Classic Style

  T he best sort of spring day today!  Sunny, breezy, and cool.  Perfect weather for a sojourn into campus for our Spring Retreat, really just a summary of the year and a glimpse ahead to August and the autumn semester.  Oh, and lunch was part of the mix.  Wraps, of which the less said, the better. -- Heinz-Ulrich.

  A very quiet and damp day here at Totleigh today.  I actually managed to sleep until 10am!  Can't remember the last time that occurred.   In any case, a shower, a splash of St. John's 'Madras', some informal attire, and we're ready to put the back porch together for the 2024 season, which will be a nice surprise for the Grand Duchess, who is out with the Young Master right now.  I'll get to that after another mug of fresh coffee and submitting final course grades to the requisite online portal of course.  The navy blue Rugby jersey and leather deck shoes have been in the rotation for years.  The red shorts were an end of season clearance purchase last fall, and today is their inaugural wearing.  A 9" inseam when I stand by the way. In the next week or so, depending on available time, I'll stow the rest of my cool weather attire and finish replacing it with the usual late spring and summer gear, both more formal and the casual stuff.  A...

  N ow and again, the Grand Duchess and I manage to find the time for an adults' breakfast out on Friday mornings once the Young Master has climbed aboard the school bus.  Today was the first such outing in quite some time, and we visited our favorite quick and greasy about 10 minute up the road.   Since I've got a couple of Zoom meetings midday and in the early afternoon, I opted for a sports jacket over an OCBD shirt rather than the more typical Rugby top or flannel shirt.  Hey, it's still quite chilly here in the mornings. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  W orking from home today finishing a podcast script after breakfast, recording and producing the related episode midday, and planning the next eight or nine after the finished episode was uploaded to Youtube.  A bit chilly here today, quite cold with frost overnight, so tweed, oxford cloth, and cords were perfectly comfortable although we had bright sunshine outside all day.   Attire consisted of a J. Press shirt and jacket, Land's End corduroy jeans, and Allen Edmonds suede camp moccasins.  Leather Man orange and navy ribbon belt with brown leather ends and brass buckle not visible.  No change of clothese necessary to hop the Young Master in the car and take him to an appointment after school. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  R egardless of the cut of one's sports jacket, odd pants, suit, or shirt collar, four key words spring to mind when it comes to being intentional about our attire, personal habits, daily interactions and so much else.  Here they are: Polish -- Good manners and ease with people. Sophistication --  Refinement, good taste, and subtlety in not only a social context but also the cultural and intellectual senses . Finesse --  Sensibility, grace, and social competence. Awareness -- Perspective, empathy, and emotional intelligence    And my point?  We should strive to cultivate these qualities in ourselves with (more) conscious intent.  More of the four within and from everyone would make the world in 2024 a far more pleasant place in which to live and operate.  Best of all, these four things cost nothing, making them accessible to everyone regardless of education level or income bracket. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A comfortable combination of lighter weight gear for a sunny, warm Monday in late April today.  Although I really must do something bout those chalk finger prints on the lapel of my blazer.  They've been present for at least a couple of years.  I know.  I know.  Time to dig out my clothes brush, or drop it off at the cleaners. In any case, flying the colors and wearing one of those three new J. Press shirts purchased a few weeks back.  Off the rack, but very comfortable with a perfect fit and nice collar roll.  What's not to like? -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A chilly but sunny April 21st today, ideal for tossing on a light fleece over a Rugby top and corduroy jeans for a couple of hours mowing outside.  These are the results of two cuttings and a light application of organic fertilizer in between.  A number of issues to address up close, including mole damage, but from a distance it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. -- Heinz-Ulrich (aka SUBURBAN. . . dad) 

  S omehow, I managed to get myself involved with three different sessions for the virtual day of this year's (internal) teaching and learning conference.  Two others besides my own poster session after lunch today.  The Grand Duchess says I'm too nice.   No matter.  The right sort of attire can help one feel calm, collected, and confident when talking about one's approach to a zoom room full of unfamiliar faces.  Not too formal, but definitely preferable to the jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts worn by too many male professors everywhere.   Not really the sort of example we want to set for students.  Or, given that up has become down, black is white, and day is now night in the world of 2024, is it?  Sigh.  The necktie, in any case, is a navy grenadine number from Chipp that has been in the collection for a number of years.  Given the shirt and socks, it helps keep things from straying too far into wilder ...

