(click on images to enlarge)You'd be hard pressed not to use Renaissance Man for Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Dad was Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Stepmother was Mary Pickford and a mentor was Charlie Chaplain. At 19, he marries Joan Crawford, four years his senior and whom he calls, Billy. Life is lush.
Looking through this catalog, I couldn't help but be reminded of the little boy in the film, Goodbye Columbus. Paging through a book of Gauguin paintings, the 11 year old shakes his head and sighs, "Man, that's the fuckin' life."
It's one thing to have good taste and nice clothes but, unlike the Duke of Windsor whose life extended about as far as a card game, Fairbanks actually lived an amazing life. Mostly away from Hollywood. A highly decorated naval officer, Fairbanks set up The Beach Jumpers, a top secret unit from which today's Navy
Of course, there's nothing wrong with his clothes. His tailor was Stovel & Mason Ltd. with shirts from Turnbull & Asser, Budd and Ascot Chang. There are 15 lots of ties including, Brooks Brothers, T.M. Lewin, Hermes, Chipp, I Magnin, the Garrick Club and even Polo. There's a double breasted British Warmer by H. Huntsman and a classic velvet collared covert coat by Cordings.
The auction is in NYC on September 13th with previews from the 9th to the 12th. However, a pre-preview with some friends has been arranged and I'll be able to report well before the first preview. In the meantime, the auction site is online here and while it's not Gauguin in Tahiti -- It is an amazing life.
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