It's getting busy with several previous clients, potential clients, and existing clients all reaching out for the end-of-the-year contracts. Many of my clients work on annual budgets where, if they don't use it, their budget next year is reduced and it goes against them on their reviews. No one misses their spend! A bit of chaos on the employee side as well, but we'll skip that for now. I also went on a bit of an eBay tie spending spree over the weekend, adding another ten ties to the wardrobe. That inspired me to get my wardrobe database enhanced with photos for all of the items therein, with a lot of emphasis on the ties. Wow did that take too much time, even when using online photos from new ties from online vendors from whom I have procured ties. For today's outfit, it is centered on the new CT sports jacket for which I wrote a review earlier today. The rest is a mix of navy and pink, which is exactly what one of my female employees had on as well. - Sports Jacket — BOJ-013 (Charles Tyrwhitt): French-blue and navy twill-check jacket in 95% wool and 5% silk, with natural shoulders, patch pockets, working cuffs, and double vents. The bold check creates a polished focal point for today’s video conferences. - - Shirt — DS-030 (Charles Tyrwhitt): Pink cotton-twill dress shirt with French cuffs, white buttons, and a 4.5-inch point collar, worn with 2.5-inch collar stays. The soft pink provides warm contrast beneath the blue jacket. - - Undershirt — US-023 (David Archy): White bamboo-rayon crew neck in size XL with an extra-long torso. It remains discreet beneath the shirt while providing a secure tucked fit. - - Trousers — SL-019 (Ralph Lauren): Lightweight wool trousers combining light brown, dark brown, and cream in a subtle micro-twill. Their warm neutral coloring balances the jacket without competing with its check. - - Tie — NT-041 (Fort Belvedere): Navy grenadine silk tie with linen interlining, hand-rolled edges, and a matte textured finish. A four-in-hand knot keeps the substantial 3.5-inch blade proportionate to the shirt collar. - - Collar Clip — TA-001 (Fort Belvedere): Platinum-colored solid-brass collar clip with double-sided clamps. It sharpens the collar presentation and lifts the tie knot for stronger camera presence. - - Pocket Square — PS-006 (Fort Belvedere): White Italian linen with a fine red border and crisp matte texture. A restrained TV fold adds definition without introducing another dominant pattern. - - Belt — B-011 (Hanks): Havana-brown full-grain leather belt with white edge stitching and a removable silver buckle. Its rich brown connects the trousers, shoes, and watch strap. - - Footwear — DSh-007 (Allen Edmonds): Chocolate-brown leather cap-toe Oxfords with Goodyear-welted construction and leather soles. The classic business-formal silhouette grounds the lighter brown trousers. - - Socks — DSo-077 (Kirby Allison): Tan Italian mercerized Egyptian-cotton socks with small cream polka dots and hand-linked toes. The quiet pattern bridges the cream accents in the trousers and the brown footwear. - - Cufflinks — CL-003 (Hugo Boss): Polished silver rectangular cufflinks featuring opposing angled trapezoids in an Art Deco design. Their cool metal complements the collar clip and belt buckle. - - Watch — W-006 (Fossil): The Townsman automatic combines a blue skeleton dial, polished steel case, and mid-brown leather strap. Its blue-and-brown palette ties together the jacket and leather accessories. - - Ankle Watch — W-001 (Apple): The titanium Apple Watch is worn on the ankle solely for health and activity tracking. It is not visible and therefore does not affect the outfit’s visual harmony. - - Pen — P-006 (Montblanc): The Meisterstück 149 fountain pen pairs glossy black precious resin with platinum trim and an 18-karat gold medium nib. Filled with Kon-peki blue ink, it is a substantial leadership-grade writing instrument. - - Wedding Ring — R-001 (Ellie’s Jewelry): Platinum wedding ring set with diamonds. Its cool metal remains consistent with the other visible hardware. - - Business Card Carrier — BCC-002 (Fort Belvedere): German bison-leather carrier in brown and tan with silver hardware and a structured two-sided design. Its textured leather supports the outfit’s refined brown accessory story. - - Wallet — WL-002 (Fort Belvedere): Mahogany full-grain bull-hide bifold with petrol-blue contrast stitching and a forest-green moiré lining. The blue detailing subtly echoes the jacket and watch dial. - - Fragrance — FR-028 (Creed Wild Vetiver): A moderate woody-floral and citrus fragrance featuring bergamot, pink pepper, rose, vetiver, cedarwood, and amberwood. Its fresh but grounded profile suits a polished odd-jacket workday. - - Eyewear — EW-001 (Tom Ford): Italian Marko aviator sunglasses with polished gold metal frames and polarized brown teardrop lenses. Their warm coloring coordinates naturally with the brown leather accessories

We are having a baby! It's due ~May 11th! We are calling it Tonka on the internet (inside joke from Creepcast). Family and Friends are elated! Also I didn't realize the photographer caught me making weird faces

Thinking something leather but want yall opinions

A few weeks back, I found a bespoke glove manufacturer with whom I was able to commission some peccary dress gloves in oxblood. I am writing to share my experience with Hungant, a Romanian glove manufacturer that makes all of their own gloves in house. We spent about 2 weeks - all done via email - going over the details of the gloves. I used their bespoke service mostly because of the desired oxblood color but also because their standard dress glove did not include quarks or a wrist closure. We went through various colors that were immediately available, but I came back to oxblood. They noted that they could provide basically any color, and the price difference was quite negligible. They were also able to add in the aforementioned design elements, including a nice wrist closure. Finally, I sent several photos to get the hand size down, including a few retakes just to ensure everything was well understood for the sizing. Their bespoke sizing does not round up or down - it makes it to your hand's measurements. My hands ended up being symmetrical (I am freakishly symmetrical, actually), but I suspect they can make these to the exact hand measurements even when they differ. In just 2.5 weeks, they made the gloves and got them to me from Transylvania. The gloves are way better than I imagined and appreciably better than my peccary gloves from Fort Belvedere (to be fair, FB's leather is at least as good, but the design and fit do not compare). The fit is perfect - easily the best fitted gloves I have ever worn. The color of the oxblood is fantastic. The added design elements are excellent, including a wrist closure that works better than any other I have used. The price was approximately $350 US, which is less than most OTR peccary gloves from any other vendor I have seen. (Note that the lighting makes these gloves looked washed out vs. real life) If you are seeking dress gloves of any type - or any leather glove of any other use (driving, casual, work, etc.) - definitely check out Hungant.

I received a new compliment this morning while shopping at Meijer this morning. An older lady said “You look like you just walked off a book cover.” I looked confused and said thank you. And she replied “oh, it’s acompliment, I like how you look.” I am not sure what sort of book cover I supposedly I walked off of. I am wearing a grey porkpie, a light tan shirt, tweed waistcoat, green paisley ascott, faded green dungarees and walnut Chelsea boots.