Mister Midwester

For the birds (pocket square edition)

2012-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

While I don't run across a lot of newer, designer clothing items during my thrift adventures in the midwest, it seems like I run across more than my fair share of ties with bird motifs. While I haven't hunted in many years, I always grab these items when I see them, and I've taken my pick of the litter, given some to friends, and given some away.

I recently ran across this great pocket square with a duck motif, and of course I had to buy it as well. It's a really nice silk piece with hand-rolled edges and the works. I must admit to not being a very big bird person, and my first thought upon seeing it was, "mallard." After looking at image searches, the red band on the neck is throwing me off, though.

Like a lot of pocket squares, the detail of the print can't really be fully appreciated when in action, but a co-worker of mine showed enough intrigue about it that I happily brought it out of the pocket and showed him the full design. Isn't that sort of what you're hoping for every time you wear a pocket square with something more than a basic pattern?

Style Share return: Pendleton newsboy hat

2012-02-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Another return from January, and not only that, but a first on the site.

You see, this time out this excellent vintage Pendleton newsboy hat was claimed by A.

photo courtesy A

I know even less about women's style than I do about men's (which isn't a great deal), so I can't really offer much, but I have to say that pretty much any woman who can pull off wearing some men's clothing is pretty darn excellent in my book. And seriously, that's a rad turquoise necklace as well.

Thank you to A for participating and adding a bit of variety to the site as well.

Trip to the tailor

2012-02-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

Although I've been lucky (and persistent) enough to find a solid rotation of clothes that fit me well at thrift stores, I've also been known to purchase things that are close, but not quite there. What usually happens is that they stack up in corner of a rack somewhere until I get off my butt and get them altered, and that doesn't always happen immediately.

About nine months ago I made a post with pictures of a sport coat that I picked up that I liked quite a bit. Made entirely of rough silk, the navy/off white herringbone pattern goes with a lot of different combinations, and adds a subtle texture to just about everything. When I put the sport coat on that day, it felt a little bit boxy, and despite getting a nice compliment on it at work, the photos in the aforementioned post made me realize that it needed a bit of work.

After an alteration that I was less-than-flattered with at another tailor, I grabbed a stack of three things and took them to a fellow in town who had been recommended to me by two others. In total, there were three sport coats, two of which I had brought in at the waist, and all three of which had sleeve adjustments.

The aforementioned herringbone sport coat came back, and I immediately felt better when I put it on. I didn't have it aggressively brought-in, as I have a tendency to pop a v-neck sweater on sometimes under just about everything, but the fit is enormously better.

Here they are side-by-side, just for good measure. With the alterations, this coat has gone from an afterthought in the back of my closet to one of my favorites. Considering what I paid for the changes (roughly $35*), I'd say it was worth every penny.

Oh, and yes, those are red suede bucks down there.

*$35 is just an estimate, as my total bill for all three pieces came out to just under $80. This cost was about 60% of what I figured I was going to have to fork over, but when the the tailor that I took them to (an older Greek gentleman with a small paper full of chicken-scratched numbers) told me the price, I happily paid and didn't even ask for price breakdown. Needless to say, he'll be getting a lot more of my future business.

Style Share return: Tyrolean hat

2012-01-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

I'll be back soon with some posts from yours truly, but I've gotten a batch of returns in the past couple days and they'll be hitting the site over the next week or so as well. This time, it's the Tyrolean hat from just earlier this month.

It was claimed by repeat contributor TDP.

photo courtesy TDP

I'll let him give the details on ensemble.

I paired it, completely incongruously, with a Turnbull and Asser silk scarf, vintage navy cashmere overcoat, Lands' end destroyed cream cotton trousers, and Borgioli mahogany captoes. Unseen: Kiton wool grey unstructured glen plaid jacket with subtle pink overcheck, and Pink spread-collar shirt from a downtown italian camiceria.

I am jealous of this get-up, partially because it's been too warm here to even attempt such layering, and partially because I was never able to leave the house wearing this hat myself. :)

As usual, I thank TDP for his return contribution, and for everyone who has played along so far.

Style Share return: Robertson tartan tie

2012-01-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

Another return back from the month of December (which oddly feels like so long ago already).

This time out, it was the Robertson tartan tie (claimed by JHo78), featuring a color palette that includes, but certainly was not limited to the holiday season.

Photo courtesy JHo78

Here's the details, courtesy of JHo78 himself:

I put it together with a white ocbd, a merino sweater and a slightly bluish gray herringbone Harris tweed sportcoat. Down below are dark jeans and my own pair of Florsheim longwings in cigar.

This looks like something straight out of my personal playbook. I'd throw a linen or cotton pocket square in that sport coat just for good measure, but I dig, I dig. Thanks to JHo78 for his contribution back.

Waiting game

2012-01-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

Well over a year ago now, the book True Prep hit the bookshelves. Around the time that it came out, I was sort of interested in purchasing it (especially having somewhat recently found The Official Preppy Handbook), but held off buying it, knowing that my stack of books I'd been meaning to read was somewhere between knee and mid-thigh level when stacked on top of one another.

Fast forward over a year later into the dead of winter and wouldn't you know it, I find a copy peeking at me from the thrift store shelf.

At only $1, this time I couldn't pass it up (especially considering it looked brand-new). Like the predecessor before it, the book is a microscopic look at prep culture and all that it entails, and while I'm sure there's a lot of truth in it, it reads like a giant piss take to me. Definitely worth what I paid for it, but I probably would have felt somewhat burnt had I paid full price.

It wasn't my only find at the same stop, though, as I not only got a really great navy and bright green silk ribbon belt, but an insanely electric linen tie that might best be described as Pantone Warm Red C. It's so summer it's not even funny.

Style Share: January

2012-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you know the routine with Style Share. I offer up some items of clothing and the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said free* item email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site (I'll give you credit for the photo and even link your blog if you have one). There are a few hold-overs and a few newly-offered items. First two items claimed will be sent out.

Really classic-looking Lands' End tie in silver/brown, navy and red.

Pendleton newsboy tweed hat in size large. If this fit me, I would be keeping it for sure. I'm guessing this would best fit a size 6 3/4" to size 7 1/4" or so noggin.

Vintage 50% wool / 50% cotton tartan tie made for Brandeis in the UK. Really lovely in an eye-popping tartan and a fabric mix that gives it a nice heft for fall or winter.

Nice wool trenker (or Tyrolean hat, as Guiseppe, who can show you how to pull this off, refers to it) hat in dark gray wool with a dark green band. I've tried to wear this out of the house about 10 times, but I've been thwarted every time. Someone please take this off my hands and rock it.

Lastly, a very pretty red silk tie with black dots. Made in Italy, this one doesn't feature any other distinguishing tags, but it's very sharp and pops nice in these cold months.

As usual, claim your item in the comments, then email me through the address listed on the site. It's really that simple.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but if you see something you like that doesn't get claimed and you want to trade/purchase it, just email me. I've actually traded for a few items in the past and frankly it's nearly just as fun for me.

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks!

Erring on the wide side

2012-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

If you've spun through the world of men's style lately and run across any advertising in your travels, you've likely noticed that the most popular trends (and ones that have been for awhile now) are skinny lapels and super trim cuts. The show Mad Men has had a large hand in this, but makers like Indochino have seemingly trimmed down their lapels to pencil-thin as well. I own one vintage (50s era) suit and wear it once in awhile, so the trend certainly doesn't bother me (other than the super slim fits, which don't work for me), but I also know that as a whole this infatuation will likely pass in time and things will even out. Trends ebb and flow, but the classics stick around. That's just how it goes.

Recently, I ran across a sport coat with the exact opposite problem; it had massive (and I mean massive) lapels. Fortunately, it had several other things going for it, as not only did it have an interesting pattern that I liked (a multi-color check with crosshatch overlay that looks something like a chunky hounds tooth from a distance), but it was thick as my thumb and 100% wool that oozed texture. My wife had her doubts about it, but I couldn't pass it up, and earlier this week when the temps hit low double digits, I pulled it out and let it ride.

Obviously, this thing isn't for the faint of heart, and although it's dated in terms of cut, I have to admit having a weak spot for it. As mentioned above, I don't really have anything against skinny lapels, and I might as well not be biased against fat ones either.

To play up the texture angle, I paired it with dark green corduroy pants, a smooth merino v-neck, and a shiny silk repp tie and pocket square. The end result is... unique? Perhaps that's a bit too generous and I more closely resemble a fellow stuck in an era that's much closer to my actual birth date than the present time. Either way, I won't apologize too much.

Style Share: An Assessment

2012-01-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

It was just over a year ago that I came up with the idea for Style Share on a whim after going to an estate sale and finding an abundance of treasures, many of which I didn't end up purchasing (and somewhat regretted later). I had lots of different reasons for starting the project, some of which I'll discuss below, as I reflect a bit on the past year of giving stuff away.

My first reason for starting the project was a philanthropic one; I wanted to spread the joy a bit. At the time I came up with the idea, it seemed like I was stumbling upon trove after trove of great stuff, and while there have been months where I've had a hard time coming up with items to give away, most of the time I've found enough great stuff to both add to my own collection and hopefully add interesting items to the collections of others at the same time.

The numbers break down as such:

Number of Style Shares: 11
Number of items given away: 34 (30 ties, 2 shirts, and 2 hats)
Number of returns: 19

Despite an initial desire to open a shop with some of my extra items, I eventually settled on the free idea for a couple reasons. One is simply because nobody else was doing it. A good portion of style blogs on the internet have associated shops (which is nothing against them, as I still may do one), but I wanted to see what the act of giving something away would prompt.

At the same time, for somewhat selfish reasons, I knew that it would be a lot harder for me to generate content on a regular basis with having a child come into my life this past year. In that regard, Style Share was my way of bringing in some crowd-sourced original content for the site when I didn't have my own time to keep it updated regularly. I figured it was sort of a win-win situation. I got content (and in the case of a couple gents who run their own style blogs, so did they), and the recipient got something small out of the deal.

So, what have I learned from it all?

When I first started, I figured that the return percentage (which is at roughly 56% right now) would be a little bit higher, but I guess I can't argue too much with over 50%. People get busy and I know as well as anyone that sometimes it's just kind of hard to stop for a moment to get a decent picture. Frankly, it's not much out of my pocket, and I'm not going to sweat it. All told, the 11 giveaways have probably cost me a couple hundred dollars or so, which . Then again, I've found things like this couch for probably 1/20th (or less) their actual value, so I can't really get too mad.

As always, thanks to everyone who has played along so far. Look for another entry to hit the streets in the next couple days or so...

Style Share return: Liberty of London tie

2012-01-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Another excellent return, this one from December.

This Liberty of London paisley (which I couldn't quite figure out was ancient madder or not) was claimed by JKG.

photo courtesy JKG

Here's a shot that he sent along, with the details, in his words.

The lovely tie (thank you) is matched with a spruce-colored merino vest, a blue-on-blue stripe pattern jacket worn as an odd, and a pale blue shirt which has dark blue, light brown and yellow pinstripes (though the colors are difficult to discern). Below, mid-grey flannels (with an ADG-approved 2" cuff), dark olive socks with a finely-spaced horizontal khaki stripe and lastly, Florsheim Imperial longwings of some vintage, pebble grain cigar and ever-so-slightly too large for my foot.

photo courtesy JKG

And another good detail shot, for good measure. From the description, those shoes sound a lot like a pair that I own. Thanks to JKG for participating.

Unseasonable weather, unseasonable finds

2012-01-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it's like in your part of the country, but it is downright weird in my neck of the woods. The temperatures have been hovering about 35 degrees above normal on a consistent basis for most of the winter, and we recently hit 70. Part of me is wondering if the average temperature this summer is going to be something like 115, and the other part of me thinks that it won't be too long before we're socked with more than a foot of snow.

And really, both could happen. That's just how strange things have been. Nightly jogs clad in track pants and t-shirts and early January work days in light sport coats and pants. Heck, today I had to remove a thin v-neck sweater from my layering simply because it became too hot. I've been tempted to break out some seersucker or madras just to be a smart-ass, but I figure that would be tempting fate just a bit too much.

I guess it should figure that I'd run across this selection of ties during this warm blast. I have a couple go-to madras ties in my collection, but I can always use a couple more (especially one that's so based around the color pink) and the selection of light stripe ties completely fills an empty hole. The tie second-from-right is particularly unique, as it mixes stripes of smooth, refined silk with thin bands of raw blue silk, creating something that on first glance looks a bit like an error, but on second creates a subtle touch of texture (and in fact, I'll probably have to feature it in a future installment of Tags and Textures).

Here's hoping you're not stuck in a snowdrift. Meanwhile, I'm trying to soak up enough vitamin D for two people while this lasts.

2011 in review

2012-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

As I did last year, I've decided to devote an entire post to my favorite finds and posts from the past 12 months. Not only is it fun for me to go back and look at what I've written in that time, but for newer readers to the site, it serves as a good entry point to find what are hopefully some of the more interesting entries.

Favorite find (sport coat): This would probably be a tie between this vintage cotton velveteen sport coat (which can been seen a little better here or here) and a beautiful glen plaid sport coat that I never managed to get photos of. I will remedy that situation as soon as the weather cooperates.

Favorite find (sweater): Okay, so I won it in a contest, but this amazing Pendleton sweater (which is one-of-a-kind) made my day, and has gotten a lot of use. So. comfortable.

Favorite find (pants): It's taken colder temps, but I've been wearing the heck out of these great black and white wool herringbone trousers.

Favorite find (shoes): Pretty much a bust year for finding anything decent in my size, and therefore my favorite pair also defaults to the vintage Johnston & Murphy captoe oxfords pictured above. They're made very well and I'd actually put them on a par with the Allen Edmonds that I've owned.

Favorite find (ties): I picked up a lot of interesting ties throughout the year (and gave some of them away), but the best single stop find of the year had to be this tie bonanza, which hooked me up with 5 Brooks Brothers and a bunch of other great stuff in one swoop.

Favorite find (accessories): Sure, they're nothing amazing, but these vintage cotton handkerchiefs have gotten tons of use since finding them.

Favorite find (furniture): This one is a no-brainer. My wife and I were looking for a couch, and serendipity called, placing this amazing vintage piece in front of us for just slighty more than a Benjamin.

Favorite non-clothing-related post: Duh. Although, this post about my wife makes me smile every time I read it.

Favorite style-related post: In terms of photos and overall look, I feel like this wedding outfit and this brown, blue, and red combo were some of my best.

Most interesting string of events: Behold, the power of the internet! This post summarizes a trip that an article of clothing went on across the country.

Favorite series of posts: For the second year running, this one goes to Style Share. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I again thank everyone who has participated. A runner-up might be Yay or Nay which has gotten some great responses and inspired some fun discussion.

