Classic Style

  T he Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a couple of hours this afternoon at one of our locally owned bookshop-cafe operations about 10 minute from home.  Just a pleasant change of scenery and a chance for some very light conversation about nothing of great consequence.  It was lovely.   On the bottom half, a pair of red corduroy jeans, navy and green ribbon belt, and the usual chocolate suede camp moccasins sans socks.  One of the baristas complimented the overall look.  Never necessary, but always nice to hear. -- Heinz- Ulrich

  The 2023 stollen as the Grand Duchess dusted it with confectioner's sugar yesterday evening. T he Grand Duchess baked her annual authentic Dresdner stollen yesterday evening, and the festivities can now begin in earnest!  We each sampled a slice with some coffee by the fireside late yesterday evening, and it simply melts in your mouth. We will be cross-country skiing in Canada through New Year's, so things will be quiet here at Classic Style during Christmas Week although I might pop in with a brief skiing style post or two from Ontario if the spirit seizes me.   In the meantime, I wish everyone a peaceful, quiet period.  Goodness knows the world needs more of both. Merry Christmas! -- Heinz-Ulrich

  Our obligatory cafe stop this morning, just after making a foray to the winter Famers' Market.  The weekly market is held in our (now largely empty) local shopping mall between later November through late April before moving back outside to its purpose-built area a short distance away.  Full on Norwegian julenisse attire today, including a four-foot long stocking cap I purchased many years ago an annual mid-winter festival in Røros, Norway right up along the Swedish border.  Very snowy and incredibly cold as you might imagine. T hings are busier than I would like here at Classic Style HQ at the moment, and a slight cold for a few days has also thrown a wrench into the works.  Grrrr.  But I am on the mend now and steaming full ahead with the few last minute details and errands out ahead of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and our December 27th departure for a week of cross-country skiing in Canada through the new year.   In the meantime, it se...

  A little bit of pre-Christmas quirkiness that the Grand Duchess and I began back in 2020, which was truly a year of bleak mid-winter in so many ways. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  The larger "toy tree" for Christmas 2023 in the corner of our living room here at Totleigh. W ell, Sir.  Old Man Winter blew into the Grand Duchy with quite a gust yesterday.  He brought rapidly dropping temperatures, and a couple of inches of blowing snow throughout the day.  Cold, gray, and wonderfully seasonal outside today in the Currier and Ives way. I managed to submit my course grades for Fall 2023 yesterday, a full day and a half ahead of the deadline, fielded a few of the usual whiny student complaints almost immediately thereafter -- Accountability, ownership, and resilience anyone? -- and set the automatic reply on my university email until January 8th.  I have now signed off from work-related email for the Christmas and New Year's period.   The latest two issues of an online journal that I now co-edit with a colleague also went live yesterday, so my brain is mush right now.  Time now to enjoy some mental downtime and get a bit more ...

  Slightly premature, yes, but candlelight is even nicer at this point in the year as the Winter Solstice approaches. T he Swedish-German-American Grand Duchess has journeyed south this weekend to visit an aging aunt and uncle in Illinois for a couple of days, leaving "the boys" here at home for a weekend of goofy Christmas-themed movies, including the infamous Christmas Vacation (1989).   Since my wife will not return until Monday, I lighted the third candle in our Advent wreath for dinner yesterday evening.  Candlelight is always a treat and makes almost any occasion more special regardless of the season, but during the bleak late fall , it is an essential element when it comes to creating a cozy atmosphere.   Hygge and  Gemütlichkeit indeed. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  T he attire for yesterday, a chilly but largely sunny day in Mid-December.  Overall, not a bad effort, but plainer navy socks would have helped, I think.  The charcoal  Samuelsohn wool flannel pants were every bit as comfortable as people think pajama bottoms and sweat pants are.  Except that the trousers above hold a crease and just look more adult.  But warm and comfy they are, so a win-win situation for a chilly day. -- Heinz-Ulrich

    P icked up the Christmas trees on the way home late this morning after a few hours of work on campus -- grading student capstone projects and entering numbers into our learning management system -- and a cancelled meeting.  While I actually like my colleagues, it is always a blessing when that happens! Anyway, on the drive home the thought drifted across my mind that one of the most wonderful Christmas gifts across my 57 (Er, um. . . 29 ) years on the planet has been my wife, the Grand Duchess Sonja.  Although we met in late August 2000, neither one of us realized at the time what fate had in store.   I t would take until the following April before we actually became a couple, but I liked her an awful lot by that December and fell like a ton of bricks after our February 2001 skiing date, which I mentioned the other day .  We have, more or less, been a part of each other's lives ever since.   How wonderful it is to find that one special pe...

