The Lazy Days of Summer. . .

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 flannel via Ebay. One is a brown and tan, and the other is charcoal and cream with a mid-blue windowpane overlay. The latter is deadstock (new old stock). Both suits are a tad roomy in the shoulders for Ivy League/Trad enthusiasts (I know, I know), but their overall silhouettes are great when I try them on. They drape nicely with slight waist suppression, and need only a bit of shortening in the sleeves and inseams. After these relatively minor alterations, the suits will be fun to trot out now and then once the weather cools off in mid-October, or so. I'll wait to drop 'em off with my tailor until mid-September.

Otherwise, the boy is playing happily with dinosaurs upstairs, there is a cat in my lap here in my den, a short-sleeve madras shirt on my back, Norwegian jazz online courtesy of NRK Jazz, and all is, more or less right with my small corner of the world this morning. I hope the same is true for you.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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