Sunday 16 June 2013

So Harvey


A Fathers Day post.

Once, long ago, but not so very far away, I went to buy a suit. It was for a boy who was getting married that summer, and - after - starting his very first job. 


We knew nothing about buying suits. My dad had been a tweed sports coat man, teacher chalk in the pockets; his, always a modest clerical charcoal. We were starting from nothing. we walked to the far end of the town, to the Co op, and we looked for cheap, in the last of those days when "serviceable" was a real word, and we found it.


And we got married; and, in the years since then, there have been many more suits: the navy wool, the Prince of Wales check, double breasted, single, narrow, wide, accommodating, sharp. We had a son; and, standing in Zara last Saturday afternoon, I realised how the world has moved on. He knows what he wants, he has a plan. He has two parents to stand beside him and tell him that, yes, looking like Harvey from the TV show "Suits" was entirely possible and probably just exactly the right way to go.


He's almost the very same age, now, that his Dad was when I met him. It's the same, but it's different. That's right. I think.

Happy Fathers Day!

43 comments:

Kirsty.A said...

What a lovely post. I can picture both boys so well from your description

ForgedinPaper said...

Greta post and the LO is fab.

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Ah, how things change, yet stay the same. I love the layers of grid/graph paper, alternated with bricks to echo the wall in the photo and the office theme. Perfect :o)

Lizzie said...

Great page layout, Sian!
I love the description of suit-buying. I remember buying myself a suit (cash kindly provided by Dad), for job interviews etc... so proud of a warm wine-coloured wool-mix skirt suit - very in fashion, but cool (I didn't have many clothes). I also bought two (2!!!) blouses that went with it - one soft cream viyella-type stuff and one in wine-coloured indian cotton, with bead embroidery. I thought I was smart & felt very special. I also got the job...
I hope TTO feels just as smart & special in his Work Experience Suit.
But I bet you have rather mixed feelings about the whole thing...

Unknown said...

Beautiful layout and great story!

Barbara Eads said...

I just love it when history repeats itself---and you document it! That is the ultimate in storytelling. I think "kids" today have a better sense of what they want than we did at their age. Great story.

Ladkyis said...

oh so heart-achingly poignant. I remember seeing my boys go off to basic training in their jeans and then six weeks later standing in the cold autumn air next to a parade ground in Yorkshire to see my eldest "Pass Off" as they said in his regiment. So grown up, and yet too young to be doing that!
I felt so much fear and so much pride for my baby. I am with you today.

scrappyjacky said...

Yes....things change and yet stay the same as well....and, I too, can picture them both.

Miriam said...

Oh I am with you today too. I remember my boys first suit, I cried! My baby had grown into a man, I think his dad cried too...at the cost of it!

Anonymous said...

What a great compare and contrast post. They have access to such an array of information at their fingertips that seems to give them confidence.

Love the layout, especially the layers of paper at the top of the photo and all the single words.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and now I can see that I have worked out how to circumvent blogger and add a comment, I can apologise for being unable to comment on your last few posts. I enjoyed them :)

I think I need to transfer my blog from blogger to wordpress!

Jimjams said...

Brilliant post and gorgeous page! ACE - good luck to TTO in his work experience. Though I wish they'd supply some punctuation stickers with tiny alphabets don't you?!

Alison said...

Yes, times have moved on.....and yet the same scenarios are repeated with each generation!
Alison xx

Jennifer Shaw said...

A beautiful post and a beautiful page. Time goes on and before we know it, it is the next generation's turn. The suit looks great!

Lou said...

oh Sian - how you have compared and combined your two men and their suit buying makes for a perfect layout. I simply love how you have done this x

alexa said...

I am not sure who Harvey is, but your page is lovely! I like the typing on top of the mottled paper... Such a nice story across the generations.

This West London Life said...

It must have been quite a moment for you and TA! The Suits reference was wasted on me ...

Susanne said...

"Clerical charcoal" is such an apt description - I never would have thought of it, but I know exactly what you mean. Great story - and this layout has quite a lot of color for you, doesn't it. Great page!

Sue Althouse said...

Beautifully written. Talk about packing lots of meaning into a layout!

Abi said...

This is beautiful! I love reading your stories Sian because it makes me see life from my parents perspective. I am nearly the same age my Mum was when she got married- I think that must be funny for her to think about!

Amy said...

Goodness, buying suits! I don't know what else to say, I have had to take a big gulp ....

stephanie said...

Thank goodness I have a girl! I understand that :)

Fabulous layout as usual sian. I'm off to get my scrap on!

Karen said...

Another wonderful story, beautifully told and scrapped!

Denise said...

I am so with you on this post - and the layout is gorgeous xx

Cheri said...

I wonder if shopping for prom dresses engenders the same feeling? probably not. Raising girls is so different...

Susan said...

Wow, what a great post and a great page.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

What a beautiful and poignant post this is, Sian. I find myself thinking about what I was doing at the age that Carrie is now, and it is a real trip!

Your layout is lovely too!

Sandra said...

I just love this post, it's beautiful

Lea Lacoste said...

i love how all of your layouts have a beautiful, detailed story about them. it's so much more than about the photo.
on a craft related note, those turquoise ink splatters are perfection. please tell me you remember the brand? <3

Lea Lacoste said...

i love how all of your layouts have a beautiful, detailed story about them. it's so much more than about the photo.
on a craft related note, those turquoise ink splatters are perfection. please tell me you remember the brand? <3

Sandie said...

I love the comparison and contrast Sian - beautifully written and as always your design is stunning.

Sheena said...

Gosh x how things change. I find my own children know their own mind much more than I did at their age.
Great page & story :)

laurie said...

I love how you can take any item (like a suit) and tell a meaningful story about it in an attractive layout! Genius. :-)

Becky said...

Lovely post and layout :)

Maria Ontiveros said...

What a great, great post! Henry insisted on the trimmer fitting, more modern tux this year for prom. Haven't bought him a suit . . . yet.
Rinda

Unknown said...

What a fabulous 'then & now' story! As always, so much attention to detail on your LO...something new to admire at every glance...love it! Good luck to TTO for his work experience!! My youngest wants the lifestyle of Barney from 'How I met your mother'...all suited & booted...& I suspect the NYC bachelor pad features too!! ;D

Anonymous said...

Another generation, ready to try, sometimes to fail, but most likely to succeed especially if they are flexible. For you and your husband, it sounds like a job well done to me.

Melissa said...

What a wonderfully told story & great layout! Perfect for Father's Day - hope it was a great one for your hubby.

Missus Wookie said...

A first suit is always something to remember isn't it? The layers are just lovely here and my kids are now both older than Wookie & I were when we met and started dating...

Unknown said...

My husband loves the show Suits. I haven't seen it yet as it is on during the day over here. I remember buying his first suit with him. It was a deep green and on sale at a huge discount. He wore it for years before he upgraded to a suit from M&S and then later an Italian brand. The evolution of a man's suit is in interesting subject.

Shelley Haganman said...

Lovely layout! My flair looks great on your creation! :)

Anonymous said...

Sian, what a lovely story and layout. Good luck to TTO.

Nathalie said...

Loving the story, the feel of your beautiful page with the great photo and now... I need to go check out "Suits" which I am not familiar with :)

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