Classic Style

My newly arrived, custom-made scarf by Ryder and Amies of Cambridge, England in U n iversity of Wisconsin colors: cardinal and white. E very once in a while, we all see something we simply must have.  Such was the case with with this scarf from Ryder and Amies in Great Britain .  I happened on a post mentioning the company's ability to produce a wide array of wool 'school scarves' on Christian Chensvold's Ivy Style website last fall, and made a mental note to check it out, and possibly order a new scarf, in the new year. Well, about two weeks ago, I finally bit the bullet, spent a little while fooling around on the Ryder and Amies website to find a suitable stripe configuration , and made an order, which arrived in the mail just yesterday.  I'm very pleased with the purchase.  A warm, eye-catching, six foot long wool scarf in the colors of my alma mater , the mighty University of Wisconsin-Madison.   Sure, it's not Oxford, Cambridge, or even among...

Q uite cold here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold this Saturday morning.  Down into the single digits Fahrenheit, which is the coldest we have had it here in our part of Lower Michigan so far this winter.  We have also rounded the 100k visitor mark according to my Blogger account settings, and that seems like a nice reason to celebrate, albeit in an understated, quiet way.  So, I thought it might be fun to share a bunch of old illustrations from the 1930s and 40s (the New Yorker skiing cartoon is from the early 50s) that are 'temperaturely' appropriate.  These have been culled from various places on the web by the way.  I hope you enjoy them.  Happy Saturday! -- Heinz-Ulrich

  My look of the Week for the week ending on February 5th.  The upper half of my get-up this last Wednesday.  I don't always think to snap a photograph of my clothes, but the thought actually occurred to me during early morning office hours as I read next week's crime thriller, and I happened to have my I-phone handy and fully charged. S ad news this week.  It seems Billax, the man behind Wearing the Ivy  League Look Since 1958 , has decided to cease writing/publishing his blog due to the annoying activities of a serial plagiarizer, a person who has, apparently, done the same on/in other online fora.  Even more amazing, and if I understand correctly, the offending individual is actually  a journalist of some kind by trade, someone who should know better .  The whole situation is disheartening in the extreme since Billax had interesting things to say and an equally interesting, highly readable, and educated way of presenting them.  His ...

The upper half yesterday morning early.  The jacket is by Southwick and was thrifted for between US$5-7 a year or two ago.  On the bottom, a pair of heavy olive green chinos and the usual L.L. Bean duck shoes over ski socks.  I don't think I've gone so many days in a row without wearing leather dress shoes since my first teaching job up in Minnesota back in 2003-2004. W ell, folks.  The weekend has arrived and with it a cold and low fever.  Darn!  I had looked forward to some idle downtime during the next couple of days , engaging in a few hobby things I enjoy given a planned lull in course work and lesson prep.  But when you crummy , even normally fun things just don't seem like, well, much fun.  Sigh.  Ok.  Time for s omething to nibble on, and then back to bed. -- Heinz-Ulrich

IMPORTANT: Google Friend Connect (GFC) & Blogger follower changes I've noticed that on a couple of days, I've suddenly lost a significant amount of followers on Google Friend Connect (GFC). While you do tend to lose a follower here and there, the sudden loss of this many followers seemed strange to me. Another blogger recently googled to see if GFC was experiencing issues (back in 2011 they phased out GFC for non-blogger sites, so wouldn't be the first time). Apparently, starting the week of January 11th, Google has been slowly adding this requirement:  you now MUST have Google account in order to follow blogs through Google Friend Connect. If you follow blogs with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut, or other Open ID providers, you will lose your subscriptions to blogger blogs via GFC.  Fortunately, if you'd like to continue receiving updates from me, you could do as they suggest and sign up for a Google account and re-follow your blogs.  Thanks! Here'...

The upper half for today early this morning over coffee and the final 75 pages of The Preacher, by Camilla Lackberg, part of my Scandinavian and Nordic Detective Fiction course this semester.   A chilly, raw day today although much of our snow cover has gone here in the southern part of Lower Michigan.  Still cold enough for tweed and sweaters though.  The Donegal Tweed jacket shown above is one I found for about US$5 in a thrift/charity shop about three years ago.  The label inside is virtually all in Irish Gaelic other than the bit about 100% wool.  After the side and back seams were taken in by my old tailor, Mrs. V. back in Central during Fall 2014, it now fits very nicely over a thin sweater like the Land's End number in the photo.  The dark green wool tie is another thrifted item by Bachrach, and the pocket square is the wool one purchased on sale at the start of the month from Put This On . -- Heinz-Ulrich On the bottom, a pair of ...

