Fashion Forward: Jonathan Mannheim & Evan Watts

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Welcome to the moth podcast.

Michelle cholowski.

While putting together this episode. I remember one thing. I've almost completely forgotten about during the pandemic fashion. I'm literally recording this in my closet right now, and I realize I haven't been in here and kind of while

As someone who's been mostly working from home, it's all I can do to put on pants most days. Much less a full-on outfit. I remember getting dressed. But to be honest, it feels like a distant memory, whether you've been rocking the Panthers, look at home, like me, or getting all dressed up to Brave. The outside. Pandemic fashion has certainly shed some light on our innermost style desires, which is why I loved the stories in this episode all about some interesting, fashion choices, and their consequences.

Our first story is all about the power of a statement piece. Jonathan Manheim told the story at a slam in Chicago, where the theme of the night was ending. Here's Jonathan live at the mall.

So in 2011, I had a sweater that was once where it was an Argyle Sweater. It was a rainbow, Argyle Sweater SM. Every Diamond was a different color and it was bad enough. My girlfriend at the time, ask me to stop wearing it out with her friends. So I should have retired the sweater, but I didn't retire the sweater. So one day.

I guess it was November. It was laundry day. I don't know. I wore it. I thought it was going to run some errands. I took the train downtown and getting off at Monroe and an elderly woman. Getting punched in the face and they steal her phone and they run off the train and a week, literally a week before I was on the train at cermak-chinatown and another man got punched in the face and I took his phone and they ran off the train and I did nothing but a week later happens again, and I sort of snapped so I run off the train. I have no plan on wearing this. Terrible, Argyle Sweater. I left the house thinking. Luckily. No one will see me today and I do hope the escalator and ice cream at these two teenagers. I guess they were please stop and they laughed at. They literally laughed at me and then they took off down State Street.

And so, my plan at this point is he, I can outrun them. So I am running, we're running South on State Street. I called the police. I'm like, hey, I'm following the two thieves. They've taken an iPhone. I'm on State and now I'm on Wabash. Could you guys come? And so, we're having this conversation and I'm like, signaling people like cake. Did you trip them? Did you stop them? They're still on the phone, but I'm wearing this terrible sweater and no one is taking me. Seriously. We hit Wabash and Monroe and a guy with a star. As I think, God. It's a sheriff and I'm like, I can't do anything.

So we keep running, they don't they go into an H&M and then it's like a sitcom. They like push down the clothes and I like fall over them out of the H&M and they run into the subway and they hop the turnstile and I pay. And then

Cuz I didn't want to get in trouble. So then they catch the train going south and they got away from me cuz they were on the train going south. So I like go up the stairs. And actually it's been like 5 minutes in the cops are there. And I'm like, oh, thank God. I'm the guy who called and consult, then they they put me in the back of the cop car and the other on the train. So we, we got like a hundred miles an hour to Roosevelt and I seriously for four blocks we go hundred miles an hour or I don't know. And then we pay other like just hang on, We're in a slow roll the train to the station. And so they slow, roll it and just hang in. The back here. We're going to

We're going to bring them up and you can ID them and so they bring them up in it. And like I said, I'm like, yeah, that's a great job. And there's like one second. He closes a cop door and he says, oh shit, and then I'm locked in the back of the cop car. And he had locked left his keys in the ignition. So I'm not like State and Roosevelt for an hour for clocking every lane of traffic and all these cops are knocking on the window. Like your job man will get you out of it later that night or afternoon. They take me to the police station, which I think is on. I think there's one on State and 18th and they were taking photos of me as a witness. And so I have

Argyle Sweater, which were later used in a court case, so that was the last time I ever wear that sweater. Thank you.

That was Jonathan Manheim.

Jonathan is a doctor in Chicago, specializing in infectious disease. He likes biking. Running animals and backyard grown vegetables. He lives with his partner, Lizzy, and their two cats.

Jonathan tells us that he unfortunately got rid of the infamous letter a while ago. However, he says, if he hadn't he thinks folks these days would appreciate it for all its Technicolor. Glory. Jonathan, maybe down one memorable sweater, but he has amassed a pretty impressive collection of colorful patterned shirt to see some photos of his favorite head to our website, The Moth. Org extras.

Fashion trends command transgo some returned years later, but other stay firmly in the past. Our next story is about a divisive look, which honestly might be due for a comeback. I've been watched all this at a storyslam in Melbourne or the theme of the night with disguises. Here's Evans live at the mall.

In the bottom of a drawer somewhere. I have two silver medals.