Most commented-on post: This post about a crazy patchwork jacket was one of the aforementioned Yay or Nay posts, and it took on a life of it's own awhile after I posted it. After a bit of spirited discussion, everyone seemed to agree to disagree and it settled down.

As I mentioned the previous year, I'm certainly no style expert, and while their are certainly posts that could be deleted in order to save some face, I prefer to keep everything as a living document of the process. Along the way, I just try to have some fun, learn some things, and meet some nice people in the process. 2011 was no different and hopefully 2012 will be more of the same.

Style Share return: Brooks Brothers tie

2011-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Another Style Share return, this one from November.

This one was a repeat contributor, as TDP had claimed another Brooks Brothers tie from a couple months ago.

photo courtesy TDP

He paired it with a navy double-breasted Brioni sport coat, and on a date no less.

One of things that I like about this whole series of posts is that not only is someone giving an entirely new life to an article of clothing, but the pieces that I've sent out have been worn for work, research, play, and even a lunch date with the family. Not too shabby at all. As always, many thanks to everyone who has participated.

Style Share: December

2011-12-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm trying something slightly different this month with Style Share, and I've arrived at this idea after reading comments from some regulars on the site. For the first week after posting (up until Dec. 28th), the items in this months entry will only be available to those who have commented on this site under posts other than Style Share. So, if you've commented on different entries in the past (I'm thinking of folks like Mr. Readerston, JH078, JKG, YankeeWhiskeyPapa, MarcoBerlin, and others) but haven't been quite quick enough on the draw, this one goes out to you...

As with other entries, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three items claimed will be sent out.

Unclaimed from last month, this lovely tartan tie features some great colors. Goes with just about anything.

Lands' End tie in silver/brown, navy and red. Wintry mix.

Liberty of London paisley in amazing colors. Might be madder. Either way, it's gorgeous.

Pendleton newsboy tweed hat in size large. If this fit me, I would be keeping it for sure.

One of the coolest hats I've seen in the past year. Vintage two-tone driving cap in gray-flecked tweed and black cotton velveteen. Insane.

Best for last? If this chocolate corduroy Dunn & Co jacket fits you, you should be able to slay the town. Side-vented. I think it's a 42l, but check following measurements to make sure it fits you. Shoulders (seam to seam across back): 18"; Sleeves (outseam): 25.5"; Chest (armpit to armpit across front): 20.5"; Length (base of collar to bottom): 31"

As usual, claim your item in the comments, then email me through the address listed on the site.

Style Share return: Polo Ralph Lauren tie

2011-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in previous posts, I've gotten several Style Share returns back lately, and so I'll try to get them all featured in fairly short order.

This nice little green and off-white Polo Ralph Lauren tie was offered up in November, and The Cable Knit Charlestonian snagged it.

photos courtesy The Cable Knit Charlestonian

He sent a couple photos back, with details on the details...

Polo Ralph Lauren reversible herringbone/Gordon tartan scarf.
Vintage Chaps Ralph Lauren houndstooth plaid blazer.
Merona marled cotton cardigan.
Polo Ralph Lauren oxford.
Polo Ralph Lauren tie.
Agave jeans.
Club Room socks.
Vintage Florsheim Imperial saddle shoes.

I'm especially digging the reversible scarf, but the whole outfit looks insanely warm and nicely-layered. Many thanks to Scott (and everyone else who has participated so far).

P.S. The Cable Knit Charlestonian is running a fun contest on his site right now, so swing by if you dare rock a crazy holiday sweater.

Bad news and good news

2011-12-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Bad news: Having symptoms that seem directly related to serious maladies suffered by relatives in the past and going through several bouts of testing to find out what the issues are.

Good news: Going through those rounds of tests only to finally find out that nothing is, in fact, wrong with you. Sometimes bodily issues that are indeed minor manifest themselves in ways nearly identical to stuff that keeps ones mind distracted and a bit distant. In this case, anticlimactic is a good thing.

Bad news and good news are never that great to get together, but I suppose if I have to get them, I'd certainly prefer to receive them in that order.

At any rate, December is now half over and despite the cold I'm feeling a bit rejuvenated. Haven't posted in ages, but hopefully updates will come more regularly now, including another Style Share return and one more Style Share for the year in the near future.

My favorite red scarf (sadly starting to show signs of age) has been making regular appearances, and the weather has been oddly un-winterlike. At worst, a v-neck sweater under a sport coat or suit will be enough for warmth, and sometimes I can even peel back to a sweater vest (like today).

The details on everything are unspectacular in terms of name value, but I love how everything works together. Vintage Lands' End tie (Charter Collection!), Brooks Bros OCBD, Lord Jeff wool sweater vest, Pendleton scarf, and a Kenneth Cole (wha?) jacket that fits like a charm. Down below, and not pictured, were dark brown chinos and some beater penny loafers (perfect for days when wet roads, salt and gravel melt threaten the soles of nicer shoes).

Wishing you nothing but good news and good health for the holidays. I think I'll reiterate that a couple more times on here just for good measure.

Style Share return - vintage Robert Talbott

2011-12-04T20:23:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I've gotten a bunch of Style Share returns lately, and this one dates back to the fair month of October, when it was much warmer round these parts.

This vintage Robert Talbott tie (with embroidered ducks!) was claimed by Eric, who sent back the following pictures.

photo courtesy Eric

Upping the ante, Eric sent not only a detail, but a full body shot with shoes and socks and the whole kit and kaboodle. Great glen plaid jacket with a white OCBD, some charcoal pants and brogued oxfords of some sort. Great stuff, all around.

Thanks to Eric for the pictures. As with all the Style Shares, I hope he and everyone else who has participated gets many great wears out of the items they received.

Woolen weather

2011-12-02T20:45:00.001-08:00

After an incredibly long fall, the temperatures finally fell a bit here this week, and unless the predictions are wildly off-the-mark, we'll have at least a bit of snowfall in the next couple days. I'd actually done the ceremonial closet-flip a couple weeks back (moving light pants and short sleeve shirts to storage while hefting out the heavy sport coats and wool pants), but hadn't gotten to actually wear much of anything due to the unseasonable temps.

This week, though, I piled wool on wool on cashmere on wool and stayed warm even when the wind picked up late in the day. Apologies on the photos, but it has also reached that time of year when it's dark when leaving for work in the morning and nearly dark when arriving home. Natural lighting is hard to come by except on the weekends.

Up top, a dark gray Polo University Club jacket, a Lands' End button-down with a vintage cashmere Lyle and Scott sweater vest and a rad wool knit tie courtesy of a trade with Kleidsam back in the day.

Told you that tie was cool. I thought I needed a close up.

Down below, I paired some older (made in the U.S.A.) Johnston & Murphy cap toe oxfords and some wool herringbone pants. The pants are actually made by Gap, and like a couple other older pairs that I own, are of surprisingly good quality. Nobody is going to mistake them for Paul Stuarts, but for $3.99 they'll more than suffice.

Style Share return: Polo tie

2011-11-27T19:58:00.001-08:00

After a bit of a lull, I've had a load of Style Share returns lately, including the following entry. This one goes back a couple months, to the fair month of September.

This classic Polo tie was claimed by Prinz Ulrich von Boffke, who runs a couple interesting niche blogs of his own, and who layered this one up right.

photos courtesy Prinz Ulrich von Boffke

On a lovely fall day, the tie absolutely pops with a dark suit, a contrast collar shirt, and a super rad tweed overcoat. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that I was really jealous of his leather briefcase bag.

Thanks again, PUvB, for your photos, and for everyone else who has played along and participated in my little attempt at spreading some style.

Style Share: November

2011-11-20T20:20:00.001-08:00

A huge, special shout out to my good friend Ryan, who donated the rad tartan ties below to Style Share for this month. He had a surplus and decided to spread the love. How's that for getting into the spirit?

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three ties claimed will be sent out.

Brooks Brothers tie a nice navy / baby blue / cream pattern. Play it up, play it down.

Polo tie in emerald and off-white. Kind of a slubby, rough silk and perfect for fall. Goes just as well with a suit, a loden coat, or a Barbour. Versatile.

Lovely tartan in red, blue, and dark green with a hint of gold. Straight-up lovely and perfect for the holiday seasons.

Another tartan tie in somewhat similar colors, maybe just a little more understated. Goes with just about anything.

Tie Rack Tie for Leonardo Strelli in a lovely, repeating inverted flower motif. Kinda deco, classy, and playful all in one.

As usual, claim your item in the comments, then email me through the address listed on the site. Happy hunting.

Non-Discrimination Policy

2011-11-16T20:49:00.001-08:00

If you're a thrifter who seeks menswear accessories on a regular basis, you probably already know that one of the best places to find certain items is actually in the women's accessory area. I personally scan through scarves and silk shawls and squares just about every trip out, as there's often something great to be found. In fact, I've run across both of the ascots that I own this way (and passed on several others), and have found a lot of great pocket squares by digging through mounds of polyester discards as well.

Really, though, I'm not super picky when it comes to pocket squares, and even use women's scarves on occasion. I have a couple smaller vintage Vera pieces that pop with color and fit into my breast pocket nicely, and I've even previously posted about a souvenir scarf that sometimes pokes a corner out of my pocket.

It's a good thing I don't discriminate, either, because otherwise I probably would have passed on the following vintage cotton ladies handkerchiefs.

A couple with organic colors and flower prints.

A couple more with brighter colors, and more flowers.

A simple, purple handkerchief, with the most glorious worn texture.

At 13 by 13 inches, they're exactly the sizes they need to be, and depending on whether I'm feeling simple or want a bit more dash of pattern, I can let nothing but block colors and lines peek out, or more of the flowery prints. I've already worn a couple on separate occasions and their lovely colors and unique texture make them new favorites in the collection.

Style Share return - Brooks Brothers tie

2011-11-10T19:58:00.001-08:00

Continuing a nice string of recent Style Share returns, another photo hit my inbox recently.

This one courtesy of Mason, who snagged the above tie from the August edition.

Although I mentioned in my original post that I thought it was a fairly conservative print, he paired it up with a really cool, dark Glen Plaid jacket and a pink Brooks Brothers OCBD to set it off a bit. Shows you how much I know.

Thanks again for the return, Mason, and for everyone who has participated so far. Another installment will be arriving this month yet at an unspecified day and time. :)

Layers and textures and fading rays

2011-11-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

After an incredibly extended late summer and mild fall, we've gotten our first few tastes of actual winter here lately. One day, it was so overcast that it was still dark when I arrived into work, and another found rain turning into sleet and snow. Although long winters tend to make me feel a bit cuckoo, I have to admit feeling a bit invigorated when those days with a real crisp chill in the air finally arrive.

It's been enough of a change that I finally hauled my winter bins out of the basement and stashed all my summer garb for hibernation. In doing so, I was not only excited by things I hadn't seen in months, but items I'd picked up in the off season and had yet to wear. The act of layering for fall and winter always makes for much more exciting possibilities (for me, anyway) when it comes to texture and patterns.

With one of my first real cold-weather outfits, I perhaps went a bit overboard. Here, I paired a tartan tie with my trusty herringbone tweed jacket, a red cable-knit v-neck sweater, and a brick and gold pocket square. Oh yeah, and some cream-colored corduroy pants.

Hey, at least the shirt is a solid color, and yes, I did mean to leave the button-down collars flicked out like that. It was close to Halloween and I thought they looked like vampire teeth, so gimme a break.

Just kidding, actually I really like how they visually flow with the neck of the sweater, as well as mimic the natural "V" pattern of the herringbone. It most definitely leans towards sprezzatura, but it felt right to me for the aforementioned reasons.

Style Share return - Pendleton tie

2011-10-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

I guess I just had to silently get grumpy to myself about not receiving any Style Share returns in quite awhile, because after TDP offered up a nice picture of him with the Brooks Brothers tie from October, another return hit my inbox late last week.

This time, it was Jason, also from last month, who claimed the thick Pendleton tie pictured above.

photo courtesy Jason

As stated in his email, Jason paired it up with a Gant Rugger ocbd, vintage Lands' End jacket, and green Rugby cords. Tons of great fall colors all working together well.

photo courtesy Jason

He even sent along a second shot showing the details (and left me curious about the footwear as well). Thanks again for participating, Jason!

Out with the old and in with the slightly less old

2011-10-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this evening, my wife and I finally got rid of the piece of furniture that we'd owned for nearly as long as we've known each other. Way back when we first met, a mutual friend of ours was getting rid of said piece of furniture (which she herself had bought used!), and my wife snagged it for her small apartment as a way to save a bit of money. Later, it moved with us to our rental house, then finally the house that we bought, where it lived for years and years as we slowly purchased nicer pieces to surround it with. It was one of those pieces that was comfortable as hell, but frankly was starting to really show its age. It had a few ink spots from a dropped marker, the fabric was starting to show wear in multiple spots, and one of the cushions was permanently flipped upside-down after one of our dogs found a small tear in the covering and decided to perform crude surgery on it (see below).

We'd talked about paying to have someone re-cover it, but ultimately decided against it due to the cost involved and the fact that a new upholstery job simply wouldn't mask some of the larger issues. In the meantime, it's just been sitting there as we kept our eyes out for something interesting at a reasonable price. Fortunately, our patience (or indecision) paid off, and we ran across this insanely beautiful couch this past weekend.

Made by Patrician (who apparently cater more specifically to the corporate, healthcare and government markets), it's a very well-constructed sofa in the mid century modern style, running a full 7+ feet in length. It has a chrome frame, naugahyde cover, and it looks like it's barely been used. I have no idea what this sort of thing would cost new (even back in the late 60s or early 70s when it was likely made), and even though we needed some help from family who own a van in getting it home, I think it was well worth the c-note we spent on it.

Style Share return - Brooks Brothers tie

2011-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Has it really been over 4 months since a Style Share return? Sadly, it has.

Fortunately, TDP got back to me with his contribution after snagging the above Brooks Brothers tie earlier this month.

photo courtesy TDP

Rocking the trad look, he paired it up with a lovely tweed jacket from the Andover shop (thrifted, what a score!), and a white Brooks Brothers button-down shirt. I'm betting that the tie blended in perfectly with the fall leaves in his locale as well.

Thanks TDP, for sending the photo in. There will be another Style Share next month sometime (the 10th edition), so stay tuned.

Pinwheel in the pocket

2011-10-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Although I've built a fairly large and vast collection of tie over my years of thrifting and hunting around, one area that I'm still trying to round out a little more are different accessories. I've managed to put together a wide array of very cool belts, and because I don't wear them very often (or frankly, find them very often), I've only purchased a couple very nice ascots over the years. I've managed to put together a small, but solid rotation of pocket squares, but like ties, I'm always on the hunt for something nice.

