The Salient Fact of Conspiracy

[Cliff Varnell]

From Alan Flusser's Clothes and the Man: the Principles of Fine Men's Dress

http://www.throughtherye.com/flusser/ch2.htm

(emphasis added)

The sixties brought the Peacock Revolution - a phrase popularized in this country by George Frazier, a former columnist for Esquire magazine and the Boston Globe - which began on Carnaby Street in London and featured a whole array of new looks, including the Nehru jacket and the Edwardian suit. In contrast to the fifties, during which time choices were limited, a wide range of alternatives was now available as the focus moved to youth and protest. The designer Pierre Cardin even created an American version of the slim-lined European silhouette, which, along with the immense popularity of jeans, led to the acceptance of extreme fittedness in clothing - a far cry from the casual, comfortable elegance of preceding generations.

During this period, the American designer Ralph Lauren was attempting to convince the American male that there was a viable alternative to this high-style clothing. This alternative was a version of the two-button shaped suit with natural shoulders that had been introduced by Paul Stuart in 1954 and briefly popularized by John Kennedy during his presidency.

From Tony Ventresca's The Paul Stuart Variation: Classic American Style

http://www.filmnoirbuff.com/article/the-paul-stuart-variation-classic-american-style

(emphasis added)

(Alan) Flusser credits the New York retail store Paul Stuart with introducing the Updated American style to American men in 19549. Located just around the corner from Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart offered men “an alternative to the overtly stylish menswear from Europe and the repetitious predictability of the Ivy League look. The Updated American style gained a boost when John F Kennedy, the popular new senator and later president, wore suits and jackets from Paul Stuart.

Here are Flusser’s comments:

The last or fourth type of suit style was a blend of American and English, Brooks Brothers and Savile Row. Long the staple of fine dressers, from Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, this Updated American suit combined the Row’s trademark smartness with the understated comfort of the sack suit. Introduced to the Gotham gent in the middle sixties by Madison Avenue retailer Paul Stuart, this shaped, two-button suit was later offered to the general public through the fashions of designer Ralph Lauren.

Featuring higher armholes and a smaller chest with darted fronts for a more shaped waist, the updated American suit’s longer rolled lapels opened the coat’s front to reveal more of the man’s furnishings while emphasizing his V-shaped torso. Whether Americanized by a center vent or anglicized with side vents, for several decades this soft-shoulder hybrid was the keynote of traditional American fashion, breathing fresh air into the East Coast Ivy League look.

Flusser, Dressing The Man (p. 81-82).

"Extreme fittedness". "V-shaped torso."

The SBT requires multiple inches of bunched shirt fabric, an obvious fallacy given the fact that such a "bunch" would have ruined JFK's distinctive "look."

This is the cardinal, salient fact of the entire JFK assassination -- just like Vincent Salandria pointed out so many decades ago.

Edited May 1, 2011 by Cliff Varnell

[Guest Robert Morrow]

In the Croft photo - where at least 13 black Americans are smiling, clapping, and waving at John Kennedy perhaps 1.5 to 2 seconds before he is first hit in the throat from the front with a bullet ... in that photo JFK's jacket bunches up just a tad:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6kYzhJGqq2M/RyxiSHwgMZI/AAAAAAAAAD0/w3b1lrO3KIE/s1600/15c.%2BCroft%2BPhoto%2BShowing%2BJFK%27s%2BCar%2BOn%2BElm%2BStreet.jpg

Key word: a "tad". Certainly the fitted shirt with a bullet hole in it 5 3/4" down from the collar would NOT have been bunch up at all. Especially on JFK who was probably the best and tightly tailored American president in history.

The hole in the jacket is 5 3/8" inches down.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Robert Morrow

[Cliff Varnell]

I agree with you Cliff.

The shirt could not have bunched up anywhere near that much.

And if that is true, then neither did the jacket. Since they align quite well.

Jim, I can't imagine anything more simple. It could be demonstrated to a five year old.

Try explaining the acoustics evidence to a five year old...

[Cliff Varnell]

In the Croft photo - where at least 13 black Americans are smiling, clapping, and waving at John Kennedy perhaps 1.5 to 2 seconds before he is first hit in the throat from the front with a bullet ... in that photo JFK's jacket bunches up just a tad:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6kYzhJGqq2M/RyxiSHwgMZI/AAAAAAAAAD0/w3b1lrO3KIE/s1600/15c.%2BCroft%2BPhoto%2BShowing%2BJFK%27s%2BCar%2BOn%2BElm%2BStreet.jpg

Key word: a "tad".

Correct. 3/4s of an inch, to be exact. There was a 3/4s inch fold in JFK's jacket when the limo turned the corner onto Elm St. In Croft the fold is bowed OUT, which gave it the appearance of being bigger than it was.

Certainly the fitted shirt with a bullet hole in it 5 3/4" down from the collar would NOT have been bunch up at all.

3/4s of an inch tops. That's how much available slack a tucked-in custom made shirt requires

so that a man can move around comfortably and look sharp.

Multi-inch bulges of fabric are unsightly, and the Nutter claim that Kennedy was wearing such a bulge is ...pathetic, when you think about it.

Especially on JFK who was probably the best and tightly tailored American president in history.

The hole in the jacket is 5 3/8" inches down.

Tightly tailored is the key idea here, Robert. JFK wore a style called Updated American, and it was tailored to fit closer to the body that the older Ivy League "sack" suits.

The principles of fine men's dress destroy the SBT. Period.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Cliff Varnell