I created the uniform with an authentic red wool ‘onesie’ swimsuit (which was really hard to find) and modern pants that I had hemmed into the short trunks seen in these photographs.

The detailing was hand stitched on, and I tried to match the uniform accurately, but decided against ‘antique-ing’ the finished piece.

I wanted to recreate his look for the Jazz Age lawn Party here in NY, and began a fun research project.  The Ocean City Historical Museum was a great source for seeing actual gear from that era.

My grandfather – and namesake – was a lifeguard at the beaches in Ocean City, NJ back in the 1920′s.  The above pictures show him in his uniform.  The red tint was added by the photographers of that time, but it was the color of their suits.

…..and ultimately decided on a collegiate placement.  (You’d be amazed at how hard it is to find letters in that font at that scale.

I sketched out some ideas of how the letters of my last name “GALE” should look in the sweatshirt.

Older sporting imagery really inspires me – particularly the team badges, logos, and insignia.  I wanted to create something for me to wear that reflected these embellishments.

Just some loose fashion sketches.  Daywear, eveningwear, 192o’s sportswear (oxford bags)

I oftentimes sketch on the backs of envelopes when having a conversation on the phone.  These are some of the recent ‘conversations’ I’ve had.

I was doing variations on J.C. Leyendecker’s work in order to practice how he put down a bold line.  Of course he was using oil paints and I am using water colors, but laying down a solid contrasting line was a good thing for me to practice.  (Note the left figure’s cheek shadow.)

I was thinking more about summer suiting and formalwear recently.  This is probably because I have to bundle up these days when I go out to dressier events.

I was thinking it would be neat to contrast exotic animal skins (faux, of course) in a formal ensembles with these wild slippers.