Pamplona Shirt

Whoever wrote the copy for the Pamplona shirt was channeling Hemingway in a serious way. From the Spring 1987 catalogue: “It was hot and fine in the plaza. The American sat at his usual table. “The ordinary,” he said to the waiter, who was young and sleepy and nervous. The waiter was thinking about the bulls. The American was not thinking about the bulls. He was thinking about what el viejo had told him. “Your shirt is not the white shirt of tradition,” el viejo had said. “But it is a good shirt, smooth and cool and strong. The stripes are straight and true. They match the pockets. It is good, to match the pockets.” The American threw down a handful of pesetas. The sun was hot, but the striped shirt was cool. The bull could wait. He picked up a package from the table. In the package there was another striped shirt. El viejo would not smile when he opened it, the American thought, but his eyes would shine with joy. There was satisfaction in that.”

Thanks to Neal Moore for his pictures.

Olive version from eBay June 2021