Skip to main content

Navy Blazer Thursday. . .

 



I cannot recall when I have ever enjoyed my attire like I have the last several months since the Fall 2021 semester kicked off at the start of September.  Almost 18 months stuck at home will do that I suppose.

While the foundational items have been seen here before, the shirt is new, or rather it has not appeared in a long, long time with any combination of navy blazer and pants.  I purchased it as one of several new shirts from Land's End during early fall 2004 in my first teaching job after graduate school when I added to and expanded what was a very basic professional wardrobe.  

Although you don't necessarily need a huge amount of clothing to present yourself well, at some point you do want more than just a couple of sports jackets and two or three dress shirts.  In any case, the shirt pictured above sees the light of day infrequently these days.  But it is fun to trot out now and then and works well with the knitted silk necktie selected for today.

The chocolate suede belt and shoes made one last appearance for the season.  Sooner, or later, we'll have too much snow and ice on the ground, and winter footwear will be called for as I mentioned yesterday.  Right now, it's sort of the footwear equivalent of smoke 'em if you've got 'em.

Tomorrow (Friday) is a relatively easy day with just three meetings scheduled.  Meetings I am actually looking forward to, so make a mark on the wall.  While I could easily do them from home via Zoom, I am toying with the idea of heading into campus early in the morning simply to have the excuse to dress for work again.  I know, I know.  I am a vain so and so!

However, the nicest part of the midday was when The Grand Duchess joined me in the library with her briefcase and laptop.  For about an hour, we worked across the table from each other like we did as grad students 20+ years ago.  I had forgotten how nice that was.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

  1. Dressing well is the best revenge.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heinz-Ulrich - I hope you decided to dress up and go in to your office today, setting a good example for all. Also, I wish Lands' End still made shirts with collars like that one, rather than the short button-downs they offer these days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for your comments, men!

    Charlottesville, sadly I opted to remain home since Fridays are my morning to wake The Boy and help him get ready for the school bus. There wasn't time enough left to shower, shave, dress, AND drive to campus for my first of three meetings beginning at 9:30. So, I opted for corduroy jeans with surcingle belt and tucked in flannel shirt with chocolate suede loafers sans socks. Still looked reasonably good, albeit more casual than I had hoped. Have a good weekend!

    H-U

    ReplyDelete
  4. P.S.
    Even The Hyde Park Oxford from Land's End features a skimpy collar now. They really have driven me into the arms of J. Press, Mercer, and other retailers that offer superior shirts. A damned shame since Land's End used to sell reliably good items at very reasonable prices. Sigh.

    H-U

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Popular Posts

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