Ask the Author: Bess Winter

Bess Winter’s Men With Own Tuxedos is included in the January issue and she talks with us about the ritual of the tuxedo, Craigslist and the origins of her story.

1. Why must men in tuxedos be sad?

We cannot declare all men in tuxedos sad. But we can say this: the tuxedo is guaranteed to be required of almost every middle-class western man at some point in his life. A man in a tuxedo is an ordinary human in a fancy wrapper. The outfit is meant to say, I am valuable today. Today, I am an important player. Sadness arises when a) the circumstances of his wearing such an outfit don’t befit the nattiness of the outfit or b) the man occupying the tuxedo doesn’t consider himself worth the price of his clothes.

2. What wardrobe would you want in an indie film of your making?

All sorts of possibilities run through my head, but I keep returning to this idea of old ladies. Old ladies designing and sewing all the costumes, preferably in the basement of a Presbyterian church. Fabrics from Jo Ann; iron-on denim patches; big, handmade buttons; uneven hems. The shoes would be from Goodwill. Or what would old ladies do with a costume drama? Would they modify Simplicity Halloween patterns? Would every ensemble have this septuagenarian air about it?

3. Do you find Craigslist useful, dangerous, or a mix of both? Why?

I’ve always found Craigslist useful, though others have reminded me that it can be dangerous. I found an apartment in Paris via Craigslist. My landlords there said they were dismayed that I, as a young single woman, had responded to their Craigslist ad and not the more official ad they’d posted on a realty website. They said, in a hypothetical way, that they could be psychos. But every Craigslist interaction I’ve had, from buying and selling concert tickets to finding people to play board games with to finding a job, has resulted in my meeting fascinating people. Of course, it all depends on what you’re looking for.

4. Where did “Men With Own Tuxedos” come from? How did you go about constructing the story?

“Men With Own Tuxedos” was inspired by an actual Craigslist ad listed under the “searching for extras” category. The sadness was already there in the ad; the rest of the story came quickly, which is what I usually experience when a very short piece is working. This was a piece that just went wherever it wanted to go, and ended up being absurd.

5. Which person has the better tuxedo: Jackie Chan, James Bond, or Count Victor Grazinski?

This is so hard. Each of these characters wears his/her tuxedo in such a unique way. And which Bond are we talking about? In terms of doing a lot of work, Count Victor Grazinski’s tuxedo probably rates more as a character with its own distinct persona than any of these other tuxedos. But Bond – specifically Connery’s Bond – is the undisputed king of the tuxedo. Also, Fred Astaire should probably be in the running here.

6. How many men in tuxedos does it take for them to be useful?

That depends on the job you want them to do. There are probably places where you can get estimates, depending on your needs. Try Craigslist.