How you DON'T Want to Come Across. . .

The late comedian Jerry Lewis. While I certainly enjoyed his antics as a 7- or 8-year-old in Saturday afternoon TV movie matinees (Remember the old UHF channels in pre-cable days?), as an adult I've never quite seen the genius in Mr.Lewis that the French have always claimed. Come to think of it, Mr. Bean doesn't quite do it either. Shouldn't we demand more from our humor than simple sight gags and silly noises?

In whatever walk of life we might find ourselves, as men working to improve our personal style and presentation, we most certainly DO NOT want to come across as willfully ignorant, shortsighted, uninformed, inconsistent, incompetent, and inept with our heads in the proverbial sand. Or, perhaps, somewhere else even closer to home if you get my drift.

Likewise, neither do we want to keep insisting a situation is one way when every piece of information out there, 'the facts' if I might be so bold, tell us something else. Especially in a time of crisis. We cannot wish away the problems confronting us or, if you'll pardon the expression, pray away the gay as certain groups fondly maintain.

Meanwhile in the real world, it is simply astounding -- not to mention appalling -- how widely this approach extends across public and private life. We can observe it from our elected political leaders at the top right on down the line to the average person in the street. It defies all sense of logic. Oh, wait. Hold it. Hang on a second. I've got it all wrong. My mistake. There now. I've got my head on straight again. Logic is not part of the equation.

-- 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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