An Order Placed with Mercer & Sons. . .

A lovely yellow and white university stripe 100% Pima cotton oxford for the first shirt (swatch from the Mercer & Sons website).

Where in the world did January go? It still seems like we were just in the midst of Christmas Week not five minutes ago. No matter. Here we are at the start of February, and it's time to revisit The Classic Style theme for 2020, the willingness to take a hard look at things and make the necessary changes.

With that idea in mind, it's time to swap out a few dress shirts from the ol' professional wardrobe that are beginning to show their age with collars and/or cuff edges that are becoming more frayed than I'd like. And while there is no problem dressing in attire that looks lived in, comfortable, and loved (albeit clean, pressed, and well-maintained), none of us want to walk around looking threadbare.

In recent months, therefore, I've filtered out a few old Land's End shirts, purchased in the very early 200os when I took my first teaching job after graduate school, and relegated them to the 'suitable for yard and lawn-care next spring and summer' pile. I replaced the first of these with a few new shirts by Charles Tyrwhitt last November.

On Friday afternoon, I took the plunge and decided the time was right to replace a couple of other old shirts with new ones by Mercer & Sons. After two very pleasant exchanges with Mr. David Mercer himself, I emailed the particulars and phoned in my payment information.

Probably like many of you, I've been aware of the company -- founded in 1982 -- for years, and have more recently read a lot of favorable online feedback about the company and its products. Needless to say, I am excited to see what these shirts are like in the flesh once they have been made and delivered. I'll keep you posted.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

And the second shirt, made from the James Bond 4mm Tattersall in cotton Broadcloth (swatch from the Mercer & Sons website).

Comments

The Power of Ideas. . .

T he end is nigh! The autumn semester/term approaches. And while we still have almost two months of summer left according to the calendar, "Summer is over and gone," as the crickets sang in Charlotte's Web . At least for those of us who head back to the classroom in less than a month. In advance of a meeting with my program director late Monday morning, I spent about 40 minutes total during the weekend to jot down several ideas about planned workshops and related activities for the coming 2024-2025 academic year. At an opportune moment, I mentioned "I have a few ideas," and opened my leather portfolio. My director was highly receptive to almost everything I suggested, and we had a very productive planning session for just over 90 minutes. Just about everything I sketched out on Sunday aligns with his own ideas. It's nice when meetings go that well, and two related things occur to me in hindsight. One, it pays to exercise...

CSA Pick-Up Style. . .

I t's getting to be that time in the summer! Yep, the garden fresh vegetables are starting to come in. Picked up the first half-share of the Grand Duchess' Summer 2024 community supported agriculture allotment late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. Some delicious looking items that will make a nice salad for dinner this evening. Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess and Young Master are across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin visiting cousins for the next several days and attending a large annual airshow. while yours truly holds down the fort. More of the usual summertime fare in the attire photos featured. This particular shirt, while it has not appeared here in quite some time, is one of my favorites. An item that has been in the seasonal rotation for a dozen years or more. It ironed up nicely before I put it on and tucked it in. The chino shorts (with a 6" inseam. . . I know, I know.) are one of many such khaki pairs currently occupying the bottom...

A Box of Mercer Goodness. . .

D uring a day already full of pleasant surprises, these arrived via UPS late this afternoon. About a month before I expected them. Yes! Looking very forward to their inaugural wearings in just a few weeks when we're back on campus. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Classic Style

Search This Blog