  T here are those days where you run around from one small errand to the next without ever feeling like you have accomplished anything.  Today has been one such day, which kicked off with a visit o our local veterinarian with one of the cats and went from there.   Finally done and home again just in time for the Young Master's arrival home from school in a few minutes.  Some lawn work will follow outside late this afternoon ahead of the anticipated thunderstorms tomorrow. When a whole lot of nothing makes up 2/3 of your day, however, it helps to add a bit of spring to one's step with some comfortable attire as shown in the photographs above.  To wit.  -- Heinz-Ulrich

  A sunny, pleasantly warm day today, so time for the transition to lighter gear!  A bit busy on top, sure, but from a distance the small grid pattern of the shirt is not too terribly offensive.  A solid shirt would tame things a bit though.  A (genuine) taupe fedora completed the overall look.   And yes.  Of course I stick out like a sore thumb, which runs counter to what constitutes a well-dressed man.  But in 2024, it is very difficult to dress presentably and avoid sticking out given the general lay of the sartorial landscape.   I'm comfortable with sticking out. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  W ell, here we are approaching mid-April.  And it might just be about time to swap the cool and cold weather attire for warmer weather gear this coming weekend.  Mid-70s Fahrenheit yesterday, and low 70s today.  Cooler after that later in the week, but I can probably stow the heavier wool items and cords in the cedar closet and safely bring out the warm weather suits, odd jackets, and pants until the fall. Still time of one last hurrah today however.  Cooler enough this morning for a tan pair of cords paired with that recently arrived J. Press jacket.  The latter is light enough, although it is wool, that I might just keep it handy since we can certainly have chilly days in May and June. While classes end on the April 19th this year, I'll still be on campus occasionally into June, so it's not exactly time for khaki shorts, Madras, seersucker and short-sleeved polo shirts just yet.  There's also  conference coming up in New Orleans at the start o...

  G oing for a more springtime look today while also taking the edge off the double-breasted suit with the addition of a slightly irreverent necktie.  Not a bad effort, but darker socks, either green or navy, might have worked better I think.   Still, I felt pretty good for this sunny, warm day in April.   It will time soon to carry out my twice yearly wardrobe swap, moving the cool weather items to the cedar closet downstairs just off my office in the (finished) basement and bringing up the warm weather items.  The latter really get most of their use in May and June and/or August through mid-October, depending on when the first cold weather blows through Lower Michigan. But before that happens, let's enjoy donning the linen, seersucker, cotton poplin, chinos, gabardine, and some broadcloth shirts, eh? -- Heinz-Ulrich

    F resh out of the UPS box, three examples of J. Press goodness on a Friday morning.  These shirts are replacements for three recently worn-through, more than 20-year old OCBDs from Land's End (two) and L.L. Bean (one).  They were purchased shortly after I took my first teaching position at a now defunct local college outside of Minneapolis, immediately following graduate school, as the fall semester kicked off in September 2003. While some professional gear hung in my closet already, a few additional items were needed at that point to round out the weekly rotation. Said shirts all finally fell prey to small rips showing up in the now very thin, but incredibly comfortable, fabric within six weeks of each other this winter and early spring.  So, time for a few replacements.  The old friends will find new life as summertime lawncare shirts.  Of the three new items above, my favorite shirt is on the right, but one cannot go wrong with a light blue OCBD...

S till rather chilly most days here in Mid-Michigan, so the tweed and cords still work well, thank you very much, without causing one to overheat by midday.  A tweed driving cap, trench coat, and gray plaid woolen scarf completed everything. More of the usual suspects, yes, but there is enough in the rotation at this point that it's possible to avoid too much repetition if anyone even notices.   A male student, however, complimented yesterday's ensemble as I walked up a wet sidewalk and entered a university building late yesterday morning.  I replied with a smile and a "Thank you!"  Compliments are never necessary, but always nice to hear. On a related note, a couple of my older blue OCBD shirts have, lamentably, bitten the dust in the last few weeks, so I put together an online order for J. Press last night, and figured I'd also treat myself to a couple of additional (and more colorful) shirts from Mercer & Sons while I was at it.  Not exactly cheap, but ...

  A rather quiet day on campus today.  It seems, given the sunny day and the fact that it is Easter Monday -- which school pupils and college students once upon a time long ago had off --  that many students simply took a personal day whether they went home for the weekend, remained in town on campus.  In any case, yours truly is not one to miss a chance to dress up a bit regardless of the day or occasion.   Still chilly despite the sunshine today, so a wool flannel three-piece remains a good choice.  Soft and toasty warm.  We've seen this vintage Polo number many times before.  However, it has been a long while since the necktie has made an appearance as part of any ensemble.  High time to remedy that omission.   I actually wore this tie on my wedding day back in June 2006, and it never fails to bring an added spring to my step when I wear it.  Must do so again before too long since the semester ends in less than a month,...