Skip to main content

Class. . .

Wayne Station along the Main Line outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The concept of "class," to my mind, has less to do with the material assets your family might have and considerably more to do with polite manners, education, refined tastes, and (hopefully) a concern for the common good.  If you are fortunate enough to have all of those bases covered AND have scads of that mean, mean green, fine.  Contact me offline, and you can donate two or three million to the cause.  Or at least help us set up a trust fund to ensure our son's university education when the time comes.

All kidding aside, even if your background and means are more modest, there is no excuse not to acquire some grooming, sophistication, and gentility by the time a guy has reached his early 20s.   Let's also toss in the concepts of trustworthiness, honor, grace, poise, responsibility, tolerance, (self-) discipline, understatement, and character while we're at it.  Average guys who want to kick up their everyday style several notches would do well to acquire, practice, and polish these half dozen or so traits in all aspects of their lives.

 Aspirational?  You're damn straight!  But before anyone dismisses that with a snide thought or remark, remember it's not a matter of aping the behaviors, real or imagined, of old money.  It's simply a matter of ensuring that one becomes, is, and remains a pleasant and interesting individual.  Capiche?

 -- Heinz-Ulrich 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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.


This 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. . . 
------------


Unless 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 attire any time you head into the office or meet with clie…
Post a Comment
Read more

Introductions, Thank-yous, and Excuse Mes. . .

When you meet someone new for the first time, establish eye contact, shake hands firmly, and exchange correct verbal salutations.
A somewhat shorter post today.  I'm simply worn out after yesterday's marathon writing, proofreading, and editing sessions.  Almost 11am here, and so time for the first scotch and water of the day I think. . .  Joking, joking!  Only joking.  We wait until at least Noon on Sundays here at Stollen Central before the process of knocking 'em back starts in earnest.  In the meantime, let's briefly talk about introductions, thank-yous, and excuse mes, three areas of social interaction and exchange that too many average guys (and people in general) get wrong in the 21st century.

Where introductions are concerned, the correct thing to say when you meet someone for the first time, and hopefully shake his or her hand firmly is, "How do you do?"  Please, please, please do not use the ubiquitous "Nice to meet you" or the even more drea…
Post a Comment
Read more

Dressing for the January Cold. . .

Said 'polo coat,' found via Ebay and acquired for pennies on the dollar.

Dressing for the cold in a professional sense can sometimes be a challenge in our age of so called athleisure technical gear that looks like it might be more at home on the ski slopes, or tobogganing at the local park than in a quasi-white collar setting.  Sure, there are still companies that produce classic men's overcoats of one kind or another, but too often these items are obscenely expensive when purchased new at full retail price.  While I no longer shop thrift and charity establishments, let's be reasonable.

Luckily, there are other options though, for instance Ebay, where I stumbled onto this vintage Polo University Club double-breasted 'polo coat' (in a wool and camel hair blend) at the end of November 2018.  I've been on the lookout for one of these for several years, and given the ridiculously low asking price, I made an offer, which the seller accepted.  Yes!  Call it a late …
Post a Comment
Read more