Summer Weather Is Almost Here!

Staying cool with a vintage Madras sports jacket in early September 2018.

A selection of personal photographs today, from various late spring and summer seasons gone by, that illustrate how to beat the heat while looking somewhat more presentable than most men traipsing through life in 2019.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

A selection of warm weather neckties. The three at far left were purchased new over several years. The rest were thrifted or, in the case of the four cotton Madras numbers at center, purchased from a vintage clothier.

A nod to my North Carolina roots. Yours truly barbecuing two pork shoulders during Memorial Day weekend in 2008. Red slaw and hushpuppies with copious amounts of sugary Lipton iced tea completed the meal once the pork had cooled enough to pull for sandwiches. This was back in the days when The Grand Duchess and I could still find the time to ride 200 miles a week on our road bikes between May-August, so we were able to inhale as much of the stuff as possible in a sitting without worrying about the sheer number of calories.

Yours truly in his old basement office just a month of so before we decamped for Mid-Michigan in June 2015.

A few pairs of shorts that see considerable wear between May and late September each year barring the odd chilly, rainy day or two.

A selection of my warm weather short-sleeved shirts: Madras, seersucker, twill, and knit polo.

One of the vintage Madras neckties shown above. This one, by Rooster, was actually made in Sri Lanka.

A linen sports jacket from Southwick that is usually paired with a lighter colored pair of odd linen pants.

The upper half of vintage seersucker suit from Abercrombie & Fitch before it became the purview of the junior high school set, as cool as the Polo linen suit that hangs next to it in my wardrobe.

A Belvest cotton suit worn with a panama hat. Yes. I could be an extra in the hotel lobby scenes from The Maltese Falcon.

Comments

Flannel and Suede Tuesday. . .

W hew! Almost three hours spent reading and providing feedback for 41 self-evaluative reflections submitted by students at the end of last week for one of my two courses this semester/term. A largely thankless task since most will pay no attention to the probing questions asked and suggestions made. There are ten such low risk (two points each) formative assignments between Week Two and Week 13 besides three collaborative projects (due at the end of Week Five, Week 10, and Week 14) and a semester capstone that students complete individually (due at the end of Week 15). The format is similar for all of the courses I teach whether face-to-face, hybrid, or asynchronous online. So, why spend the time providing feedback for the ether? To create a paper trail of sorts. That way, when students come to me with either belligerence or crocodile tears (it rarely varies) and complaints that they won't be able to earn their A+ -- a foregone conclusion out ahead of the invariable medical

Halloween Monday Style. . .

A dark, wet Halloween today, so time to break out the flannel three-piece, which is one of my favorites during the cooler/colder months. My sole concession to the day is the orange necktie which is a Brooks Brothers 'Makers' and, in my view, perfect for the fall season given its colors. The fedora, worn without irony, is a Borsalino 'Noir' model, which works wonderfully well with a trench coat. Hey, everyday is dress-up day in my little corner of the world. Here's a tip. When you dress everyday, and become used to doing so, it ceases to feel like a costume, and you become less self-conscious, eventually forgetting about your clothes all together once they are on your body. Which is what you want. Of course, it helps if you observe older male family members doing so routinely during your formative years, but that's not entirely necessary when you have the right approach. Take a page from Carol Dweck's book and adopt what she has termed a 'g

Fall Break Monday Style. . .

T he Young Master and I had some fun yesterday (Sunday) afternoon while digging out a few exterior seasonal decorations from the furnace room. Enlarge the top photograph to see what Mr. Bones is reading about at my son's suggestion. Personally, I would be happy to skip the Halloween decorations outside beyond a couple of jack-o-lanterns glowing on the front porch for trick-or-treat evening, but The Young Master, who turns 13 this week, still enjoys it, so what are you gonna do? He will be answering the door this year, however, rather than heading out himself. But fear not all you advocates of kids hopped up on sugary treats! His Tae Kwon Do studio has organized a trunk-or-treat for Saturday afternoon, in which our son will indulge following his morning classes toward Black Belt Recommended status (testing in December). Fall Break the first two days of this week, so a bit more work from home since, officially at least, the university is not closed for faculty and staff. J

Classic Style

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