Rainy Mondays & Chipp Poodles. . .

Sounds like a line from a Carpenters tune.

In any case, chilly autumn weather is here! So, I have started the twice yearly routine of swapping warm weather attire for cold weather, and moving things between the cedar closet in the basement, the wardrobe in our bedroom, and the overflow closet in the TV room across the upstairs hall.

Good thing too since today is dark, wet, and seasonal. And if I cannot have winding, snowy ski trails through the forests of Norway or Michigan, than I am perfectly happy with the wet, colder conditions forecast for this week ('vaermeldingen' as they say in Norwegian).

All of which is a long-winded way of explaining today's heavy wool blazer, flannel pants, Merino wool socks, trenchcoat with liner, and one of my long woolen scarves plus a Tattersall umbrella from Brooks Brothers.

The fedora is from Optimo Hats of Chicago, and was a 50th birthday gift from my late mother. Since these are made to order, it was not ready for shipping until just before my 51st birthday several years ago. I like the hat, but prefer the softer construction of those by Borselino. Still, I try to wear this one for one week a month between October and mid-April.

There are now five similar, though slightly different, models in the cold weather rotation, and I enjoy them each year once the weather cools. Now, lot's of people take the attitude that men who wear hats -- REAL hats mind you, not those damn backwards baseball caps on almost every male head in the Midwest and elsewhere, or what they now call knit beanies (we used to call them watch caps or ski caps -- are somehow affected idiots. And I am using more polite language than has become the norm in online fora.

As the late Burt Lancaster once said in, I believe, the film Tough Guys, in which he starred with Kirk Douglas, "I'd say you have been misinformed." With that said, it's time for me to get to work and accomplish something before class at 10:20.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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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

The Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style Now on Ebay!!!

Another great old Laurence Fellows illustration of menswear from the classic era, the 1930s. T he Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style is up and running on Ebay. -- Heinz-Ulrich

"If you see something you want. . ."

The above photograph has been "borrowed" from the J. Press website. "I f you see something you want," advised my late mother, "buy it. It won't be there when you go back later." A favorite (and wise) adage hers that I still follow whenever possible. So when this item appeared on clearance at J. Press, I mulled it over for a couple of days, and then clicked the requisite boxes to make the online purchase. Should be here within the week. Once upon a time, I had a similar jacket by Corbin that I foolishly purged before we left Central Illinois ('Illi-noir' anyone?) for Michigan almost 10 years ago. Not sure what I was thinking at the time since I did like the item and wore it routinely. This one will be a bit nicer and help me make sartorial amends. At least to myself. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Classic Style

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