Casual Mid-December 2015 Style. . .

The top half for today, a cold, blustery one with some snowflakes in the air.

Not much to report style-wise on this end. With our move from our temporary digs on Monday this week, I've mostly been up to my waist in cardboard moving boxes and packing materials as I've tried to get the first floor of the new house in order at least. Wednesday saw us touring what will be our son's new school come January, so I did manage to pull on a blue and white University Stripe ocbd shirt, red wool necktie, tweed jacket, corduroy pants, and a pair of long-wing brogues for that, but no photographs sadly.

However, this morning, I had to journey into campus to pickup several student papers that were left in my mailbox AFTER the deadline on the final day of class last week. The assumption by young people that this is some how permissible and ok drives me crazy. Especially when it has not been discussed and arranged with me beforehand (a policy laid out clearly in the course syllabi by the way). But that is another subject entirely. Let's not get started on it today.

Anyway, since I wanted to look presentable but did not feel like shaving (I know, I know), I went for a slightly more casual look today, which consisted of the items shown in these two photographs. Not shown beneath this sweater is one of my several light blue ocbd shirts. This is just one more example that demonstrates how a man can be casual and comfortable with just a little forethought and care. . . and without straying anywhere near sloppiness. I'm still wearing this gear (minus the duffle coat and scarf) as I type this particular blog entry.

My favorite item shown here is the L.L. Bean Norwegian fisherman's sweater, the genuine 'Made in Norway' item. I was given a very one by Mom and Step-dad for my birthday in November 1992, which I still have and wear, and purchased a navy and cream one after Christmas at a substantial discount in January 1993. I also jumped on this one when I saw if for sale at An Affordable Wardrobe in September 2014when Giuseppe was still selling vintage and used menswear online. While I have and wear a couple of much fancier sweaters made by Dale of Norway, my favorites remain these fairly simple cream and charcoal ones which go with just about anything.

Happy (Almost) Winter Solstice from Lower Michigan!

-- Heinz-Ulrich

And the bottom half. Glad I was able to locate my Bean Boots and 'duck shoes' quickly. We are supposed to have several inches of snow in the night.

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...

Vintage Bowtie Monday. . .

A nd it's September 30th! Week Six of the Fall 2024 semester. Already. To celebrate being alive, today I wore a vintage J. Press bow tie with a shirt from Mercer & Sons, suit by Brooks Bros., and shoes (with matching belt) by Allen Edmonds, the latter resoled in August, 11 years after their last recrafting at the AE factory. This time, I simply wanted the shoes resoled, rather than a full recrafting, so did not send them off. I took them instead to the last apparent cobbler in the Lansing area. But it still took about a month until the work was finished given their backlog of business. No matter, it was still summer. And the crowded shelves behind the counter in the shop were good to see. One of the cobblers is a soft-spoken young guy with long hair (But he knows his shoes!), so hopefully they'll be around for years to come. All items shown already in the rotation for at least the last two or three years....

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

Classic Style

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