Actually, for ballroom dancing. 1001 English. All time. I went to a single six boys school and he wanted to meet girls. The only way you can do that was to enroll in classes. And so I do have clean rolls and you know, we would have, we would dance with each other. But some of the culmination of the dance classes was when we would go to with social with her like a sister school, and I remember one particular sexual Rock top and I meant the love of my life by Our member hanging around at the bus at the end very very proudly display numerals that are being pitched in the back of my hand. Yeah. Yeah. I got a number to Mike. Yeah. I got it.

And I was very excited by this sin and we hit then embarked on what I consider a long distance relationship. It was because the phone that had a very long distance cord. And I could stretch it all the way from its place in the whole all the way into the bathroom Plunkett next to the bar and then beautifully go through the entire water supply hot water. As I had these internally long conversations, but eventually I'll course I had to pluck up the courage to ask her on a diet and this is not in 78. And even though, you know, we dance the Cha-cha-cha hour and that's not a euphemism. We really had doubts the Cha-cha-cha and we've actually what rule did. Aunt Flo was was disco.

John Travolta as Tony Marino and and the Bee Gees singing, the high Knights and that was what was really exciting. I didn't actually even convinced my mother to go out and buy me a John Travolta.

And, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I don't know, it was brown and not white, but it actually had, you know, bell bottoms that kind of arrived on the Dance Floor way before I did then and had to choose lapels and I was just itching to wear the suits and so I asked if I asked and you know, she lived in the hills and we were only fifteen, I didn't drive, I had to kind of convince my mother to drive me up, pick her up, but her father was going to take us down to the station. And we were going to go to see a film was actually the opening weekend of Saturday Night Fever. And, you know, I was really excited and I was kind of a chicken myself out in the mirror and I'm looking at the suit and, you know, it's kind of lunch time on a Saturday, but, you know, and I'm thinking it was pretty good. Looks pretty good. I'm going to make an impression and I think while I see what do you do on these? So, did I tell you buy flat as a Toshiba flat? So I broke the bank and bought these flat?

And then I rock, I put it her door in my suit with the the blue bodysuit in the hush puppies. That I got heels like this and I'm standing there with my flies and the door opens and she's excited.

I need a price drops. She's standing there in jeans and a t-shirt and she just kind of the film. And there is this guy standing there. And, and then her father appears and he takes one. Look at me and I way off and so, are we

And in the confusion, I'm still got the fla's and, and we're on the trying, and everyone's kind of looking at Austin.

Energy sword is very still currently has to fly out. That's how I'll hold them until you know, so I've got the flask is theogony. We can just vacuum all along that side, to send them around and we standing there, and it's the Saturday, it's too. It's blistering hot. And there's all these people and their casual clothes, fix it one shmack in a three-piece suit with the pills in the hush puppies in the bodysuit.

And I can kind of figure out is all that sweat. Just the embarrassment or the fact that it's una 30°, and I'll look around. And I realize that the Flies I'm holding a holding a tool. Well, and actually is standing just far enough away that she's not really with this guy.

I don't even really remember the film. I think I've ever watched it since I think it would just being too many traumatic memories back. But anyway, you know, we we end up. I do remember that John Travolta's character doesn't end up with to go me. And I think that was something that I do. Remember anyway, we get to try and back-to-back time and if father picks me up and picks her up, and I'm just going to walk home from the station then and I do remember who could dad's picking look actually.

Any edits that drive away? I looked down and I realized I'm still holding the goddamn fla's.

That's very much.

That was Evan W, Evan works as an English teacher at an independent secondary school and outer Suburban Melbourne, Australia, but he says, in an alternate universe. He's touring the world with the love of his life, telling stories and basking with his ukulele for loose change and a bite to eat. Like Jonathan sweater Ivan. Saturday Night. Fever suit, is long gone, but you can see some photos of his other groovy fashion choices on our website, the mob.org extras. That's all for this week. We hope you take joy in your style, rainbow sweater three piece suits, and all no matter what the peanut gallery has to say about it. As Harry Winston said, people are going to stare make it worth their while.

From all of us here at the mosque. Have a story where the week.

Michelle cholowsky is a producer and director at the mall where she helps people craft and shape their stories for stages all over the world. This episode of The Moth podcast was produced by me Julia person with Sarah Austin, Janice and Sarah, Jane Johnson, the rest of the month leadership. Team includes Catherine Burns, Sarah Haberman Jennifer Hickson Meg, Bowles heat, tellers, Jennifer, Birmingham Marina coochie Suzanne rust, Brandon Grant Inglewood house, key and ALDI Casa moth. Stories are true. As remembered and affirmed by storytellers for more about air podcast information on pitching your own story and everything else. Go to our website. The math. Org the moth podcast is presented by PRX. The public radio exchange helping make public radio more public. Appearance. Org.