Flannel Three-Piece Tuesday. . .

The upper half today, another delightfully soft and warm Ralph Lauren wool flannel suit complete with my 'Drones Club' necktie. The stripes are in the wrong direction on this Brooks Brothers number, but otherwise, said item looks strikingly like the tie worn by club members in the Wodehouse stories.

And the lower half.

Finally, here is a close-up to showcase the Barney's cufflinks I was given by my younger sister for my recent birthday.

Overkill (for a public university campus in the United States at least) was the name of the game this morning, but I felt good, and that's the main thing.

It strikes me that, among the menswear blogeratti at least, there is way too much anxiety about wearing a suit in 2016. You know the kind of thing I mean. To wit: When do I wear one? How do I wear one? Why should I wear one? Where do I wear one? Is it appropriate to wear one? Am I trying too hard if I wear one? Will I send the wrong signals if I wear one? Will people make assumptions about my sexuality? Will I look like a dick if I wear one? What will others think if I wear one? Will people talk about me behind my back if I wear one? Will I drive women away if I wear one? Will I attract more women if I wear one? Will my pitbull bite me on the ass if I wear one? Will that big mean kid on the corner trip me and steal my lunch money if I wear one? Blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. And so on, and so forth, ad infinitum.

That's hardly in the spirit of 'put on your clothes and forget about them,' is it? What are we, George Costanza? I suppose we have done this to ourselves in a social climate where pajamas, flip-flops, basketball shorts and sweatpants (sweatpants!!??) have become normal wear in public for, it seems like, about 98% of the male population sometime during the last 25 years, on all but the coldest day of the year. To such a degree that a guy in a suit is now unusual and immediately suspect. Bull----!

Here's the deal. If you have more than a single suit in your closet and enjoy wearing one from time to time, even if and when you don't necessarily HAVE to, put it on if you want and fugeddaboutit! End of story.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

The Pleasaures of a Well-trained Dog. . .

A few final photographs from my visit to my sister in Washington, D.C. last week. These include one of 'Mr. Beau,' my sister's meticulously trained and truly wonderful Doberman, another of my sister, second cousin, step-father, and yours truly on the steps of the church outside Lexington, North Carolina just after our late mother's interment service, two of me solo at the National Cathedral, and a final one of my sister and me hamming it up during a long evening walk the day before I returned to Michigan. My sister routinely walks to the cathedral, about three blocks from her place, to enjoy the grounds and gardens. The Bishop's Garden, in particular, is a place she likes to sit for quiet contemplation and internal dialogues with our late maternal grandparents and mother, very much in keeping with the Episcopal side of things. Our grandfather, who was raised Methodist, became an Episcopalian when he married our grandmother. Before you ask, I am not sure tha

Almost Mid-June Sunday Style. . .

A fter two months, Blogger has decided to allow me in the door once again, so I can add a long overdue post documenting my take on classic male style. Since we are almost in the throes of summer, let's go with a warm weather theme this morning. Now, the items above will not be to everyone's taste: Deck shoes without socks, shorts, pleats, skinny pale legs, etc. All invite tisk-tisking and debate in certain online fora, but that's ok. I wouldn't wear attire this to campus Monday through Friday, or to church. But for relaxed, comfortable warm weather-wear around the house during the weekends, with maybe a quick trip down the road for a gallon of milk at the super market, this will do nicely, thank you very much. It's certainly preferable to the wrinkled, torn, stained sloppy alternative we see everywhere in 2022. Neither is it at all far removed from how the various men and boys across three generations of my extended family presented themselves during even

Old SchoolNovember 18, 2016 at 8:59 PM
Just read this and admired your style choices even more:
"...professors dressed less formally at academic events as they gained higher status. Students also perceived unshaven, devil-may-care professors as more knowledgeable than ones in a dress shirt and tie."
http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2014/08/dress-codes
Tony LuptonNovember 28, 2016 at 12:17 AM
Late comment: Not sure that temperature is a real driver on suit or no suit. Attitude however, is!

Classic Style

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