Christmas Week Style. . .

The lower half of yesterday evening's casual ensemble.

Just because it's Christmas Week, there's been no real reason to venture out, and classes don't resume for your truly until January 8th, is no reason not to dress up a little bit when time and occasion call for it. Yesterday evening, my wife and I were joined by a former colleague and her husband, retired professors of the German and French languages and literatures respectively. . . and wine aficionados. It seemed, therefor, like the perfect time to wear the Dapper Classics socks show above, which were a Christmas gift this year from my better half. Here are the details of the full ensemble:

* Polo Univeristy Club navy wool blazer -- thrifted
* Brooks Brothers OCBD shirt red and white university stripe -- Ebay
* Land's End dress chinos (these hold a crease) -- sale
* Land's End braided belt brown -- sale
* Dapper Classics to-the-knee dress socks -- Christmas gift
* Allen Edmonds loafers -- Ebay
* Italian silk pocket square in dark red with yellow hand-rolled edge and golden/orange paisleys -- thrfted

The evening was full of pleasant and interesting conversation, good food, and, of course, wine. Best of all, our guests last night left just before 11pm, which is always nice when facing a formidable kitchen and dining room clean-up. Such a timely and considerate departure is not something that always happens with many of our other guests, who tend to overstay their welcome (sometimes by hours) every time and never seem to return the invitation. Time to sidestep their social awkwardness and find some new acquaintances. Or do something about our chronic body odor and halitosis. Yeah. That must be it.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

And, for good measure, the combination of things I put on for Christmas Dinner this year. It sure beats showing up for what should be a special occasion in warm-up gear, sunglasses, and one of those godawful backwards baseball caps. The red plaid thingy peeking out is a repurposed 16" swath of cloth from an old, worn out pajama top. I had my seamstress hem the edges to make a color pocket handkerchief.

The Problem of "Business Casual" Attire. . .

This is how it's done. Business Casual the RIGHT way, ladies and gentlemen. Even during the summer months. A photograph (taken by Studio B Portraits ) which appeared in 425 Business Magazine in May 2017. T his post on the problem of business casual dress began as a quick postscript to a previous blog entry last week but quickly grew and grew as additional thoughts occurred, were developed in more detail, and revisions made. So much so, that it seemed, eventually, like a better idea to make the initial P.S. afterthought into its own entry . Are ya ready, Freddy? Then, here we go. . . ------------ U nless you actually plan to sell beach snacks and trinkets on Cozumel, become a serial barista, or greet customers at a fancy nightclub after taking out huge student loans to attend university somewhere for four or five years, plus an MBA afterward, it's really a better idea to err on the side of (somewhat) more formal work at...

Friday on Campus Style. . .

S omewhat atypically, I was on campus for several hours today helping with an interview that is part of a larger documentary project on which a colleague and I are working. Although I am behind the camera (I'm the audio guy in fact), what better reason does one need to dress presentably? Exactly. Everything worn, barring the recently purchased University of Wisconsin socks, a gift from the Grand Duchess, has been in the rotation for a while now. And, of course, there was the Panama hat, which I'll wear until we pass October 1st when the felt fedoras reappear. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Tan Suit Tuesday. . .

W hile it's now after Labor Day here in the U.S,. we still have almost three weeks left of summer according to the calendar. And since today was bright, sunny, and pleasantly warm (though far from hot), it seemed like a perfect opportunity to trot out my tan cotton suit and tan loafers/belt. Slightly disheveled, yes. And the shoes need some Renovateur to moisten 'em up But not a bad overall look if I might be so bold. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Classic Style

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