Pheasants and Loafers Monday. . .

Pheasants and loafers? Sounds like an old Jack Jones tune.

In an case, here's the attire for today as I shift from teaching a hybrid course late this morning to juggling one of four or five ongoing projects of my own this afternoon after a spot of coffee and a small lunch. Highlights include a vintage Polo University Club jacket, a necktie from J. Press (Naturally!), and Lake Forest loafers from Allen Edmonds.

The overcoat is an old Hart, Schaffner, and Marx number thrifted a dozen of more years ago while the fedora for this week is one of several by Borsalino now in regular rotation from October through April each year.

My son. aka The Young Master, asked me yesterday why I dress so differently from other parents at his Tae Kwon Do studio, where he had a midterm belt test Thursday evening, a retest Friday evening (board breaks), and belt ceremony Saturday morning. Whew!

I simply replied that a special occasion calls for dressier attire -- the usual blazer, khakis with belt, loafers, and tucked in OCBD collar shirt -- rather than sweats, t-shirts, untucked shirts, grubby athletic shoes, and those god awful hooded sweatshirts we cannot seem to jettison.

Parenthetically, everyone looks like they are ready to knock-off a convenience store in the middle of the night. All of the time.

returning to the point at hand, I added that my choice of attire is very like how my father, grandfather, and various male relatives across both sides of the extended family all dress/dressed, and I see no reason to buck the trend. Even two of my much younger male first cousins in Rhode Island and Los Angeles clothe themselves similarly when the need arises.

Not sure exactly what my son thought behind his monosyllabic "Oh." (He'll be 13 at the end of the month), but he has held forth himself occasionally this fall on how sloppily some of his male teachers and fellow classmates appear at school. I agree , and have said as much in reply to his observations, but I've also pointed out that he needs to keep those opinions to himself to avoid making enemies. You know, since the genie has been let so far out of the bottle when it comes to what now counts as 'professional' appearance.

Sigh.

-- 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

"If you see something you want. . ."

The above photograph has been "borrowed" from the J. Press website. "I f you see something you want," advised my late mother, "buy it. It won't be there when you go back later." A favorite (and wise) adage hers that I still follow whenever possible. So when this item appeared on clearance at J. Press, I mulled it over for a couple of days, and then clicked the requisite boxes to make the online purchase. Should be here within the week. Once upon a time, I had a similar jacket by Corbin that I foolishly purged before we left Central Illinois ('Illi-noir' anyone?) for Michigan almost 10 years ago. Not sure what I was thinking at the time since I did like the item and wore it routinely. This one will be a bit nicer and help me make sartorial amends. At least to myself. -- Heinz-Ulrich

AnonymousOctober 3, 2022 at 3:43 PM
Bravo. Look like they are ready to knock off a convenience store. We MUST make that line into pop Trad culture and soon. Great line. -JDV

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