Coming Soon: A Dress Shoe Primer. . .

Later this week, learn how to avoid ugly abominations in men's footwear like these. . . what I call the dreaded entry and mid-level corporate cubicle worker shoe. Or, in my darker moments, what I refer to as "the sad result of the corporate headquarters of a well-known insurance giant abandoning business formal employee policies for business casual in the 90s."

We routinely bear witness to loads of male corporate drones, employees of said insurance giant in my small American Midwestern city, who mistakenly labor under the delusion that shoes like the various pairs shown here today are somehow acceptable. Even with a suit.

I'm also reminded of a trial attorney I witnessed a few years ago in the courtroom, who actually wore some of these square-toed things with his shiny suit (shudder). You'd better call Saul. . .

For those average guys out there who want to kick up their everyday style several notches, don't miss our upcoming brief primer on tastefully styled, classic dress shoes that ought to be in your closet. See you then. In the meantime, do not, repeat DO NOT, buy and wear shoes that look anything like any of these! You'll either look like a rube who knows no better, a slimy shyster lawyer, or Huggy Bear on Starsky & Hutch reruns.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Mid-November Monday. . .

A few minutes between classes this morning, so I snapped pictures of today's attire and accessories. The first wearing this season of the Optimo 'Dearborn' fedora, and the tie is a vintage number from Orvis, a nod to my late father's fly-fishing and fly-tying hobbies. It's been two or three years since this particular necktie's last appearance, so high time to pull it out and knot it carefully around the ol' neck. Managed to nail it on the first attempt too. Could this be the start of a trend? -- Heinz-Ulrich

The Problem of "Business Casual" Attire. . .

This is how it's done. Business Casual the RIGHT way, ladies and gentlemen. Even during the summer months. A photograph (taken by Studio B Portraits ) which appeared in 425 Business Magazine in May 2017. T his post on the problem of business casual dress began as a quick postscript to a previous blog entry last week but quickly grew and grew as additional thoughts occurred, were developed in more detail, and revisions made. So much so, that it seemed, eventually, like a better idea to make the initial P.S. afterthought into its own entry . Are ya ready, Freddy? Then, here we go. . . ------------ U nless you actually plan to sell beach snacks and trinkets on Cozumel, become a serial barista, or greet customers at a fancy nightclub after taking out huge student loans to attend university somewhere for four or five years, plus an MBA afterward, it's really a better idea to err on the side of (somewhat) more formal work at...

My Preferred Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirts. . .

One of several light blue cotton oxford cloth button-down collar shirts in my rotation, worn here with a wool flannel navy blazer and a vintage Italian silk necktie once sold under the Rooster label. An orange-brown with silvery paisleys, ideal for the autumn. T he other day, a regular visitor to Classic Style for the Average Guy left a comment in which he asked for information and my recommendations on the classic oxford cloth button-down shirt, commonly abbreviated to 'ocbd.' "Me? Are you tawkin' to me?" Oblique Robert DeNiro references aside, let's talk oxford cloth button-down shirts. This particular type of shirt is one of the bedrock items every man should have a few of hanging in his closet, especially when he wishes to present himself to the world in a way better -- yes, I said better -- than what has become the sad accepted average among so much of the male populace. First things first though. Lots of people automatically...

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