Found this lovely herringbone overcoat with a paisley lining. It is a wool cashmere blend, and I got it for just 60 dollars on ebay.

Back a work on Hump day. Twillory black performance dress shirt over grey Vertx pants. Black Anson belt with silver buckle and black Tecovas boots. Orient panda watch and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Intense.

Being one of those in the community long in the nose (meaning I am old), I took for granted my trips to the Dallas Market for seasonal buying and all the great mentors I had in the clothing business 4-5 decades ago. (some of those mentors are still doing it 50 years later). The garment districts in New York were still operational in the mid 1970’s when I was going to market and was still in high school. I recently read on the Huntsman’s Savile Row web sight how one knew a Huntsman house-cut when they saw one. The same was said for Harold’s where I worked (3/2 roll coat, deep double front pleat trousers, classic English striped ties-I still call out one of our ties when I see guys wearing them today). Heck I could spot and tell you from which competitors store an outfit came with a nearly perfect accuracy. Back in those days guys either went to a clerk at a department store (easy to spot when that happened - tie and coat were the same color and the fit and fabric was usually pretty poor, the tie knot was horrible) or a guy was wearing a sharp outfit from a quality men’s store clothier. Yes even back then a trip to a quality menstore could be a rather substantial investment so there was a great deal of loyalty between one’s clothier and a client. But clearly not as bad as today. Within the multiple choices of stores then, there were various tiers of pricing (ours were upper middle) I believe the popularity of RMRS YouTube traffic and this community satisfies a deep longing for information since the era I speak of has been long gone (close to 30 years now). Today’s department store clerk has become the big box clerk that misguides most guys or even worse, the bottomless internet drivel which promotes poorly fitting clothing (the insane organ grinder monkey coat Bla Bla Bla you’ve heard me rant about a million times before). And while there are clothing stores that can still help, the fact that there are less than a fifth of them comparatively drives prices to be at least twice what they once were relatively speaking (shoes 3-4x) due to a vast undersupply to demand disequilibrium.

