Beige Suit Thursday. . .

The upper half today. Suit and tie are Brooks Brothers, the pocket square is from Put This On, and the shirt is a silky, soft number that I purchased from Land's End about 15 years ago. How much longer can it last without fraying or a small hole developing somewhere? Time will tell.

And the lower half, featuring some recently shined Allen Edmonds split toe oxfords. Not shown are a pair of plain, mid-blue cotton dress socks from Dapper Classics.

Fooling around with the phone for a few minutes earlier this morning as I waited in my office for a couple of students to drop by the last designated office hour this semester. Yesterday, two different young men in two different courses indicated they desperately needed to talk to me. Sigh.

It's not unusual by the end of any 15-week semester for panic to strike a certain number of students once they realize -- as advised in my 12+ page syllabi. . . Yes, 12+ pages!!! -- that they should have taken the course, its material, assignments, and policies much more seriously, much sooner than they did. As though a last minute conversation will somehow make a difference when there has been no communication and little, if any prior involvement from the students in questions since early January. There always seem to be six or eight such cases every December and May, but I suppose that's not too bad in light of the numbers I teach each semester, usually 130-150 students across three courses.

By the way, one of the two who assured me he would come by this morning actually made it. And the second? Ah, well.

Sadly, today was also the final day of classes for yours truly this semester, so with the exception of a few committee meetings and a conference presentation during the next couple of weeks, the opportunities for donning a jacket and necktie will be relatively few and far between from now until the end of August. Somehow, a suit and tie seem like overkill for trips to see the dentist, doctor, and ophthalmologist, so I'll stick to the usual penny loafers, khakis, and blazer over a pressed shirt when those particular errands roll around.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

Avoid Careless Chatter. . .

E specially about the personal details of our lives. There is a lot that OUGHT to be kept more private in 2022 than has become the accepted norm for many. With the conscious and intentional cultivation of classic style in mind, however, we want to avoid oversharing and keep a bit more of ourselves to ourselves. Exactly what personal information and how much of it to keep private seems to be a slippery concept though. Here’s my take based on what I was told and observed as a child and young person at home. Basically, one should keep oneself to oneself in all respects (finances, personal worth, accomplishments, politics, sex, dirty laundry, etc.). As my late father used to advise when we were very small, and I am talking preschool and kindergarten, there were particular subjects that were not discussed outside the immediate family. There is a time and place for sharing certain details of one’s life, but most of the time, those should be played very close to the chest,

I Might As Well Be Spring: The Attire for Monday. . .

C old, blustery, and wet here in Mid-Michigan today although we might possibly have a couple of inches of wet snow at some point. It just started actually. Still some limited cross-country skiing up north at one of the Nordic ski centers we like, apparently, but I have not been able to get away for that. But it is springtime according to the calendar. Attire-wise, I managed to stow the fall and winter stuff and bring out the spring-summer-early fall gear on Saturday. Always fun to rediscover what you have not thought about in several months. Equally satisfying to discover items that have not ever seen the light of day. Such is the case for today's shirt from J. Press (hanging in the closet for a year or more) and the necktie, which (hanging on the back of my tie rack, where I keep all of my repp stripe numbers) for 8-10 years. Imagine that. -- Heinz Ulrich P.S. Believe it, or not, someone actually just used word "please" (rather than the brusk "Can I ge

A Little Sisterly Advice. . .

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