Rainy Sunday Style. . .

A very quiet and damp day here at Totleigh today. I actually managed to sleep until 10am! Can't remember the last time that occurred.

In any case, a shower, a splash of St. John's 'Madras', some informal attire, and we're ready to put the back porch together for the 2024 season, which will be a nice surprise for the Grand Duchess, who is out with the Young Master right now. I'll get to that after another mug of fresh coffee and submitting final course grades to the requisite online portal of course.

The navy blue Rugby jersey and leather deck shoes have been in the rotation for years. The red shorts were an end of season clearance purchase last fall, and today is their inaugural wearing. A 9" inseam when I stand by the way.

In the next week or so, depending on available time, I'll stow the rest of my cool weather attire and finish replacing it with the usual late spring and summer gear, both more formal and the casual stuff. A lot of men, for some reason, have trouble with colorful or patterned clothing. For summertime, or indeed anytime at all, I'm quite happy to stick out like a sore thumb with madras, colorful shorts, striped seersucker, and the like.

It's classic style after all. And certainly preferable to a sweat stained t-shirt, a tank top with underarm hair on full view, or ratty cargo shorts. I have no problem with masculinity, but some polish, sophistication, finesse, and discretion are necessary attributes. We're not cavemen after all. But then I've just shared shots of my unshaven jawline and hairy legs above, so what do I know?

-- Heinz Ulrich

All put together for the late spring and summer season.

Mid-afternoon grazing.

Comments

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

"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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