Nothing Like a Double-Breasted Suit. . .

A number of wonderful old Laurence Fellows illustrations of men in double-breasted suits. I have and wear a few myself, but they are not good in warmer weather, and, sadly, the school year for yours truly is coming to a close before long, so mine will have to wait until the weather cools again in late September or October.

But until then, a guy can always dream, right? And hey, when school starts again in late August, there are single-breasted linen and seersucker suits for those warmer days, which we invariably have through September. Yes, I know. I can hear the collective sigh to the tune of "You overdressed, arrogant ass!" Maybe so, but I cannot quite bring myself to dress like current undergraduates or some of my more clueless colleagues, who often look equally silly in the opposite direction.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Sunday Morning P.S.

Parenthetically, I picked up a light gray-blue D'avenza double-breasted number (new with original tags still attached) in summer weight worsted wool for a steal on Ebay a few weeks back. However, the inseam, waist, and sleeve length need some attention, so it hangs in the basement cedar closet for the time being until I have the time to visit my tailor.

Yes, some forward thinking soul built in a cedar-lined closet when the basement was fully finished with various rooms and carpeting in the recent past, and the generously sized closet provides a very handy space to hang off season suits, sports jackets, and odd pairs of pants. My office, the Young Master's play area, and his desk for schoolwork also occupy this space. Our two cats also spend much of their time hanging around down here with father and son.

Anyway, our weather here in Mid-Michigan finally seems to be warming, so today (Sunday) seems like an opportune time to brush down the fall-winter gear. I can then bring up and hang the warmer weather items and put away the cold weather tweeds, flannels, and corduroys, setting aside a few items for dry cleaning and/or that need mending. Invariably, a couple of suits need a minor alteration or two. Typically this involves inseam, waist, or letting out/taking in a suit coat or jacket out an inch or so. It's funny how you tinker like this with various garments in pursuit of the perfect fit and drape. Definitely a clothing nerd.

I am, in this respect, fortunate to have found a local tailor, originally from Viet Nam, who used to make menswear before coming to this country. He has been in business here about 20 years and seems highly skilled, charging very reasonable rates for his services. Best of all, he usually performs an added alteration or two which makes the item fit and present even better when I pick it up and try it on a week or two later. Like so many tailors, he seems to have more business than he and his helper can handle, and the shop is always a beehive of activity, especially on Saturdays.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Up North Style. . .

Bad Dad makes a friend. YMP and Bad Dad on the shores of Lake Michigan. Or was that Crystal Lake? The Grand Duchess takes a selfie in her kayak. How NOT to impress the girls sunning themselves along the river. YMP and Bad Dad kayaking on the Platte River headed toward Loon Lake. J ust back from a week in Northern Michigan in a charming and spacious house on the banks of the Betsie River outside of Thompsonville. A largely pleasant seven days despite some challenging episodes with the Young Master, who has picked up some very questionable habits and language from his friends in the 8th Grade during the school year just ended. But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves and contemplated remaining for a few days longer since the house was available. In the end, we decided to return home as planned originally since neither my wife, nor I wanted to spend the remaining days chained to our computers in Zoom meetings from our vacation destination. I actually managed to leave the laptop and ip

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

A sleepy first half of the weekend here at Totleigh. Warmer and quite humid ahead of an approaching cool front here in Mid-Michigan. Perfect for yet another pair of chino shorts an a seersucker shirt -- tucked in of course -- with the usual leather deck shoes and ribbon belt. Otherwise, not much accomplished beyond a page or so of writing and monkeying around with audio settings for an upcoming podcast episode. However, I was not completely useless yesterday! I made a huge fruit salad for dinner, which the Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a short while later at the table on the back porch. The Young Master, as is his wont on Saturday evenings, took his dinner on a tray in the TV room upstairs where he whiled away a couple of hours on Flight Simulator, flying some sort of commercial airliner to some destination across the Atlantic or Pacific. I would have loved that sort of technology at about nine or 10 way back during the late 1970s, aka The Stone Age. As it is, my sister and

SuitSecret.comSeptember 24, 2023 at 11:22 AM
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the timeless style of the double-breasted suit. A classic choice that never goes out of fashion!

Classic Style

Search This Blog