Late Summer

Many people lament the end of Summer, but I'm not one of them. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy ice cold rum drinks and trips to the beach as much as the next guy. In fact, such things rate among my favorites. But here in Boston, the locals tend to make a professional sport of complaining about the weather, regardless of what that weather may be....regardless also of the fact that said weather is both normal and expected in a given time of year. These same yahoos say things like "hot enough for ya?" in July and "snowin' enough for ya'?" in January. After our collective one night stand with Irene, I just don't want to hear it...and I had a tree collapse in my yard, remember?

 Anyway, another reason I won't complain about the gradual end of Summer is vanity. I enjoy dressing, and it gets better in the Fall. One by one, old friends return to the fold. I have four identical blue university striped shirts, easily my favorites. I wear this pattern a lot, that's why I have four. But they're oxford, and more than a bit too heavy for Summer. Today marked the first reappearance.  Paired with a no-name cotton knit tie, the spoils of thrift shopping in Maine, and a collar pin from the Andover Shop worn as tie pin, the look has one foot in Summer and one in Fall, a perfect bridge.

The same goes for brown tassel loafers and crisp khakis, my current favorite combination. Cotton socks in pale yellow pay a fitting homage to the fact that it is still August, as we cling to the last vestiges of the warm season.

Completed with a navy blazer and white pocket square, two of the few items which lie completely outside the intricacies of seasonal dressing, always appropriate.