SINATRA – AN AMERICAN ICON
He coined the phrase “Saloon Songs”—those soulful tunes of unrequited love, sadness and heartbreak, emotions we all know only too well. Or as contemporary crooner Michael Feinstein puts it, songs meant to be experienced “with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other.” In celebration of the centennial of Sinatra’s birth on December 12, it seems the entire country is focusing on everyone’s favorite cultural icon. For those of us in the menswear industry, how fabulous that Sinatra’s personal style remains inspirational: the Fedora worn at an angle, loosely knotted tie, nonchalant pocket square, elegant cufflinks, and of course dapper suits (don’t be surprised if a Sinatra clothing license soon appears…).
Among the many exhibits, concerts and lectures around the country commemorating this centennial, we suggest you get yourself to The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Their exhibition, curated by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, features photos, family mementos, rare correspondence, personal items, art and music, much of which has never before been displayed in public.
Sinatra: An American Icon runs through September 4th in conjunction with a series of movies and concerts. As Frankie would tell you, “You only live once, and the way I live, once is enough.”
