Classic Style

  T he attire for my sojourn into campus and leading a couple of classes yesterday as we sail along to the end of March and April beyond with still, at times, wintry temperatures.  Sadly, all of our December, January, and February snow has been gone here in the East Lansing region since the week after Valentine's Day.   Not so in the Petoskey area, where they still have full coverage and routine trail grooming at Hickory Hills Nordic Center.  And how I wish I could escape northward for some late season skiing for a day or three more.   Alas, March is the cruelest month as the spring semester/term grows busier and encroaches into what little free time we have left during evenings and weekends.  I know, I know.  This is the life I've chosen.   But still. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  W ell, the calendar might say it's Spring, but it's still rather chilly.  So corduroy jeans (with surcingle belt) and oxford cloth are still the order of the day for a weekend at home.  Relaxed, casual, and comfortable, yet still pulled together enough to run a few errands mid-afternoon and a enjoy a coffee with the Grand Duchess on the way home without embarrassing myself.   Tossed a cream and charcoal Norwegian fisherman's sweater over the shirt before heading out given the decided nip in the air.   Between us, I'd still rather be skiing, but the mower was already at the shop, and it'll soon be time to think about cleaning up the winter debris and preparing the beds around the yard for the arrival of spring and summer perennials and planting of annuals.  But that's still several weeks away since it never really warms up here in Michigan until the latter half of May. And sometimes we're even into June before short sleeves and shorts are comfort...

  B lustery and cold here today with a heavy sky and sporadic snow flurries mean that it's a perfect excuse to trot out some cotton oxford cloth and wool flannel.  Fairly staid navy (socks too) and gray but with a wild Tattersall waistcoat, given to me for Christmas several years ago by the Grand Duchess.   The items shown come from various manufacturers, but they work well together, I think, and received a nod of approval and kind words delivered with a smile from a lady I do not know as we passed each other in the supermarket on my way home after leading a couple of classes for the day.  As I always say, compliments are never necessary, but always nice to hear.   And if you can leave someone with a smile on his, her, or their face simply through the clothes you wear, why not?  -- Heinz-Ulrich

  T oday's post responds to a question posed by a reader in Chile, Alfonso (26), who wrote to me in Spanish (Muchas gracias, Alfonso, y mucho gusto!) a week or so ago.  And while my own Spanish is very rusty at this point, I believe the gist of his email was the perennial question "How does someone interested in classic male style and attire get started?" Especially in our overly casual era. Well, many articles, books, blogs, and vlogs have been written on the subject, so the following advice echos what you might find elsewhere.  My own answer is to start small, make informed decisions, and purchase fewer items but spend enough for quality attire that will last a long time.  If money is tight, consider charity shops and watch for online sales.   Older  family members too might be able to help if you are similar in height and size.  Keep in mind that most tailors can handle a few basic alterations that will make your clothes look and feel like they...

B ack to the salt mines, as my late maternal grandfather used to say, following our recent Spring Break Week.  Definitely spring-like weather here, but still cool enough for flannel and tweed with the potential for a return of winter conditions by the weekend.   The photographs here show the attire for yesterday (Monday), including outerwear.  You can just about make out the Borsalino navy fedora in the top shot.  The charcoal wool overcoat (single-breasted) and colorful silk scarf are vintage items as well.  All things that have been in the winter rotation for 10-12+ years at this point.  Worn with vintage Polo braces, the suit too is vintage Polo, a 4/1 double-breasted number that's fun to trot out a few times each October-April.  Extremely comfortable and warm, yet far more appropriate for public consumption than the typical alternatives that blot the landscape in 2026. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A slightly more casual day yesterday (Tuesday), working from home as is usually the case.  The day included a late morning trip to the vet with one of the cats for his wellness check.  All good, so the visit was fairly quick and painless for ol' Onyx, who even purred when Dr. R. gave him the once over, and we were home again in less than an hour.   As far as the clothes featured are concerned, pretty typical casual at-home attire for yours truly during the late fall-winter-early spring here in Mid-Michigan.  An approach to life learned from father, maternal grandfather, and various other male relatives in the extended family along the eastern seaboard from New England to the Carolinas.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A couple of long overdue attire photographs at long last (thank you for your patience with the skiing diversions earlier in the winter)! Monday's gear featured various items from J. Press, Mercer & Sons, Polo, and Borsalino among others. The mid-gray fedora (not a trilby) actually garnered a very nice compliment from a male student as I exited the building midday once classes were finished.  Never necessary, but always nice to hear. I'm quite sure I look like I just stepped out of a time machine to most students, faculty, and staff.  You dirty rat!  You killed my brother!  Yeah?  See?  Yeah!   Attendance was reasonably good for the week before Spring Break although about half of each class was missing despite a recently reinstituted attendance policy as we shed various pandemic-era procedures set up for largely asynchronous courses during 2020-2022.  What was it the largely discredited writer, actor, director,  and social par...