  C lass for the semester/term are over now, so just considerable review of student capstone projects and grade entry at this point to determine final course grades by 4pm on the 19th.  A pretty calm day overall. The overall combination of items for the day wasn't entirely bad, but the tan shoes and belt didn't quite work.  Were the sun out as originally forecast, these might have worked better.  Maybe.  Ah, well.  Back to the old sartorial drawing board as they say. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  V ery early in our dating relationship way back in graduate school (early 2001), my now wife the Grand Duchess Sonja, during one of our many circuitous conversations about this or that, noted the significance of the little things in life.  I recall being impressed by her thoughtful observation.  We might even have had that particular conversation while out on the ski trail in the midst of a snowy and extremely cold Minnesota February -- Our first actual "date" after several months of talking daily in the office -- although I am not entirely certain .  But I digress.  Fast-forward to late 2023, and looking around with clear eyes, it seems that, s adly, the Advent and Christmas season seem to have become about giving or receiving the biggest, best, newest, or shiniest fill-in-the-blank.  The trend is not new, however, but has only accelerated since the rise of the online world and ( a few years later) social media from roughly the mid-1990s until today....

  I t's 1 0:30 Saturday morning, and I am still waking up with the first mug of coffee, and the two cats milling around here in my office at home.  A dark, wet, and dreary day outside, but I've got much activity planned since the Grand Duchess and Young Master have decided to visit Chicago for the day and left very early this morning. First off, and following a hot shower, a visit to my tailor to take in a new three-piece suit from J. Press for the usual minor alterations.  It arrived yesterday, and was/is a gift to myself for some good news professionally speaking earlier this fall.  And since three-piece suits are generally pretty hard to find in 2023, I leapt at the opportunity after spotting this particular number on the J. Press website two weeks back.  A charcoal Donegal weave, very soft to the touch, and perfect for the cooler months, which here in Mid-Michigan are, conveniently, October through April, and sometimes well into May.  So this one should...

    M ore of the usual suspects for today, but a colorfully festive combination in any case.  The Brooks Brothers 'Makers' necktie, besides calling to mind The Nutcracker so popular at this time of year (in Russia, the ballet is NOT limited to Christmas performances), is also a nod to my lifelong toy soldier painting, collecting, and occasional gaming hobby. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A combination of items that has not yet been seen this season, but let's celebrate the approaching end of classes for the Fall 2023 with a little sartorial festivity and fun.  Of particular note are the jacket, necktie, and socks.  Harris Tweed, Pendleton, and Dapper Classics respectively. And yes.  Sankt Nikolaus visited in the night and left some small sweets as well as healthy goodies in all three pairs of our shoes by the front door.  German cookies and chocolate (yours truly) plus dried fruit and preserves along with small loaves of organic Pumpernickel (the Grand Duchess), and Rye (the Young Master) bread given their current health kicks.    -- Heinz-Ulrich

  V intage Polo double-breasted suit, necktie, and braces today along with a Borsalino fedora and trench coat given the light rain falling early today.  As I joked to the Grand Duchess on my way out the door, "It's 1944 all over again."   A young undergraduate-aged guy did stop on my way into the cafe heading toward campus, however, to say how much he liked the overall ensemble.  As I say, never necessary, but compliments put a spring into one's step when they come.   Clearly, I don't look like a space alien from an alternate universe to absolutely everyone. -- Heinz-Ulrich.

  M idday today (Friday), my department had it's fall retreat during which lunch was provided.  By all accounts,. it was very nice couple of hours to talk shop during an otherwise dreary, wet day.   Now, I am well aware that there are departments and programs on campus that are toxic at best given the personalities, competition, and pettiness that seems to hold sway.  My situation, by contrast, is collegial, collaborative, and friendly.  How lucky I am. Attire-wise, more of the usual suspects, including an Aquascutum tweed jacket and J. Press necktie.  But worry not!  The pocket square was more contained in my pocket, when I was on campus.  The selfie was taken at home after I removed my orange SWIMS overshoes, hat, and trench coat, which shifted things around a bit.   Ah, well.  It' s Friday evening, and the Grand Duchess and I will enjoy our usual bottle of wine by the fireside shortly.  No sense in worrying too much abo...

W ell, Thanksgiving 2023 is in the rearview mirror, and it’s December 1 st .   Once again, the festive season is upon us with its annual parties and gatherings of various kinds.   And whether we’re out and about during the next month plus a few days, or hosting people in our own homes, we naturally want to maintain that favorable impression we have worked hard to make with family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.   Not to mention any new acquaintances who cross our personal and professional paths.   One of the ways we do that is through our actions, which, as the saying goes, speak much louder than any words we might utter to the contrary.   With that in mind, the following discussion outlines several markers of quiet sophistication.   Even if readers observe these habits already, I suggest that we can nevertheless work just a little bit harder to practice, internalize, and convey that same quiet sophistication to those around us.   In particula...