Glory Be to the God of Thirft

and many praise and thanks to him for smiling so heavily on me this week. I scored so much good stuff in the past few days I feel like I've done something wrong. Check it out:

Brooks Brothers (made in U.S.A.) 3/2 sack tweed: $4.99
Wool Black Watch tartan slacks: $2.99

Cotton lined lambswool L.L. Bean sweater: $5.99

New-with-tags navy and kelly green lambswool sweater from Polo: $9.99 (admittedly, the zipper is a little modern for my taste, but it's warm and soft and new, so who cares.)

Plus a couple of neckties, the vest sweater from yesterdays post, a grey and white university stripe button down, and a really killer pair of flannel lined L.L.Bean khakis. The whole lot was barely $50.

And now for a sartorial question. Today I wore the blue and green sweater above, with a pink shirt and khakis. It was raining (sort of) so I wore my duck boots.

My question is: is it alright to wear these boots on a merely rainy day simply because I like them, or do they require snow and/or hunting? Penny for your thoughts, readers.

The Pinch

I guess everyone's feeling it, even in the more exclusive neighborhoods.

Good Heavens, how will these poor, destitute souls ever survive?

Transportation

People with kids are always going on about how they need a huge car, now that they have the kids. It's as though no car is huge enough. Frankly, I just don't get it. From April until it gets too cold or too wet (or both) a bike (an old one at that) serves as primary transportation for me and the boy.

1973 Raleigh Sports 3 Speed

with original leather saddle

I purchased this bike and it's companion ladies bike last year for $120. In the same amount of time, three tanks of gas cost as much. But I don't do it to be 'green' or self righteous or anything like that. I do it because it's fun and the boy likes it. I know there are those of you who say "That's great if you don't have anything to carry.", but know that on the way home after this picture was taken I added two full bags of groceries to my load with no trouble at all.

Plus, I, unlike many people, am not one to carry a houseload of junk around just to take a 2 year old kid to the park for a couple of hours (that's another post).

And besides, an outfit like this:

...is not only perfect for the Autumn weather which has finally arrived(read, no more sweating in a long sleeved shirt at the end of October), but it goes much better with a British commuter bike than it does with a 2003 Honda Civic, don't you think?

Ties With Critters

Boatshoes and argyle socks
Silly preppy bags

I'm tired and its time for class....That's about all I can muster today.

p.s. internet access is pretty spotty of late at the homestead, so posting may become infrequent for a while. Don't worry, I haven't left.(I say this like there are hoards of readers out there...a dubious presumption at best.)

p.p.s. tonight would be a good night for some good old come-from-behind Red Sox victory. Fingers crossed, and please, no comments from Tampa Bay fans.

Smart Casual Pt.2

As I mentioned in a previous post, I rarely am required to wear a jacket and tie, and am always looking for ways to incorporate them without seeming overly fussy or pushy. Jeans will often do the trick on the bottom. But another useful item is the dress shirt that is not a dress shirt. You know the ones: cut the same as your favorite oxfords but in darker or more prominent patterned cloth. Personally, I like a good heavy plaid, especially in the Fall:

Polo plaid shirt, $3.99

Polo bow tie, $15.99 ( a fairly whopping sum for my own blood, as regular readers will note)

Cashmere and wool tweed jacket from 'Judd' of Lawrence, MA, a vintage friend I've had forever.

I suppose that this is technically a sport shirt, but I like the way the dark small plaid, repp stripes and herringbone work together. As with my previous example of pattern mixing, I find it best to keep it simple on the bottom, so as not to spoil a good thing:

Navy chinos, grey socks and the ubiquitous brown longwing gunboats. Those pants are by the Italian company 'Etro', a real high ticket design outfit, very G.Q. Legitimately they sell for more than class and good taste would bear mentioning, but for $4.99 they're a pretty good pair of chinos. I'll enjoy wearing them to work in the garden when they get old, that is if they even last that long.

Plaid as Hell

The Late Great Duke of Windsor puts us all to shame, as I'm sure we all know. Even his clown suits are better than anything you or I have ever owned.

photo respectfully culled from Sportinglifemag.com

I invite you to drool over the rest of he dukes finery here. What ever happened to golf?

Imagine those pants with a thick red wool sweater, a glass of good Scotch and a full pipe on Christmas Eve as you sit by the tree and gaze at the snow falling outside, the kids snuggled away for the night. Or the jacket as the top of a tux at a particularly outrageous New Year's party. Unstoppable.

More of my own posts (i.e. less creative stealing from other blogs) coming soon.

Archi-torture

Once I heard architecture school jokingly referred to as 'archi-torture' I just finished drawing the sheet pictured below for the fourth time, by hand, lettering and all in an effort to get it just perfect.

It took me 10 hours over the course of 2 nights, and my right hand is completely numb. Who cares what I wore today?