  M anaged to get a few shots early Saturday morning (Valentine's Day) of the main snow grooming contraption at the end of its morning run along all 35km+ of trails at Forbush Corner Nordic Center , my primary cross-country skiing haunt.  That's one of the various models of Piston Bullies above. These occupy the large garage and space just outside it when not in use.  Four or five similar machines all told.  The two qualified drivers use them to groom and (re-)condition the various trails adjacent to and through the Hartwick Pines Forest along Interstate 75 just north of Grayling, Michigan. Ok, ok.  But what about the skiing Heinz-Ulrich? In a word, amazing.  Just at or above freezing by midday Saturday meant lots of skiers of all ability levels.  Same on Sunday.  Everything from first-timers and families with small children to semi-pro racers out for their daily practice sessions just after the fresh groom early that morning.   The enti...

  A  sartorial miss today, I fear, because there were too many colors or patterns happening on reflection.  Tan corduroys, a plan crewneck sweater, and/or a plainer necktie could have calmed down the melange of colors.  Or a plainer shirt and jacket.   Sad proof that it's easy to overdo it even with items that are nice by themselves.  Should've followed Coco Chanel's  advice and removed one item (or better, two) before heading out the door to the car.   Well, tomorrow is a new day as one of my son's pre-school teachers used to say.  Onward and upward. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  M ore snow in the night (Thursday), so another snow day Friday and extended weekend for the Young Master. A slippery early morning trip to take one of the cars to the garage for a scheduled oil change and other work, along with local skiing with the Grand Duchess in the afternoon before picking up the car at 5:30pm. The management of the nearby park and lake we like (Lake Lansing) was thinking ahead, so we were able to enjoy a few km of freshly groomed trails during the first half  of our tour.  We then ventured into the one-hour loop through the woods for some more challenging skiing along the north side trails.  Lots of quick climbs and short, sharp descents.   The Grand Duchess, who learned downhill skiing outside of Tahoe and Reno, Nevada as a girl, has always handled these quite well.  Not always so for yours truly, but it is becoming easier given all of the time  time I've spent on the snow so far this season.  27 ski tours since earl...

  The start-finish area about 7:45 Saturday morning.  Looks cold, and it was.  Brrrr. T he recent skiing weekend at Forbush Corner Nordic Ski Center just north of Grayling, Michigan was amazing (they just get better and better with each visit).  Besides my own activities Friday, Saturday, and half the day Sunday, I assisted with the 5k race Saturday morning.  There was also a much faster 15k race for, well, the racers out there!  Before you ask, the temperature was -14 degrees Fahrenheit (about -25.5 C. to the rest of the world) at 7:30am when I arrived with squeaky snow everywhere.  It warmed up but not by much, hovering at about 0 F. (-17.7 C.) for much of the beautifully sunny day.  When you move around as much as one does in cross-country skiing, you stay surprisingly warm, hence several thin layers of clothing rather than heavy, bulky items that restrict your motion. Of course, modern synthetics that wick moisture away from the skin really he...

  O r, Bingo Little gets lost in a drift?   Snowing again in our neck of the woods, but instead of ski gear, it was time to don something a bit more professional for classes this morning.  More of the usual suspects with the addition of a recent Christmas gift beneath the tweed jacket.  For traversing to and from the car and classroom building where I am scheduled this semester, additional items included a well-worn Borsalino fedora, a camel polo coat with blue and white schoolboy muffler, gloves, and orange overshoes by SWIMS. Perhaps a bit whimsical and even silly by the sartorial standards of 2026, yes.  But why not have a little fun with one's attire?  It certainly adds a spring to one's step when forced to leave the ski trails of Northern Michigan behind for another couple of weeks and return to real life during the Sunday afternoon drive south.  -- Heinz-Ulrich

  T he wonderful and amazing Grand Duchess back in the car after an approximately 90-minute ski tour through the Michigan woods near our house.  Her warm-up attire here includes a vintage men's sweater by Dale of Norway complimented by a wool ski cap she purchased during a conference trip to Estonia in 2024.  We had a blast during our jaunt through the woods, during which we encountered no one else. Presumably because the temperature hovered just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -17 C.) all day. Funny how physical exercise will keep even the face and nose warm though. Not to mention the hands and feet. -- Heinz-Ulrich

