To what should we aspire precisely?

Couldn't resist another photograph of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as Jeeves and Wooster for this particular post.

To what degree should average guys, who are interested in kicking up their everyday style a few notches, aspire? To be no less than spiffy in everyday appearance and behavior would be most spiffing.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

spiff·y

adjective

informal

adjective: spiffy; 1. smart in appearance. "That's a spiffy new outfit."

spif·fing

adjective

Brit. informal, dated

adjective: spiffing; 1. excellent; splendid. "How spiffing you look!"

A Laurence Fellows illustration, I think, showing a few very spiffy gents in their spiffing suits from the 1930s.

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Let's start dressing like grown men again. . .

This guy is dressed just fine. . . if he's at the park on a Saturday afternoon with his kids, or mowing the backyard. Welcome to The Average Guy's Guide to Style! This blog will be all about how average guys -- guys who aren't swimming in money, guys who don't necessarily look like models or movie stars, guys who aren't interested in jumping on the latest men's fashion trend bandwagon, and yet still want to look good -- can pull their 'look' together by assembling a modest, versatile wardrobe that is based on classic men's style***. Jerry asking George to consider what he signals to the rest of the world by appearing in public dressed in sweatpants. Now, there are already hundreds, if not thousands of related style blogs and websites out there in cyberspace telling you how to do this or that. And while some of those present useful information on dressing well, many others somehow fall short for a variety of reasons. Some blo...

Mid-November Monday. . .

A few minutes between classes this morning, so I snapped pictures of today's attire and accessories. The first wearing this season of the Optimo 'Dearborn' fedora, and the tie is a vintage number from Orvis, a nod to my late father's fly-fishing and fly-tying hobbies. It's been two or three years since this particular necktie's last appearance, so high time to pull it out and knot it carefully around the ol' neck. Managed to nail it on the first attempt too. Could this be the start of a trend? -- Heinz-Ulrich

My Preferred Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirts. . .

One of several light blue cotton oxford cloth button-down collar shirts in my rotation, worn here with a wool flannel navy blazer and a vintage Italian silk necktie once sold under the Rooster label. An orange-brown with silvery paisleys, ideal for the autumn. T he other day, a regular visitor to Classic Style for the Average Guy left a comment in which he asked for information and my recommendations on the classic oxford cloth button-down shirt, commonly abbreviated to 'ocbd.' "Me? Are you tawkin' to me?" Oblique Robert DeNiro references aside, let's talk oxford cloth button-down shirts. This particular type of shirt is one of the bedrock items every man should have a few of hanging in his closet, especially when he wishes to present himself to the world in a way better -- yes, I said better -- than what has become the sad accepted average among so much of the male populace. First things first though. Lots of people automatically...

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