Dust in the Wind

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of “Blue Gingham (#3),” who tragically suffered a massive trauma to the elbow on the afternoon of September 5th, 2014 in Bosnia, after a series of minor injuries, stains, and a little bit of a stink.

Blue Gingham (#3) was a good shirt and a dependable traveler: lightweight, and casual, yet flexible enough to be tucked in and worn on dressier occasions. Blue Gingham (#3) went from beach to bar to Michelin-star restaurant, and all Asian temples, Buddhist shrines, mosques, gothic cathedrals, world-heritage bridges, medieval walls, and 16th century perfume stores in-between. His wide stripes and vertical lines helped disguise creasing, and he dried quickly after hand-washes in motel room sinks.

A veteran of several tours of duty, Blue Gingham (#3) saw combat in such exotic locations as Machu Picchu, the Imperial Hotel Bar in Tokyo, fishing for shrimp in Taiwan, the beaches of Koh Samet, Thailand, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, watching the Tour de France, on TV at Yankee Stadium, a dentist’s office in Taipei, and with Santa Claus at the “North Pole” of a mall.

Anecdotal evidence of Blue Gingham (#3)’s prominence was provided while visiting Cape Town, South Africa, when a chance meeting with fraternity brother Sefty resulted in the statement, “Hey! – I recognize that shirt from all your pictures!…”

Born in 2011 in a sweat-shop in Mauritius, Blue Gingham (#3) wasn’t even really gingham after all, just plaid. Blue Gingham (#3) was purchased at J. Crew to succeed Blue Gingham #1 (a veteran of the Asian theater) and Blue Gingham #2 (a veteran of the European theater) in their roles as primary travel button-down, joining Blue Blazer, Jeans, and Khakis to form the “go-to” team of travel wear.

Blue Gingham (#3) is survived by long-time travel companion Whitey, as well as the new twins, Navy and Maroon Small Gingham. Blue Gingham (#3) is predeceased by fellow traveler Navy Chambray, who went missing-in-action and is presumed dead in Recife, Brazil, (and who, frankly, saw more exotic locales than Blue Gingham (#3)).

A simple ceremony was held in Mostar, in Bosnia and Hercegovina, where Blue Gingham (#3) was laid to rest in a plastic garbage can in the AirBnB kitchen, surrounded by friends, family, silverware, half a bottle of Serbian wine, a can of instant coffee, and several condiments.