Navy Blazer Thursday. . .

I cannot recall when I have ever enjoyed my attire like I have the last several months since the Fall 2021 semester kicked off at the start of September. Almost 18 months stuck at home will do that I suppose.

While the foundational items have been seen here before, the shirt is new, or rather it has not appeared in a long, long time with any combination of navy blazer and pants. I purchased it as one of several new shirts from Land's End during early fall 2004 in my first teaching job after graduate school when I added to and expanded what was a very basic professional wardrobe.

Although you don't necessarily need a huge amount of clothing to present yourself well, at some point you do want more than just a couple of sports jackets and two or three dress shirts. In any case, the shirt pictured above sees the light of day infrequently these days. But it is fun to trot out now and then and works well with the knitted silk necktie selected for today.

The chocolate suede belt and shoes made one last appearance for the season. Sooner, or later, we'll have too much snow and ice on the ground, and winter footwear will be called for as I mentioned yesterday. Right now, it's sort of the footwear equivalent of smoke 'em if you've got 'em.

Tomorrow (Friday) is a relatively easy day with just three meetings scheduled. Meetings I am actually looking forward to, so make a mark on the wall. While I could easily do them from home via Zoom, I am toying with the idea of heading into campus early in the morning simply to have the excuse to dress for work again. I know, I know. I am a vain so and so!

However, the nicest part of the midday was when The Grand Duchess joined me in the library with her briefcase and laptop. For about an hour, we worked across the table from each other like we did as grad students 20+ years ago. I had forgotten how nice that was.

-- 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 attire any time you head into the

Four Little Words. . .

R egardless of the cut of one's sports jacket, odd pants, suit, or shirt collar, four key words spring to mind when it comes to being intentional about our attire, personal habits, daily interactions and so much else. Here they are: Polish -- Good manners and ease with people. Sophistication -- Refinement, good taste, and subtlety in not only a social context but also the cultural and intellectual senses . Finesse -- Sensibility, grace, and social competence. Awareness -- Perspective, empathy, and emotional intelligence And my point? We should strive to cultivate these qualities in ourselves with (more) conscious intent. More of the four within and from everyone would make the world in 2024 a far more pleasant place in which to live and operate. Best of all, these four things cost nothing, making them accessible to everyone regardless of education level or income bracket. -- Heinz-Ulrich

J. Press Goodness. . .

F resh out of the UPS box, three examples of J. Press goodness on a Friday morning. These shirts are replacements for three recently worn-through, more than 20-year old OCBDs from Land's End (two) and L.L. Bean (one). They were purchased shortly after I took my first teaching position at a now defunct local college outside of Minneapolis, immediately following graduate school, as the fall semester kicked off in September 2003. While some professional gear hung in my closet already, a few additional items were needed at that point to round out the weekly rotation. Said shirts all finally fell prey to small rips showing up in the now very thin, but incredibly comfortable, fabric within six weeks of each other this winter and early spring. So, time for a few replacements. The old friends will find new life as summertime lawncare shirts. Of the three new items above, my favorite shirt is on the right, but one cannot go wrong with a light blue OCBD either, so we're in good

Classic Style

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