A couple weeks ago, I ran across this lovely silk piece with hand-rolled edges and a starburst pattern featuring eight different colors and a border and center dot of black. It may seem sort of gimmicky, but other than the obvious nice quality, one of the things I really love about it is its versatility. I've worn it 3 times already, with 3 completely different colored outfits, and based on the way I let it flow, I can work a nice number of color combinations. One day, there were two shades of blue peeking out, and another it was olive and taupe.

Today, I plucked a bit of the burgundy and a small wedge of the silver side (without being too fussy about it, of course) to go with a subdued outfit of color-flecked gray Pendleton sport coat, a merlot-colored merino sweater vest, and a chunky wool fair-isle tie from Lands' End. It's a fairly simple pattern, but darn if it hasn't been a go-to in the past couple weeks.

As if you couldn't tell, the weather is getting colder here, and it's officially into my favorite season in terms of wardrobe. It's also nearing the end of October, and you know what that means...

Halloween officially becomes fun again when you have a child to dress up, and Matilda (who's almost six months!) is shown here in her penguin outfit with a pumpkin we grew in our garden. She's still too little to trick or treat, but that's no excuse to not be festive, right?

Style Share - October

2011-10-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's everyone's favorite time of the month! Although you may have thought I'd discontinued it, Style Share is here and not going anywhere (for now at least). As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three ties claimed will be sent out.

Vintage Brooks Brothers with a great, softened geometric print, amazingly unclaimed from last month. Cream, teal and purple coloring to jut at a right angle from too conservative.

Yet another Brooks Brothers unclaimed from last month, this one is in perfect fall colors. Burgundy, gold, and green; what could be better?

Vintage Robert Talbott tie in burgundy with an embroidered duck motif. I know that duck hunting season started last month in a lot of states in our fair country, but it's not too late to own this one.

Pendleton tie in super thick wool in deep, dark fall colors. Pair it with a tweed, pair it with a dark suit or wear it with jeans, it will work with just about anything.

As always, claim your item in the comments, then shoot me an email to let me know your address so I can get you your tie.

Golden leaves and gold buttons

2011-10-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have been kind of a haze around here, in some ways rather literally. Just about the time we had a weekend all planned for ourselves to get a lot of things done, a flu bug swooped through our household and basically wiped out my wife and I for a couple days each, somehow sparing the youngest one in the household. Everything got put on hold for a week or so, but we're hopefully out of the woods again now and ready to slip into a new steady schedule.

A couple weeks ago I made a post about a jacket that had circuitously found its way into a friends hands, and how I had then met him in person for dinner and he extended the favor of a jacket to me. The lighter, vintage black Gant jacket has made several appearances since then, as it's just about the perfect weight for days that start out on the cool side then warm up to indian-summer temperatures. Today was yet another one of those days, and after seeing more leaves than usual coming down this week, I decided to play off the gold buttons of the sport coat with a gold silk knit tie from a haul back in May.

As mentioned above, the jacket is actually black, but when paired with blues actually sort of takes on some of their coloring and looks closer to the very traditional navy blazer. I picked a shirt with a faint pattern that played with the boxy weave of the tie and yet another square pattern in the pocket square.

Below, I went with gray chinos (the spray-starched lines of which were completely obliterated at the end of the day when this pic was taken) and black wingtips. Fairly understated as a whole, but with just a few little hints of color.

YWP, thanks again for the jacket, and good eyeball on the sizing. As you can see, it fits quite well, even without alterations.

Here and back again

2011-09-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Almost three months ago now, I made a post about a rather insane sport coat that had lived in our household for a great deal of time despite not fitting me or anyone else I immediately knew. I figured that someone would try to claim it in the comments, and was surprised when nobody did.

About a month after I originally made the post, though, Giuseppe of An Affordable Wardrobe dropped in and staked his claim. He was not only one of the inspirations for me starting my own blog, but someone I really look up to in terms of style, so the decision was an easy one; I sent it on its way immediately and hoped that at some point he'd make a post with him wearing it and I could find comfort knowing that it went to someone would get some use out of it.

As it turned out, the coat didn't fit him and no alterations could change that. Being the good chap that he is, he passed it along to Yankee Whiskey Papa, another fellow blogger that I had exchanged pleasantries with and who has on multiple occasions participated in Style Share and produced winning returns each time. Needless to say, I was excited, especially since he actually spends time on sailboats.

Over a month ago, he sent me back these pictures of the coat in action, and they got buried in my inbox until I remembered them this week*. As YWP tells it...

I wore it with signal-orange pants, red pocket-square, and striped scarf, all nods to the colors of sailing.

Needless to say, he knocked it out, and I'm glad it has found a new life being worn and enjoyed instead of hanging on a hanger.

* I was reminded of the photos because I had the fortune of hanging out with YWP earlier this week. Not only did we have a delicious meal, but were fortunate enough to enjoy it outside on one of the nicest days of the year. Much good discussion was had and he even hooked me up with an excellent, older lightweight navy Gant SC in my size. Brass buttons and all. Thanks again for the curry, conversation, and coat, YWP.

Casual Friday

2011-09-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

I work in an environment that doesn't necessarily require that I wear a tie most days, but I've made a habit of it over the years and my co-workers somewhat independently (and somewhat possibly partially influenced) have largely followed suit. I have interactions with a lot of different people from a rather vast strata of pay grades, and while I certainly can't make any real claims that dressing nicer has helped said interactions, I really do think it helps.

While I certainly wouldn't consider our department a bunch of sartorially obsessed folks, it's certainly noticed (and commented on) when someone is really rocking it, and like the virtual giveaways in Style Share, I've hooked up everyone in the office with ties and other random stuff that I've come across that I think they'd like.

That said, sometimes they've given me a bit of good-natured ribbing when I wear something a little bit more daring, and I'm fine with that. It's never been mean-spirited, and heck, I probably deserve it... Yesterday, I wore an ascot, and even though I knew I'd probably catch a few comments for it, I didn't expect them to start passing photoshopped images around the office near the end of Friday afternoon...

Instead of being offended, I found it hilarious, and while a lot of them are definitely insider-baseball in terms of massive geek-speak, I was flattered that they tried to make me into an internet meme.

Black and Blue

2011-09-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

It's been that kind of summer. On top of welcoming a child into our lives, things have just been incredibly busy in every way. Work is slammed busy, which is certainly not bad considering the alternative, and most nights I come home and either don't have the time or simply forget to take a picture of anything I'm wearing. I'm under no delusions that anyone is coming to this site for fashion advice, but the little part of me that isn't incredibly self conscious started this blog to try and document me developing my own personal style.

It's just starting to creep into my favorite season now, with slightly cooler temperatures that are more befitting tweeds and slightly more layering, which my wardrobe in general is more suited for (although I've certainly built up my warm-weather garments over the years). Today, there was just enough chill in the air to finally break out my vintage velveteen jacket, and I kept it fairly conservative with a few pops of color.

For some reason or another, my camera didn't want to cooperate on the full-body shots, so this is a rather poor representation of my outfit, which consisted of aforementioned jacket, a pair of navy blue Lands' End pants, a blue/white university stripe oxford, and a super-chubby wool tie. Burgundy penny-loafers cap my feet.

As I mentioned above, I tried to keep things fairly conservative in terms of overall colors (with only really 4 represented in total with black, blue, red, and white), yet really set things apart with texture. The smooth, soft jacket was in definite contrast to the bright, sharp edges of the pocket square, with the thick wool tie (in somewhat similar colors) tying back into the pants, shirt, and square. I know that matching pocket square with tie is a rather major faux pas (one that I've been guilty of on more than one occasion), but with the drastically different textures between the two, I felt like I could get away with it here.

*Shrugs*

I'm going to get back to a normal posting schedule here soon, I think.

Style Share - September

2011-09-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

If you've been following this blog for more than a month, you know the routine. If not, please peruse some previous entries to get an idea what this is about. As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three ties claimed will be sent out.

Enough of my blabbing, onward to the goods!

Dark brown Brooks Brothers with white diagonal grid. Simple and solid. Somehow unclaimed from last month. Offering it up one more time.

Birds and berries motif on a beautiful Bernard Weatherill House of Windsor tie.

Vintage Brooks Brothers with a great, softened geometric print. Cream, teal and purple coloring to jut at a right angle from too conservative.

Classic Polo Ralph Lauren horsey motif tie. This one has more than a hint of purple in it (the picture probably doesn't properly show this), and it's great.

Another Brooks Brothers, this on in a seriously classic color scheme that's perfect for fall colors. Burgundy, gold, and green; what could be better?

As always, claim your item in the comments, then shoot me an email to let me know your address so I can get you your tie.

Fading rays

2011-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

It finally seems like the tail-end of summer here, and while there's just a smidgen of chill in the morning air, it's still warming up during the daytime hours. The result is what might be my favorite season of the year. Evening walks are a must, and I often find myself veering just a bit off-course when strolling to and from meetings during the workday. It's not full-on fall clothing season yet, so I'm mostly getting a final few wears out of my lighter stuff before it goes away for a couple months. Today, it was a khaki-colored lightweight wool jacket with a faint blue windowpane, a vintage Gucci tie and a striped button-down with blue, navy, and green.

A minimal tie clip just for a bit of separation and an older cotton pocket square with a pattern that I like peeking out of the pocket.

Down below, I went with some cream-colored chinos and my vintage Florsheim wingtips.

They're the v-cleat style and click when I walk on pavement and/or tiles. At first I found it quite annoying, but now I just have to imagine myself as a racehorse or something. Although I will know it will mean winter is just around the corner, I'm kind of giddy about the thought of pulling some tweed out of storage and adding it to the daily rotation.

p.s. new Style Share coming Thursday night (approx. 9:30 p.m. CST). Brooks Brothers and Polo ties are just a few of what will be available.

In defense of brown

2011-09-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple years, I've gotten the distinct impression that in many corners of the internet where men's style is discussed seriously by gentlemen (who have many hours of the day to spend on the subject and many thousands of posts to their names to prove it), the color brown is regarded as little more than the color of peasants and the khaki-wearing masses. In this current era where super-thin lapels and Mad Men styling is all the rage, it's gotten even more of a bad rap.

Now granted, I love color and I've learned to embrace it more and more over the years, but I will never be one of those fellows who holds a grudge against brown. It's always a solid base to build upon, and while I may be inadvertently flaunting just how out-of-touch I am, I'd have to say that in some permutation it probably makes an appearance in my clothing choices roughly 3-4 days out of the week.

As mentioned above, it's a solid base to build upon, and depending on ones mood, it can be ultra-conservative or actually play off even brighter colors in a way that I think works surprisingly well.

Here, I paired a micro-hounds tooth jacket (actually, the upper half of a suit) with some brown chinos. Up top is where I let the colors play a little more, with a light blue gingham shirt, an eye-popping red linen tie and a red, white and blue pocket square (this one, actually). Sure, it's nothing that will get me called out for being a peacock, but I'd also argue that it's not completely boring either.

I'm mad, you're mad, we're all mad for madras

2011-08-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

With unseasonably warm temps hanging around these parts lately, I've made it a point to wear madras on just about every occasion that I can. Soon enough, it will be time to relegate them to the lesser-worn area and break out the tweeds, but for now it's been a steady diet of soft-faded plaids in beautiful colors.

This particular tie is yet another from my recent tie bonanza haul and interestingly enough it still has the original paper price tag still attached to the inside of the tail.

It's a bit on the skinny side (probably 2.25 - 2.5 inches wide) and has an original department store (from a local, now-closed high-end place) price of $10.00, so I'm guessing it hails from the sixties or so.

Seeing the price on the tag actually made me chuckle a bit, as I haven't paid that much for a tie since I bought a new one in college in a specific color that I absolutely thought I needed at the time. Since then, it's been all thrift-store and garage-sale finds, and despite paying between $1-4 dollars for every single tie since that time, I've amassed what I would say is a rather solid collection.

Sure, I lust after new Drakes ties and would even like to grab a nice seven-fold someday, but in the past two months especially I've been reminded that ultimately ties are just skinny pieces of fabric that you tie around your neck. In that time, I've lost one for good when a cup of coffee spilled the wrong way and have had just about every tie I've worn in that time grabbed at (and sometimes pulled) by a four-month old. Ties are meant for wearing, and if I happen to lose a couple every once in awhile, then I certainly won't cry too long knowing I dropped less than an Abraham Lincoln on one.

I probably wouldn't have quite the same reaction if a coffee had tanked all over a juicy Kiton.

Weekend WTF: Vintage pajamas

2011-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Although I would certainly never be accused of being a peacock about 99% of the time, I'll admit to having a fair share of kitsch hanging around in my closet and storage areas. Sometimes, you see an item and despite not being sure when you'll wear it, you buy it anyway and hope for the best.

My wife ran across such an item just last week (during a local dollar-day thrift blowout), a rather hilarious vintage (likely 50s or so) men's pajamas top with a really great print

100% cotton and sanforized, this particular top has probably been washed dozens of times and is soft as the softest flannel sheet. A person crazier than myself might try wearing it outside the house just to cause a stir, but I'm guessing it will be little more than a really comfortable shell for my nighttime wind-down as it begins to cool in the approach to fall.

Here's a detail of the great print, including the dapper couple "You-Me," which unfortunately doesn't depict the correct hair color for my wife. Oh well, it's not like I'm going to wear it in public anyway.

Style Share - August

2011-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Style Share, so I figured I should break out some pretty decent stuff and offer it up this go-around. After a long drought, I've had a pretty good run lately and figured I should share the wealth and try to keep it going.

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three ties claimed will be sent out.

First up is a sort of foulard print from Brooks Brothers with a conservative black base and some nice little hints of maroon and green.

Dark brown Brooks Brothers with white diagonal grid. Simple and solid.

Okay, so this one is a bit crazy, but I will give a bow to someone who can pull this one off with style. Pigs. In. Freaking. Hats. And. Bowties.

Seriously one of the thickest, juiciest silks I've held in awhile, this vintage forest green Sulka should tie a power knot and hang with force.

On the other side of the spectrum is this lovely little light dot pattern tie from Polo Ralph Lauren. There's still a little bit of summer left, and this one would accompany it well.

As always, claim your item in the comments, then shoot me an email to let me know your address so I can get you your tie

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks!

Tie bonanza: The continuing saga

2011-08-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've made several previous posts about finding loads of great ties in a single score, and after a long drought of nearly a year, I recently stumbled upon another amazing batch of cravats. I haven't been out thrifting as much as usual lately, so the find (which was actually hidden below a pile of unsavory polyester numbers) was even more exciting. Oh, and they were just $2 apiece, for those keeping score at home.

This first pile is my favorite of the pile of Brooks Brothers ties that I snagged. I've been looking for the whale motif for awhile, and while it needs a bit of a steam, I was happy to find it. The vintage BB tie with Santa Claus was a bonus, and the two repp stripe pieces will become staples.