The upper half this morning.  A thrifted Alan Flusser tweed jacket, sweater and ocbd shirt by L.L. Bean, and a Seiko sim dress watch, which was given to me by good ol' Mom way back on my 36th birthday in the early 2000s.  The necktie was a plain navy wool number. T he new semester has yet to settle down into a dull roar at the start of Week Three, but I had a few moments to sip some fresh dark roast coffee and snap these photographs this morning during office hours before my first class.  The first batch of undergrad papers arrives in just two weeks. . .  Jeeze Louise! -- Heinz-Ulrich An the bottom half, featuring dark green Land's End dress cords, L.L. bean duck shoes, and yet another pair of heavy to-the-knee ski socks.  I'd love to put on a pair of leather dress shoes, really I would, but the snow, slush, and salt has simply been too much.  Fortunately, we already had the requisite bad winter weather footwear before leaving Central Illinois ...

  Here is the view from our driveway down toward the street just before 10:30 this (Friday) morning.  Definitely suburban, but awfully quiet and almost rural.  Works for me. W e're enjoying the winter so far here at Totleigh-in-theWold although there is not yet  quite enough snow for cross-country skiing.  Locals keep remarking to us, though, that this year has been unusual in that there is usually much more snow on the ground by this point.  Still, we've had a few opportunities to fire up the snowblower to clear the driveway before heading in to campus, and we routinely enjoy the fireplace most evenings. This evening, the Grand Duchess and I will play a game or two of Scrabble and enjoy something medicinal by the hearth following the Young Master's bedtime.  I found her a nice bottle of Apricot brandy late this morning for us to sample a bit of, and then perhaps we might follow it with a glass of wine, or some single malt scotch. . .  all...

The upper half today, minus the heavy dark green duffle coat from Scotland.  The necktie is a recently acquired wool number from Bert Pulitzer, C old and snowy here since the official start of the spring semester last Monday.  That has meant a moratorium on polished leather footwear sadly.  In its place, I have relied on LL Bean boots and the duckshoes show below worn with skiing socks.  Obviously, this would not quite work with a suit, so I have wor n nothing but corduroy pants, tweed jackets, ocbd shirts, and the occasional crewneck sweater of one kind or another on really cold days along with wool neckties.  Brogued "longwings" in brown or dark tan would, admittedly, be better on the ol' feet, but I'm not complaining.  How fortunate that the Grand Duchess and I already had the LL Bean footwear in our respective wardrobes though . -- Heinz-Ulrich  And the lower half.  Dark tan leather belt not seen here .  Not m y office rug,...

Two photographs from the New York Times article, showing us how it's done. A very interesting piece on the return of elegance to men and their style in Italy. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A bit of a splurge last week, but I really liked the necktie!  A silk J. Press pheasant tie 'Made in Ireland'. I t's always a nice surprise when you forget that you have things coming in the mail.  Such was the case with these three new items that I purchased last week.  And then immediately forgot about them until they arrived today.  Decadent and disgusting consumerism, yes.  The walking embodiment of a First World problem.   Still, I can't decide whether to wear the tie with a tweed jacket tomorrow when I meet the students in my other two classes this semester, or the blue wool pocket square with a different tie.  The white linen square will be saved for the next time I wear an actual suit.  What a frivolous and vapid popinjay I am! -- Heinz-Ulrich Taking advantage of a clearance sale at Put This On , I picked up this lovely wool pocket square with beautifully hand-rolled edges. And another pocket square on clearance f...

All suited up and rarin' to go.  The Young Master models his skis and Mom's fleece-lined Minnesota "Vern Hat" as she calls it. W hat do you do on a cold, blustery, and snowy January day in Michigan?  Get out into the open of course atop your cross-country skis!  The Young Master and I skied our back and front yards earlier this afternoon during a pause between these mini-systems that are predicted to blow through with light snow all week long.  Who knows?  We might actually have enough on the ground to ski one of our nearby nature reserves next weekend. -- Heinz-Ulrich And he's off!

The upper half this morning includes a newly acquired L.L. Bean navy crewneck sweater in Shetland wool that was purchased on sale worn over a heavy Bass ocbd that I purchased a year or so ago at one of my old thrift/charity store haunts back in Central Illinois. C old with a bit of snow on the ground here in Lower Michigan lately, which provides a good excuse to don an oxfordcloth shirt and a crewneck sweater along with a pair of corduroy jeans. . .  as if one ever needed an excuse to do so.  These kinds of items are my "at home" uniform from October through mid-April each year, although I often substitute either a rugby shirt, or Norwegian sweater on the top as previous photographs here at Classic Style for the Average Guy will attest. Classes begin for the new semester next Monday, so I have been busily updating old course syllabi this week to make the courses and syllabi I developed in my previous position better fit current requirements here at MSU.  Not diffic...

