Fashion unforward

While I haven't made too many posts outside of men's clothing on this blog (and frankly, haven't made a lot of posts in general lately), I do have several other interests that keep me busy outside my main orbit of family and work. Although I've hinted at it in places, I'm a huge, huge, huge devotee of music and film, and have been a dilettante of many different sports, with the latest being running.

Around the beginning of the year, I decided that it would be a good challenge (and goal) to run an official half-marathon. Despite living in the midwest, I managed to train outside all winter, and the very longest stretch I went without running was four days (when we got socked with snow). Fortunately, I live close to a route that is regularly cleared, all the ice, snow, and sleet (and more recently, rain) that mother nature threw at me only seemed to embolden my spirit.

The aforementioned photo was taken at roughly 3/4 of the way through the half-marathon, on one of the last major inclines. It was taken a little bit prior to me hitting the proverbial "wall," hence the awkward smile. The day was unseasonably cold, and with a start time just after sunrise, my choice of clothing was almost purely synthetics.

Prior to running, I challenged myself by setting a goal time and donation amount to One Fund Boston, noting that I would double my amount given if I managed to beat it. In the end, I managed to do so by almost five minutes, and saw a load of friends and my wife and daughter cheering for me as I neared the finish. Not the worst way to spend a weekend morning, especially when it involves a delicious post-race meal and relaxing day afterward.

Handiwork revisited

Nearly two years ago, I wrote a post about a little project I was working on while passing some hours one evening.

Since that post, I'd worn the hand-rolled pocket square several times, and it was only today that I realized I had never properly photographed it in action.

I started a couple other clothing-related projects around the same time (including making a scarf out of a chopped-up tweed jacket with a few moth holes in it), but mostly abandoned them. Time with an infant (and then toddler) got to be much more important, and instead of learning the fine art and sewing and spending time with a needle and thread, I funneled time into other pursuits.

Truth be told, I only finished two edges of the above pocket square, but with some strategic folding and stuffing, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes life interrupts intentions in a good way, and the two rough edges are a good reminder of that when I wear it.

More than this

The past month has been kind of a whirlwind. Lots of family events and incredibly busy at work. Just sort of a perfect storm of things to keep me away from making updates.

The most exciting (and positive) thing that's happened is that our little girl turned one. She's happy and healthy and walking and jabbering a lot. Fatherhood has been even more fun that I thought it would be. I love that little gal.

On a much sadder note, the first third of 2012 has found far too many people that I know and care about exiting this world. Some had lived long, full lives, and others had shorter, vibrant lives and left far too quickly. If anything, it's been a major reminder that I need to tell everyone that I hold dear just how much I care for them as often as I possibly can.

I'll get back to updating this blog at a regular basis sooner or later, but I'll end this one with a quote from one of my favorite authors.

"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.” ― Kurt Vonnegut

Bad news and good news

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.

Feeling superstitious, part 2

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.

Mid by Northeast

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.)

Everything changes

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

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.

Post 100: An ode to my better half

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.

Happy new year, baby.

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.