These are my favorites from the rest of the stash, and represent some of the better textures that are now housed in my tie collection in general. I couldn't go wrong with another Lochcarron tartan, and the Donegal tweed is such a thick, luscious tie that I about drooled on it when I found it (same with the vintage Viyella). The Weatherill was a brand I'd never heard of, but is of very nice quality. The final Brooks Brothers is just icing on the cake.

In several places above, I hinted at even more ties, and they will be featured in the next edition of Style Share, which I'll unveil on Sunday evening (yeah, it's several days away, but I need to get pictures done). There will be several ties to choose from, including Brooks Brothers, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sulka, and more. If that piques your interest, stop back and stake your claim.

Under the heat dome

2011-07-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Lest you think that I just invented the term "heat dome," please rest assured that I am not that clever. It's something that's been coined and in use for awhile now, and I just happen to be experiencing it in person right now.

I feel like I talk about the weather too much on this blog, but to hell with it, it's been brutal. For the past two weeks, the temperature hasn't been under 95, and for a majority of that time the heat index (temperature plus humidity/etc) has made it feel like 110 degrees or more. For reference, the other night I went jogging at 7:45 p.m. and the heat index was still 113. Over the course of 4 miles (and <> 28 minutes), I lost almost 3 pounds. No kidding, I weighed myself before and after.

Needless to say, I've been doing my best to stay cool. This involves lots of light colors and lots of light fabrics. Here is a fairly typical example of my wardrobe lately:

On this particular day, it was a short-sleeved pink linen shirt from Lands' End (thrifted for $2) paired with some Ralph Lauren seersucker pants (also thrifted, for $4) and a great striped d-ring belt that I just snagged last week.

Down below, I wore a pair of Generic Surplus boat shoes, another fairly recent pickup that I got from Gilt Groupe. Normally I eschew even their "discount" prices and rarely find anything that even fits me, but in this case ($29 - $25 credit + $6 shipping = $10), I simply couldn't pass up the navy boats.

The heat shows no sign of stopping, so I'm going to keep on using it as an excuse to break out some light-hearted color combinations. If I'm sweating, I might as well have fun doing so.

It's easy being green

2011-07-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

I think I've made mention of it a couple times in posts previous, but we've had a rather hot and humid spring and summer so far. There have been huge dumps of rain followed by pot-boiling temperatures, with neither lasting for too long, but close enough together to create days where it feels like you're swimming in a crock pot.

Oh, and that same weather cycle has been insanely good for our garden. Check out the photo in this post from nearly exactly 3 months ago. Then, look at the photo below taken from the same exact spot.

This is one of our 8x8' garden beds, and it has 9 tomato plants of different variety, a big bush of basil, and 3 green peppers (which you can't see). The scarecrow is still in there, he's just dwarfed by the plants themselves, some of where are nearing my height.

This is another of the garden beds, the one pictured off to the left in the previous shot. This 4x8" bed houses 2 more pepper plants, another big bush of basil, 2 tomatillo plants, and 4 roma tomato plants. In other beds (4 more not pictured), we have one dedicated to herbs, one with more romas and some swiss chard, one dormant (which housed lettuce and spinach that has gone to seed and will be replanted in the fall) and a last one with cucumbers.

Around the edges of our yard (and taking over parts of it already) are viney plants, including the aforementioned pie pumpkin vines, as well as 4 different butternut squash. We'll use a lot of them for ourselves and baby food and end up giving a lot of them away.

Speaking of green, here's a picture of Matilda and I from a day when we went out and hit the town. Not only is clothes shopping for little girls fun (I found the madras dress she's wearing at a thrift store for $1), but it gives me an excuse (as if I needed one) to dress even more colorfully. On this particular day, I decided to do my best to match her outfit, with some bright green vintage Lacoste pants and a pale pink Lands' End oxford-style polo.

Hopefully we can do the matching outfits many more times before she decides that she's embarrassed by such things.

Feeling superstitious, part 2

2011-06-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted last, but I have a good excuse. I've got a happy, healthy daughter who just turned 2 months old and while things are going well, I have a little less time to devote to some of my pursuits (one of which is this blog, which falls in just behind trying to get out and jog and/or bike several times a week).

Interestingly enough, it was about ten months ago that I made a post about some owls that had taken up residence in our backyard and seemingly brought good tidings to us (or at least made themselves noticed during some rather critical life moments). Today, my wife was walking around in the yard with the baby when she noticed that they were back.

She counted them all up and noted that there weren't two or four, but six! owls roosting in various places in our grapevines, including the two fluff ball baby owls pictured above. I'm not sure if they're the same screech owls that were there last year, but the cornball side of me likes to think so. Here's hoping for a continued string of good fortune.

Speaking of little ones, here's me and Matilda hanging out one day when I biked home for lunch. She's reached the stage where her favorite activity is springing herself into the air (with my help, of course). This picture was taken pre-jump, which was obviously a very serious moment for everyone.

Style Share return - Lands' End tie

2011-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Another return from the month of May. This time out, it's Shawn, who claimed this nice Lands' End number from the May edition of Style Share.

Here, he pairs it up with an unstructured jacket and what is easily the most beautiful backdrop yet featured in a Style Share return.

It even has a really cool story behind it, and I'll let him tell it...

I am currently working on an oral history project on the Yellowtail Dam in Montana, and I wore the tie recently while doing a couple of interviews with people involved in building that dam. Unfortunately, I forgot to have someone take a photo, so I shot this with the timer function on my camera.

As a fan of both oral history (Studs Terkel is one of my favorite catalogers of American history) and big sky country, this photo is great for so many reasons, including the tie playing perfectly off the colors of the beautiful countryside.

Thanks to Shawn for participating and sending back such a cool photo.

Style Share return - Brooks Brothers tie

2011-06-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Yankee-Whisky-Papa, a proprietor of an awesome blog on style and just about everything else, jumped early and snagged the blue/navy/white Brooks Brothers tie from the May edition of Style Share.

photo courtesy Yankee-Whisky-Papa

Here he is wearing it with what I'm guessing is a nice lightweight suit during one of the many recent heatwaves that have swept the country. In his own words...

I wore your tie in Philly during an evening out with The Main Line Sportsman. 90 degrees at in the day, 85 at night.

Mr. Yankee-Whisky-Papa has been a repeat recipient of Style Share items, and he rocks it every time. Thanks to him for participating and to you for reading.

(Speaking of Style Share, it will be back next month. June is slipping away quickly, but I should have things back in order just in time for Independence Day.)

Landlocked skipper

2011-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

In addition to hunting for great things for ourselves and sometimes others, my wife and I often just keep an eye out for interesting items in general when we're at the thrift store. A couple years ago, my wife picked up just such an item, and it's been sitting in a closet or hanging on a rack in our house since.

Blue chambray-colored vintage jacket with sailboat schematics print. Effing amazing.

Here it is from the front, pictured with vintage Maus And Hoffman raw silk tie.

Here's a detail of the front button and the Neiman Marcus tag. I have no idea where this one was sold, but I'm guessing it wasn't originally from my landlocked state.

Here's another detail shot from the front. It's unique and cool enough that I think it's worth seeing one more time.

So, the real question is what happens to this piece? It doesn't fit me (nor anyone else I know), and there's a minuscule stain on one lapel that makes me leery to try to sell it (although a decent dry cleaner may be able to remove it). But seriously though, a small stain does nothing to diminish the total cool factor of this thing. Technically, it could be labeled as "go to hell," but that sounds far too crass for something so breezy.

Maybe it will live with us forever.

Silk and steerhide

2011-05-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

No, the title of this post doesn't refer to anything kinky, rather it's just a way of introducing some of my favorite finds from the past month or so. As I mentioned in a previous post, I haven't been getting out to thrift as much as usual, but I have gotten out once in awhile and run across a few things worth bringing home.

First up is a vintage silk knit tie in shiny gold. It's easily among my favorite tie finds this year, and yet I haven't found the occasion to wear it yet. I will have to remedy that soon.

I've never heard of this brand of tie before (DiMitri), but the raw silk in red, white, and cream was irresistible. It's been perfect for the warmer weather and has just a touch of texture to really set it off.

Vintage Robert Talbott in one of the more unique color combinations that I've run across in awhile. The khaki color is fairly straight-up, but the off hues of red and blue are a bit more understated and probably best suited for late summer and fall.

Best for last? Vintage, unworn hand-tooled full-grain steerhide Levi's belt in my size, complete with a chunky brass buckle. I've worn this on many a weekend with some dark denim and have even thrown it on with some khakis and a jacket during the week and feel like I'm hiding a secret. I know you're jealous.

Style Share - May

2011-05-18T19:42:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post, there's nothing super special about this installment of Style Share, just some solid ties with stripes that range from colors that would work from straight-up business to summer-time fare. For obvious reasons, I haven't been out thrifting or hitting garage sales as much as usual, but I thought I'd fire this feature back up and try to keep it coming back as much as I can.

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of free* clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. First three ties claimed will be sent out.

Lovely Lands' End in navy and green, with hints of red and yellow. Subdued, with hints of spring.

Another Lands' End in similar colors, with a bit more of a fine stripe pattern. Easily a three-season tie.

Brooks Brothers in two shades of blue and white. Like a lovely spring day with a few light clouds in the sky, this one will go with anything warm-weather.

Yet another Lands' End number, this one in near-fuchsia with lines of blue, yellow, and white. Definitely a little more cocktail-party, this one might be best by the pool or green-side.

As always, claim your item in the comments, then shoot me an email to let me know your address so I can get you your tie.

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks!

Mid by Northeast

2011-05-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Some friends of ours got married this weekend, and while original sartorial plans included a bit lighter fare, the notoriously finicky midwestern weather had other plans. One week ago, the temps were over 90 degrees, but on the day of the wedding, they were hovering around 50 with overcast skies. I decided to take it down a few notches, but still incorporate some bolder splashes of color.

The ensemble included some nantucket red chinos from LL Bean (which I got for $15 including shipping during one of their ridiculous winter sales), burgundy penny loafers, a pink and white university-striped oxford, and a madras tie.

Here's a detail of the upper half, including pocket square and a lapel pin that I picked up recently off ebay. The seller (pewterplace) has a ridiculous amount of fun pins, and most of them are under $8.00 including shipping. I picked the Wren for sentimental value, but I could see how a Mallard duck, a lobster, or a pheasant might be more up your alley, depending on your interests.

The wedding reception was a blast and we actually ventured out with the baby for one of the first real times since we'd brought her home. She charmed everyone that met her, of course, and when we got home we even managed a few family portraits. I can't believe she's almost a month old already.

It's been an amazing ride already.

(Note: new Style Share is coming Wednesday evening (at 9 p.m., give or take an hour). Theme is striped ties, with colors that range from basic to loud, with fine makers such as Lands' End and Brooks Brothers. Be there or be square.)

Yay or nay: The patchwork madras jacket

2011-05-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

I always have a shortlist of items in my head that I'd like to add to my wardrobe. For the past year or so, I've been wanting to add not only a decent seersucker jacket (or suit), but a madras jacket as well. When I ran across a vintage patch madras number on ebay a couple months ago, I put my bid in and ended up getting it for incredibly cheap.

On a casual Friday at the office, I paired it with a white OCBD, some dark denim, and some red suede bucks. As you can see, it's not the typical madras jacket, as the fabric patches are made up of much darker colors, include black watch plaid and others. Kinda crazy, but that's what these jackets tend to be.

Plain cotton pocket square here on the detail shot.

Another shot of the shoes. I'll write more about them later, after I've seen how well they wear and hold together.

Veering back to the jacket, I have to say that I caught more flack for wearing it than I have just about anything I've donned in the past couple years. One co-worker called it a, "crazy old man jacket" and even my wife added to the chorus of boos. It was kind of tough to hear, because I actually like it quite a bit, but what say you, fair reader? Is it as bad as others have stated, or should I keep it in my arsenal for future GTH days?

Back at it

2011-05-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

After a couple week break hanging out with my wife and new baby, I was back in the saddle this week at work and trying to get back into the swing of things sartorially after 14 days of jeans and polo shirts and sometimes wearing the same thing days on end. If you already have a child, you know that just getting a shower during some of those early days seems like a major feat. Fortunately Matilda has settled into at least a loping rhythm, thereby allowing us to again practice proper hygiene and slide into clothes that we'd actually feel comfortable being seen wearing in public.

The temperatures climbed a bit this week, and because it's spring in the plains, the wind has been roaring. I biked to work every day this week, so I've been slowly incorporating summer items back into the wardrobe. This week, I pulled out three separate linen pieces on two different days and got them added to the mix.

First up is this cream-colored linen jacket, which I paired with a baby-blue linen tie and a blue/yellow striped shirt. I found a plain white cotton hanky to stuff in the pocket, and let a little of the blue embroidery pop out the top.

Full shot of the ensemble, as well as the other get-up, which was a bit more traditional.

Standard navy jacket with a bright red vintage Rooster linen tie and a pocket square in a similar color with a flower motif. Lands' End paintbrush button-down to throw some more color in the mix and lighten-up what could be a security-guard style outfit otherwise (given the gray pants and black wingtips).

Close-up of the pocket square because I like it.

Everything is blooming around here, so I might as well try to keep pace with it in terms of what I'm wearing. More color coming soon.

Everything changes

2011-04-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Almost a week ago, exactly one day before she was scheduled to be induced, our baby girl decided to make her way into this world on her own terms. Other than her large size, the birth process went about as well as expected. My wife was a champion of champions, and we couldn't have asked for any better stream of help from the different hospital staff. In short, everything went better than expected and we're incredibly thankful and happy for that.

I'd like to introduce everyone to Matilda. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces, and 21.75 inches tall and has been keeping us busy for the past few days as we learn a lot from her and she teaches us a lot about ourselves.

It's been an amazing journey so far, and I'm excited about what the future holds for us and our little family.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent their best wishes and positive thoughts. It means a lot to me.

Note: As mentioned in previous posts, new content may be a bit slower in arriving, but this blog will definitely continue. If all goes as planned, I'll have a new Style Share in early-to-mid May and several future posts will likely feature father/daughter outfit coordination. :)

Planning ahead; Fashionably late

2011-04-12T18:54:00.001-07:00

The due date has come and gone and there's still no arrival at our house. We'd gotten the room arranged and the car seat installed and extra food cooked and stored in the deep freeze, so we're just kind of waiting. We figured we might end up at the hospital this past weekend, and when it didn't happen I decided to spend an entire day in the garden instead. The scarecrow needs a new outfit as well. His pants are torn into strips near the hems and his OCBD has pieces missing that went into building a squirrel nest (no joke).

