Polo glen plaid sport coat, oxfors, paisley tie, corduroy trouser, sock, and shoe

CB buffalo flannel | Merona herringbone cardigan | Hilfiger trouser | Liberty of London paisley madder tie | AE marled socks | Polo loafers

Today's Outfit

Polo Ralph Lauren blackwatch tartan shirt

Tasso Elba cotton shawl sweater

Vintage reversible foulard silk/merino wool scarf

Polo Ralph Lauren corduroy pant

Merona cotton intarsia socks

Bally navy leather loafers

Today's Outfit - Red Rovers

Polo Ralph Lauren oxford tartan shirt, paisley silk tie, cable knit cotton/cashmere cricket sweater

Polo Ralph Lauren navy wide wale corduroy trouser

Smart Turnout regimental stripe socks

Austen Heller Red Rovers loafers

Austen Heller - My New Go-To Shoe

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Gavin Hoffman, founder of Austen Heller, a very new shoe company featuring a collection of unique, handmade loafers. I was kindly offered the shoes seen here to share with you my take on the Austen Heller brand.

A little about the packaging. The shoes arrive neatly packaged with top-notch shoe trees, as to maintain shape and prolong the wearability of the shoes. A note from Gavin Hoffman is included with each pair, explaining the excellent referral program offered by Austen Heller, through which $50 of referral credit may be earned when a friend or family member purchases his first pair of shoes.

The construction here is superb. Made in Porto, Portugal, Austen Heller shoes are handcrafted to ensure perfect stitching and attention to detail in each step of assembly. Shoes are offered in sizes 8-13, but due to the Portuguese construction, you'll want to consider US vs. UK/Euro sizing here and possibly order a size down. Fortunately, this is made clear to customers under each product description where a size comparison chart is viewable. For instance,  generally wear 11.5-12, but Austen Heller's 11 fits me perfectly. What about width? There are no width options, but the last of these shoes is well designed to fit any foot. I'll touch on style in a moment, but in terms of construction alone, the soles of these shoes are fantastic. This rubber isn't of the flimsy composition you'd find in similar loafers or driving mocs, but rather it's quite sturdy while remaining flexible. This composition also provides plenty of traction, a notion often overlooked by many manufacturers (such as Cole Haan or Florsheim) who put out slick, plastic-like soles.  The innersole is just as special. Too often I hear leather described as supple or buttery. Well, those words are totally appropriate here. Composed of calfskin, the smoothness of the innersole is guaranteed to make you want to ditch the socks each time you wear these. Since my shoes arrived I've been going sockless in my AH loafers as much as possible, despite the near freezing temps., because only my cashmere socks offer such comfort.

Style? Lots of it. I've always hesitated to buy the new stuff from Cole Haan and Nordstrom's 1901 line because I know I'd be buying color, not quality. These AH shoes offer the best of both worlds. For the more traditional among you, brown suede and leather loafers are available with splashes of color coming from the soles and stitching. When picking out my shoes I said screw subtlety, choosing a vibrant red with navy sole, and a bold blue with kelly green sole. I usually keep my colors muted at church and stick to my best lace-ups but the past two Sundays, while I've remained quiet up top, I've kicked it up (bad pun, sorry) with my AH loafers. The result? Not only at church but practically everywhere I've been, nearly every day the past two weeks I've received great feedback about both shoes.

The best part for me is that I can be truly comfortable wearing these. I'm not a sneaker guy and boat shoes can only get so much run, therefore I'm at ease knowing that after walking around in a pair of AH shoes all day, I feel like I've been walking just a few minutes.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I'm all about value, shopping on a relatively frugal budget. However, I believe as much that one should invest in quality when possible. These shoes, priced $175 and $195, are a worthwhile investment. Better still, free shipping and free returns are offered with each order. Happy holidays and happy shopping!

Today's Outfit

Shirt - Polo Ralph Lauren poplin - ralphlauren.com, $37

Sweater - Polo Ralph Lauren silk v-neck - eBay, $20

Tie - Polo Ralph Lauren repp stripe - eBay, $15

Trouser - vintage cotton/linen - thrift shop, $3

Socks - North Country marled cotton - Marshall's, $4 (two-pack)

Shoes - H. S. Trask bison loafers - thrift shop, $1

My "Dad Outfit"

I've been told I dress very well for my age. I suppose I should take that as a compliment, given the how most twenty-four year old guys dress. I've also been told I dress like an "old rakish gent," or an "old man", in general. I certainly take those remarks as compliments, given how my father inspires the way I dress. From my childhood I remember him wearing tasseled kilties everywhere. In fact, on the weekends he would wear outfits just like this - a cardigan or rugby layered over a sport shirt, madras shorts and his beat up kilties. Call such an outfit trendy and trad, I don't care. To me, this is simple, timeless, American style.

