Classic Style

A Southwick linen and wool blend sports jacket, a Geoffrey Beene Italian necktie, and a cotton pocket square from Put This On above. S till very warm and humid here in Mid-Michigan.  Lower 80s (about 28 Celsius) today, so I hauled out some warm weather gear.  Kind of pleased with how nicely all of this seemed to come together this morning without too much thought, which is how we like it.  I will, however, share a real howler from earlier in the week tomorrow that illustrates what can happen when you don't think about your attire at all.  A real "What in the heck was I thinking??!!" moment. -- Heinz-Ulrich Allen Edmonds shoes, socks by Dapper Classics, and linen pants from Polo Ralph Lauren I think on the bottom. 

A linen-wool blend by Southwick was the centerpiece of today's ensemble.  I've had this a year or so but only had the usual minor alterations taken care of in June. V arious patterns at work here, but it doesn't look too terrible from a distance (Thank you, Bette Midler!).  Well, you've got to have a bit of fun from time to time and not be afraid to dress with some personality either.  I like charcoal and navy suits as much as the next guy, but a little color and pattern from time to time certainly spice things up. -- Heinz-Ulrich And the bottom half today, a sunny, cool, and comfortable late summer-early fall day.

  The top half today. I t must be blazer and ocbd shirt day.  Newly added buttons, a recently purchased silk knit Italian necktie, and one of those new cotton pocket squares from Put Ths On. -- Heinz-Ulrich And the bottom half.  I grabbed the socks from the sock drawer without thinking very early this morning post-shower and shave.  Were I to do this over again, navy blue or charcoal I think would work much better.

They have finally arrived!  Two cotton pocket squares and a silk one from Put This On . W hile I have a number of different pocket squares already, sometimes you just need to replenish things a bit.  So, when the folks at Put This On had a sale back during the first half of August on their handmade squares, some of which were reduced to a mere fraction of their original retail prices, I threw caution to the wind and ordered the three you see above.  It took longer than usual for these to arrive due to an out-of stock on one item, and some crossed wires in communication, but we eventually sorted everything out, and here they are.  Since the weather is supposed to cool considerably , with much lower humidity, by the start if the week, a suit is in order for Monday with the restrained blue and red number at right I think and a very plain necktie.  Ahhhhh. . .  It's nice to look forward to getting dressed instead of viewing the possibility as something to fear and loathe. -- He

Here's the top for today along with a rather ebullient silk pocket square featuring 'Harry the Labrador', who belongs to the Grey Fox in the U.K.  I could hardly pass up buying one of these last winter when they became available. N ormally, I do not have any commitments on campus most Fridays and have little opportunity to wear more than chino shorts and a short-sleeved Madras, seersucker, or polo shirt in warmer, quite humid weather like we've had here in Mid-Michigan this week.  But this morning there was the first meeting of my university's Phi Kappa Phi executive committee for the 2016-2017 academic year, so my presence was required.  Our secretary, however, had assembled such a thorough and well-presented agenda for this morning and, indeed, the coming year, which was emailed to us a day beforehand, that our face-to-face meeting was, in my view, unnecessary.  Ah, well.  It gave me a reason to shower, shave, press a shirt, and look alive for an hour.  H

Today's suit minus the white poplin button-down collar shirt, brown Allen Edmonds split-toe oxfords, and the solid navy socks.  A white cotton handkerchief in the coat pocket completed the look. H ot and humid here in Mid-Michigan today, so I hauled out a vintage, made in the U.S. of A. Abercrombie & Fitch seersucker suit.  Cool and airy thanks to a quarter lining in the coat and lightweight material.  If we had had a breeze, it would have been even more comfortable.   Strangely, I did not feel self-conscious once I put it on this morning and went about my business on campus as though I'd always worn the suit in question.  Self-confidence is key in this instance.  And hey, compared to the leopard spandex and big layered hair I used to sport onstage in the 1980s, seersucker is child's play.  Several students around campus complimented me on the suit, which, while never necessary, was nice to hear.   My late stockbroker father actually had a similar Brooks Broth

In finance, banking, legal, and certain other lines of work, it is best to keep things simple and conservative.  Leave the go to hell pants, neckties, and Madras sport jackets for another time. A n interesting and thought -provoking article on the inappropriate dress of job candidates in the banking and financial sector   in London came across my computer screen several days ago via the BBC website. And my question is this.  Why is this such a surprise? And how in the world is this an affront?   It strikes me that universities have done students a huge disservice by encourag ing them to believe business and professional life is somehow the same or very similar to one's private life with all that might imply.  Getting ahead and moving up in working life often requires that people look and act, I'll say it, BETTER than they might at home.  And that might mean bec om ing aware of and reining in some of the quirks of personal appearance or behavior and habits in t

Here's the top half of today's gear.  Very cool and even breezy.  But what's with that uncooperative shirt collar? T he Labor Day weekend has yet to commence here in the United States, but the number of days left during which linen and seersucker are acceptable, if we go by traditional sartorial guidelines, are few in number.  You can understand, then, my eagerness to try out a Polo Ralph Lauren blue label linen suit that I splurged on last spring.   Following a few minor alterations, it has been hanging in my wardrobe waiting for an inaugural wearing since mid-June.  The verdict?  Very light, breezy, and comfortable in today's 70-degree, partly sunny, breezy weather. However, my lower bac k still became a bit moist this morning , despite minimal lining in the jacket, while walking 15 minutes across campus from the building where my office is to another where my Tuesday-Thursday class meets.  A n yway, t he suit pictured above was worn with a plain brown leather