The freeze cut-off date still isn't for several weeks, but we thought we'd take our chances. We've been saving milk jugs for months to serve as miniature hot-houses, so I turned our four beds and planted 16 tomato, 12 pepper, 3 squash, 3 pumpkin, 3 cantaloupe, and 4 basil plants. There are a few smaller spots that we'll fill in when and if we get the chance.

Despite another real burst of spring weather, I kept it subdued today with a vintage Brooks Brothers repp tie, a navy jacket and university-stripe OCBD.

Gray chinos and burgundy penny loafers rounded things out.

The magnolia is blooming and the grass is greening up, so even the snow forecasted for later in the week won't last long.

Spring will be here soon enough, and hopefully another arrival will grace us with her presence in the near future as well.

Form and function

2011-04-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

During a trip to San Francisco last year, I acquired a jacket that was a bit of an oddity. It's a Kenneth Cole (try to stifle your laugh) 3-button number that's styled to close up with a Nehru collar. It's actually one of the nicer garments I've seen from their label in general, with a cut that fits me nearly spot-on. Plus, I got it for cheap. So yeah, no complaints.

Being able to close up the jacket has also served a real and important purpose on several morning commutes, as many times the temperature is still freezing when I leave the house. It blocks the wind (which was especially important riding into a 25mph northwest blast this morning) and the closed collar helps me conserve some heat on the ride to work.

Once I get to work it transforms into a somewhat normal-looking three-button jacket, albeit with the interesting lapel details. Today, I paired it with a blue OCBD, a silk/cotton blend vintage Lands' End tie, and a cream-colored pocket square with just a bit of a pattern.

I'd mentioned these vintage Florsheim Imperial ankle boots a couple times in recent posts, but I hadn't really gotten a good picture since I'd re polished them. They're a little odd looking, but the leather on them is really taking on a great color after giving them some love.

Here's the whole get-up, along with our other dog Zoey, who amazingly had yet to be pictured on this blog. She had been laying in a sunbeam sleeping just before walking over and joining me for this picture, which explains her sleepy pose.

Camera as a mirror

2011-04-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'd seen references to surcingle belts popping up in my reader more and more lately, and with a nice rush of warm air to round out the week, I decided to break one from an estate sale I went to last year then build my outfit around the colors in it. I picked the navy and red one (which happened to be unworn), and went from there.

They were certainly fertile colors to work with, and I pulled out a vintage Lands' End tie, my blue and white herringbone silk jacket, and some navy pants.

Down below, I went with burgundy penny loafers, which actually happen to be the same exact color of the leather on the belt (not that anyone would see it).

Red and white university striped OCBD and a burgundy pocket square with a red flared edge rounded things out, and I felt like the colors and textures played off each other pretty nicely, with little accents of red popping nicely out of the blue. I even got a couple nice compliments on it from co-workers.

And really, I should leave it there, because I felt good wearing it and that should probably be enough. When I got home from work and looked at the shots I'd taken at lunch, though, I realized that things didn't look quite as good as I'd thought. Since this blog is about the process just as much as anything, I'll go ahead and post what I saw to give a bit more context.

It's pretty obvious what the problem is, and it's something I should have realized even sooner (as this was far from the first time that I'd worn this jacket). It was, however, the first time that I'd gotten decent photos of myself in the jacket, and after doing so I realize that it needs to not only be taken in at the waist a fair amount, but the arms need to be taken in a smidgen as well.

I went back and forth on even posting the above picture, as it's not very flattering. At the same time, though, I felt it was important because it's something I can learn from. I don't really view this blog strictly as an outlet to post pictures of my own personal style (otherwise I would have ended this entry after the first three pictures) and finds, but more of a document of progress in the overall journey.

I don't know it all and won't ever pretend to, and while I've learned a ton from my readers over the the past 15 months or so, sometimes a single click of the camera is all it takes in order to take another little step forward.

Tweed on the steed

2011-03-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Winter is hanging around these parts, but the weather has been just sunny and dry enough that bicycle commuting is still an option most days.

I tried to pull a little bit more color out of the subtle weave of my trusty tweed, so I went with a purple/blue mercerized cotton v-neck, the flowered cotton Gant tie from this haul, my Florsheim monk strap boots and some chinos.

The nice thing about wearing items that skirt the line between two colors is that they can veer in different directions depending on what they're paired with. Here, my university-stripe oxford in blue and white actually seems to be leaching a bit of the purple from the sweater, along with the navy tie (which also has a similarly vague tone). The pocket square is strictly in the corner of purple and cream, and holds a surprise of its own...

It's actually a women's souvenir scarf, and while it's technically a little on the large size to use as a pocket square, the thin density of it allows it to work without too much thickness in the breast pocket. I actually have several women's scarves that I use in this way; I don't hold a grudge one way or another and actually really prefer some of their colors when I'm feeling like I should let my peacock side fly. In this particular case, I just liked the checkered pattern and colors, so that's all I chose to show. Whatever works, right?

It was actually quite apropos that I rode my bike while tucking away the Mackinac Island scarf, as the resort island has had a ban on nearly all motor vehicles for quite some time. I think retreating there to bike around in its giant state park sounds like a great idea to escape from the blistering summers at some point in the future.

Setting the table for spring

2011-03-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

After a stint of unseasonably warm temperatures, mother nature decided to toy with us once again here and dropped down to unseasonably cold. So, here we are one week after the first day of spring and there's snow coming down again. If you see a newspaper headline that states, "Old Man Shakes Fist At Sky," it might be referring to me.

It's been awhile since I made a good post about tie finds, and fortunately the thrift gods have come through with some beauties that will become absolute go-to pieces when the temperature warms up again.

First up is this silk brocade Polo tie with a great maps / sailboat motif. Totally electric.

Next up is this plaid cotton flannel tie, also from Ralph. It feels like a beat-up pair of pajama pants, but looks like a firecracker. Swoon.

Easily the most eyeball-popping of my finds, this Lily Pulitzer gem very nearly glows with greens, pinks and reds. I'm thinking this one will get worn with my green Lacoste pants at some point.

Last, but certainly not least are these novelty-print Owl ties. I actually found these on ebay for incredibly cheap (especially considering their silk weight and construction). I try to stay away from too many ties like this, but if you've been following this blog for awhile you already know that we have a history with owls in our household, so I only thought it fitting.

Speaking of the owls, I saw them for the first time this year the other night. I'm trying to not be superstitious or anything, but I'm guessing that we'll soon be joined by a new member of our family.

If I suddenly stop updating the blog for awhile, the aforementioned will be the reason why. Fear not, though. I will return. :)

Jacket not jacket

2011-03-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that I probably wear a tie to work about 90% of the time. When the temperature is blistering hot in the summer, I get away with open collars a lot more often, but in the winter it's pretty much steady tie for months.

That said, I don't always wear a sport coat. There are days in the spring and summer that I pair up a long sleeve shirt and tie (sometimes with a vest) with a cotton canvas, denim, or even leather jacket then shed said jacket while in the office.

Today was one of those days, and I broke out a cream-colored Ralph Lauren medium-weight cotton number I'd picked up in the fall.

It's a nice solid cotton canvas number that works well both on the cooler ride into work in the morning while breathing enough to not make me break into a sweat on the way home. Here, I paired it up with a cotton striped blue shirt and Ra La linen tie in baby blue.

The cut of the jacket isn't perfect, as it's a size XL, which fits in the arms but leaves a bit to be desired in terms of the fit around the midsection. It's not completely slouchy, though, and goes nicely with a pair of chinos and a canvas/leather belt. I could probably find a slimmer cut jacket that also fits my 37" arms, but it would probably cost me more than $2.99 (and maybe I'll find one yet and retire this one).

Speaking of sport coats, if any of you readers and fellow thrifters run across any nifty lightweight (linen or cotton or something similar) ones in size 42l (or 42xl, as I need at least 27" from shoulder seam to arm opening) for a reasonable price, gimme a holler. I'm looking for a couple more decent late spring and summer weight numbers to add to my arsenal and everything I've run across in the past six months is either trashed or way too short (in the arms) or way too big (in the body).

Tags and Textures: Madras tie

2011-03-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago, I ran across three madras ties at a thrift store and couldn't believe my luck. All had absolutely beautiful coloring, and I wore each a great deal over the course of the warmer months. That being said, I can only remember a single post where I'm actually incorporating one of them into my outfit, so I guess I'll have to remedy that in the future.

With the weather warming up here, I thought it would serve as a good time to feature some detail photos of one of them.

None of the ties are spectacular in terms of brand name (two vintage Hathaway's and one Rooster), but they're just absolutely lovely in terms of color and quality.

Here's the edge with some extreme detail of the weave.

It's all about spring and summer, and they're going to be pulled off the tie rack a lot more in the next couple months.

Speaking of madras, I used a photo from the same shoot as a background on my recently-launched twitter page. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to start up an account mainly as a way to communicate with other bloggers who have twitter accounts, as well as a way to make some shorter comments that might not really fit on here very well. I'll also be posting links to what I feel are really excellent deals that I run across on ebay. The auctions I link to will have no affiliation with myself, just things that I see when I'm searching for things myself and decide to pass along. If you're on twitter and that sounds interesting, follow me and say hello.

Avoiding the pinch

2011-03-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to state right off the bat that I'm not Irish. I'm a classic American mutt, and I'm totally fine with that. If the words of a great uncle of mine can be believed, then my family is descended at least in part from Ponce de León, but I know that I'm part French, part Dane, part English, and probably a few other nationalities for good measure.

I picked up these pants last fall, and stowed them away for the winter after dropping them hems on them a couple inches. Besides being St. Patrick's Day, unseasonably warm temps were in the forecast again, so I couldn't help but break them out.

Not only are they bright green, but they're also vintage Izod Lacoste, with expansion straps and buttons on the sides. Kinda dorky, but I love them. If you have a good memory, you'll notice that I re-claimed a tie from February's Style Share and incorporated it here as well.

A true "business up top, party down low" outfit, I kept things somewhat normalized with a standard navy jacket, university stripe OCBD, and the aforementioned clover-leaf tie and a cream and green pocket square. Burgundy penny loafers rounded it all out.

Over the course of the day, I only got a few playful comments and some random smiles from passerby's (either out of joy or pity, I can't be sure). It's either confidence or folly (perhaps a little of each), but I wouldn't have had the mind to wear something like this a couple years ago. I'm glad I did, though, because it was fun.

I'm hungry for spring

2011-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those glorious days where it truly felt like winter was really retreating back into the shadows. On the bike ride into work, it was in the lower 30s, but warmed to almost 70 by a mid-afternoon stroll and just under that on the bike ride home. I didn't have any meetings and thought I'd play it a little loose, so I went with the vintage dinner jacket that I found late last year.

I didn't try to do too much with it in fear of making its more odd qualities stick out, and paired it with a lighter pair of chinos, a blue wool knit tie, and a pocket square with similar coloring. Keeping in mind some fairly consistent color-matching, the spread-collar shirt had dark brown stripes that tied into both my dark brown leather belt and loafers, as well as blue stripes that were close to the tie and pocket square color.

In the end, it didn't feel costume-ish at all. Instead, the more playful aspects of the jacket (one button closure and sleeves, lapel and pocket cording) seemed perfect for the lighter weather.

I doubt the anonymous poster who expressed their one-word dissatisfaction with my purchase will see this, but overall the jacket worked out even better than even I had expected it to. It'll go into regular rotation, for sure.

Style Share return - Lands' End rugby

2011-03-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Greg officially wins the title for the first Style Share return for March.

He chose this excellent eggplant and green Lands' End rugby shirt that I only wish had fit me.

As per usual, I'll let him tell it:

I paired the rugby shirt up with a yellow oxford cloth button-down, a green/yellow/red/purple Lands' End rep tie, Lands' End khakis, and Lands' End lace-up boots. The (nearly) all Lands' End outfit was unintentional.

I've done this look several times with a rugby and it's pretty much a classic. Throw a jacket on over the top and it works just as well.

Thanks to Greg for his contribution!

Project: Pocket square(s)

2011-03-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Late last year, I put together a small sewing work area and figured out how to hem pants over the course of a couple evenings. It took me several tries, but I finished up two pairs (both of which will make their debut once it warms up) before the area went into stasis as other projects rightfully pulled my attention away.

I'd been planning other things in the back of my head, though, and every since I read this post on Yankee Whisky Papa's always-informative and endlessly inventive site, I had it in my mind that I'd teach myself to sew hand-rolled edges and whip myself up some pocket squares. Heck, he'd even sent me a piece of lovely rayon crepe (among other pieces that I need to feature here) that was just asking to be turned into a square, and it had simply sat on my dresser for months.

I didn't want to ruin the lovely piece of fabric that YWP graciously sent my way, so I started out with something I could live with errors on, an old Brooks Brothers oxford with an un-salvageable hole and a blood stain (yes!). After cutting it into appropriately-sized pieces, I decided to go with some red contrast stitching, figuring it would force me to be more mindful of my mistakes and possibly even look a bit nicer if I managed to finish it without major issues.

As it turns out, doing hand-rolled edges is a little more difficult than I thought it would be. It probably doesn't help that I have the hands of an ogre, when thin, nimble digits would probably make for an easier time. And yet, despite the roll being a bit too thick and a little uneven to look truly professional, I'm pretty happy with how the first edge (which took nearly 45 minutes) turned out.

I will get faster, and I will finish this one and more. This one scissored oxford alone has enough material for 4 pieces, so I'll start with that and move forward. It probably won't hurt to have another quiet project I can work on here in the near future.

Sweater surprise

2011-03-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those delightful days on the plains when the morning temperatures hover around 20, but by late afternoon they've risen into the 50s. The early March air still has a bit of bite to it, so layering and wool are my friends.

The morning outfit paired some heavy chinos and gray suede desert boots with a gray shirt, cream-colored wool knit tie, a Pendleton Cowichan sweater, and a wool Pendleton jacket. Amazingly, I just found the driving cap two nights ago for $2, and the tweed matches the jacket nearly to the very color speck.

The surprise in the title of this post has a bit of a double meaning, the first of which is the amazing design that was fully unveiled when I took off my jacket.

With the temperatures warmer at lunch, I left my jacket at home and the sweater basically served as its replacement for the rest of the day. When I first donned my outfit this morning, I'd actually thought about pairing it with a Fair Isle knit tie (which actually would have been fairly interesting given the connection to Cowichan knitting), but the styles clashed too much and I wanted to let the thunderbird rule the day. If that weren't cool enough, it's actually a one-of-a-kind sweater that was sampled, but not produced.

How do I know that, you ask? Well, the second part of the surprise is that the sweater itself wasn't a thrift find, rather I was the lucky winner of a giveaway drawing sponsored by Pendleton Menswear on Facebook. If you're on Facebook and like Pendleton, I'd recommend following them, as they do a good mix of historical posts and product promotion without over-doing things (averaging a post a day or so) like some other companies tend to.

