The “Full Cleveland” as I remember understanding it from a guy I knew who grew up in St.Louis (Missouri folks need someone to look down on) is it’s merely the conspicuous matching of white belt and white shoes in male attire. However there are several tack-ons associated with the phenomenon. As per Alex Wilson (of Detroit) “It’s always better if the belt and shoes can be shiny like patent leather (but not leather) or even the wet look”. It is the ubiquitous accessory to the leisure suit (preferably one in tan or light blue with darker same color contrast stitching) with open collar (no tie) and also as per Alex , gold chains. Alex add’s “The sporting party can be characterized as a used car salesman type”. My favorite sighting is TV’s Herb Tarlich of WKRP Cincinnati. Radio spot salesman Herb sported the look all throughout the series and I recall he once mentioned that he had to go to a special golf pro-shop in Kentucky to get one particular model leisure suit. Alex mentioned he found a couple of links which bear out his points, although I couldn’t find them. I spoke today with my brother just to make sure I had it right too.
Hmm…these quotes are not verbatim, but I did look into the Full Cleveland, because I thought I knew what it was, and I didn't think it was what Jim described. Most references were anecdotal, and there proved to be a range of interpretations, but the heart of the matter is white shoes with white belt on a contrasting ground (shoes or belt alone constitutes a Half Cleveland). Like Jim, I associated it with old men, maybe even in shorts, but as contrasting accessories, not part of a monochrome ensemble. All white for summer has a long history, and in its recent incarnations smacks of WASPish anglophilia, i.e. it goes back to British colonialism. Still, it's generally considered elegant: the opposite of the Full Cleveland, which is vulgar. I didn't understand the degree to which the style is a 70s phenomenon, and associated with overly optimistic virility, not senescence. It's described with and without jacket, gold chains, and exposed chest hair. I was thinking in terms of rubes (provincials), and I guess that's it, but rubes with style, and synthetic fabrics.
(Meant to post, but was distracted from distraction by distraction.)
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- bill 4-18-2000 5:54 pm
Hmm…these quotes are not verbatim, but I did look into the Full Cleveland, because I thought I knew what it was, and I didn't think it was what Jim described. Most references were anecdotal, and there proved to be a range of interpretations, but the heart of the matter is white shoes with white belt on a contrasting ground (shoes or belt alone constitutes a Half Cleveland). Like Jim, I associated it with old men, maybe even in shorts, but as contrasting accessories, not part of a monochrome ensemble. All white for summer has a long history, and in its recent incarnations smacks of WASPish anglophilia, i.e. it goes back to British colonialism. Still, it's generally considered elegant: the opposite of the Full Cleveland, which is vulgar. I didn't understand the degree to which the style is a 70s phenomenon, and associated with overly optimistic virility, not senescence. It's described with and without jacket, gold chains, and exposed chest hair. I was thinking in terms of rubes (provincials), and I guess that's it, but rubes with style, and synthetic fabrics.
(Meant to post, but was distracted from distraction by distraction.)
- alex 4-18-2000 6:46 pm [add a comment]