Yet More J. Press Goodness. . .

Recently arrived, a cotton poplin number courtesy of J. Press! The usual two or three minor alterations are necessary, along with a pressing (pun unintended), but then we're all ready. I might even take it in a suit bag to my upcoming conference in New Orleans at the start of June, to wear during a planned presentation.

Full disclosure here. I do have a beige suit in the rotation already, and have worn it routinely in May-June and August-September, but I have never been quite happy with the fit. Somehow, the coat has always been a little off even after the usual alterations. It's either a Southwick or Samuelsohn oddly, and these usually fit well without too much effort from my tailor. It's puzzling to say the least.

I know. I know. First World problem. Time to donate it, and begin enjoying this one instead. Press items fit well without much attention from the tailor, which is what we're really after, right?

My late father, a stockbroker and corner office guy, in both Philadelphia and Manhattan, had and wore beige or tan suits during the summer months -- and seersucker -- among other warm weather professional attire, so I'm psychologically at ease wearing similar items myself. Even in slovenly 2024.

He was a confirmed Brooks Brothers man, unlike yours truly, while I prefer Press and Southwick although I certainly have a few of the former in the summer and winter rotations. Plus a few Italian- and Swiss-made things with more of a continental cut, or English drape depending on the garment in question.

Dressing presentably needn't be something to which we resign ourselves and avoid except for weddings, funerals, and, ahem, court appearances. I humbly suggest that, on the contrary, it can be an enjoyable pursuit that makes us simply feel good as we walk through the front door to the car and then from the car to the office door, or some version thereof.

As I remark now and then here, the occasional compliment from a passerby, while never necessary, is always delightful to hear and adds a spring to one's step. And that's not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Up North Style. . .

Bad Dad makes a friend. YMP and Bad Dad on the shores of Lake Michigan. Or was that Crystal Lake? The Grand Duchess takes a selfie in her kayak. How NOT to impress the girls sunning themselves along the river. YMP and Bad Dad kayaking on the Platte River headed toward Loon Lake. J ust back from a week in Northern Michigan in a charming and spacious house on the banks of the Betsie River outside of Thompsonville. A largely pleasant seven days despite some challenging episodes with the Young Master, who has picked up some very questionable habits and language from his friends in the 8th Grade during the school year just ended. But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves and contemplated remaining for a few days longer since the house was available. In the end, we decided to return home as planned originally since neither my wife, nor I wanted to spend the remaining days chained to our computers in Zoom meetings from our vacation destination. I actually managed to leave the laptop and ip

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

A sleepy first half of the weekend here at Totleigh. Warmer and quite humid ahead of an approaching cool front here in Mid-Michigan. Perfect for yet another pair of chino shorts an a seersucker shirt -- tucked in of course -- with the usual leather deck shoes and ribbon belt. Otherwise, not much accomplished beyond a page or so of writing and monkeying around with audio settings for an upcoming podcast episode. However, I was not completely useless yesterday! I made a huge fruit salad for dinner, which the Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a short while later at the table on the back porch. The Young Master, as is his wont on Saturday evenings, took his dinner on a tray in the TV room upstairs where he whiled away a couple of hours on Flight Simulator, flying some sort of commercial airliner to some destination across the Atlantic or Pacific. I would have loved that sort of technology at about nine or 10 way back during the late 1970s, aka The Stone Age. As it is, my sister and

Classic Style

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