Classic Style

  Monday.  Tired.  And delaying real work on this dark December morning in the library with yet another post on attire.   A not unpleasant combination of items, built around a wool flannel Pal Zileri jacket and wool flannel Oxxford pants.  Every bit as comfortable as pajamas.  But pressed and better looking. Relistening to the latest episode of my podcast too, which was recorded, edited, produced, and uploaded  this weekend.  And it's not bad.   I began podcasting last summer to further support my students each semester and, in effect, make myself available to them 24/7 via the online learning management system we use here at MSU.   Instructor presence, I think they call it.  But some students, at least, seem to be listening to these.  Who woulda thunk it?  See what you think at WSTKS-FM: Digital Collaborative Learning for the 21st Century . Ok, enough shameless twaddle.  Time to get something real accomplished before class at 10:20am and meetings after that. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  W hile The Young Master needs to retest for his board breaks in two weeks before he can advance officially to Black Belt Recommended status (testing was midday Saturday), we are still attending the special late Sunday afternoon Tae Kwon Do gala event in a little less than two hours at a hotel in East Lansing near campus.   I finally decided to save the evening wear for a little closer to Christmas and New Year's Eve, opting instead for a festive version of blazer and tartan trousers along with a recently acquired Robert Talbott self-tie bow tie, which I managed to nail on the second attempt after almost a year since the last time I wore a similar piece of neck wear.   And I've gotta say that I kind of like it!  A nice change from the usual long necktie.  Now, don't worry.  I'm not about to go all George F. Will, or Irving R. Levine on you, but I might just shake things up in 2023 with the occasional bow tie.  They aren't that hard to tie, and the slight asymmetry

  A nother variation of the usual weekend running errands uniform.  A bit nippy out today here in Mid-Michigan, so perhaps a crewneck sweater over the shirt and beneath the jacket would have made more sense? The corduroy jeans are a recent purchase.  A rather obnoxiously bright shade of faded red.  How could I resist?   I know, I know. -- Heinz-Ulrich

    F eeling light of heart and downright festive (in an understated way) this Friday evening while we wait for Thai take-out.  And a bottle of wine before the fire later this evening with The Grand Duchess.  Happy Advent Season everyone! -- Heinz-Ulrich

  "M y mother tried to insinuate herself between me and the gleam of electric sex in the front room window."  From the holiday favorite A Christmas Story (1983), based on the semi-autobiographical novel In God We Trust.  All Others Pay Cash (1966) by late humorist and radio personality Jean [Thank you for the correction!] Shepherd.  We don't indulge in huge inflatable outdoor ornaments, illuminated wicker reindeer on the lawn, or thousands of blinking lights all over the house here in The Grand Duchy of Stollen.  Just a string of white icicle lights along the front porch eaves, natural wreaths on either side of the door, an Advent wreath on the dining table, a large fishbowl of silver glass balls atop dark red runner on the living room coffee table, and this miniature version of the infamous leg lamp.   A major award according to The Old Man.  Apparently from Italy if the print on the outside of the large wooden shipping crate is any indication.  Precise origins of the

    W asting a bit of time this early morning (it's 7:10am here) before diving into a day of hiring and promotion committee meetings plus continued development of an online training module for graduate teaching assistants as and when time permits.  And what better way to procrastinate than snapping a few shots of today's attire?  Today's items include a vintage Botany 500 overcoat that I stumbled across in my favorite thrift/charity shop -- run by BroMenn Hospital (a 1980s merger of Brokaw and Mennonite hospitals) --  quite a few years ago in in our old stomping grounds of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois before we decamped for Michigan.  Clearly at one time, there were a few men in BN (Attorneys?  Doctors?  Community leaders?) who knew how to dress presentably and did so. Sadly, once my shop moved across the street to newer premises with better parking, it never seemed to have the same amount of quality menswear again.  I suspect a vintage retailer of some kind, online or phys

A nd here we are.  The end of November 2022, a blustery cold, day with intermittent snow.  So, time for a very heavy tweed number by Chipp with various other items and accessories.   This particular suit is most definitely not a shoulder season item.  It needs to be downright cold to wear comfortably, and, depending on the temperature outdoors, an odd waistcoat works well as part of the general ensemble.   My sister in Washington, D.C., who is currently working her way through various P.G. Wodehouse stories in audio form, joked earlier today about my channeling Bertie Wooster.   Funny.  I thought it was more in the direction of his Aunt Agatha.  Or possibly Bingo Little.   But who am I to criticize? -- Heinz-Ulrich

