The men that got away.

by kim naci


Gay is good.

Now Im not getting on a soapbox and trying to stir up a big ol’ pot of controversy. 

The statement above simply reflects an experience I had with a recent client. Conservative male, mid-40s who works in media. I needed to take the Grey out of The Grey Lady wardrobe. (playing with puns is a dangerous game and probably should not be attempted without the support of at least 2 cups of coffee. Forgive me). 

After an exhaustive and intensive week, I created a wardrobe fit for a Manhattan Media Mogul. We didn’t just stop after a pair of John Varvatos for Converse. No sir. We paired it with a lush green cashmere cardigan from Barneys, butched that up with a dark rinse Earnest Sewn jean and pulled it together with a navy felted wool jacket from rag & bone.

Monday morning he stopped traffic. As he strutted through the halls, earbuds were removed allowing the gawkers to gawk. Hoodies were drawn back allowing necks to crane. As if this weren’t validation enough, he received his first sexual harassment comment from a colleague. My little mogul was all growns up (as a girl, i simply cannot pull off a Swingers reference. i know where i stand. forgive me). He had earned the respect of his colleagues and loved his new look.

Until his wife declared “You look gay” and returned nearly all of the purchases. He took it in stride for this only emphasizes how good he really looked. She noticed. And was pissed.