Classic Style

The Young Master, his helper Ms. G., and Ol' Dad at school yesterday afternoon. T he Young Master presented two animal 'brochures' on piranhas and anacondas yesterday as part of his class's long-term project on the Brazilian rainforest.  In a word, he was well and truly amazing.  Calm, cool, and collected in his black sweatshirt, bluejeans, and dark tan chukka boots.  More important, YMP exuded confidence, was knowledgeable about his subjects, and he even fielded some questions from listeners, other parents and grand parents in attendance, with minimal prompting.  Easily the most impressive (and fun) school event we have attended.  I am still gushing with fatherly pride this morning.  Wow! -- Heinz-Ulrich

The late Cary Grant -- the master of understated elegance -- looking as calm, cool, and collected as ever in, of all things, a suit.  Imagine that! 2 017, you might recall, is The Year of Accessories here at Classic Style although you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise since I have not discussed them in some little while.  So, it seems like high time to rectify that rather glaring omission on my part.  Accessories can be tricky and even uncomfortable for a lot of guys just getting into kicking up their everyday style several notches.  With that in mind, here are a few tips on navigating the sometimes murky world of  menswear accessorizing. 1) Don't go overboard.  Understated elegance is what you are after.  Too often, when I notice men wearing things like pocket squares, tie bars, etc., they overdo it.  I actually spotted several 30-40 somethings in downtown Minneapolis, during my recent visit to the city, wearing suits with nice l...

The man himself, men's style maven G. Bruce Boyer. H ere is a link to a fascinating recent article on style and so much else, sent my way by a frequent visitor to the Classic Style blog.  You've got to read Dress Up: What We Lost in the Casual Revolution by the inimitable G. Bruce Boyer.  Oh, and thank you 'Old School!'  Much appreciated. -- Heinz-Ulrich von B.

A favorite Laurence Fellows illustration that has appeared before at some point here at Classic Style.  It sums up today's sentiment nicely. I have written as much here before, but it bears repeating.  Personal outlook, behavior, speech, and cultivating a clean, neat appearance are more important than the make of a man's suit, shoes, or the color of his necktie.  ---------- A fter a hefty dose of reality television via hotel cable while in Minneapolis last week, time spent navigating large airports, and observing humanity in a large and rather pricey hotel, to say nothing of the various unsavory news items of the last seven days -- stories like the Ohio man arrested following his drunken tirade at Disney World in Florida, the high school-aged Arkansas couple arrested after their baby (one of four children the two have together) was discovered with more than 100 rat bites on her face and body, plus a whole host other "news" of a similar nature -- I have just ...

P rocrastination!  What a wonderful word on a sunny and almost warm spring day.  Delaying the final batch of undergraduate papers and associated final course grades this early Sunday afternoon with some online jazz, another mug of coffee, and a few Leslie Saalburg illustrations although one or two might be by our old friend Laurence Fellows. Picked up the Belvest and Samuelsohn double-breasted suits from the tailor's yesterday, and they look great after their slight alterations.  A quick trip to the cleaner's tomorrow, and the former will travel with me to Minneapolis for its inaugural outing at the Saturday evening closing banquet (re: overly dry chicken breast) of a conference I am attending during the latter half of this coming week.  The Samuelsohn coat still needs a bit of tinkering to get the vents to hang closed, I think, after trying the suits on again at home with an actual dress shirt, but it looks leagues better than it did two weeks ago. Now, if on...

A visually pleasing old Laurence Fellows (???) illustration from 1937. Y es, it's May 1st everyone.  So, why not celebrate quiet refinement and sophistication with an old-fashioned cocktail party this evening?  No inebriated loud games of beanbag toss, ratty cargo shorts, plumber's crack, ridiculously large stainless steel propane grills, rumbling 4x4s, women's sweatpants with the word 'PINK' splashed across the backside, tramp stamps, or ill-mannered children in sight.  Hey, a guy can dream of gentler times, right?  -- Heinz-Ulrich Another quiet Fellows illustration that is more in keeping with the sort of calm socializing we prefer here at Classic Style. . .  Although such occasions are few and far between in our corner of the world in 2017.  Many in the academic sphere seem to make a conscious and concerted effort to turn up their noses at polite convention.  Oh, the stories I could tell.  Others, even when highly intelligent and ...

T his delightful cotton suit by Belvest arrived here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold yesterday afternoon.  I've wanted to add one to the ol' wardrobe for some time now to augment the linen and seersucker (Yes, I said seersucker!) suits that already come in handy during the warm first few weeks of the autumn semester, which kicks in at the end of August each summer.  Found this one ('Leaf Green' is the color.) on Ebay, new with tags but costing only about 10% of its suggested retail price amazingly enough.  The sad part is, after the usual minor alterations, I'll probably have to wait until the end of the summer for an excuse to wear it.  Watch for a photograph or two at that time. And the point of sharing this news?  Well, first off, not all suits need to be the usual worsted wool in navy, gray, tan, or charcoal.  More casual cotton numbers like this one offer a refreshing alternative during the warmer months, resisting wrikles a bit better than linen (if th...

