Most of our blogs are about my travels (or yours). But when we recently decided to offer a book to our new subscribers as a summer premium, we were so taken with the experiences of the writer of that book, Nathaniel Lande, that we invited him to make a guest appearance on our blog. Each of the entries in his book, the 10 Best of Everything, is a compelling story in itself, so Nathaniel kindly agreed to retell a couple for our blog. The first was about his being injured in Russia, with the details of his evacuation to the U.S. Below is another brief tale, this one about Nathaniel’s introduction to one of the world’s most renowned gentlemen’s haberdashers. I hope you will enjoy it and will want to share this unique information—and so much more that is yours in Passport Newsletter with your friends. Just send them to free book promotion, and remember, the promotion ends on July 31.
When I was a young correspondent, covering the Vietnam War, my assignment landed me first in Hong Kong on my way to the front. TIME-LIFE correspondents felt that representatives of their respected publications were expected to dress appropriately and smartly. As a "new boy" they weren’t particularly impressed with my appearance.
One of them, who took an interest in me was Larry Burrows, a great LIFE photographer who became a great friend before he was killed over Cambodia, shortly after one of our assignments. Larry, who was as natty as he was talented, said to me, "You need a proper correspondent’s kit before you’re ready to go into the field. I’m taking you to my tailor." I was delighted, of course, with this new image of myself, and so we headed for the Kimberly Road shop of a tailor whose name I didn’t recognize, Ascot Chang.
This was Chang’s first shop, and his name on a label hadn’t gained the cachet it has today, although he was already known as one of the best shirtmakers in Hong Kong, with a clientele of astute celebrities who knew the quality of his work. The ever-stylish Larry was a friend of his and wanted him to fit me for a custom-made, multi-pocketed, khaki poplin correspondent’s jacket.
We entered the shop, but Ascot was no where in sight. Larry thought this strange, because Ascot was always in his shop. Finally we found him crouched down behind bolts of cloths next to a polished mahogany cutting table. But when he recognized Larry, he jumped up pleading, "Larry, I don’t do khaki."
But Larry charmed him, of course, as he did everyone, and before long we were both being measured for khaki correspondent’s jackets (Larry thought he needed a new one, too). Two days later, they arrived at our hotel, mine, the best-fitting garment I’d ever had prior to buying my shirts from Ascot’s shop in Beverly Hills.
If you'd like to know more about Nathaniel's book, click here.