A gun, a badge and a tie

LOLITA HARPER

Oh sure, it’s always the firefighters who get asked to be models in

the community fashion shows, but retailers are missing out on the

real trendsetters: the Costa Mesa Police Department detectives.

That’s right. You need look no further than the corner of Fair

Drive and Fairview Road for the latest in white-collar style for the

blue-collar worker. Since Police Chief John Hensley took the lead, he

has mandated detectives -- who do not sport the traditional uniform

-- wear suits and ties everyday.

So what will the men of Costa Mesa PD be wearing this season?

“Most detectives will be sporting darker colors this season,” Det.

Mark Manley said. “I like the darker earth tones for the winter and

blues to match my eyes ... . We may traditionally be blue-collar

workers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be fashionable and profess

our inner expression and personality.”

(Is it just me, or does Manley sound like he’s been moonlighting

for E! Fashion Channel?)

Manley, who investigates crimes against people, such as homicides,

is hip to looking good on the job, but he hasn’t gone Armani or

anything. Most of his suits are from discount retailers such as the

Men’s Warehouse, he said. He checked the tag on his suit Friday:

Nordstrom, it said.

“Ah man, it’s not like many of my suits are from Nordstrom,” he

said. “Most are from the Men’s Warehouse. Be sure you mention that,

because I don’t want to get a hard time. I’ll take so much heat from

people who will say, ‘Nordstrom? Yeah right. He always looks like

such a slob.’”

But even Manley -- his own worst critic -- knows he looks darn

good in a suit.

“As soon as I put on a suit and tie, my age went down five years

and my balding spot grew in a little,” Manley said. “It even makes me

look a bit thinner, which I prefer.”

Det. Sgt. Don Holford, who is in charge of property, economic and

street crimes, said he is used to being in suits. Before his

promotion to a leadership position in the detective bureau, he worked

in the Professional Standard Unit. And as the title suggests, the

dress code was professional: meaning suits and ties. Before that, in

the late 1980s and early ‘90s, suits were required of detectives,

which Holford was.

“I’m used to it,” Holford said. “I’ve got plenty of suits and ties

already.”

As his rank has been upgraded, he has upgraded his fashion sense.

“I have not continued with the polyester suit tradition,” Holford

said. “I don’t think they are Italian ... Wait.”

He looked at the label.

“Enrico Corsini,” he said.

It sounded Italian, but he wouldn’t dare assume.

“I wouldn’t want to participate in the ethnic profiling of suits,”

Holford said.

As every fashion aficionado knows, accessories make an outfit and

Costa Mesa detectives have not neglected that important detail.

Holford likes to sport “fun” ties. On Friday, he wore soccer balls,

and last week it was Winnie the Pooh. They are all “in good taste,”

he said.

Manley said he is “all about the stripes.” He likes color.

“Colorful, yet professional” is his motto.

Although Hensley’s fashion mandate was rumored to be widely

unpopular at first, Holford and Manley said they have no problem with

it.

“I think we have seen positive results from the way we look,”

Manley said. “The public seems to like it. It hasn’t been a bother or

an inconvenience. It gives a professional reflection.”

Oh, good answer. Did I mention Manley is up for a promotion? But

Holford backed him up.

“All the detectives look sharp,” Holford said. “It’s the softer,

gentler Costa Mesa Police Department.”

Soft and gentle, huh? What about this year’s must-have accessory,

Holford?

“I have all my men in Childer Rigs,” he said. “It looks really

impressive.”

(For those who are not in the know, Childer Rigs are the classic

over-the-shoulder-pistol- holders.)

This winter’s police department: Soft, gentle, and packing some

heat.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by e-mail at

lolita.harper@latimes.com.