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 'growth mindset' about your daily presentation, and dressing more presentably gets a lot easier, psychologically speaking.
If others have a problem with your self-improvement, and say something snide, don't take the bait. As my late mother used to advise my sister and me when we were adolescents, "Let it roll off your back like water off a duck."
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In other 'news,' I took care of the twice yearly attire swap yesterday (Sunday) afternoon and moved the warm weather gear to the cedar closet in basement off the main room that I use as my den. Naturally, I replaced all of that with the flannel, tweed, and corduroy items that summer in the same space. Nice to see old friends again, many of which one forgets about during the six months or so they are in storage.
Moreover, I replaced the lighter cotton dress socks in the sock drawer with the Merino wool numbers from one of the large plastic tubs beneath our bed on the second floor. Caught sight of my skiing clothes in another storage tub in the process too. Yes!
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I am looking forward, needless to say, to the coming winter season and exploring more Nordic ski centers in Northern Michigan with the Grand Duchess and Young Master. Our son really came into his own on skis last year and navigated black diamond trails (lots of steep climbs and winding descents) like an old hand. Can't wait for us to hit the trails again this year!
But first, gotta get some bindings mounted on a new set of skis, brush, wax, scrape. and polish the bases of some others hanging in the shop area downstairs, plus make sure everything is ready to go before the snow flies. Not that I'm excited by the onset of winter or anything.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Dressing up isn’t easy for those of us seniors with expanding waistlines, but I do agree with your sentiment.
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