戴维·黑德

Presidents Day， like most American holidays， is a celebration of shopping. But unlike holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving， where the commercial spirit is a corruption of the holidays true purpose， Presidents Day honors a man who truly loved to shop： George Washington.

Washington was a world-class shopper. Of course， he couldnt ride his horse over to Walmart， and there was no Amazon Prime to deliver. Instead， Washington ran an account with a London merchant who sold his tobacco and then used the proceeds to buy the things he wanted. Washington placed his orders and then waited， sometimes up to a year， for his goods to arrive.

Despite the inconvenience， Washington was a regular customer. He bought a great many of hats， shirts， coats， gloves， breeches， stockings and shoes and enough furniture， home decorations， cups， saucers， plates and glasses to rival an IKEA.

Washington wanted to be fashionable

Living so distant from his supplier， Washington couldnt browse， and he certainly couldnt return things he didnt like. He usually wrote general descriptions of what he wanted and relied on the judgment of his agent across the pond.

However， Washington did make one demand， repeatedly， pointedly and emphatically. Whatever he selected， he told his agent， it must be fashionable.

On different occasions Washington asked for “a fashionable Cloke，” a chariot “painted of a genteel and fashionable colour” and “ten common sitting Chairs for an Entertaining Room—to be large， neat， and fashionable.”

A few months after marrying Martha in 1759， George ordered a new bed “with fashionable white curtains.”

When requesting some new plates， Washington was direct： “Pray let them be neat and fashionable or send none.” It was the heart of his shopping philosophy.

Washingtons tastes reflect more than an urge to be in vogue.

Colonial Americans lived on the edge of the British Empire and often felt anxious about their status. A proper tea set and swanky breeches helped them feel just as good as the most refined man in London.

The latest fashions were also vital for Washington to maintain his reputation as a gentleman.

Being a gentleman in the 18th century was more than a matter of birth， wealth or education. Coming from a good family， enjoying a comfortable income and receiving a degree from a college （preferably European， though Harvard or Yale might suffice in a pinch） all helped prove a mans elite status.

The need to keep up appearances

But a true gentleman was a gentleman because he looked the part. He wore stylish hats and gloves， rode around in a tasteful carriage pulled by well-groomed horses and entertained in a genteel home. If Washington failed to display the trappings of a gentlemans lifestyle， people might start to talk about that Mount Vernon guy who married a rich widow， didnt attend college and never once set foot outside the colonies.

Shopping could be stressful， and Washington was sometimes frustrated. He went into debt buying stuff that didnt arrive for ages and sometimes didnt meet his expectations. Meanwhile London merchants， who never quite got the prices Washington wanted when selling his tobacco， harassed him for payment like a common debtor.

“I tell you that instead of getting things good and fashionable in their several kinds we often have articles sent us that could only have been used by our Forefathers in the days of yore，” a suspicious Washington wrote his agent. “Tis a custom， I have some reason to believe， with many shop keepers， and tradesmen in London when they know goods are bespoke for exportation， to palm sometimes old， and sometimes very slight and indifferent goods， upon us.”

The experience was one factor that pushed the Virginian to wonder what the colonies role in the empire really was. To pay high prices for Britains junk？ Maybe independence to buy and sell on their own would be better.

Washington understood that shopping mattered， both personally and politically. The right objects shaped Washingtons sense of self and helped him think through the colonies relationship with the mother country.

Presidents Day shopping， it turns out then， really does honor Washington. If youre heading to the mall or clicking around online， remember the first president of the US and make your purchases fashionable.

和多數美国节假日一样，在总统日这天，人们的庆祝方式是购物。但也有不同点，商业气氛破坏了圣诞节、感恩节这些节日的初衷，而总统日却是为了纪念一位酷爱购物的人，他就是乔治·华盛顿。

华盛顿是一位超级买家。当然了，他不可能骑马去沃尔玛超市采购商品，也没有亚马逊金牌服务为他派送包裹。华盛顿在一位伦敦商人那里开设了一个账户，这位伦敦商人帮他销售烟草，然后用赚到的钱购买华盛顿所需的东西。华盛顿下订单，然后等待商品到达，有时会等上一年。

虽然很不便利，华盛顿却常常购物。帽子、衬衫、外套、手套、马裤、袜子、鞋子，还有家具、家居饰品、茶杯、茶碟、盘子、玻璃杯——他购买的东西数量和种类之多，可匹敌宜家家居商场了。

赶时髦的华盛顿

华盛顿与供应商之间相隔太远，无法看到商品实物，当然也不能退回不喜欢的东西。他通常是把想要的东西用文字大致描述出来，然后依靠那位远在大西洋彼岸的代理人去判断。

然而，有一个要求，华盛顿每次都会明确强调。他跟那位代理人说，帮他挑选的物品无论为何，必须是时髦的。

华盛顿有时会买“一件时髦的风衣”，或一辆“漆色既雅致又时髦的”敞篷马车，或“十把用于会客室的普通座椅，尺寸大、精巧、时髦”。

1759年，与玛莎结婚几个月后，乔治订购了一张“带有时髦白色帷幔的”新床。

订购新盘子时，华盛顿直接明了地说：“盘子必须精巧、时髦，否则就不用给我寄来了。”时髦就是他消费观念的核心。……