The Old Money Book

Reluctant as I am to give an inch to prevailing trends, I do acknowledge that sometimes people do wear T-shirts…without a polo shirt or dress shirt worn over the said T-shirt.

I am also painfully aware that sometimes words or images (or both!) are printed on the exposed T-shirt. The intent is to convey a message, I would guess, to others as they pass by on the street.

This fashion trend appears to be inevitable and possibly permanent, according to graphic designer Nelson, a friend of the blog. To ease the pain of this bad news, he has attempted–in some of his retail offerings–to stem the tide of marginal clothing choices with a few less than awful T-shirt designs. (I cannot endorse or even condone some of his other products.)

In support of his efforts,and in the interest of making the best of a T-shirt situation, let me offer the following products which are for sale on the Etsey retail platform.

If you consider yourself to be a Proper Bostonian, you can convey that message to your friends, colleagues, and even total strangers by purchasing and wearing the T-shirt found HERE.

If you consider yourself to be Old Money, by birth or by choice, you can find the T-shirt of your dreams HERE.

For the classic Old Money Gal T-shirt, go HERE.

The Old Money Guy can find his T-shirt HERE.

It is summertime. It is very hot. As Governor of All Things Old Money, I hereby decree a stay of execution for any of our readers caught wearing an exposed T-Shirt in the month of August…as long as it’s one of Nelson’s thoughtful designs.

Feel free to indulge in this degradation of duty, this sartorial faux pas of the hoi polloi. You are hereby spared and pardoned. Yes, I am merciful.

But come September, it’s back to polo shirts or dress shirts. I mean it.

And thanks, Nelson. I’m glad the swirly things worked.

• BGT