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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(Meant to post, but was distracted from distraction by distraction.)
- alex 4-18-2000 6:46 pm