Early Morning Cafe Style. . .

A bit chilly here in Mid-Michigan this morning (it's 6:59am currently), so out came the 15+ year old rugby top from Land's End, or L.L. Bean, made and sold when they were still quite heavy material. It's beginning to fray a bit around the cuffs, but otherwise the shirt continues to hold up well, albeit a bit faded in places.

The Young Master finishes school for the summer -- He'll be in the 8th Grade in the fall and nearing his 14th birthday! -- so my early morning forays out into the world away from home will come to an end for a few months until my own academic year cranks into gear once again in late August. But, lots of interesting, even fun stuff will be happening there in addition to the usual teaching duties.

In the meantime, however, we've got the summer ahead of us with a couple of trips planned for Northern Michigan later in June and July. The Young Master has a week of overnight summer camp coming up (a first), the Grand Duchess heads off to Germany for 10 days later this morning for a quick research trip, and her parents visit in August with yet another visit to the Upper Peninsula in store for wife/daughter, grandchild, and grandparents.

Yours truly, will sit that one out and enjoy a week of absolute peace and quite at Totleigh-in-the-Wold with the cats.

In any case, a full couple of months over and above the usual lawn and garden games, which I actually kind of enjoy. Who would have thought? But when things finally begin coming together outside, the results are worth all of the effort necessary each spring to get lawn, beds, and pots into shape.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Mid-November Monday. . .

A few minutes between classes this morning, so I snapped pictures of today's attire and accessories. The first wearing this season of the Optimo 'Dearborn' fedora, and the tie is a vintage number from Orvis, a nod to my late father's fly-fishing and fly-tying hobbies. It's been two or three years since this particular necktie's last appearance, so high time to pull it out and knot it carefully around the ol' neck. Managed to nail it on the first attempt too. Could this be the start of a trend? -- 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 at...

My Preferred Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirts. . .

One of several light blue cotton oxford cloth button-down collar shirts in my rotation, worn here with a wool flannel navy blazer and a vintage Italian silk necktie once sold under the Rooster label. An orange-brown with silvery paisleys, ideal for the autumn. T he other day, a regular visitor to Classic Style for the Average Guy left a comment in which he asked for information and my recommendations on the classic oxford cloth button-down shirt, commonly abbreviated to 'ocbd.' "Me? Are you tawkin' to me?" Oblique Robert DeNiro references aside, let's talk oxford cloth button-down shirts. This particular type of shirt is one of the bedrock items every man should have a few of hanging in his closet, especially when he wishes to present himself to the world in a way better -- yes, I said better -- than what has become the sad accepted average among so much of the male populace. First things first though. Lots of people automatically...

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