If you've been reading this site for any time now, you know of my love for Pendleton, so needless to say I was pretty excited about having my name chosen.

Mister Midwester and the case of the counterfeit cravats

2011-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, I was sifting through a stack of cravats at a local second-hand clothing store when my hand touched what seemed to be some very quality goods. The silk was thick and the weave was tight and if I had any doubts, the labels themselves calmed my pangs of mistrust. I purchased the four cravats, with names such as Boss (both of which still had their original store tags), Gucci and Versace, and went home, feeling rather full of myself.

As I sometimes do when stumbling upon such a treasure, I took a few photographs of the cravats and posted them to an online gathering place, to brag a bit with some fellow second-hand shoppers. The ties weren't exactly in my particular wheelhouse in terms of color and design, but I hoped that another fellow might fancy them and reward me kindly, thus paving my way for more second-hand adventures.

The first response was by a dear chap who stated, "Good sir, I do believe you have been hoodwinked." I simply could not believe it! Who would dare try to pull such a fast one upon me? Not only that, but in a locale known for such straightforward peoples and, dare I say, "authenticity?"

With such a seed planted in my head, I put on my sleuthing cap and went looking for clues. In only a few minutes, I had found my answer. The fine chap had not lied; I had indeed gotten the wool, or should I say, "silk," pulled over mine eyes.

The photographic accompaniment on the previously-mentioned guide is not so good, but the details matched my counterfeit cravats perfectly. Here, one can see the "dimples" of the stitching in the logo of the tie.

In addition to those finer points (including the much wider size), the blatantly obvious tag listing content of fibers should have been enough of a warning sign, but it was too late for me.

I had lost eight dollars, but gained valuable knowledge, and in the end had a good tale to tell. In the future, I must remember that when in doubt, I need only buy things that I would wear in the first place.

Cross section of maximum capacity

2011-03-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

After weeks of telling myself that I was going to do it, I finally got around to installing a second tie rack today. For a couple months now, I'd been stacking tie after tie onto two bowing hangers, and I finally found the time to re-arrange them properly.

It forced me to weed through my collection and get rid of some things and take inventory in general. Just before I dove into my original rack to start weeding, the sun hit it just perfectly and I knew I had to get a picture.

This rack has 32 posts for holding ties, but obviously there are a few more than that base number here.

As mentioned above, this is my original tie rack, which houses all of my vintage ties from the 50s and 60s as well as a bunch of other random stuff. The left side of it is draped with hand-painted and madras with a few others (like embroidered animal and bird ties) that have slipped in for good measure.

By the time I finally finished arranging the other rack (which now houses the repp stripes, knits, linen, and woolens), the light was too poor to get anything of quality, but it's crammed nearly as tightly. I'm officially at the point where buying a new tie means getting rid of one that I already have. I must attain some equilibrium.

Or, a third tie rack.

Style Share - March

2011-03-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

If you've been following this blog since the beginning of the year, you probably know that my life is about to get much more busy. With a child entering my life sometime in the next few weeks, this blog will be taking a backseat for awhile, and entries will more sparse as I adjust to my new routine (or complete lack thereof).

So, in celebration (and because I'm already assuming that I'll skip next month), Style Share for March is the biggest yet. The theme this month is obviously spring, and I tried to reflect that in the items up for grabs. Lots of brighter colors, perfect for the warming temps. There are ten things to choose from (for free*), and I'll send out items to the first six(!) people to claim their items in the comments. Once items are claimed, they're off the board, but the person who claimed the item will need to contact me through the email listed in my profile so I know where to mail the particular items.

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site.

Boom! Here goes...

Lands' End vintage OCBD in blue and pink! 60/40 blend (cotton/poly) made in the U.S.A. No size tag, but based on measurements (neck is 16", sleeve from shoulder seam to hem is 26", chest, from armpit to armpit is 21") I think it's a 16/34. This is all about spring.

Tie Rack Tie for Leonardo Strelli in a lovely, repeating inverted flower motif. Kinda deco, classy, and playful all in one.

Lands' End thick silk tie in traditional navy, with 5 bold repeating stripes of grey, green, red, purple, and orange running through it. Someone claim this and pair it up in an outfit that destroys before I decide to keep it.

Stunning Brooks Brothers gold paisley with lots of red and green. Another possible bit of lunacy on my part in giving this away.

I'd honestly never heard of Rohde Royce before I picked up this tie, but this lovely pastel flower and fruit motif in imported cotton just screams (or at least gently whispers) spring.

Older Lands' End rugby (size medium) in the most unreal color combination I've seen in ages. Seriously! Please note that there is a pencil-eraser sized bleach spot just above the neck tag on this one (you can see it in the photo) as well as a tiny (right by the left sleeve cuff, which could easily be fixed) hole on this shirt. If anyone asks, just tell them you had to clean the blood off it after exiting the scrum. Rubber buttons and all.

Another Brooks Brothers tie, this one in a nice navy / baby blue / cream pattern. Play it up, play it down.

London Fog windbreaker in cream with teal(!) highlights. Yes, it's kinda 80s, but as my dummy shows, it can still be done in style. Size is large and would probably fit a 40 - 44r just fine.

Brooks Brothers in burgundy and green linked disc motif. Crack this off with some gold cufflinks and/or a big, shiny lapel pin. Bling for spring.

Yet another Lands' End tie (I swear they're not sponsoring this, although that is an idea... hrm...) in green, purple, yellow, and red silk. If you celebrate Easter, I don't think you could ask for a better color combo than this. Fresh green lawns and hidden eggs from a rabbit.

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks!

Style Share return - Lands' End tie

2011-03-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

First off, I have to make a bit of an apology on this entry, as February's edition of Style Share offered up a multi-color houndstooth jacket that was claimed by a reader.

As I was getting it ready to mail, I noticed a small hole in the right elbow that had somehow gone completely unnoticed (even while photographing it). Needless to say, I felt like a heel, and mustered up an apology.

Fortunately, Joe was a good sport and accepted a replacement item; a red, green, and navy striped Lands' End tie.

photo courtesy JoeTheMiddleYears

Here, he paired it up with a Polo button-down and a Lands' End Navy blazer. A super classic look that really makes the complimentary colors of the tie pop out and become the focal point.

Again, thanks to Joe for being understanding and for his contribution.

Encouraging the thaw

2011-03-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all, you know that I'm very influenced by the seasons when it comes to my style. Today was no different, and while the base part of my outfit was fairly subdued by itself, a couple accessories hinted at the spring to come.

Over my left shoulder is a magnolia tree and a burning bush. In a couple months they'll both be glowing.

White OCBD up top with my camel hair herringbone jacket and cream-color Lord Jeff wool sweater vest for another layer of warmth. To keep it from being completely drab, I pulled out the fat linen square-end tie from this haul and a lovely cotton pocket square that almost perfectly matched it in color (and even repeated the square motif).

Down below is pretty darn boring as well, with straight brown wool pants and some split-toe bluchers. As I mentioned above, though, this one was all about the little peeks.

The snow is melting, and more color will arrive on the scene shortly.

P.S. Tune in Thursday night for the biggest and best Style Share yet. Brooks Brothers, Lands' End, and London Fog all make an appearance, among others.

Tags and Textures: Vintage cream / red / blue silk tie

2011-02-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

While the good things about winter include re-discovering the joys of my vintage pea coat and nearly wearing out a heavy-duty Pendleton scarf from daily use, my patience is starting to wear thin with the cold temperatures. I probably wouldn't be so grumpy about it all if the skin on the tips of several fingers wasn't cracked and bleeding, and I'd probably even find it slightly tolerable if our furnace hadn't decided to stop working on not one, but two separate nights when the temperatures dropped into single digits, but seriously.

At least I'm getting some extra cardio with all the snow shoveling.

Really, though, I'm ready for some warmer temperatures and a brighter color palette. In anticipation, here's a vintage tie from the venerable Maus & Hoffman of Florida, who have been in business for over 70 years.

I've never been there, but based on their website collection and quality of this tie and others I have from them (including a really old Hermes), they're purveyors of only the finest of finery. Yes, they're pricey, but lest you think all their prices are out-of-reach, check out the sweet madras pants on clearance for only $59! Damn!

Made in Italy of some sturdy rough silk.

This particular tie was featured in this original post and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it was not only frayed at the bottom, but had a couple stains (on the back, thankfully). I wore it once last fall during a particular Indian summer-ish day, but I can't wait to break it out again soon.

Walking contradiction

2011-02-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

I'm all for following some traditional rules and not throwing everything out the window when it comes to personal style, but sometimes I wake up and simply glaze over some things for fun. If it's comfortable, it looks decent, and if my wife doesn't halt me before stepping out the door, it's a go.

Case in point was today.

First off, I remember reading a blog where a fellow once said,

"As I've mentioned in other posts, I often feel self-conscious about wearing hats (simply because they make me even taller)...

Oh dear, a rabbit fur cap.

Secondly, is that a freaking Australian Open golf tournament v-neck sweater being worn on a day when there's 8 inches of snow on the ground? Why yes. Yes it is.

Some dudes have Hawaiian shirt Friday; I guess this is my equivalent.

Pull your feet to your chest

2011-02-24T19:43:00.001-08:00

After a nice warm-up later last week and the beginning of this one, we had another cold snap here today. Between lunch and the end of the work day, we got almost 4 inches of snow, making the drive home slow going and pulling into the steep driveway a hit-or-miss proposition. Fortunately, the front-wheel drive found success on the second try.

I knew it was it was coming, though, and tried to celebrate yesterday with some suitable hints of warmer color.

Up top, I went with a western-styled tweed jacket that's incredibly versatile on days that fluctuate wildly in temperature. It's warm, but only half-lined, so it breaths pretty well. Paired it with a pink and white university striped OCBD and even busted out one of my Hermes ties. Pocket square in gold (another one courtesy of Kleidsam, - thanks man!) seems like it might be a bit of a stretch, but bear with me here...

Down below, I went with cream corduroys, striped socks and my beeswax Clark bucks, which have aged nicely and are giving off a lovely patina of yes, gold!

Like I said, that's pushing it a bit, but I was trying to shove some subtle attention in their general direction. Their color is just too nice to not appreciate.

And now, I must go scoop the sidewalk.

Neck decoration and a confession

2011-02-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

In addition to the sunglasses I wrote about in the previous post, my best finds lately have been a couple of accessories. It seems like I'm always finding interesting neckties, but it's rare that I come across something so interesting as the scarf that I ran across the other day.

Some time ago, I learned to always peruse the women's scarves while thrifting. Men's pocket-squares are often scattered in, and I found a an ascot awhile back as well.

My persistence was again rewarded the other day when I found this beautiful scarf hanging amongst the dregs and was instantly drawn to it. With a bold paisley print in 100% silk on one side and the other in 100% medium-weight black zephyr wool, it's about 10 times more flashy than the usual winter scarf, but I can't wait to drop it into rotation at some point and let the silk side flash.

Awhile back, I also ran across this lovely silk bow tie in navy with baby blue polka dots.

Now, I'm certainly lowering my style credit (not that I ever had any to begin with) several notches in admitting this, but I have to share that I've never worn a bow tie in my entire life. When I saw this tie, I saw it as a future challenge to myself, and bought it with the thought that owning such a nicely-constructed piece (in such easy-to-work-with colors) would certainly be the impetus to finally take the bow tie plunge.

This one will be continued at some point in the future.

Thrift karma in action

2011-02-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

Years ago, when my wife was a poor undergraduate student, she decided to splurge a bit and treat herself with a nice pair of Ray Ban sunglasses (about $100). After owning them for only a couple weeks, she accidentally left them on a desk in a computer lab after writing herself bleary-eyed. When she returned, they were gone, and she swore to never spend more than $20 on a pair of sunglasses again.

My thrift scores have been few and far between lately, but when I saw the almost brand-new pair of Ray Ban's sitting in the sunglasses pile at my local store (including their original case and cleaning cloth), I knew I had to buy them. At the time, I wasn't quite sure they were in a style that my wife would like (and I hadn't yet heard the aforementioned story), but they were nice enough to buy regardless.

Needless to say, she was stoked to see what I'd found, as the dark tortoiseshell Ray Ban's were the same exact style of the ones that she'd lost so many years ago.

As I mentioned above, they're immaculate, without a single scratch and had only a single fingerprint smudge on one lens, which buffed off easily with the enclosed cloth. Not too bad for $4.

Gray days and gray things

2011-02-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those weird between-seasons days that tempts you with some warmth then quickly reminds you that it's actually still winter. Brisk and cold in the morning with a glorious warm-up in the middle, then clouded up and dreary by the end of the work day.

I was lucky enough to experience all three of those temperatures firsthand, as I rode my bicycle to work for only the third time this year. I didn't set out to mirror the late-day cloud-over with my outfit, but it seemed to fit quite well by the time I pedaled home and the sky was a sheet of gray.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've gotten some amazing gifts back from people that have participated in Style Share. In a way, it's sort of become Style Swap, and in this outfit both the lovely tie and pocket square are courtesy of Kleidsam, who's always tearing it up stylistically.

I paired them up with a sort of multi-sized hounds tooth jacket in black and white that I have a hard time working into the rotation. Here, the soft grays seemed to melt the dramatic contrast almost perfectly, and it all sort of blurred into some thick black wool pants and wingtips that kept me warm while pedaling away.

On a quick eye-scan, it's almost like a fade from white to black from the top down, with little flecks of color here and there (the jacket has some threads of blue and purple going through it), perfect for a day that hinted at sun then faded to something a little more subdued.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my steed, which I mentioned in an earlier post then promptly forgot. It's a bicycle that I built from the ground-up (it started out as a vintage road bike), with loads of parts that I picked specifically for turning it into something that's close as possible to being the perfect commuter bicycle.

If you're a bike geek and want me to do a more detailed post on all the details, let me know, otherwise I'll just let it be and say that I came pretty close to hitting my mark. I can ride in a jacket and tie with leather soles and have no worries. It's comfortable, minimal, and a bit throwback, and I love it.

Can't explain it

2011-02-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

There are a few items of clothing in my wardrobe that I have a somewhat hard time explaining why I like so much. They either have somewhat dubious and/or dated styling, and yet I keep them around and break them out on various occasions.

This oxblood leather jacket is one of those items. The styling is very 80s (see detail picture below), with zippers on the chest and a slim cut that makes it looks like something out of The Warriors crossed with a jacket that a backup dancer in a Michael Jackson video might wear.

That said, I like it. The color is deep and rich and it fits me really well (if a bit tight when I'm wearing a sweater underneath), and really, there's not a lot more to explain than that. On this particular day, I paired it with an older Lands' End knit tie, a Brooks Brothers v-neck sweater, my Pendleton driving cap, some cream corduroys and rather nondescript Florsheims.

