Such was my reaction when, flipping through a May 2012 issue of 'House and Home' magazine, I spied him. Oh my G-d! It's Mike Belcourt! And there he was in all his glory, my old buddy from Lisgar Collegiate Institute, majestically surveying his luxe lawns and home in Casa de Campo, Costa Rica.
"Are you alright?" the woman beside me asked. "Sorry, fine, it's just that I know this guy." "Really?" she said, peering into the pages on my lap. Wife Monica by his side, there stood Mike on his bocce ball court in his dazzling white polo slacks and a blue, silk shirt with his trademark shock of white hair (which used to be jet-black) blowing casually in the breeze.
"We usually start with yoga on the lawn, then breakfast and either a game of tennis or polo," he offered. "In the afternoon it's the beach and then cocktails and dinner. We love it here," he added unnecessarily. Yep, Mr. Belcourt has done very well for himself.
I think I have blogged about his success before. Mike was the always-dapper guy in high school who turned his eye for fashion into a multi-million-dollar partnership with Ralph Lauren as the exclusive Canadian distributor of this wildly-successful clothing line way back when. "Who the hell is going to buy something with a polo player embroidered on the front," we used to laughingly scoff. I mean, how many people play polo? Turns out, millions bought the stuff. Now retired, he has homes on Georgian Bay and in Forest Hill, as well as this magnificent pad in the tropics.
Mike was always ahead of the curve. He was the first kid in high school to buy one of the original Mustangs in the early '60s, a dark blue convertible that guaranteed him the attention of the most popular girls in the place. We used to double-date, I with Phil Cleary and he with my cousin Betty-Anne Brousseau (G-d rest her soul). We had so much fun.
Great to see Mike enjoying the fruits of his genius.
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Another great story Nancy. I think I also knew him. Did they not have a store on the Market
ReplyDeletein the 80's???
I bought Andrew Firestone (Bruce's son)& my two sons their first Summer off white linen suits
there. It was such a beautiful store to be in.
Great memories.
No, there may have been a Ralph Lauen retail outlet, but Mike was the importer/wholesaler. He's the genius who made the seriously big bucks selling to all the retailers.
ReplyDeleteJust sent him an e-mail and he replied within 15 minutes -- and that's after not having seen him in years and years (except for his uncle's funeral, once about five years ago). Old friendships are the truest.
ReplyDelete