    A   shot of yours truly taken by the Grand Duchess after lunch in the yurt at Forbush Corner Nordic Center on Sunday as we headed back out toward some more challenging intermediate and advanced terrain a few kilometers further along the trail. Conditions were about as close to perfect as one can get.  Cold, plenty of snow with more falling throughout the weekend, and many winter smiles as one of my coaches up there refers to happy skiers.   And there were record numbers this weekend!  250+ adults on Saturday alone. Lots of families or parents, grandparents, children of various ages, and even babies being towed in Burley ski trailers (usually by the fathers) out on the trails and in the yurt for breaks on Saturday and Sunday, which suggests at least to me that cross-country/Nordic skiing is far from dying like some doomsayers moan.  It's doing quite well in Michigan at least.  Admittedly, our own trail adventures were not quite  The H...

First They Came  Pastor Martin Niemoller  First they came for the Communists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Communist  Then they came for the Socialists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Socialist  Then they came for the trade unionists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a trade unionist  Then they came for the Jews  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Jew  Then they came for me  And there was no one left  To speak out for me.

  A s the 2025-2026 Christmas and holiday season wind down, it's important to remember the power of thank-you.  Especially in an era when common decency and politesse seem to be in such short supply, at least on the public stage.  Thus, let's remember to take a few moments to write thank-you cards to those who remembered us with a gift, a party invitation, or some other form of kindness during recent weeks.  So, sit yourself down, and take a few minutes to jot down a small note of gratitude to friends, family, and acquaintances who thought of you in some way.  Unusual?  Yes.  Memorable?  Yes.  And the right thing to do even if almost no one else thinks to do it in 2026?  An emphatic yes. As always, let's do our best to be gracious, present ourselves well, and set a quiet example for others in our daily conduct and words.   Happy New Year everyone! -- Heinz-Ulrich

  N o dinner jackets or cocktail dresses and pearls this year.  But the Grand Duchess and I took advantage of Michigan's wonderful winter weather mid-afternoon for a 90-minute ski tour around the trails of a local park just 10 minutes from the house.  Not quite snow on the ground enough for them to groom just yet (although the parks and rec guys did groom during the first half of December), but we nevertheless enjoyed some nice glide and the wooded landscape.  And we had the trails all to ourselves.  There were a couple of other skiers out there judging by their ski tracks, but we never saw them.   In mid-January the three of us will journey a little more than two hours up ol' Highway 127 and a dog leg further up Interstate 75 for a weekend ski getaway at Forbush Corner   Nordic Center, Lower Michigan's premiere spot for groomed cross-country skiing.  It's actually a nationally recognized place for the sport, but you'd never know it's there u...

  B oxing Day afternoon, the vivacious Grand Duchess baked our 2025 stollen from scratch, and it is about  one quarter gone already!  It's something I wait for all year.  Sonja uses one of her German cookbooks to prepare an authentic Dresdner Stollen each December, sometimes a bit ahead of Christmas, some years during Christmas Week depending on how busy life is. It is yeasty, slightly sweet, and indescribably delicious with fresh strong black coffee at any point in the day, breakfast included. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  N ot yours truly this time, but another vintage image fron my collection of Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Saint Nicholas images long past.  In keeping with spirit of the season, which, despite what retailers, news media, and radio stations might have us believe, is still in full swing. Or at least it is here in the Grand Duchy.   And as I enjoy a mug of strong black coffee with a large piece of cherry pie for lunch and listen to some traditional German-language carols, I ponder Christmases long past on this icy, dark Boxing Day.  My mind turns back to December 1988 when I spent the Christmas and New Year's period with my mother and step-father in Southampton, England.   It was a day not unlike today when my TWA flight touched down about 7am at London-Heathrow on Boxing Day.  Dark, chilly, and frosty.  I had spent most of Christmas proper in transit from Philadelphia with a lengthy layover at JFK in New York on my way across the Atlanti...

  A couple of photographs from Christmas Morning: Yours truly enjoying coffee with the Drand Duchess at the dining table before things got going with the Young Master, stockings, and gifts.  The lower photograph shows our sprig of Mistletoe brought back to me from Seattle by the Grand Duchess and atop one of her gifts to me.  I haven't had mistletoe in the house since I was a small child, so this was a special surprise.  And yes, we've made use of the mistletoe several times.  She is the greatest gift I think I've ever had.  At Christmas or any other time. Merry Christmas Night Everyone! -- Heinz-Ulrich