Speaking of the aforementioned tie, it was actually a gift from The Cable Knit Collegian, who sent a great selection of them to me awhile back. When I started up Style Share, I certainly didn't expect anything in return, and yet I've gotten several awesome things from those who have participated. I've been incredibly flattered by this gesture from my "internet friends" (as my wife calls them when she sees me opening a package), and I've been working the pieces into my wardrobe recently and will be featuring more of them in the near future.

Considering all the outright dissing and petty bickering that I read on some men's style blogs, the return kindness is one of those damn cool things that proves there are plenty of good guys out there. More to come.

Style Share return - Hardy Amies tie

2011-02-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

Another return, another reader killing it.

This time out, it was Schorsch, who snagged this Hardy Amies paisley silk tie from February

photo courtesy Schorsch

I'll let him pair it up...

I used the tie for a Valentine's Eve Brunch with my wife and daughter. Attached is how I wore it, paired with a red uni stripe oxford and a grey hopsack jacket. Down below was some raw denim and oxblood cap toes.

The grays and blues and reds and pinks all set each other off perfectly. Love the way the paisley cascade down the stripes of the shirt.

It's official, whenever I need inspiration from now on, I need look no further than clicking the style share return tag in my sidebar. Items that were seemed so solitary when I first photographed them have really blossomed.

Playing it safe

2011-02-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

Despite some of the suggestions in the comments when I first found it, I broke out my vintage velveteen jacket today and paired it with... jeans. It was the first day that it's really been warm enough to wear it, and it just happened to coincide with a rather mellow day at the office, so on it went.

In honor of the slightly warmer temps, I broke out the Lands' End shirt that I picked up recently, and paired it with a vintage cotton lisle knit tie in electric blue.

Below were the dark blue Levi's and some newer Florsheim black wingtips that I throw on when there's going to be much walking that involves trudging through slush.

Considering the light colors of the shirt, the whole thing came off as rather understated. I think my inner peacock (if I even have one) will have to wait until even warmer temperatures to unfurl.

Style Share return - Robert Talbott tie

2011-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

The week of Style Share returns continues, with another submission from earlier this month.

Back again is Yankee Whiskey Papa, who claimed this Robert Talbott silk tie.

photo courtesy Yankee Whiskey Papa

As with his last return, I'll let him tell it:

The tie arrived safely, and went around my neck the following morning, paired with a Turnbull & Asser shirt in black and white stripe. Boston winter has lately been wet, and an LL Bean cardigan in bright yellow kept me warm under an already heavy green wool suit. "Reading Days" at the firm are generally held during bad weather when no client visits are scheduled, and conservative suits give way to more rough wools and heavier flannels.

I have to say, the suit looks so rich and warm that I feel like I could use it as a blanket on a cold day. Love the playful touch of the yellow as well.

Thanks again to YWP, and for everyone else who has given feedback on this project to date.

Housekeeping note: It's a minor thing, but I just made separate categories for the original Style Share posts and their returns (which are now up to 6!) in my site labeling. It will make it much easier to sort through each moving forward, especially making it easier to see the kickass reader contributions.

Post 100: An ode to my better half

2011-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

For my 100th post, I had an entry written that made some reflections on this blog in general and some other navel-gazing junk. The gist of it all was that despite adding to the overall bloat of the internet with yet another self-indulgent men's style (and whatever else) blog, it made me happy writing it.

And really, that's what it's all about.

Instead, I've decided to talk a little bit about my wife for this 100th post, who, if I go back to the beginning, is the reason this blog even exists (for better or worse). She's influenced and changed me in more positive ways that I can possibly write in this entry.

So, I'll limit her influence to things that pertain to this blog. If you jump in the wayback machine, one of the first entries was a really brief rundown on my style interests to date. If you want to skip clicking that link, the basics are; I jumped around from one thing to another, and when I first met my wife I was kind of a aesthetic ascetic (with one memorable pair of shoes held together with duct tape).

If you can imagine it as a movie scene, picture a beautiful young woman walking into a room wearing vintage clothes with the faint scent of vetiver drifting off her while a gawky, awkward fellow shuffles and stammers and tries to somehow catch her attention. Amazingly, he does so, and after a long distance, over-the-internet fueled courtship, they finally get together. To add one more cliche layer to it all, the fellow realizes that when you have someone to dress nicely for, it becomes even more fun to do so.

I should mention that in addition to thrifting and a love of vintage clothes, my wife is also into textile history and preservation, and even has her masters degree in the subject. She's helped teach me to distinguish different fabrics by how they feel and even showed me how to determine unknown fibers by lighting them with a match and watching how they burn (and how it smells when they do so).

And really, as I mentioned above, that's the least of what she's taught me. We met just over 10 years ago and have been pretty much inseparable since. We have a happy house with two dogs, a big garden and a baby girl on the way.

She also puts up with all my silly habits, including writing this little blog, so the least I can do is dedicate #100 to her. The few of you who read this blog already know how awesome she is, and the rest of you will just have to take my word.

If you need further proof, check out this photo of her as a 12 year old. And no, her outfit was not a school uniform, that's just how she rolled.

Better half, all the way.

Style Share return - Orange wool knit tie

2011-02-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

Two more Style Share returns today. I'll feature one in this entry and another later this week.

Back again is Kleidsam who snagged this lovely orange wool knit tie from January.

Photo courtesy of Kleidsam

As usual, he's rocking the little details, with lots of patterns that work together and the base complimentary colors of orange and blue pulling it all together tight.

For the second time now, Style Share has gone Trans-Atlantic (and there's a piece currently en route to Canada). Thanks, as always, to everyone who has participated so far, and here's hoping it spreads even more from here out.

Color blocking

2011-02-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite recent thrift finds have been of items with solid colors, but amazing textures. After a week or so of trying to work new ties and other items into the rotation, I decided that Friday would be a day where I only donned only solid colors.

As it turns out, the informal challenge actually worked out quite well. A good mixture of brighter and subdued colors (plus some varied textures) drew my eye (at least) in unexpected ways. A casual Friday at the office, so to speak.

On the left is my indoor outfit; A light olive shirt with a slight herringbone weave (my only cheat) was matched up with a super thick Scottish wool tie ($1, and one of my recent favorite finds) in cream and a 100% wool sweater vest by Lord Jeff ($3, another recent find). When I ventured outside, I added a heather green knit cap ($2.07 cheapie on clearance at Target), my perennial, slightly-damaged red Pendleton scarf and the heavy-duty navy pea coat.

Below, I wore some forest-green Polo corduroy pants ($5.00), paired with a thick Chaps belt and some Florsheim bluchers (not pictured).

As a whole, the outfit was certainly conservative by most measures, but popped with just enough flourishes of color to reflect the days getting longer and the temperatures slightly less cold.

Style Share - February

2011-02-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

After a slow start, Style Share has really taken off during the past month with quite a few returns. If you haven't checked them out yet, take a spin through the archives.

Again, there's no theme this month, just a variety of interesting things that I thought readers could claim and run with. There are five things to choose from (for free*), and I'll send out items to the first three people to claim their items in the comments. Once items are claimed, they're off the board, but the person who claimed the item will need to contact me through the email listed in my profile so I know where to mail the particular items.

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site.

Onward to the items!

Great, classic Robert Talbott tie in black silk with skinny white, gray and red stripes. Goes with anything.

Lands' End vintage OCBD in blue and pink! 60/40 blend (cotton/poly) made in the U.S.A. No size tag, but based on measurements (neck is 16", sleeve from shoulder seam to hem is 26", chest, from armpit to armpit is 21") I think it's a 16/34. No brainer on the colors, I wish it fit me.

Great, crazy paisley 100% silk tie from Hardy Amies. Straight outta London.

Lightweight 100% wool Lands' End jacket in size 41R. Awesome multicolor houndstooth pattern that's just begging for slightly warmer temps. Don't worry, it's going to happen soon.

St. Patrick's Day is next month, and this navy poly blend tie will be your perfect accompaniment either then or any other that you want to play it loose.

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks.

Once a week in winter

2011-02-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

During the summer, the grill takes precedence for cooking due to not wanting to heat up the house any more than necessary. In the winter, though, the added warmth is no big deal, and cooking aromas are only an added bonus. Over the course of the past couple years, a nearly weekly habit of mine has been to roast a chicken in the oven. Buying a whole bird is not only much cheaper than various cuts, but slow-cooking a bird with the skin only helps to trap in the flavor of the meat.

The usual routine involves eating the legs and drums for one meal, then picking the rest of the chicken clean for use later in the week. Favorites are the old standard chicken-noodle soup as well as my specialty, chicken tikka masala. If we end up geting too lazy, it ends up chopped up on salads or made into chicken salad. Really, you can't go wrong.

We're not done there, though. Once the chicken is picked, we save the carcass in a freezer bag, and when we get a couple of them (and an afternoon or evening when we're going to be home for awhile), we toss them in a pot with some veggies and make stock.

This picture is from during the summer (obvious from the fresh tomatoes), when two separate batches netted us 8 quarts of stock (which in turn is used for a base in the aforementioned chicken-noodle soup and loads of other stuff). Because the cavity of the chicken is usually filled with spices and garlic when being roasted, we rarely even have to add salt or any other spices to the soups that we create out of it.

Other than some boiled bones and random scraps, nothing much goes to waste (the cooked carrots even get pulled back out and turned into seriously gourmet dog food toppings) and we even end up saving a bit of money in the process, even when buying higher-quality chicken. It's a trade-off that I'd definitely say is worth it.

P.S. Thursday night (Feb. 3rd), I'll unveil the items for Style Share for the month of February. There's some pretty interesting stuff if I do say so.

Thinking warm

2011-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

By some cruel twist of thifting luck, it seems like my best scores lately have all been tailored for warmer weather. As I type this, snow is dumping outside and the temperature for the next three days isn't projected to rise above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (with wind chills dropping to -25 for a good portion of the next 36 hours). Wool will comprise the majority of my wardrobe for awhile and give me a good excuse to break out some of my heaviest sweaters a couple more times.

This particular sweater is one of them, a vintage military number made in England out of 100% wool that's incredibly thick and warm. Paired with my peacoat, it should take the bite out of even the coldest upcoming mornings. If it goes on for too long, I can easily fall back to the uber-thick L.L. Bean Norwegian as well.

Now, if I can just keep my fingers and toes warm.

Speaking of keeping warm, I did manage to find two great wool sweaters recently.

One is a fairly standard 100% wool navy v-neck, and while I normally shy away from logos and emblems, I couldn't pass this one up for a dollar. I haven't played a round in two years, and while I'm years removed from my best scores (at prime, my handicap was 5), I couldn't pass up the kangaroos on the crest of this one.

In terms of bold, blocky colors, you simply can't go wrong with vintage ski sweaters. It's almost impossible to find them in great condition (moth holes are the usual culprits), and this one was no different. It has a tiny hole near the left armpit that I'm going to try to rehabilitate. I'm a sucker for the color combination, and once again it only cost a dollar, so no harm lost if I can't get things to work out.

Thinking about the wind chills tomorrow morning, I almost wish I had kept my beard.

Almost.

Yay or nay? The vintage velveteen jacket

2011-01-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all, you probably know that while I enjoy finding quality traditional clothing items, I also have a bit of a weakness for rather unique pieces as well. This is especially true when they're vintage, as a good portion of the time you simply don't see anything like them being created still today (and if they are, they're by a new designer and priced out of the range of anyone with modest means).

I had just such a find about a week ago. Gliding through the rack at a particularly poorly-lit thrift store, my fingers glanced across some fabric that stood out during the split-second touch. Based on the price ($4) and the tags inside, I knew that it was coming home with my regardless of whether it fit or not, so I paid and left for home without even trying it on.

It may be hard to tell from the picture, but it's a black cotton velveteen jacket. Based on the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America tag inside the pocket, it's from the mid-60s or so, and it's in absolutely mint condition. The best part is that when I tried it on upon arriving home, it fit me nearly perfectly.

So, I have no idea when the occasion will arise to wear such a jacket, but I was incredibly excited to find it. It's one of those pieces that simply doesn't come around that often, and the fact that it fit me made my day.

Brooks bonanza

2011-01-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

Although I've found some great ties over the course of the past couple months, I hadn't run across a lump sum of truly great ones until this past week. Over the past couple years especially, I've gotten better at scanning patterns and colors and visually separating the wheat from the chaff (so to speak), so when I saw some familiar stripes all hanging together recently, my heart skipped a little jump.

The three on the right were the ones that caught my attention (specifically the light-blue/navy/burgundy combo), and when I started flipping them over, my suspicion was confirmed.

I'm not completely sure of the era of these Brooks Brothers ties (I'm guessing 70s or early 80s?), but I'm pretty sure they all came from the same owner, as they were all found at the same store all huddled together amongst some polyester blends and a rather insanely-colored Jerry Garcia number.

I have two other Brooks Brothers ties with exactly the same label (bumping my total to six), and their construction and colors are pretty much impeccable. Finding four at one time definitely qualifies as a joyous occasion and means that a couple lesser-worn cravats in somewhat similar colors in my collection will now be exiting stage right to make room.

2010 in review

2011-01-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

I started this blog just over a year ago, and in the year of 2010 I made exactly 80 posts. I had barely any traffic for quite a few months, but in checking my stats lately, I've noticed that readership has slowly and steadily been ticking up.

For that reason, and because I thought it would be fun to read back through some of my old entries, I've put together this 2010 in review to highlight not only my favorite finds of the year, but some of my favorite (and a couple least favorite) posts.

Favorite find (jacket): In terms of fit and quality construction, it would be hard to beat the camelhair and slubbed silk jackets I found one Sunday late last winter. Bonus nod goes to this crazy Hickey Freeman jacket.

Favorite find (sweater): In terms of both warmth (wowza it is warm) and style, the vintage L.L. Bean sweater from a couple weeks back wins this one hands-down (pictured below with wool necktie, wool peacoat, wool scarf, and beard).

Favorite find (shoe): It's hard for me to mentally separate all the shoes found at the Golden Girls on steroids estate sale, but out of them, I've worn the brown vintage Florsheim Imperial loafers the most.

Favorite find (hat): I'll call this one a tie, as both the vintage Pendleton driving hat and the amazing Harris Tweed rain hat are gems.

Favorite find (pants): I can't believe I never got an entry written about them, but I found an amazing pair of vintage light blue pants made out of heavy oxford cloth. Yes, they're very cool. I will get pictures when I break them out of storage this spring.

Favorite find (tie): If you've read this site for any amount of time at all, you probably realize that I have a bit of an obsession with ties. If I absolutely had to pick my favorite finds, though, it would come down to either the pile I found in this tie bonanza or these three lovely madras ties, which I wore a ton last summer.

