The 'Hopkinson' by Allen Edmonds. . .

The Hopkinson, part of Allen Edmonds' Independence Collection, in a photograph borrowed from the AE website.

A new pair of Hopkinsons (in black) arrived at our doorstep here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold earlier this afternoon. In a word, they are absolutely beautiful shoes and will look fantastic when worn with gray, navy, and charcoal suits. Easily up to Allen Edmonds' usual high standards of design, appearance, and quality. The pair sent to me are slender, sleek, and elongated (I wear a 9D), definitely not "stubby" as some have complained.

Although mine were advertised as factory seconds (at considerable savings), I cannot tell why exactly save for a small dark smudge on one sole. Otherwise, they look amazing. The negative comments some have left about the shoe on the Allen Edmonds website, or in other fora, are puzzling. My suspicions are that these individuals either are not caring for their shoes like you should with any investment (for instance, you use shoe trees and dust off your shoes each morning and/or evening with a horse hair shoe brush), or they have worn their Hopkinsons daily in all kinds of weather, without a break, putting undue stress and wear on the shoes.

Either habit leads to footwear deteriorating faster than normal, leading to a worn out, beaten to death, nicked, scuffed up, and/or shriveled and cracked appearance. Guys, you put on work boots to mow the grass or clear the driveway of snow, and old sneakers to walk the dog. You wear rubber galoshes, like those sold by SWIMS, over you dress shoes in rainy weather, or you wear a a slicker and pair of L.L. Bean Boots that day and skip the suit and necktie. Figure it out.

In any case, these are wonderfully rendered shoes in my view. Extremely pleased here. I will continue to purchase and wear AE products and now feel ready to don evening dress, join Bingo and Tuppy for dinner at The Drones, and accompany them to the opera in Covent Garden. What ho, chaps?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

The Problem of "Business Casual" Attire. . .

This is how it's done. Business Casual the RIGHT way, ladies and gentlemen. Even during the summer months. A photograph (taken by Studio B Portraits ) which appeared in 425 Business Magazine in May 2017. T his post on the problem of business casual dress began as a quick postscript to a previous blog entry last week but quickly grew and grew as additional thoughts occurred, were developed in more detail, and revisions made. So much so, that it seemed, eventually, like a better idea to make the initial P.S. afterthought into its own entry . Are ya ready, Freddy? Then, here we go. . . ------------ U nless you actually plan to sell beach snacks and trinkets on Cozumel, become a serial barista, or greet customers at a fancy nightclub after taking out huge student loans to attend university somewhere for four or five years, plus an MBA afterward, it's really a better idea to err on the side of (somewhat) more formal work at...

Friday on Campus Style. . .

S omewhat atypically, I was on campus for several hours today helping with an interview that is part of a larger documentary project on which a colleague and I are working. Although I am behind the camera (I'm the audio guy in fact), what better reason does one need to dress presentably? Exactly. Everything worn, barring the recently purchased University of Wisconsin socks, a gift from the Grand Duchess, has been in the rotation for a while now. And, of course, there was the Panama hat, which I'll wear until we pass October 1st when the felt fedoras reappear. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Tan Suit Tuesday. . .

W hile it's now after Labor Day here in the U.S,. we still have almost three weeks left of summer according to the calendar. And since today was bright, sunny, and pleasantly warm (though far from hot), it seemed like a perfect opportunity to trot out my tan cotton suit and tan loafers/belt. Slightly disheveled, yes. And the shoes need some Renovateur to moisten 'em up But not a bad overall look if I might be so bold. -- Heinz-Ulrich

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