Classic Style Thursday: An Interesting Article. . .

An Englishman in New York, perhaps? I can almost hear the old, jazzy Sting tune from the late 80s about writer Quentin Crisp.

Here's a link to an interesting article in The Atlantic magazine about miscommunication. While the article itself is not about attire, it is very easy to see how what we wear might possibly send signals we would rather it didn't. Why risk that? Far better to get your rear end in gear and spruce yourself up (quite) a bit say I.

Admittedly, a walking stick, a furled umbrella, and/or bowler might be a bit much for most of us in 2015, but how about some creased dress pants worn with a damn belt, polished leather dress shoes (without squared toes), and a sports jacket of some kind over a pressed and tucked in shirt, hmmm? Get 'em new, on sale, or go used/vintage, but be sure to have the necessary basic alterations as I have mentioned many times before. You want to avoid pants and sleeves that are too long for you, which will make you look like a small boy trying on Dad's clothes. Or, to use use a Pennsylvania German expression that I haven't heard in years, you'll look like a "doofter". . . something akin to a doofus, a schlub, or a schlemiel.

The point is, that it's high time to rise above the middle, the average, the commonplace, the crass, the uncultivated, and the mean (think about it) in our everyday appearance and behavior, men. As my parents and grandparents used to say to us many years ago now whenever my sister and I brought home average to low grades/marks from school, "Average is nothing to be proud of. You can do better than that."

We are off to Michigan this afternoon to begin the odyssey of trying to find an acceptable dwelling of some kind for the next several days (I'd frankly rather chew broken glass), so I will be away from the writing desk until Sunday evening.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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

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

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