Classic Style

Gentlemen, remember to do something about the wall wart plugs and the morass of cords that entangle our 21st century lives to make your living space more stylish and inviting . T he Grand Duchess and Young Master have been away for a few days in Chicago while yours truly mans the fort and deals with disassembling and reassembling the various rooms of Totleigh-in-the-Wold on either side of a visit by the carpet cleaners.  Exciting stuff. Here's the short version of the story.  And please keep in mind that I like dogs.  Little dogs,  b ig dogs , a nd those in between.  The following is in no way meant as a broad indictment of dog-owners and their homes. The house we purchased last fall is great in that spacious, quiet suburban way.  Sure, it lacks the character of our 1925 Craftsman-style house in Illinois, but it 's not bad for a mid- 19 80s vintage , the surroundings are wonderful, and after looking at something like 20+ houses around the East Lansing area between Apr

Forget the flat-pack furniture for a moment. . .  Let's think about breakfast. T he state of the world notwithstanding, a quiet Saturday breakfast helps keep one from slipping into total despair and anguish over yet more news of the ongoing violence and tragedy both here at home and abroad.  Lingonberry preserves spread over fresh bread along with large mugs of fresh, strong coffee made in a French press make things seem somewhat less terrible when viewed from the relati ve safety of Totleigh-in-the-Wold .     -- Heinz-Ulrich

T hree lovely old Laurence Fellows illustrations, the one at the top from the 1940s and the latter two from the 1930s, showing double-breasted sports jackets worn with odd pants in summertime settings.  Not sure that I would don a DB jacket or suit in the summer, unless it was unseasonably chilly, or I found myself by the breezy seaside aboard a large cabin cruiser, but a guy can dream, right?   I dropped off that recently purchased  Belvest DB suit (procured for a song via Ebay) at the tailor's yesterday for the usual minor alterations well in advance of the new university semester that begins in late August.  Can't beleive I'm letting it prey on my mind already, but we still have some time before syllabi revision and related tasks become pressing. Anyway, the lady who marked up the necessary work with her tailor's chalk once I tried on the suit mentioned that her husband also likes double-breasted suits and has a couple of them.  Heartening to learn that

Another great old Laurence Fellows illustration, but with a caveat. A lazy Thursday mid-summer morning here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold.  What better way to spend it than to take a few minutes to enjoy another mug of coffee and peruse a folder of vintage menswear illustrations like this one? While I generally enjoy most of the work by Laurence Fellows that I have seen online, this particular double-breasted example, to my eyes, is a bit too studied.  Note the matchy-matchy quality of the socks, tie, and shirt.  The effect, were this an actual man, is that a bit too much thought has gone into his attire.  I too sometimes fall prey to this trap, but I'm learning.  Darker, or plainer socks, a light blue or white shirt, and a different bow tie would make this particular ensemble more attractive.  As I say, though, that's just me.  What are your thoughts? On a similar note, I was recently able to score a couple of Polo Ralph Lauren double-breasted houndstooth suits in wool fla