In a dim corner of the mercantile interior, the rich, floral colors of classical shirts transmit the light and warmth of Colombo’s Old Fort. The original premises of the capital’s premier grocer and dry goods house retain traces of a century past, when Glasgow traders supplied the former crown colony with everything desired from the Indian Ocean to the banks of the Clyde. With a jaunt on the Galle Face to the once-exclusive purveyor, the Cargills building shares memories and merchandise—reminders of style’s persistence and those who wear it.