Dress for The Season...and the Weather

So it's almost October, and I'm itchy to get into my tweeds and corduroys. But as I write this, it's nearing 80 degrees in Boston. The tweeds will have to wait, but the madras and linen would be way out of place.

I recently picked up the jacket above, a recent Brooks Brothers piece. It's made of a blend of wool, linen  and silk, and I find it's handy thing to have on a day like this. The color and pattern aren't too summery, but the jacket still wears cool on a warm day.  When I packed the Summer clothes up, I left this one in rotation, along with a lightweight navy blazer in wool hopsack, and a couple of lighter weight worsted suits in dark colors. It's helpful to have clothes that bridge the gap. In the photo above, I combined the jacket with a wool knit tie, perhaps a bit unconventional, but a nod to the season, despite the warm weather. Below, a pair of charcoal worsted trousers, rather than the lightweight tan cotton I might usually put with this jacket, keep things more Fall as well.

I don't want to walk around sweating bullets in a tweed jacket and flannel slacks pretending I'm not uncomfortable any more than I want to be wearing shorts right now. Nothing is less stylish than being uncomfortable in your clothes, no matter how nice they may be. Dress for the season, but dress for the weather too.

Lifestyle: Autumn Cocktails

Many of you know that my "day job" (which actually occurs from 3-11pm most days) is working in a fine wine shop. I generally take care of the gourmet food department and offer wine advice. But in my capacity as the teams "utility infielder" I occasionally conduct a cocktail tasting.  The most recent was last Saturday, and we've had a few requests to share the recipes online. I thought this was as good a forum as any.

This recent tasting featured three cocktails perfect for Autumn. Two were our own takes on old classics, one just a direct old classic. Apple, cinnamon, and maple featured heavily, but in a more understated way than the all-too-prevalent-pumpkin-spice-everything fiasco that has gripped the United States this year. The recipes that follow require few ingredients and are relatively simple to prepare, not unlike the best cooking. And, not unlike the best cooking, will leave your guests with the impression that you are some sort of culinary superhero, even a "mixologist" ( read: good bartender), if you will.

The Normandy Cocktail

3 Parts Le Compte Originel Calvados

1 Part B&B, dash of maple bitters

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry. Think of it as something of an "Apple Manhattan".

Autumn Old Fashioned

3 Parts Old Weller Antique Bourbon

Dash of cinnamon simple syrup, dash of apple bitters

Combine ingredients in a glass off ice and stir until chilled. Strain and serve over fresh ice in a tumbler, garnish with half a candied walnut. (note: cinnamon simple syrup is easy to prepare. In a saucepan, combine equal measure sugar and water with two or three cinnamon sticks. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Discard cinnamon sticks. Keeps ins the refrigerator up to one week)

Hot Mulled Cider

Fresh apple cider, mulling spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice, star anise)

Sapling Maple Bourbon Liqueur, Privateer Amber Rum

Combine cider, spices, and a healthy drop of  maple liqueur in a sauce pot or kettle and heat to a steaming simmer, being careful not to boil as this will result in a bitter drink. Serve in a mug or coffee cup with a good helping of Privateer Amber Rum (or other suitable rum/bourbon/brandy of choice) Bonus points: your house will smell fantastic as guests arrive. Best served from a punch bowl or crock pot.

You see, there is a bright side to the falling temperatures aside from being able to wear tweed and flannel. You get to have a cocktail party just so you can serve drinks like these.

Cheers!

Fall Casual

Fall Casual, or, British-public-school-algebra-teacher chic.

Ralph Lauren shirt, $5.99, Brooks Brothers khakis, $5.49, Viyella tie, $1.99, Barbour jacket, $150 new at outlet, Donegal tweed cap, $1.99

It can be difficult to dress well when its simply a matter of choice. You can learn to get over the feeling of being overdressed as compared to everyone else around, or even the feeling of being inappropriately dressed for the conventions of modern life. Guys who dress well, or "dress up"" as the rest of the world calls it, tend to go full tilt into it. Generally I believe that if you wear a tie, you should also wear a jacket, even if that jacket gets removed and hung up immediately on arrival. But there are times when a casual midpoint is just the thing, and I find that Autumn is just the time for that. 

In my job, there are time when I have a lot of work to do, and being too dressed up is simply not appropriate for that. But an outfit like the one pictured above works nicely. Its basically comprised of sturdy casual cotton pieces, all derived of either work or military origin.

The addition of a solid tie in a soft fabric makes me feel more finished, without feeling overdone. This tie is an unusual one, made of old Viyella, 55%cotton/45%wool. Recently acquired for $1.99 at a thrift shop, I can already tell it will be a frequent player this season. The undone button down collar is a hopeless affectation...

...as is the tie tied with rear blade a bit longer than front blade.  Blame the internet, or the Italians, but I had to do something to keep the fuddy duddy math teacher vibe of such an outfit \in check.

These old penny loafers could use a shine, but I'll save that for the next time I wear them with a blazer. A whiff of the old wear and tear isn't always undesirable.

Fall really is the perfect time for these mid-casual outfits. The days are sunny, and just chilly enough to feel comfortable in moderately substantial clothing. A Barbour jacket or similar has a way of making just a shirt and tie look less unfinished, and a good tweed jacket with denim is pretty indisputably classic by now. Embrace the chill.

p.s. my apologies for my recent absence here. Technical difficulties of every kind this week.

p.p.s. If you are in the Boston area this week, the annual Honk festival is happening in Davis Square. The weather looks to be just right for some activist marching bands, and maybe even a trip to the AAW Shop for some Fall Casual.

Late to the Party (or, just in time)

I used to have a great pair of perfectly dirty white bucks, but they got destroyed. I spent a few Summers without a pair. Not that I didn't look. New versions were either too expensive, or not worth the trouble, and white bucks are sadly elusive through my usual cheapskate, thrift shop channels. But then these turned up. No discernible brand name, but made well of quality white buck, with the requisite brick red rubber soles, and built in dirtiness. At $5.49 they were more than double the cost of my last pair, but still worth it (snark).

True, Labor Day weekend is upon us, the official "end" of white shoe season. However, one of the ruling tenets of thrift shopping is a rejection of shopping seasonally and taking what one finds when one finds it. Besides, I happen to think white bucks are at their best into the Fall, with flannel and tweed. I've said it before, to some minor wailing and gnashing of teeth from the purists. Let's not forget, it's a concept that dates back to the 1940s or sooner, a style that hails from the campi of American colleges, "preppy" (gross) before we felt the need to call it that, and I can dig it.

Our man James pulled it off well. As a bonus, note what appears to be a peaked lapel single breasted tweed jacket, and a tie that is tied with the rear blade longer that the front..."sprezzatura" before that was an awful, played out cliche.

White bucks in late August...late to the party? or just in time?