RALPHE......

I'd been thinking of my old friend from Shelbyville, Alabama......Ralph Baker, who moved from NYC to Atlanta to manage the Couture Salon at the Saks 5th Ave store in Phipps Plaza.....I chatted with him about 7 months ago and sent this entertaining e-mail to him: " i don't remember your address or have your phone number.....when i'm next in Highlands, when it's warm enough to visit my cabin there, I'll come by.....it'd be fun to hang out with you sometime..... i'm in Atlanta trying to organize my monster of a wardrobe......does anyone really need 1000 shirts....well, you know the clothes horse scenario! I was looking at on old Gucci shirt, thinking....."this still looks great....then I saw an old passport picture, taken in 1972...in which I'm wearing it!.......it's a difficult task to toss perfectly timeless fashions that still look good-as-new......I did give away the old turquoise linen Pucci tux, my Saturday Night Fever Disco Nik-Nik shirts that neither I nor John Travolta could now squeeze into......A Donna Karan black cashmere suit with size 33 pants.......no way, Jose', a couture Pierre Cardin, Paris, Cashmere overcoat (size 40) and silk-lined cashmere triple pleated Ralph Lauren slacks with 3 sets of accessorized suspenders........Now, I'm stuck with the crappier clothes that I bought as "temporary" outfits...to wear until I lost the weight that middle-age gives us with such generosity......It wasn't so difficult to send the 80's stuff to Haiti.....it was not my favorite period for anything, really..... Fortunately, in my Erroll Flynn Swashbuckler stage at the time......my collection of Jhane Barnes Shirts still fits beautifully and has stood the test of the fashion revolution.......back to the rolling racks! " To which Ralph replied: "I could never forget that turquoise tux! or those ball-crushing toreador pants! I'm wearing jeans and an oxford shirt with a silk cravat these days!" During my past few visits to Highlands I tried to call Ralph, to no avail, and finally called Saks to hear of his death from Kidney failure.......Ralph managed to drive to Atlanta, feeling sickly, and expired upon his arrival.......Many will miss his good humor, good manners and charming demeanor.......sigh.........