Saturday, May 19, 2007

Italian undies, pepper grinders and hookers

Zsa-Zsa Gabor and Porfirio Rubirosa, one of her many playboy husbands. "His suave manner and rugged good looks came with a prodigious male appendage and sexual prowess, both subjects of much gossip. Truman Capote described his male organ as 'an 11-inch cafe au lait sinker as thick as a man's wrist.' To this day, large pepper grinders are commonly referred to as 'rubirosas.'"

I'm reminded of that story every time I slip on a pair of GrigioPerla briefs because Rubirosa enjoyed custom-made underwear. Italian undies, I always say, are engineered for the special needs of the Italian male animal. (Like me. Officially, I'm 25% Italian, 25% Irish, with the rest English/Scottish. But Sparky says I look all Italian.)

GrigioPerla's sister outfit, La Perla, is the brand of choice for high-priced hookers, according to the $2,000-an-hour prostitute featured in this New York magazine story. I didn't think you could buy GrigioPerla in the states until I ran across BareNecessities. And while I know the brand is pricey, I had no idea you could spend as much as $67 each, for the Cebrione model. And the matching T-shirt is $102, to boot.