A Calm, Sunny Saturday. . .

A vintage 1930s ad for menswear that is new to me. But, given my penchant for double-breasted blazers and suits, I liked it immediately.

A delightfully sunny, calm November Saturday here in The Grand Duchy!

I've spent it doing my own thing while The Grand Duchess and Young Master attended his various Tae Kwon Do classes and ran a few other errands. After a shower about 11am, I donned a tweed jacket, dress cords, an oxford cloth button-down shirt, braided leather belt, and penny loafers for my own set of errands.

That included another visit to the tailor's to pick up and drop off a few more items.

The first item of business was to try on the two heavy wool navy blazers (one single- and one double-breasted), corduroy sports jacket, and three pairs of wool flannel pants left last week, including two brand new pairs of the latter. The items in question looked amazing in the three-way mirror. If such a thing is possible, my tailor seems to be doing even more exacting work than he has in the recent past. I had no idea off the rack clothing could look this good.

As so many other, more knowledgeable menswear enthusiasts have noted in the blogosphere, if/when you find a capable tailor, cultivate that relationship and have your gear altered over time. Even one or two relatively simple alterations make a tremendous difference in how you look (and feel) in your clothing.

I cannot wait to wear some of this stuff come next week.

As always, I dropped off a few more pieces for similar work (waist suppression for jackets plus taking in waists and seats of the pants). This time, the final two bold tweed numbers and another two pairs or wool flannel pants.

Following a few additional small errands, I returned home to a quiet house and enjoyed another mug of coffee before changing into more casual attire. It was then time to moisturize and shine my oxblood penny loafers and dark tan single monkstrap loafers.

Since these are a more casual shoe, I prefer a softer sheen to the the usual high shine lavished on my lace-up models. Safir Renovatuer and shoe cream in the requisite colors produce very pleasing results.

All told, it has been a lovely day for this shockingly vapid, middle-aged popinjay. But it's not over yet.

Call it spousal and fatherly intuition, but I suspect my wife and son might have a few things planned for dinner and dessert this evening. Not a bad way to mark the latest 29th birthday.

-- 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 attire any time you head into the

The Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style Now on Ebay!!!

Another great old Laurence Fellows illustration of menswear from the classic era, the 1930s. T he Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style is up and running on Ebay. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Friday Tweeds, Cords, and Coffee. . .

I made the sojourn into campus this morning to have some coffee and talk shop with a colleague. We had an enjoyable discussion for an hour in the recently opened library branch of the global abomination that is Starbuck's . Can someone explain to me. . . Why on earth do cities like Vienna and Rome even need them? I am of two minds here. Starbuck's is handy in a lot of instances. The coffee isn't bad. Somewhat better than what is sold in the competing, campus owned and run Sparty's . And the space in the library, occupied by a branch of Sparty's until early last May, is redesigned, bright, airy, and clean with plenty of new tables, chairs, and outlets for laptop computers, tablets, and recharging phones. All very convenient. Yet it is locally owned, non-corporate cafes that have the character and quirkiness that makes them interesting places in which to kill time, work, and people watch. Why the campus town adjacent to my employer does not have a bette

CharlottesvilleNovember 8, 2021 at 6:17 AM
Happy birthday, Heinz-Ulrich! I hope it was as enjoyable as it sounds.
WSTKS-FM WorldwideNovember 8, 2021 at 10:01 AM
Thank you, Charlottesville! It was a relaxing weekend all the way around.

Kind Regards,

H-U

Classic Style

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