Embrace the Necktie. . .

The ten newly thrifted neckties in question. A lovely mix of wool, cotton, and silk ties, including a few that are handfinished and even one that is entirely hand-made.

Average guys who want to kick their style up a few notches will (or should) learn to love the necktie. Fewer things provide the opportunity to personalize your ensemble for the day, whether that might consist of an actual suit, a sportsjacket or blazer worn with and odd pair of pants, or even with a blazer and jeans. And guess what? If you tie them correctly, and the collar size of your shirt is correct, you will not feel strangled and choked by a cinched up necktie.

I ran across this bunch of ten ties yesterday at my best local thrift shop for just over $14 U.S. All of the ties are either made in the United States or Italy, and, despite minor differences in width, they should work very well with my wardrobe. In general, I suggest avoiding really skinny neckties from the early 1960s and 1980s as well as the just weird looking fat variety that became so common for several years during the late 60s and first half of the 1970s. Go for a nice average three inches or so, and you'll be within that timeless sweet spot, Unless you're going for that Don Draper vintage Mad Men look or young Jimmy Spader's "Blaine" from Pretty in Pink.

So, the message for today? Learn to wear and love the necktie. Even if you aren't required by law to wear one, try it once in a while. You'll look great, feel great, and set your self apart from the sloppy rabble as a guy who has arrived.

Comments

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

The Power of Ideas. . .

T he end is nigh! The autumn semester/term approaches. And while we still have almost two months of summer left according to the calendar, "Summer is over and gone," as the crickets sang in Charlotte's Web . At least for those of us who head back to the classroom in less than a month. In advance of a meeting with my program director late Monday morning, I spent about 40 minutes total during the weekend to jot down several ideas about planned workshops and related activities for the coming 2024-2025 academic year. At an opportune moment, I mentioned "I have a few ideas," and opened my leather portfolio. My director was highly receptive to almost everything I suggested, and we had a very productive planning session for just over 90 minutes. Just about everything I sketched out on Sunday aligns with his own ideas. It's nice when meetings go that well, and two related things occur to me in hindsight. One, it pays to exercise...

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

A sleepy first half of the weekend here at Totleigh. Warmer and quite humid ahead of an approaching cool front here in Mid-Michigan. Perfect for yet another pair of chino shorts an a seersucker shirt -- tucked in of course -- with the usual leather deck shoes and ribbon belt. Otherwise, not much accomplished beyond a page or so of writing and monkeying around with audio settings for an upcoming podcast episode. However, I was not completely useless yesterday! I made a huge fruit salad for dinner, which the Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a short while later at the table on the back porch. The Young Master, as is his wont on Saturday evenings, took his dinner on a tray in the TV room upstairs where he whiled away a couple of hours on Flight Simulator, flying some sort of commercial airliner to some destination across the Atlantic or Pacific. I would have loved that sort of technology at about nine or 10 way back during the late 19...

Classic Style

Search This Blog