the coolest outfit of the day

i was facing the opening doors of the brooklyn bound 'L' train and in he walked, a 50-something, trim, bald-headed black man, wearing the best outfit of the day, or of recent times, as far as anything particularly intriguing or noteworthy goes.

it was the red satin kerchief tucked into the open space of his white polo shirt that caught my eye first. and then i continued to gaze...a matching red handkerchief tucked into the left breast pocket of his seersucker-esque (the pattern, not the texture) blazer. the deftly popped collar of the polo shirt. the spotless bright white, lightly creased jeans. and navy blue suede loafers.

he was impeccable. everything was neat, crisp, and i have to say...classy and cool. kind of like shaft, on his night off to go see his lady. he didn't miss a beat. he even wears his sunglasses at night. if he were in his late-20s, i'd picture him on a photoshoot as the gay hairstylist, but this guy in front of me, no. he was a lady's man, all the way.

we both got off at the graham stop and i assumed the intrigue would end there. but no, turns out, we were walking the same direction. so, a dozen steps behind him, i tried to see what more i could learn about him by his gait. he certaintly didn't have the relaxed pace of someone heading home, and while he was walking briskly, he was steady and casual, like he was excited, but it's not a new game. he knew exactly where he was going. he had a confident, but not arrogant stride, and walked with purpose. even though i'd done this walk hundreds of times before, from the subway to my front door, this time it felt like i was going a different way, because my task in this moment was now 'follow this man', not 'walk to my house.'

so where was he going? i don't know. to see his lady? off to a party? maybe he's a singer for some floosy jazz band. i'd like to say all that was missing was a bouqet of roses for his lady, but while that seems like something he might do, i also feel that maybe he has some other way of getting her attention.


oh and coolest outfit of yesterday?
a very bright, synthetic fabric orange women's business suit (shoulder-padded blazer, knee-length skirt). in snake-skin pattern. i didn't know the store rave also carried career clothing. the woman was also wearing sheer black pantyhose and black sneakers.