Classic Style

B esides the generally seamy situation summed up by the above headline, copied from Yahoo News, does nobody else see a problem with the fact that the 19-year-old pregnant (once again) shooter already had two other children?   I pose that question as an overly educated,  reasonably liberal, yet observant Episcopalian.  Oh, right.  I am white and 'privileged' (the apparent buzzword of the moment) and so must somehow be the source of the problem.  I forgot.  How silly of me.  There truly are no words. -- Heinz-Ulrich

My late grandparents' house, Summer 1983, or '84, between Landis Store and Huffs Church, in District Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. I t's funny what you come across when you aren't looking or it.  This afternoon, I was paging quickly through my physical photo album (Remember those?) looking or something else, when I cam across this picture of my grandparents' house in southeastern Pennsylvania.  I decided to scan it, sharpen it, and fix the colors a little bit.  Here, I spent the vast bulk of my formative years here, between 1973-1991, and it was to this house that my parents brought me a day or two after my birth at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia, now over half a century ago. Doesn't that make me seem old??!! Since I have talked about it so much this place and my grandparents in various posts here at Classic Style , it seemed like a fun idea to share this photograph, the only one I have of their place.  The creek is just behind the ph...

Something tells me ol' Ward Cleaver ( Wally and Beaver's TV dad, played by the late Hugh Beaumont) wouldn't have shown up for a high school graduation, or any other special occasion for that matter, dressed in jeans and a wrinkled, untucked shirt. I t's graduation season once again here in the United States with many families celebrating the end of high school, or college for some pampered and very probably entitled young person about to be catapulted, kicking and screaming, into adulthood.  Many are sharing photographs of these happy events via social media.  Fine and dandy.  But there is a problem.   What, you ask?  Well, for special occasions, you would think that Dad, or the male care-giver in the picture, could be bothered to dress a little better than ratty jeans and some untucked, wrinkled shirt with a cheap windbreaker on top.  Especially when the graduate, Mom, and possibly others in the photographs are clearly dressed.  What?...

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....