Classic Style

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962). A n oft overlooked point of personal style is how a man carries himself.  Standing up straight(er) at the very least will enable you to project more elegance, greater self-confidence, and help your clothes look better on you.  Your body language also has no small effect on how you feel about yourself.  Surprise!  I stumbled onto these related points recently in my usual evening meanderings around the 'net.  Here is what a few others have to say on the matter:   You should always be  conscious , as much as possible, of your posture.   Even if you don’t yet own a perfectly fitted suit, start paying attention to how your body interacts with your clothes. A great dose of elegance can be obtained through the right mindset and attitude. Posture is one of the least commented upon elements in the field of men’s style. Yet, the way you stand in your clothes is extremely important. We’ll have the opp...

 Nothing beats a fresh, hot steaming cup of java.  All of the time according to my way of thinking.  Anytime.  Day, or night. M y maternal grandmother used to say that the best cup of coffee of the day was the one enjoyed just after the evening meal.  Wherever she is in the afterlife, I hope Granny realizes how right she was.  Yours truly is, in fact, enjoying a large mug of joe, made with a French press, as I write this post after supper.  At present, I am home alone for roughly two weeks while wife and child visit grandparents in the Pacific Northwest prior to our looming move to Michigan and subsequent summer travel plans to Germany.  We ought to have out heads examined where the latter is concerned given the timing of everything, but I digress. The only thing nicer than a cup of coffee following supper in the evening is a cup or two of after-dinner coffee enjoyed with family, or guests when you have them.  Sadly, this custom seem...

The young Chet Baker (above) and Gerry Mulligan (center below) at work. I t's a laid back Casual Jazz Friday everyone.  Enjoy! -- Heinz-Ulrich

Yours truly hanging 'round the office at home today after tallying and submitting final grades with some classic jazz numbers playing on the ol' computer.  Ain't YouTube a great thing? F inal grades for the spring semester are in, and I'm enjoying that delightful lazy feeling that arrives shortly afterwards at the close of yet another university term.  Being able to do all of this online (instead of with the old-fashioned paper final grade forms) certainly helps.   The attire in today's photograph is pretty typical around here between the end of April and the end of August.  The weather needs to be warmer before I break out the Madras shirts though.  The Land's End cotton knit shirt dates from the spring of 1998 when I was still attending grad school in Madison, Wisconsin.  It has actually made a few different visits to Norway with me through the intervening years now that I think about it.  The shorts and dock-siders are more recent vintag...

Yet another great old illustration by the likes of Laurence Fellows (or perhaps Leslie Saalberg).  Say what you might about brown suits, but I'd wear this number in a second although the spectator shoes strike me as a bit much in this particular context. H ere's an interesting short article from The Atlantic on the origins of the modern business suit. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  Here is a close-up, sans my ugly mug, of the upper half of today's attire.  That's a Half-Windsor knot by the way, my preferred knot for spread and pointed collars.  The pocket handkerchief is white linen. T oday was the final day at my current place of employment.  Farewell to the small liberal arts university setting and hello Big 10. . .  Or Big 12.  Or whatever they are calling themselves now.   Anyway, my office was cleaned out some days ago, and I said my good-byes last week, so I only went in this morning to collect finalized student papers and turn in my ID, parking tag, and keys to Human Resources.  I felt like going out with a bang, however, and so pulled out an old favorite from the wardrobe early this morning.   The suit pictured is a vintage lightweight 60/40 wool-silk number by Corbin that is half-lined.  Although the pants feature brace buttons on the inside of the waistband, I chose a nondescript dark...

If memory serves me correctly, and it might not in this instance, the large suitcase to James Bond's left is his.  The scene in any case is from early in Dr. No. C ame across an interesting guide to packing a suitcase for a three-day trip at the Parisian Gentleman early this morning and thought it might be good to share it.  Packing a suitcase so that you don't look like a rumpled mess for the duration of your stay somewhere -- whether for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two -- is a lifelong art (or is it a science?) that, like the martial arts, golf, or fly-fishing, you always tinker with and attempt to refine.  At least that's the case for me.  Oh, the stories I could tell about the machinations my father once went through with a large Orvis fishing bag before a trip to Jamaica 40 years ago!  Anyway, see what you think, but I'll try a couple of the suggested tips when I pack a bag this afternoon for another brief sojourn to Michigan with wife...

T here was a piece on The Atlantic website yesterday on how wearing a suit to the workplace can influence and even change one's thinking in critical ways.  It's probably lost on guys who are already dead set against and see no reason to bother sprucing themselves up, practicing polite table manners, and the like, but the piece is nevertheless an interesting read for anyone with an interest in men's style beyond sweatpants, cargo shorts, flip-flops, ripped preternaturally faded jeans, and/or untucked shirts.  Can we even use the world "style" in the same sentence with those garments? -- Heinz-Ulrich

F riday, warm, and with bright blue skies.  Springtime just like it out to be, so why not break out some more Madras? Here's one possible way to do Casual Fridays a bit better than is the sad norm in many places these days.  Perhaps the most interesting item pictured here is the vintage Rooster cotton Madras necktie, which was actually handwoven in India and sold at one of the now defunct Carroll Reed Ski Shops in New England.  I stumbled on it in a vintage clothing store in Champaign, Illinois two or three summers ago and picked it up for less than US$5.  And then there are the Allen Edmonds spectator shoes, something you never see in my corner of the world.   The khakis and shirt are slightly rumpled, which strike me as perfect for a relaxed end-of-the-week morning in early May.  The blazer is one of four in my wardrobe -- two heavy flannel ones for winter and two lighter for spring and summer -- and is the lightest in weight.  During th...