked there, it had a magical imprint on most of us. Nearly 100 former At Ease employees turned up for the reunion—all this for a store that has been closed for 26 years.  Joe had a lot of At Ease merchandise with the original tags in place, and he worked with former merchandisers to create time capsule displays of what we now realize was timeless clothing.

Detaching myself from “stuff” has been an attained goal in 2010.  But, I have hung on to several pieces from my At Ease days.  From shoe trees to a pair of the Alden loafers, I’ll never let them go.  Thanks Joe for bringing us all back together last month.

Much has been written and blogged about shell cordovan leather—the ultra durable, beautifully hand-crafted, and mostly-tanned-in-America horse hide. A preppy/trad favorite since Brooks Brothers began stocking Alden shoe examples in the ’60s. Named for the shell-shaped hides that come from the rump of a horse, shell takes on a beautiful character through use — think of how dry denim, starting with the early Levi’s 501 shrink-to-fits of my youth and modern examples from R by 45rpm and Sugarcane take your personal imprint. Only shell does it through wear, not washing.

Like most things sartorial, my first introduction to shell cordovan was through my father. Alden shell cordovan saddle shoes matched up with odd blazers from Brooks and Alden plain toe bluchers, also from Brooks, were the shoe of choice with tan suits, gabardine in fall, and cotton poplin in summer. My college salesman days at Westwood’s preppy ground zero, At Ease, put me in touch with Alden shell cordovan on a daily basis. Too expensive for a student budget, we searched Bass Weejun boxes for inexpensive calf skin penny loafers, whose dye most closely matched the unattainable color of Horween leathers shell cordovan color #8, the traditional Alden/Brooks colorway. But, shell cordovan isn’t just about color, it’s about that magical fingerprint that each owner’s polishing and footprint make on each shoe or accessory.

This magic comes through the lengthy tanning process (see this amazing video here) in which shells are impregnated with natural oils that create a one of a kind creasing and a rubbery “hand” that immediately sets shell apart from any other leather. Polishing techniques for shell are as varied as the aficionados who love the skin, but a key success factor — like  most things in life — is that less is more. Polish less frequently—once or twice a year — , use less polish, and brush them occasionally.

But, it’s not just about shoes, it’s about amazing accessories, that take on that delicious rubbery feel. Nick Gabarro of Gabarro Straps–sorry, to the trade only — is known worldwide for his special shell cordovan watch straps that are the bands of choice for enthusiasts and serious collectors like John Mayer, who finds Nick’s pieces at the IWJG watch shows in NY and Las Vegas. Nick also is responsible for the small leather goods now available at Brooks Brothers, and I saw an amazing shell toiletry kit at the NYC Alden store on Madison Avenue. While shell is most seen in the burgundy #8, Nick’s bands and accessories in the brown tones of Whiskey and Cigar are beautiful. I was lucky enough to score a jade green shell cordovan band from Nick at last month’s IWJG show. Alden can be coaxed to make up special order shoes in these less seen colors, and Honolulu-based shoe guru, Tom Park, at Leather Soul Hawaii, has done an amazing job of sourcing the iconic Alden saddle shoes, Indy boots (the kind that Harrison Ford sported in the Indiana Jones films), as well as Chukkas.

The much appreciated, current fascination with all things made in America has shined a light on shell cordovan, and Horween’s Chicago home. But, it was the Japanese love of the hide that brought forth some amazing shoes and products. And while Horween is the gold standard, there is a Tokyo-based tannery apparently turning out decent shell cordovan. On trips to Tokyo years ago, the displays of unique to Japan Aldens, small leather goods and belts, inspired my renewed interest in shell cordovan. Beams in Harajuku always features shell cordovan shoes and accessories.

My personal obsession with shell cordovan isn’t just about shoes. I wear a shell cordovan bracelet daily, carry a shell cordovan glass case, and have an indestructible Gabarro NATO-style shell cordovan strap on a watch that I wear surfing (it only gets better looking, the more it gets wet). My shoe collection includes some of my pairs from At Ease in the early ‘80s, and my original pair of Brooks Brothers, unlined penny loafers, in #8 from the same era. While Alden offers a very reasonably priced restoration service, I haven’t had to use it, but I have seen the results–very impressive. Others include traditional examples of long-wing wingtips in black and #8, Chukkas in cigar, loafers in black and whiskey. And #8 plain-toe bluchers like my dad’s. Ralph Lauren also offers Northampton, England-sourced examples from Crockett and Jones in an amazing rich brown, somewhere between whiskey and cigar. Master shoemaker Silvano Lattanzi is known for his bespoke, fully handmade derbys and bluchers that’ll set you back well into four figures.

I’m not there… yet.

Double Tube Cedar Shoe Trees from UK Based Cathcart Elliot

You may have deduced that I’m a collector….From esoteric cars, to vintage sport watches—more on that soon, to Buddy Lee Dolls.

But, without being a nut, I tend to make my clothing, suits/ties/shoes last a really long time.  As a UCLA student in the 80’s, I was lucky enough to work at what was SoCal’s epicenter of preppy/trad, At Ease.  With outposts in Westwood, Newport Beach, Pasadena and Tokyo, At Ease carried the best in American made Trad clothing—Norman Hilton, Southwick, Gittman shirts and Alden shoes.  While this was 25 years ago, I still own and wear a surprising number of pieces that I acquired there as an employee—shoes in particular.

Good care of my beloved Alden shell cordovan shoes is key, and as I’ve written before, I’m lucky to have discovered great shoe shines—the current favorite is Pasquale’s in Los Angeles and the amazing Saleem at Junior’s deli in West Los Angeles.  The other trick is that I’ve always been a dedicated user of shoe trees.  My At Ease boss, and dear friend, Joe Vasco, who still sells Trad at Gary’s and Company in Newport Beach, always insisted that our venerable customers pick up cedar trees with their Aldens, and as dutiful employees we did the same…The investment paid off.

While shoe bags, and trees may seem a little over the top, they’re pretty great.  Bags seem even nuttier, but bagging your shoes after wearing, avoids scuffs and makes shines last.  I always grab the muslim slipper bags from The Mercer Hotel, and after many years there, I have a great set to go along with the bags that come with most of the shoes I now buy.

Trees come in several flavors.  Bespoke shoe guys, I’m talking full custom, get a lasted shoe tree, that is an actual representation of the foot, which is the basis for the shoe, which is made off of a last, that is based on your foot–Clearly the ultimate luxury.  High end Northampton (English made) shoemakers, Edward Green and John Lobb, make lasted trees, based on their time tested lasts—606, 202, 888 are Ed Green examples.  Each a slightly different shape that have specific fans for each.  The Lobb Prestige line shoes actually come with lasted trees and bags. France’s contribution to men’s classic footwear, J.M Weston, also sell trees, made of beautiful polished lemon wood.

But, for the most part, I’ve invested in non-lasted cedar shoe trees that provide not only the best value, but actually work the best.  The purpose of a good shoe tree is not only to keep a shoes shape, but to wick away moisture from a shoe inside out.  As lovely as the polished lemon wood trees are, they just don’t do the job that the best off the rack trees from the US based Cedarviile Store, or  the UK based Cathcart Elliot offer.  My choice are the Epic Twin Tube cedar trees, currently on sale at Cedarville for $24.99.

This may seem like a lot of bother, but my vintage Alden loafers—At Ease 1983, are old friends, but even with many years of sockless wear, still have plenty of miles to go.