  The upper half yesterday, featuring a necktie by Brooks Brothers in University of Wisconsin colors. H ad a bit of fun yesterday with what I call my UW Tie.  Sadly, the only neckties I have ever been able to find have had goofy badgers or W's all over them.  Two years ago, though, I came across the Brooks Brothers number pictured above and purchased it.  Given our sunny morning yesterday, it seemed like a nice idea to wind down the semester with some bright red with white repp stripes and a three-button blazer that features heavy brass buttons with the University of Wisconsin seal in the center. If anyone actually got close enough to scrutinize said buttons, and the light went on about the colors on the necktie, it would be clear where my heart truly lies although we are one state to the right of Wisconsin on the map. ------------ In other news, today (Thursday) is my final day of classes for this semester.   Classes end officially tomorrow (Friday)....

A vintage Corbin Glen Plaid silk-wool suit worn with a Ben Silver necktie above. A wonderfully bright, sunny, almost warm day here this morning, so it was the perfect time to break out a lighter suit and a pair of tan shoes, which I moisturized and shined yesterday evening.  It's had to see in the photo below, but a glassy shine is beginning to  form on the toe caps and heel box of this pair.  I use neutral shoe polish by Lincoln along with a horsehair brush and a piece of old nylon stocking to bring up the shine.  This is a trick I learned from a woman in the military via Youtube a few years ago.  I am eager to try Saphir products, though, to see how those work.  Very easy to become obsessive about shoe shining products and techniques, you know! -- Heinz-Ulrich And a recently polished pair of tan Allen Edmonds captoe oxfords below.  The pleated pants have a full break, which I have felt for a few years now veers a little close to sloppy....

Kind of an interesting visual to include with today's post. A lovely, sunny Saturday in late April here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold, and I finally had the chance to take a Belvest 6/2 double-breasted suit and another, by Samuelsohn , into my tailor today for a few minor alterations after a lengthy delay.  Both are items I picked up for a song on Ebay during May of last year.  Perhaps not the best way to acquire wardrobe additions, especially with items like suits where fit is so important, but the prices were such that I couldn't pass 'em up when I came across them .  Since I r emain able to fit things in the 40R or 41R range at the half century mark, purchasing attire like these without the benefit of trying it on first is not too much of a concern .  Not me, but a photo I found online, illustrating how my tailor plans to address the fit of one of my suitcoats althoug he limited to pinning to just the rear side seams. For those things that need some...

W hile a tophat and tails might be a bit much for most of us in 2017, I hope some men, at least, might deign to dress for the occasion on Easter Sunday.  My father and grandfather certainly did when holidays and special events rolled around each year. . .  as did the other men in the extended family up and down the eastern seaboard.   So, put on a suit and necktie -- or at least a sports jacket and odd pants -- with a pressed dress shirt, shined leather dress shoes, and a matching leather belt should you opt to attend either an Easter church service in the morning,  or an Easter dinner later in the day.  Even if your immediate family remains at home, let's remember to mark a special occasion by dressing appropriately before you sit down to the table.   Let's demonstrate that we possess more than an ounce of grooming and sophistication while also setting a good example for the younger male members of the species.   Happy Easter fr...

As above. . .  Another Brooks Brothers odd jacket worn with an L.L. Bean ocbd shirt, Land's End necktie, and a silk pocket square from Put This On that I picked up for peanuts back in January. J ust enough time early this morning to enjoy a cup of fresh coffee at the cafe on the ground floor of our library here at MSU and snap a couple of phone photographs before heading to the office to plow through another stack of student papers before class.  Perhaps today's attire is a bit matchy-matchy, but not offensively so.  I'd certainly repeat this particular combination of items without giving it a second thought.  Just one more example of how an adult male can dress comfortably, yet look pulled together, and all without getting anywhere near a suit. . .  Heaven forbid!  You too can achieve a similar look this without too much trouble. -- Heinz-Ulrich  So below.  Land's End dress chinos, recrafted Allen Edmonds shoes, and Merino wool socks ...

Thinking Spring above.  The jacket is Brooks Brothers, the pocket square is a silk number from Put This On, and the necktie and shirt are Land's End Items that have been in the spring/late summer rotation for at least a dozen years. M anaged to put my cold weather gear in storage on Sunday and rehang the warmer weather items in my wardrobe and a spare closet in the second-floor TV room across the hall.  Most of the tweed, corduroy, and flannel items migrated to a cedar-lined closet that I appropriated in our basement where the female half of the previous occupants of our house kept the wedding dresses she sewed for her clients.  This being Michigan, I kept a couple of warmer, flannel suits within easy reach in case we get another cold spell before the spring semester ends in  a little over two weeks, but it's time for some brighter colors and lighter garments if you ask me since we are heading full speed toward mid-April.   In other news, I'm hom...