CW = Critiques are always welcome. Indeed, I will start us off! The shirt sleeves need to be shortened (I've been going through a process with my tailor which is working well now), my slacks need to go through my steam closet for a fresh crease, and I'm still not sure if this jacket really is a true midnight blue or just black. I've tried all of the optical checks, from AI, to asking others, and nothing is conclusive! Maybe that means it's the best possible midnight blue?! On the positives, I will continue to love these boots forever and I found a new retailor of quality accessories that is a blend of Japanese and European influence: Shibumi Firenze. This grenadine tie is a great blend of the sky blue and reddish/brown in the outfit. A warm-weather client-video-conference outfit built around midnight blue, sky blue, tan and oxblood, with burgundy and gold accents. - Blazer — BOJ-006 (Brooks Brothers): A midnight-blue Brooks Ease wool blazer in size 44R, with roped shoulders, patch pockets and gold buttons. Its structured silhouette provides business-formal presence while the solid color supports the outfit’s richer accessories. - - Shirt — DS-043 (Charles Tyrwhitt): A sky-blue non-iron cotton shirt with herringbone texture, spread collar and square French cuffs. The mid-blue weave connects naturally to the blazer and gives the grenadine tie a refined foundation. - - Undershirt — US-011 (Ralph Lauren): A navy cotton crew-neck undershirt in XL. It remains concealed while supporting the outfit’s blue color story. - - Trousers — SL-009 (Santorelli): Tailored tan wool-and-elastane odd trousers with a subtle micro-twill texture and faint medium-brown detail. They lighten the midnight blazer and provide a warm bridge to the oxblood leather. - - Tie — NT-078 (Shibumi Firenze): A hand-rolled, three-fold Garza Grossa grenadine in burgundy and sky-blue stripes. Its matte, open weave balances the shirt’s herringbone texture while the burgundy links directly to the boots and accessories. - - Pocket Square — PS-041 (Fort Belvedere): A generous 16.5-inch silk-wool square in mohair blue, burgundy, green and yellow, with a medallion-and-paisley border. The colors echo the shirt, tie and blazer without directly matching them; a puff or crown fold will showcase the palette effectively. - - Belt — B-017 (Nordstrom): A 1.25-inch oxblood leather belt with a silver buckle. Its restrained finish aligns with the boots while introducing a small cool-metal counterpoint. - - Footwear — DSh-022 (Yearn Shoemaker): Custom hand-welted Balmoral dress boots in oxblood museum calf with dark burnishing, Triumph toe plates and bark-tanned leather soles. Their formal closed-lacing silhouette and artisanal finishing anchor the outfit with authority. - - Socks — DSo-092 (Mes Chaussettes Rouges/Mazarin): Navy and royal-blue birdseye cotton-lisle socks, made knee-high with hand-linked toes and a hunter-green upper band. They reinforce the blue foundation while contributing quiet pattern below the trousers. - - Cufflinks — CL-031 (Unnamed): Small matte-gold cufflinks with opaque topaz-blue glass stones on rink-shaped mounts. They connect the shirt and blazer blues to the blazer buttons and gold tie bar. - - Tie Bar — TA-003 (Unnamed): A gold-plated tie bar with horizontal-line detailing. It provides a clean functional accent and reinforces the outfit’s warm-metal elements. - - Watch — W-010 (Orient): The 40.5 mm Orient Bambino Version 8 with a red sunburst dial, polished steel case and dark-brown leather strap. Its rich dial adds controlled warmth that relates to the burgundy tie and oxblood leather. - - Ankle Watch — W-001 (Apple): The 46 mm Apple Watch 10 is worn on the ankle solely for health and activity tracking. It is not visible and does not form part of the outfit’s visual composition. - - Pen — P-006 (Montblanc): The Meisterstück 149 in high-gloss black resin and platinum trim, fitted with a medium 18K-gold nib and Kon-Peki blue ink. Its substantial profile is appropriate for executive notes and client-facing work. - - Ring — R-001 (Ellie’s Jewelry): The platinum-and-diamond wedding ring remains the outfit’s personal constant. Its cool metal is independent of the deliberate gold accents elsewhere. - - Business Card Case — BCC-004 (Fort Belvedere): An oxblood long-grain box-calf bifold with a silver clasp and turquoise goat-suede interior. Its exterior aligns closely with the boots and belt while the interior provides a discreet blue accent. - - Wallet — WL-002 (Fort Belvedere): A mahogany-and-petrol-blue full-grain leather bifold with forest-green moiré lining. Its warm leather and muted blue-green details quietly continue the day’s palette. - - Eyewear — EW-004 (Randolph): Concorde aviator sunglasses with polished 24K-gold-plated frames, gray polarized glass lenses and green accents. The gold frame supports the blazer hardware and accessories while retaining a classic aviation profile. - - Fragrance — FR-025 (Yves Saint Laurent): MYSLF Le Parfum combines black pepper and orange blossom with amber, bourbon vanilla, patchouli and sandalwood. Its warm woody-floral character suits the navy tailoring and burgundy leather; apply lightly for video-conference office wear.

I'm pretty much finished with these "for now" as I want to wear them a bit. This is a timeline of photos. The first picture is an eBay listing picture, the second is how they arrived. A big difference in color for sure. It's all in the lighting! 😎 I decided to take them all the way down to the factory color with Renomat.Pic #3 Then I started bringing them back with some Renovator for nourishment and a little softening of the leather and color.Then I started with a couple of coats of burgundy shoe cream pic 4. Then I switched to medium brown for 2 light coats Pic #5 to soften the redness as t was almost looking purple. After that I did a couple of burnishing coats of dark brown on the front toe caps and heel counters to add a little dimension, and then some neutral wax polish for the toe cap and heel counters for a little pop of shine but nothing too shiny. New laces and we are ready for a trial run!! 😎 I love shoes and I love the care and maintenance of my collection. While I do have some more expensive shoes, there is something quite satisfying about finding a great pair of second hand shoes and bringing them back to life. I am always on the look out!! If you haven't tried it you should! It's not an expensive thing to get into and it can be rewarding and therapeutic!!