        F alling somewhere between Bruce Boyer, Hildebrandt 'Tuppy' Glossop, and possibly Tom Baker-era Dr. Who (showing my age and nerdness here I'm afraid) on the tailored attire spectrum today.  Items include a Haris Tweed jacket, Pendleton tweed overcoat, Borsalino fedora, and a near 30-year old schoolboy scarf given to me by my late mother one Christmas in the mid-1990s.  The waistcoat was a birthday or Christmas gift from The Grand Duchess a couple of years ago.  Overall, a bit dandy, perhaps, but a not unpleasant combination of items.  And certainly comfortable on a chilly day. -- Heinz-Ulrich          

    F inally cool enough to break out the double-breasted suits and navy blazer.  Yes!   Today's number is my first such suit, which was purchased a dozen or more years ago after I decided to try DB navy blazer and liked the look.  Now, I am well-aware that there are many people out there who are, for a variety of reasons, uncomfortable (physical or otherwise) with the double-breasted look, but I am not one of them.   While such attire without doubt sets one apart in our age of lowest common denominator clothing, so to do single-breasted suits, jackets, and blazers with a necktie (much less a self-tie bow tie).  It just goes with the territory given the sartorial depths to which most of society has sunk in recent decades.  Heck, the simple act of tucking in your shirt makes you stand out from the crowd almost anywhere these days.   But let's resist the peer pressure all around us, comrades!  Rather than worry too much about standing out when "dressed up," it seems far

  A few photographs from our Thanksgiving celebration yesterday evening.  After pumpkin pie with fresh coffee, The Young Master's bedtime, and clean-up, The Grand Duchess and I retired early to binge watch two episodes of Endeavor online.  You know.  Living life out there on the bloody edge.  But Sean Evans, Roger Allam, and the rest of the cast are excellent.  Amazing writing and cinematography too.  Plus, of course, the backdrop of Oxford in the U.K.  A delightful way to round out the day. Off to a ski shop today to have some bindings mounted to a new pair of cross-country skis for the coming season plus a bit of exploring in Ann Arbor before we return home to pick up our son, who is doing a day-long Tae Kwon Do clinic to prepare for his upcoming Black Belt Recommended test next week.  And some delicious leftovers for dinner this evening. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  H appy U.S. Thanksgiving everyone!  Among many things, let us be thankful for dressing and conducting ourselves with gentility.  Remember, a modicum of couth and decorum goes a long way toward polish and sophistication.   And, hey.  If you are hosting the annual gathering tomorrow -- and if you know of someone who will be alone on Thursday, November 24, 2022 -- why not invite them to join your cohort of friends and/or family for dinner and festivities?  It's a gracious way to usher in the start of the holiday season. Heinz-Ulrich

  T he U.S. day of Thanksgiving arrives in just a few days, so it's time for my annual reminder to men everywhere to make an effort, practice, and display a modicum of polish and sophistication when you sit down to the dining table with friends and family.  After all, we don't want to come across like we were raised in a barn.  Do we?   I n the blogosphere right now, you'll come across any number of blogs and websites that talk at great length about men's clothing style, grooming, appearance, and how these things contribute to our being/becoming/conducting/perceiving ourselves as Gentlemen .  Good.  That's a decent enough goal by itself.  However, it's only one small part of the equation.  There is another hugely important and related topic that almost no one -- though there are two or three -- seems to mention on the many blogs and websites on the subject that I peruse and read each week.  What is it, you ask? Why, table manners of course.  Shock!  Horror! 

  A blissfully quiet, early Monday here at the library cafe where I am checking email and taking care of a few other small things before meeting with (probably very few) students for class at 10:20.  Somehow, the four-day Thanksgiving Weekend long ago morphed into a 10 to 14-day vacation, with many students missing in action well ahead of (and following) the holiday break itself.   Inexplicably and imprudently since the end of the fall semester/term comes hot on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday, and there are always a number of students who can ill afford the self-imposed interruption in their work and focus.  But, as the saying goes, you makes your choice, and you pays your price.  Forethought and planning ahead no longer seem to be part of the genetic code. Otherwise, an easy couple of days early this week before The Young Master and I bake a pie or two and prepare a few other dishes on Wednesday for the big day Thursday.  Since our respective families are spread around the Uni

  T he Grand Duchess, Young Master, and I escaped for about 90 minutes late this (Sunday) morning to visit one of two local Nordic/cross-country ski areas for some early season skiing.  Much better glide today than yesterday thanks to a bit more snow over night and gradually freezing ground. No grooming yet, of course, but it was wonderful to get outside in the cold air and shake out those cobwebs!  Nothing quite like the relaxed, almost euphoric feeling that an hour of two of moderate exercise brings on and leaves in its wake.  For the rest of the day.  Ahhhh.   THIS is why ALL of us need more regular exercise.  The feeling of well-being it brings on might, just might, do a lot to calm the savage and ugly beast that always sees to be lurking just beneath the surface of society in 2022.  But I digress. Our Sunday tour was over all too soon, but a good start to the season nevertheless.  The Young Master even handled a few challenging areas more ably and steadily that he has in previous