Yesterday’s outfit: - Basic white T-shirt - Charcoal grey chinos - White sneakers A very clean and classic look. I think the charcoal chinos are what give the outfit most of its character. There’s very little competing for attention, which keeps the whole look simple and refined. Today, I kept the exact same base and added one piece: - Burgundy button-down shirt, worn fully open - Basic white T-shirt - Charcoal grey chinos - White sneakers The difference surprised me more than I expected. The burgundy shirt completely changed the feeling of the outfit. It added more structure and presence without making the outfit complicated. I also rolled the sleeves, which gave the arms more space and added a bit more structure throughout the silhouette. It’s interesting how one additional piece can take essentially the same outfit from clean and classic to more structured and expressive. Which one would you choose: the clean YOTD or the more structured OOTD? And what do you think made the biggest difference between the two?

I’ve always loved perfumes, but coming from an Arabic culture, I’ve also grown up around another side of fragrance that I feel gets overlooked: musk and oud oils. I’m not a huge fan of simply spraying two different perfumes on top of each other. What I enjoy much more is using a small amount of musk or oud oil on the hot spots, then spraying a perfume over it. Usually the hands, neck, and sometimes the beard. The oil gives the fragrance something to sit on, lasts much longer, and can subtly change the way the perfume develops throughout the day. I’ve tried quite a few combinations and honestly find this much more interesting than just mixing two fragrances. There’s also another level to this in Arab fragrance culture: bukhoor. Some people will perfume their clothes with bukhoor and then use musk/oud oil and perfume on the body. In the Gulf, you’ll sometimes see the traditional ghutra/shemagh used almost like a scent-preserving layer because the fabric holds the bukhoor beautifully. I’ve tried incorporating bukhoor into my routine too, but since I’m Egyptian and don’t normally wear a ghutra, I’ve experimented with perfuming other clothes instead. So I’m curious: Does anyone else layer fragrance this way? If you use oils underneath perfume, what do you reach for? - White musk? - Black musk? - Oud oil? - Amber? - Something else? And what perfume combinations have actually worked for you? I’m especially interested in combinations where the oil complements the perfume rather than completely changing it.

I was really excited about placing my first order with this company, and I had very high hopes. Unfortunately, my expectations have led to significant disappointment and, as a result, I cannot recommend this company. The first image is what I thought I was ordering - because that still comes from a YouTube video on their website showcasing a pair of Navy Blue Jorvik shoes. The verbiage on their website led me to believe that providing detailed foot measurements would result in a semi-bespoke offering, rather than an off-the-rack offering. I can't currently say which of those options I received, but at this point there is little difference. It also led me to believe that their custom orders came from the York, England workshop while their standard offerings came from their Bangkok workshop. As you can see, I was promised manufacturing updates, including images, along the way. The first red flag was a DHL tracking number, indicating an incoming shipment from Bangkok - even though I had received no updates on the progress. Of course, which workshop makes the shoes doesn't really matter that much - as long as the quality is what it should be. As you can see, the shoes I received look nothing like the showcased shoes. Had I seen an image of these shoes, I would not have ordered them. Second, there is a significant manufacturing defect in the left shoe - which you can clearly see in the final image, but it looks worse in person than in the image. Third, I paid extra for silver toetaps - which, as you can see, were not included. Finally, they replied to my email requesting to initiate a return with a denial, stating that this was a custom order and cannot be returned - even though, as you can see, this was simply an order using available options on their website. As a result, I have been forced to open a dispute with my credit card company. I will still return the shoes if requested, but I am not paying for unacceptable merchandise. I'm assuming I'm just out of luck with the tariff I paid on top of the cost of the shoes, but that wasn't an extraordinary amount and could be chalked up to the price of a lesson learned.

That Saturday, I attended the burial of my grandfather, my father’s uncle. Last week was quite a busy one, so I didn’t get around to sharing this at the time. The outfit: - Black button-up shirt - Dark gray jeans - White sneakers I chose jeans instead of going fully formal because we were traveling to the countryside, and I knew it was going to be a long and active day. There was quite a bit of moving around, going between different houses, and helping with different things throughout the day, so I wanted something comfortable and practical while still keeping the outfit understated and respectful. Another one from last week. On Friday, my father and I went to the internet company to transfer my internet connection from his name to mine. A small thing on the surface, but another step toward taking more responsibility for things that will eventually be mine. The outfit: - Minimal Graphic Light Blue T-shirt - Light-washed Jeans - White Sneaker I went for something simple and put-together, while still keeping it comfortable for the day.

For some time now, I had been meaning to replace my old black T-shirt. It had faded considerably and was no longer something I felt comfortable wearing outside. I kept putting it off, though. With other expenses and saving for our marriage plans, buying another T-shirt simply wasn't a priority. Originally, I had planned to get a plain black T-shirt with no graphic at all. I wanted something simple that I could easily use for layering, and I already knew where I wanted to get it from. I just kept delaying the purchase. My fiancée ended up surprising me with two new T-shirts instead. One is black with a small graphic on it. It isn't quite what I had originally planned to buy, but I actually really like it and can definitely see myself wearing it often. The other is a purple one — plum, to be more precise, if I'm identifying the colour correctly. I'm genuinely very happy with the gift. I love both of them, and I appreciate the thought behind them even more. The main challenge for me will probably be styling them. Since they're graphic T-shirts, they aren't quite as versatile for layering as the plain black T-shirt I originally had in mind. I'll still be getting plenty of wear out of the black one, though. The plum one will be more of a challenge. I'm not particularly accustomed to wearing colour, and I find coloured pieces considerably harder to style than my usual neutrals. I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts on both of them. How would you style each one? What would you pair them with, especially the plum T-shirt? I'm still figuring out how to work more colour into my wardrobe, so I'd be glad to hear your suggestions.