Not my shaving gear, but I liked the photograph just the same.  Truthfully, straight razors are a bit scary for yours truly (I'll stick to my Gillette Atra razor and blades, thank you).  It must be due to the old Brian De Palma film, starring Sir Michael Caine and Angie Dickenson Dressed to Kill (1980), but I do use a shaving mug and brush quite happily. N othing quite like a shower, shave, clean clothes, and a good, strong side part in your hair.  The final week of our Christmas break, and the new semester begins on Monday the 11th.  Unusually, I have managed to get lots of little things accomplished, and it is just 11:57am.  Not even lunch time.  Amazing what you can accomplish when left alone for a few hours and able to focus your mental energies.  Ahhhhhh.  Even if I accomplish nothing else, it has already been a good day.  Men, let's march into the new year with purpose, drive, and greater elegance and everyday style! -- Heinz-Ulr...

An old ad for Ballantine Beer.  I have only witnessed beer consumption this glamorous once, or maybe twice in my life.  Nothing against the beverage itself, and I enjoy the occasional glass with a good brat and saurkraut, but usually, occasions that include beer do not resemble anything close to this idealized scene from 1954. H ow might we easily and effortlessly introduce more elegance and style into our daily lives in 2016 and beyond?  Here are just a few brief suggestions: 1) Instead of sitting around the house in sweat pants, cargo pants, or pajama bottoms most of the time, how about adding a few pairs of corduroy jeans for the winter and a few pairs of khakis (long, or short depending on the season) for the warmer months?  It's not going to kill us to look a bit nicer even when we are behind closed doors.  Let's keep up appearances even if only for ourselves. 2) I'll bang the ol' drum again since this is clearly such a challenge for so many in th...

A vintage magazine advertisement from the mid-1950s.  Surely, there must still be a few groups of male friends who look and behave in as civilized a way when they gather in 2016? H appy New Year!  Let's make 2016 'The Year of Greater Elegance and Style.'  Let's strive to introduce both to a higher degree into our daily personal appearance, behavior, and living spaces.  Even if we are not born into monetary riches, there is no reason we cannot make an honest effort to spruce up ourselves and our surroundings.  As ol' Mom used to tell my sister and I during our formative years, "Do it for yourself, even if or when you are by yourself."  She had a point, ol' Mom did. -- Heinz-Ulrich von B.

  The top this afternoon includes a red and white university stripe ocbd and a gray crewneck Shetland Wool sweater that I bought on clearance from L.L. Bean two or three Januaries ago. W ho says you've got to look like a schlub when hanging around the house on a cold Christmas Week afternoon?  This is what I changed into following a visit to the pediatrician with the Young Master for his yearly check-up midday today.  I wore a tweed jacket and primarily navy plaid tie plus navy dress cords with a crease for that appointment by the way.  I find that medical and dental personnel tend to be less patronizing when you go in looking like you know which way is up.  Know what I mean?  You can always tell by the tone in their voices.  Same thing with airport ticketing agents, security personnel, and airline crews as well as other service providers.  That's reason enough for me to suggest with a perfectly straight face that an adult male above the ag...

Modelling a new rugby jersey, a Christmas present yesterday from the Grand Duchess. T hings are relaxed here at Totleigh-in-the-Wold the day after Christmas. . .  but they are by no means sloppy.  Corduroy jeans and a rugby top are every bit as comfortable as, and a damn site better looking than, ratty sweats and an old t-shirt or hooded sweatshirt.  If you don't dress up a bit better than average for yourself, then at least do it for the others around you. For Christmas Dinner yesterday evening, I wore an ocbd shirt in pale green and white university stripes with a red and white MacDonald tartan wool necktie, a navy double-breasted blazer, a pair of herringbone pants in a mottled brown with black tasseled loafers and black leather belt.  The combo was topped off by a very festive red, navy, silver, and orange paisley silk pocket square that I purchased new several years ago just before Christmas in a downtown Chicago department style close to the annual Chris...

W arm holiday greetings from Classic Style for the Average Guy !  May your Christmas and New Year's Season be understated, stylish, and nonchalant in a classic sense. -- Heinz-Ulrich   All dressed for a casual stroll at a nearby nature center during the mid-afternoon of Christmas Eve 2015.  The shirt beneath the sweater was an L.L. Bean pink and white University Stripe ocbd.

An illustration from a 1950s advertisement for Schweppe's beverages. H ere's a reprise of a piece I wrote and shared last year at this time. . . W ith the 2014 [now 2015] Christmas and Holiday Season already in full swing, it's worth remembering our aim to dress and conduct ourselves better than has become the sad average among so many nominal "men" out there.  Coarse behavior and thoughtlessness seem to be the rule rather than the exception for too many in the second decade of the 21st century.  So, here are two dozen pointers to keep in mind when it comes to our appearance and actions at the various Christmas and holiday gatherings we might attend at this festive time of year.  Come to think of it, much of what follows below is also applicable at home and throughout the rest of the year.  Ready, guys?  Then, strap in and hang on tight, 'cause here we go! 1) Put on a blazer or sports jacket, or, heck, even a suit and tie when you...