What We Wear and What It Suggests. . .

An interesting Norman Rockwell illustration that seems to present us with a man who seems a bit older than the typical (Ivy League) undergraduate. Maybe this guy is taking advantage of the Post-WWII G.I. Bill to broaden his mind?

While the Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style does not have the American preppy aesthetic as its stated focus, there is admittedly some overlap now that I think about it. That must be the subconscious result of where and how I grew up (the Greater Philadelphia area with a healthy dose of genteel North Carolina thrown in). We certainly never thought of ourselves as preppy in any overt way though. But the look, lifestyle, and more favorable modes of thought were definitely there come to think of it. Even if I did sport BIG 80s rocker hair for several years as a teenager. No digitized photos to share here, sorry!

It should come as no surprise, returning to the point at hand, that yours truly checks in occasionally at several of the better such "preppy" blogs out there. Muffy Aldrich of The Daily Prep expressed some interesting and cogent thoughts about clothing and style in her July 15th, 2013 post, entitled Do We Dare Criticize Clothes?. Extremely well stated and thought provoking. You'd do well to check it out even if the preppy look isn't your particular thing.

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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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