On a recent trip to Europe I was struck by how well dressed Europeans are in the big cities I visited like Rome and Barcelona. As I walked though their city streets I found myself remembering the days when Jackie O’ inspired a desire for fine clothing among Cantabrigians before spandex and sweatshirts replaced a more formal style of dress.

Although cities like New York, Milan and Barcelona are considered indisputable giants in terms of high fashion you’d be surprised to know that Cambridge had it’s own centers of fashion for me. Stores that matched my style and more importantly my budget. Now… let me set the record straight before I explain.. I’m no fashion plate.. I’d describe myself as a fashion pu pu platter from the Hong Kong in Harvard Square… an array of taste, saucy at times, but with fire.

Long before we had the internet and on line shopping my 1st source of fashion was from Central Surplus in Lafayette Sq. My wardrobe back then consisted of white hightop “Chuck Taylor” Converse sneakers, knee high basketball socks, Champion T-shirts (gray) and an assortment of jeans styles. That was the beauty of Central Surplus they had all the latest fashion in the 60’s and 70’s. Wranglers, painter pants in white and blue, farmer jeans and bell-bottom jeans…man I loved bell-bottoms…however the wide part for me needs to be at the top and the narrow side at the bottom these days. Back then I could get a full set of cloths ..shirt, jeans, socks and sneakers for about $30 bucks…

We all know that parochial school’s back then were not bastions of fashion. While attending the Blessed Sacrament School formally located across from Dana Park I wore a white shirt, blue kaki pants, and a blue tie with the letters BSS on it. After a few years of wearing the uniform I longed for something with panache… different and stylish… like something you’d see on the Rat Pack in Vegas… It was then that Surman’s in Central Square became my fashion spot. Surman’s sold wild styles fit for a wanna be rebel with a cause… Neru shirts, dickies (faux turtle necks), iridescent pants and suit coats, leather coats, and hats that made any kid feel like Sinatra, Dino or Elvis… cool baby!! Tom McCanns was my shoe store for anything with a pointy toe and a decent heel.. I loved the feeling of shopping in a real mens store….Surman’s treated me like an adult at 14 years old..

My move to Cambridge High and Latin (Class of 73′) called for another fashion move. In many ways I found myself moving from Square to Square along Mass Ave Lafayette, Central and then to Harvard Square. As I moved away from industrial working mans cloths to the Rat Pack and then to a more preppier / hippy style. I found my fashion muse in either the Harvard Coop or a place across the street called The Loft. Both offered my new style of Preppie clothing… Izod shirts, corduroy pants, and T-shirts with a message…

Harvard Square was full of wonderful leather shops that sold wide leather belts with giant belt buckles… Frye Boots and leather sandals… they all smelled of Patchouli Oil or Jasmine incense and played Bob Marley in the background.. Each purchase of these great leather products came with the promise of a totally cleaned Chakra…. Far out man!

I never made it past to Porter Sq for fashion. I know for a fact however that there was The Congress Men’s Shop a fine men’s clothing store on Alberta Terrace and Mass Ave just outside of Porter Sq. Mark McCabe a fellow CHLS friend worked as a salesman in this shop throughout high school and showed up everyday dressed like a GQ model.
I mean this guy was dressed to kill… I know the reason I never visited Mark’s shop was that he casually mentioned what the full retail price was on a dress shirt he was wearing one day and it amounted to what I had spent the entire year on my fashion ensemble. Out of my league for sure.

So you see every city has it’s Rodeo Drive…or it’s Piccadilly Square…. mine was Massachusetts Avenue… spanning Lafayette, Central and Harvard Squares.. Sound exotic doesn’t it? Where was your fashion Mecca?