What I Am Wearing Tonight

I just think she looks good. Has nothing to do with post. Her name is Natasha.

Yes, friends and fans, I am going out tonight.  I don’t care what Morrisey says. And by the way, no I am not gay, but I did spend a half hour laying out a few options for the night.  It turns out I do have a stitch to wear.

I started with a black cotton and wool dress shirt because I have been eager to match that with one of those over-priced ties I bought earlier this fall.  I picked the grey wool/cashmere blend herringbone tie.  They look perfectly matched.

Then I decided on a pair of heavy canvas pants that I got at Smith & Hawkins years ago.  I think it is a good idea to mix it up a little.  The canvas pants are substantial and casual, perfect for a fall night out.  And the secret to wearing good clothes is to not look like you’re trying.

For a jacket I chose a black cashmere flannel jacket.  It’s a two-button jacket and I hate two-button jackets, but it does the trick and it keeps me warm while showing off the tie.  (I still would be much more comfortable and better off in a three-button jacket.)

Black shell cordovan shoes — dyed black — with a black belt and thick wool socks of the kind you cannot find anymore.  For accessories, my (fake) round tortoise shell glasses and a watch that tells the wrong time because the jeweler made it sound like if I touched it wrong it would fall apart and be ruined.  Currently it is 4;24.

Now I am ready to go out.  I am heading to a show downtown, a gallery opening and artist’s reception.  Actually it looks like a lot of artists.  These are always a good time — well, usually a good time — and I am looking forward to it.  My friend Louisa’s shows are always fun.

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Roughing it Elegantly

These Guys Get It!

I borrowed the title of this post from a book I had as a boy.  Roughing it Elegantly was a guide to the outdoors by Patricia Bell, I believe.  (I suppose I can look it up.)  Reading the book inspired an interest in the outdoors that hasn’t entirely faded, but has become far too passive.

It is another guide the outdoors that I want to comment about anyway.  Specifically it is a tip in the book that I enjoy very much.

The book is Your Cabin in the Woods, a 1945 perspective on recreational outdoor living written by Conrad Meinecke.  It is great fun to read and I often read it cover-to-cover in one sitting when I do read it.

The tip I enjoy most always makes me feel good.  I like the aesthetic, the style of the tip…literally.

In the chapter “What Shall I Wear?” he suggests for “Winter Togs” that one should select a “necktie to reflect one’s personality, whim or mood.”  Shoot, yes!  Why would you do anything else?  And I look forward to doing just this, selecting a necktie that reflects my personality, whim or mood whenever I am tramping about in the woods.  In fact I just went to the Brooks Brothers site (seems entirely apropos to fulfill this advice at Brooks Brothers) and selected two ties that I think will suit the task perfectly.  Both are a wool flannel and one suits a more flashy mood (stripes) and the other a more serious or working mood (grey herringbone).  I can hardly wait!

Now of course I need to make sure I have the proper shirt and vest or jacket combination for this tie, but I doubt there will be many fashion critics at the Decoy Inn or the Lumberjack to judge me one way or the other.  In general I think we need a bit more style — a little more panache – around us whether in the woods or not.  I’m going for it.

Not Bad, But a Tie Wouldn't Hurt.

And, by the way, it is indeed Patricia Bell who wrote Roughing it Elegantly.   I highly recommend both of these books — Your Cabin in the Woods and Roughing it Elegantly — for anyone with outdoors interests.   Roughing it Elegantly is a more practical and current guide book, but both offer a flavor for things as they once were and still can be in the woods.  They just come from the perspectives of different eras.  Nothing wrong with that either…just like wearing a tie in the woods.

Now that you have read this, tell your friends before scrolling down and reading more posts.  Hurry.  Don’t dally.

And since I am pointlessly babbling rather than concisely concluding my post with purpose, let me stoop to a little materialism, as if I haven’t already.  But golly…I have to say, I’m kind of giddy all over about this Bodum Frykat Grill!  You want to talk outdoorsy panache?  This has panache.  Where do I get one?