Favorite find (other accessories): They're certainly nothing high-end or seriously sought-after, but I have to admit my delight in finding these great belts (and belt hanger).

Favorite find (furniture): Okay, so my wife found it, but this Heywood Wakefield nightstand was a gem just waiting to be uncovered with a little bit of elbow-grease.

Favorite find (book): I managed to find several books on men's style, but it was an early 20th century ship log that stood out (pictured below).

Favorite style-related post: This one was harder to choose, mainly because I don't feel like I really settled into a very good rhythm in terms of photos until late-summer or so. If I had to choose, it would be this one, which also happens to somewhat show the aforementioned Florsheims.

Favorite non-clothing-related post: Without a doubt, this post. Some runner-ups include this post on owls, this one on gardening, and this one featuring pictures from the 50s of my grandparents.

Favorite series of posts: Easy, Style Share. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I again thank everyone who has participated. A runner-up might be Yay or Nay which has gotten some great responses.

Most ill-advised style post: Just to show that I'm not above making fun of myself, I direct you to this fairly eye-gouging pairing. Not sure what I was thinking on that one. Oh, and another fairly slouchy post is this one, where I'm apparently trying to be the definition of frumpy.

Sure, it would be easy enough to delete those previous posts and try to forget that they ever happened, but they're part of the process. In terms of that process, 2010 was a great year, and 2011 seems like it's already off to a good start.

Etsy Find - Handmade iPhone/iPad cases

2011-01-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

I don't own an iPad or an iPhone, but when I came across Blythe King's Etsy shop, I kinda wished that I did, just one so I could deck it out in one of her handmade cases.

product photos courtesy Blythe King's Etsy shop

Made out of vintage fabric (and buttons) that she's collected, her products are absolutely stunning. They're organic, colorful covers, made of tweed and other highly textured fabrics, providing a great contrast to the items they house (known for their clean and futuristic (and many would say austere) looks).

They're not cheap, but considering that they're handmade and essentially one-of-a-kind, these gorgeous covers definitely look to be worth it.

Style Share return - Lands' End ties

2011-01-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

Another Style Share return arrived in my inbox, this one from Scott at The Cable Knit Collegian. He snagged the lot of two Lands' End ties from December.

His camera has been bugging out lately, so Scott graciously sent me a collage of the outfit that he was styling with the aforementioned ties.

photo collage courtesy The Cable Knit Collegian

I'll let him put it together for you the rest of the way...

It's crazy how well these colors match up. I started off the day with my olive tie and cords. After work I switched into my red tie and cords for the evening. I paired these with my madras driver's cap (with hints of olive and red), green/white striped oxford, shawl sweater and shearling boots.

Thanks to Scott, and to everyone who has sent in their returns so far. I'll have another round of stuff early next month to claim.

Shill - Lands' End sale

2011-01-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

It's not very often that I post links on this blog to new stuff, because frankly I rarely buy new clothing anyway. Even sales sites like Gilt and others are usually ridiculously overpriced (at least, coming from the mind of a habitual thrifter), but in case you hadn't yet seen, Lands' End is having a fairly massive sale going on through tomorrow night.

I've long been a fan of Lands' End, largely because their clothes are well-made and almost completely free of adornment (yes, I love my Polo horsies, but for the most part I prefer garments sans-logos). At any rate, there's definitely some great deals to be found, which includes a lot of stuff in their Canvas line.

For instance, I got one of these really neat twill flannel overlay belts for a whopping $6.98. There's also a load of great shirts, and I picked up a pair of tailored-fit nantucket red pants for just over 20 bucks (something that had been on my internal wish-list for awhile).

My total damage was just over $55 for 5 items (using the code JAN20 and the Pin 6111 for free shipping on $50 or more), which really isn't a whole lot more than buying stuff at a thrift store. With that purchase, it was the first time I'd bought a new (non-thrifted, anyway) clothing item since our trip to San Francisco. Unless I stumble upon some more great online deals, I'm guessing it will be that long (<> 6 months) it until it happens again.

Weekend WTF: Bowtie flower thingy

2011-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

Previous entries with the wtf tag have certainly been a little more odd, but in both cases, I at least knew what they were. With this installment, I'm really truly stumped with the actual accessory that I've purchased.

I was at a local thrift store the other day when I spotted what I originally thought was two silk bowties floating in a bin of loose ties. I pulled them out to inspect them a little closer, and this is what I found...

Based on the style of the tag, they're definitely an older Lands' End product. They each have a hook and latch like a ready-tied bowtie, but instead have an almost 2-inch fixed "flower" on the neck where the bow would usually be.

They were 50 cents each, so I couldn't pass them up. Frankly, I'm not even sure that they're a men's accessory, but I figured it was worth a dollar to inspire a blog post and learn a little something in the process.

Certainly one of my readers know what they are. If you do, please let me know in the comments.

Edit: As expected, Yankee Whisky Papa came through with the answer in the comments (a Rosette tie, which is a womens accessory) and even had a suggestion that I'll likely have to follow. Thanks!

Style Share return - Brooks Brothers tie

2011-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago, I was wondering aloud to my wife whether I'd ever see any returns on my Style Share idea. As it turns out, I only needed to wait until the holidays were over until the returns came in and the recipients humbled me with their contributions.

This time out, it was the Brooks Brothers tie from January.

This tie was snagged by one Yankee Whisky Papa, who runs his own style blog over at Boxing The Compass.

photo courtesy Boxing The Compass

To prove how versatile the tie is, I'll let BTC tell it...

I went out for a 7 a.m. sledding run with my 3 year old son, and wore your tie. I happened to have exactly matching cufflinks for it, which are somewhat visible in this picture of me about to leave the house for the short but fast and icy sledding course in the Boston Common. Gray sweatshirt over a TM Lewin St. James shirt and a Mister Midwester-gifted tie. Later, shifted to wool blazer and was off to the office.

From the sled-run straight to the office, like a superhero. That's copy that Brooks Brothers only wish they would have come up with. :)

Again, thanks to everyone for rolling with this. I'm having a blast.

Style Share return - L.L. Bean shirt

2011-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Whoot! My little experiment in crowd-sourcing style is showing some returns. For the second time this week, a Style Share item that was sent out into the world has now been documented in the wild.

This time out, it was this vintage L.L. Bean chamois shirt from December.

The shirt was snapped up by The Natural Aristocrat and he worked it into not one, but two different outfits.

Photo courtesy The Natural Aristocrat

Both outfits show the true versatility of the shirt, with the second turning in a true mix of styles that really make the bright red shirt (which could be considered fairly utilitarian considering the humble origins) into a focal point.

If you click through the photo-credit link, TNA even included a bit of nostalgic memories about L.L. Bean and some history of the shirt. Good stuff.

Thanks again to everyone who has participated in the project so far, and here's to many more great returns.

Ties is a four-letter word

2011-01-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

In terms of grammar, the title of this post might not sound that great, but in my case it's sadly true. Although I find it hard to find pants, shirts, jackets, and shoes that fit me, ties are the great equalizer. It seems like I'm always finding designs and colors that I enjoy, and because they don't take up a lot of room in my wardrobe (and they're usually inexpensive), I never to fail in justifying a purchase to myself.

Oh, and speaking of four-letter words, how about Dior, Gant, and Polo?

First up is a vintage (80s or so?) Christian Dior tie in an a color combination that instantly makes it the most beautiful paisley in my entire collection. This one is going to get a lot of play.

Next up is this beautiful Gant number (100% cotton, made in U.S.A.) in navy, with a delightful pattern of small colorful flowers. Again, this can go with so much.

Another Gant tie (100% silk, again made in U.S.A.), this is going to replace a Land's End tie I have in a similar color-combo, just because I like it more.

Purple and yellow Polo repp in 100% silk. Not sure what I'll wear this with yet, but I'm not going to pass it up for $1.

Lastly (but certainly not least), another Polo tie, this one in 100% wool with more birds. Yeah, I can't get enough.

How many ties are too many? I guess I'll find out eventually.

Style Share return - Chaps tie

2011-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, the first Style Share return has arrived. It comes courtesy of Kleidsam, who runs a blog of his own.

He took this Ralph Lauren Chaps tie from December and made it flourish with his usual aplomb.

Photo courtesy of Kleidsam

More textures than you can shake a stick at, but with enough mutual color interplay that it works smashingly.

Photo courtesy of Kleidsam

The little details (flower in the lapel, skull and crossbones tie bar, and herringbone pocket square) just make the eye dance a bit more, and the shoes are lustworthy as well.

Much thanks Kleidsam for participating! Hopefully more returns will soon follow.

Style Share - January

2011-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

I've got one return from a previous months Style Share coming soon and hopefully more on the way, so it seems that this little experiment in crowd-sourcing is working.

No real theme to this months items, just some neat ties and a sweater that I found. There are four things to choose from (for free*), and I'll send out items to the first two people to claim their items in the comments. Once items are claimed, they're off the board, but those who claimed the item will need to contact me through the email listed in my profile so I know where to mail stuff.

As always, the only thing I ask is that the recipient of said item of clothing email me back a photo or two of them wearing it for a follow-up post on this site. It doesn't have to be lit like The Sartorialist or even show your face, it just has to show how you put it to use.

Enough disclaimers, here are the items:

This one was claimed last month, but I was never contacted so it's back in action. This tie is so versatile that it's almost hard to imagine an outfit that it doesn't work with.

Beautiful vintage Dior tie in dots with gray, red, and purple. Depending on what it's surrounded with, I could see it being either playful or subdued. Super sharp.

Vintage wool shawl-neck sweater (size medium in case you can't read the tag). Panache brand (you can't beat that name!), this one has plastic buttons, but is perfect for the couple months of winter that remain.

Vintage orange wool knit tie, straight outta Scotland. Perfect for those have Syracuse, University of Texas, Illinois, or any other number of schools as their alma matter. Or hell, just get it if you love nubby wool texture and ORANGE.

*Seriously, it's free, and yours to keep forever. No strings attached. I won't share your name on the site or with anyone else unless you have a blog of your own that you want me to link. Please note that all clothing will be used (but certainly not stained, smelly, or damaged, as I do have standards), so please only agree to participate if this sort of thing doesn't gross you out. Thanks.

Sweaters and scruff

2011-01-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

I had a nice little block of days off over the past two weeks, and even though I kept fairly busy, I found the time to get out and thrift a little bit. I had a lot of competition (our city is full of pickers, and there were quite a few thrifters in town for the holidays), but I did end up finding a couple gems.

First up was this vintage L.L. Bean sweater. It is now easily the thickest sweater I own, and I haven't even had the occasion to wear it yet.

I knew it was something interesting the moment I saw it, and the tag affirmed it. It's old enough to have the vintage L.L. Bean font, and oddly enough it was made in Norway.

It's not 100% wool, but honestly I don't mind in this case. It makes it less susceptible to moth damage and although it inhibits the breath-ability just a bit, it's going to be layered with enough other garments when I finally do wear it that it won't make much of a difference anyway.

I also found a beautiful 100% wool sweater vest (knitted in England) and a short-sleeve (!?) 100% lambswool v-neck sweater that I'm guessing one would just wear like a sweater-vest. Some cool accessory finds (including a couple sweet ties) will be coming in another post.

It's certainly not very stylish, but I also bought this...

Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of Las Vegas as a city (it's just not my thing), but I buy vintage ringer t-shirts like this once in awhile to wear in the yard and/or around the house. It's one of those shirts that feels like it's been washed about 150 times and is soft and thin and incredibly comfortable. To each their own, I guess.

Almost three weeks since my last wardrobe post, and almost as long since I've shaved. Trying to decide whether I should chop down the ever-thickening beard or not...

I haven't had any returns from the first two months yet, but I'll unveil the items for this months Style Share on Thursday evening (Jan. 6th). Some good stuff again, so swing back and stake your claim.

Happy new year, baby.

2011-01-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

I want to wish all the readers of this site a happy and healthy 2011. I started this blog up a little less than a year ago, and it's been a great deal of fun to write as I explore and evolve my own personal style and show off some of the interesting things I've found.

Having said the above, I've been hiding something from you and I need to tell you about it. I hinted at it vaguely in a past post, but I haven't yet posted anything about what will definitely be the biggest and most exciting news to happen to me in the year 2011.

The above picture is a profile view of an ultrasound of the baby girl who, if all goes according to plans, will enter the world sometime in the first week of April and change our life forever.

I had a long holiday break and meant to make more posts here (and even took quite a few pictures), but instead I ended up painting the room that will soon be hers and tried to make sure several other things got done around the house. There's only about 3 months to go, and I'm about 85% insanely happy and excited about what's to come, with about 15% of me still feeling afraid of all the little details and whether I'll remember everything and do everything right that I know I should. I've been reading books and trying to somehow prepare myself for it all, but know that no matter how much work I do, I'll soon be dumped headlong into something that I simply can't comprehend until the experience is actually happening to me.

I can't wait to hold the little baby in my arms that I've felt kicking me through my wife's skin for the past two months. I'm excited to see what she looks like and how she takes after myself and her mother. Most of all, though, I'm anxious but hopeful that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Heck, I've even wondered how old she'll be when she first says, "Dad... You are not going to wear that outside the house, are you?"

Again, I wish the best for you and yours in 2011.

Yay or nay? The vintage dinner jacket.

2010-12-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

If you're a person that celebrates a holiday during this time of year, I hope that you've had a good one. If not, I hope that you've at least had the chance to spend some quality time with family and/or friends.

I've been incredibly busy, but things are calming down now and I have a good little batch of posts I plan on making. Since the last entries were fairly popular, I thought I'd kick things off with a post highlighting a rather interesting find that I made in the past week.

It's a vintage After Six dinner jacket in khaki, with decorative braiding along the lapels and tops of pockets. It has one button in front, as well as on the sleeves, and it caught my eye immediately when it was hanging on the rack.

It's a bit on the oddball side, but it fits me like a glove, and I figured it would make for a nice change of pace when the weather gets a bit warmer.

By definition, it's formal wear, but it's such an unique piece that I think it can inhabit a real crossover area in my collection, pairing it with everything from light khakis to blue jeans.

So yeah, I bought it (for 5 dollars). Would you have?

Tags and Textures: Mint green silk tie

2010-12-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

Last week I tried to do a little something new by starting up a series of macro shots showing off textures and colors of different items of clothing that I love.

This time out, I'm featuring a light, minty green 100% silk tie that is one of my absolute favorites to wear. Instead of smooth silk, this one is slubbed, giving it an absolutely killer texture that almost looks like paper maché in places.

Not to mention, it has lines of blue, dark brown, and white running through it, so it can play off everything from a blue and white university-striped oxford and dark brown belt and shoes to something like baby blue pants and a white belt.

Basically, it's everything you want in a tie for when the weather gets warmer.