Classic Style

The Young Master, his helper Ms. G., and Ol' Dad at school yesterday afternoon. T he Young Master presented two animal 'brochures' on piranhas and anacondas yesterday as part of his class's long-term project on the Brazilian rainforest.  In a word, he was well and truly amazing.  Calm, cool, and collected in his black sweatshirt, bluejeans, and dark tan chukka boots.  More important, YMP exuded confidence, was knowledgeable about his subjects, and he even fielded some questions from listeners, other parents and grand parents in attendance, with minimal prompting.  Easily the most impressive (and fun) school event we have attended.  I am still gushing with fatherly pride this morning.  Wow! -- Heinz-Ulrich

The late Cary Grant -- the master of understated elegance -- looking as calm, cool, and collected as ever in, of all things, a suit.  Imagine that! 2 017, you might recall, is The Year of Accessories here at Classic Style although you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise since I have not discussed them in some little while.  So, it seems like high time to rectify that rather glaring omission on my part.  Accessories can be tricky and even uncomfortable for a lot of guys just getting into kicking up their everyday style several notches.  With that in mind, here are a few tips on navigating the sometimes murky world of  menswear accessorizing. 1) Don't go overboard.  Understated elegance is what you are after.  Too often, when I notice men wearing things like pocket squares, tie bars, etc., they overdo it.  I actually spotted several 30-40 somethings in downtown Minneapolis, during my recent visit to the city, wearing suits with nice l...

The man himself, men's style maven G. Bruce Boyer. H ere is a link to a fascinating recent article on style and so much else, sent my way by a frequent visitor to the Classic Style blog.  You've got to read Dress Up: What We Lost in the Casual Revolution by the inimitable G. Bruce Boyer.  Oh, and thank you 'Old School!'  Much appreciated. -- Heinz-Ulrich von B.

A favorite Laurence Fellows illustration that has appeared before at some point here at Classic Style.  It sums up today's sentiment nicely. I have written as much here before, but it bears repeating.  Personal outlook, behavior, speech, and cultivating a clean, neat appearance are more important than the make of a man's suit, shoes, or the color of his necktie.  ---------- A fter a hefty dose of reality television via hotel cable while in Minneapolis last week, time spent navigating large airports, and observing humanity in a large and rather pricey hotel, to say nothing of the various unsavory news items of the last seven days -- stories like the Ohio man arrested following his drunken tirade at Disney World in Florida, the high school-aged Arkansas couple arrested after their baby (one of four children the two have together) was discovered with more than 100 rat bites on her face and body, plus a whole host other "news" of a similar nature -- I have just ...

P rocrastination!  What a wonderful word on a sunny and almost warm spring day.  Delaying the final batch of undergraduate papers and associated final course grades this early Sunday afternoon with some online jazz, another mug of coffee, and a few Leslie Saalburg illustrations although one or two might be by our old friend Laurence Fellows. Picked up the Belvest and Samuelsohn double-breasted suits from the tailor's yesterday, and they look great after their slight alterations.  A quick trip to the cleaner's tomorrow, and the former will travel with me to Minneapolis for its inaugural outing at the Saturday evening closing banquet (re: overly dry chicken breast) of a conference I am attending during the latter half of this coming week.  The Samuelsohn coat still needs a bit of tinkering to get the vents to hang closed, I think, after trying the suits on again at home with an actual dress shirt, but it looks leagues better than it did two weeks ago. Now, if on...

A visually pleasing old Laurence Fellows (???) illustration from 1937. Y es, it's May 1st everyone.  So, why not celebrate quiet refinement and sophistication with an old-fashioned cocktail party this evening?  No inebriated loud games of beanbag toss, ratty cargo shorts, plumber's crack, ridiculously large stainless steel propane grills, rumbling 4x4s, women's sweatpants with the word 'PINK' splashed across the backside, tramp stamps, or ill-mannered children in sight.  Hey, a guy can dream of gentler times, right?  -- Heinz-Ulrich Another quiet Fellows illustration that is more in keeping with the sort of calm socializing we prefer here at Classic Style. . .  Although such occasions are few and far between in our corner of the world in 2017.  Many in the academic sphere seem to make a conscious and concerted effort to turn up their noses at polite convention.  Oh, the stories I could tell.  Others, even when highly intelligent and ...