A friend was showing his photography at the gallery down the block last night, so I used the opportunity to try some things I’ve been learning. Classic blue shirt with some brown Brooks Brothers Corduroys. I wore some burgundy Florsheim loafers that picked up on the burgundy in the tie. Pocket square had some brown that matched the pants. At the event I totally noticed what Antonio shared this morning. The women dressed with intention, while the men were clueless and looked dumpy. This outfit was thrifted in the last couple weeks and probably cost less than $25.00

Good morning, gentlemen, Lately there has been a lot of talk about ties and wearing ties. How ties are coming back in the fashion and style scene not because it is mandatory in the workplace but because people are looking for a change and to be set apart. Some are looking at ties as a way to up their appearance without spending a fortune, either way ties are becoming the new aesthetic for men. For me, as a kid I was made to wear one on special occasions and to church functions. As I got older and I was placed and a supervisor position I was told to wear one, but as soon as I was not required, I did not wear them. fast forward years alter I find myself wearing them not because I am told to or have too, but because I love the look of them, I love how they accentuate my clothing and brings more options to outfits. What are your thoughts on ties? Do you wear them for work, for style, because it is required for you to? Do you see more men wearing ties as a trend, fashion statement, or the fact that many are getting back to the basics of being a gentleman? Do you see more men wearing button shirts and ties becoming the norm? Share your thoughts on this new era of men's wear.

At the time I wasn’t too excited about some of the after hour projects Harold Powell had me assist him with. One was the Semi Annual “introduction night” for the incoming freshman Pledge classes every Thursday evening. Today however I appreciate immensely the speech I heard over and over again: •The first item a young man should buy is a blue Oxford button down shirt. • the second item a young man should buy is a blue Oxford button down shirt (for when the first one is being laundered ). This shirt was the foundation worn with anything from shorts to jeans to a three piece suit. (Then Harold would move to the navy blazer, khakis, grey slack and rep tie) Blue shirts are hands down the most versatile color of all shirts. While a white shirt can add a certain crispness to an outfit to which a blue falls short slightly, nothing gives more bang for the buck from a versatility perspective. I’ve spoken many times about the primary three essential colors in Classic Timeless Menswear that works with virtually all ties and coats and trousers: BLUE, WHITE, PINK Any gentleman wise enough to have these three colors in their closet has an almost infinite number of combinations available to him. The secondary colors that are a bit more fringe such as Lavender, Ecru, or Yellow certainly can add impact to an outfit but don’t have nearly the versatility as the big three. Then the tertiary colors such as Mint, or the non traditional dark colors like Navy, Black, and Reds, while certainly impactful, aren’t really traditionally thought of as Classic Timeless Menswear. (Although they still make a very cool statement). Pull up a JPress page on suits and you will inevitably see OCBDs in the primary and secondary colors mentioned above as a foundation on virtually every suit. I am going to bypass the button down versus point color discussion here except to say I am not going to get caught in the fashion noise of preppy, old school, dress shirt versus non dress shirt dullard drivel. Zzzzzzzzz. While I’m not wearing one an OCBD is always CTM.

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