Cardigan - Merona marled cotton - Target clearance sale, $8

Shirt - Polo cotton/silk blend - eBay, $12

Shorts - vintage bleeding madras - thrift shop, $3

Shoes - vintage Florsheim Barletta - thrift shop, $1

How has your father inspired your style?

Mellow in Marlborough

I'll preface this by saying that I've never worn an abundance of grey or black, but I think this works.


Any pair of Smart Turnout socks can make quite a statement, even a rather toned-down style like the burgundy, white and black Marlborough. Thus, the rest of the outfit is based in shades of grey, drawing on pattern and texture rather than color for effect. Up top, from dear old Ralphie, are a plaid broadcloth shirt and micro-gingham silk tie. Down below, along with the Marlborough socks are Allen Edmonds Harvard loafers and Oak Hill twill chinos.

I'm proud to say this is also one of my more thrifty outfits as of late, costing about $27.

What's your top thrift shop find this month?

Messing Around

My apologies for the washed out photo above. I tried this shot five times and this was the best result. Anyway, I wanted to mix up some patterns and colors today. Without much thought, I left the house wearing this stuff... and 501's which aren't pictured.

I figured the Polo Black Watch tartan shirt to be muted enough that I could pair it with something bold. In comes a silk/cotton vest from Kenneth Roberts which I picked up for a few bucks on an Elder Beerman clearance rack, as well as a Polo tie I received from the ever-generous Mister Midwester. Atop all that is a cotton cardigan I recently picked up from the Merona line at Target. Once again, I strongly suggest checking out this stuff. Aside from thrifting, the bang-for-your-buck factor is unbeatable. Though I probably would've been better off with yellow or purple socks, I went for turquoise. Yep. Last up are my favorite black shoes, in fact, the only pair I ever really wear - Allen Edmonds silver-bit loafers.

I have no doubts that I managed to pull off this concoction, but it's certainly not my standard fare. What do you think? Decent or disaster? Creative or cluster****?

Dear Allen Edmonds

Please put these back in production.

Cole Haan Wish List

Aside from orange boat shoes, I'm pretty traditional with my footwear. However, I'd love the have any of these new Cole Haans. Back to personal photos in a day or two. Happy Sunday!

To Buy or Not to Buy

I'm feeling festive and considering these Polo loafers. Original price is $89.99 and they're on sale around $50. Should I go for both, just one, or pass entirely?




The next three pairs are out of consideration thanks to prices above $400. However, these beautiful shoes are made in America and feature some special styling and craftsmanship.


Golden brown wingtips are always on my wish list. I have a pair from Allen Edmonds I picked up from a thrift shop last year. Though in excellent condition, they're slightly small and quite uncomfortable after a few hours.


Plaid strapped loafers - something anybody should want. Maybe I could get a cobbler to create something similar with my existing loafers? It's the only way I'll be getting close to this design.

Blazing in Blue and Yellow

Never go out in spring before checking the weather report. The spring weather here is predictably unpredictable, and last week I went to an outdoor press conference wearing this outfit. That morning, the temperature was 55 Fahrenheit. When the conference started, it was 86 Fahrenheit.


I would've taken off the sweater but I arrived just before the conference began and my work was at the center of the discussion, meaning I was stuck standing next to the speaker at the podium. My point though - dressing properly is not limited to picking the right sizes and colors. This time of year, cloth type and thickness should always be considered. Pima cotton, linen and silk should be in circulation with any wool, angora and cashmere (except fine-gauge) in storage.


Though warm as I was, I certainly stand behind my choices overall. The light blue in my shirt, tie, and socks bring unity to the look. Though not too clear in this photo, these pants also have a slate-blue tone. Good color choice. They're also a cotton-wool blend. Bad weather choice.


I can't go without my Johnston & Murphy loafers.


What's your worst sartorial mishap?

Whether or not. Weather the storm.

Sunny Spring Day During Mid Winter Morn

Today has been the first truly sunny day in some time. While I love the snow and cozy appeal of a hot fireplace, I despise the unceasing clouds, wind and gloom that come each winter. But, as the sunshine brightened my room this morning, it also brightened my mood and wardrobe. This springy day also gave me enough courage to sport my new pocket square as an almost-ascot.

Hat: Merona ($5.49)
Pocket Square (as ascot): Japanese silk, hand-rolled ($0.25)
Shirt: green/pink stripe Polo ($17.25)
Sweater: pima cotton Polo ($12.65)

Trousers: twill jean Polo ($29.99)
Shoes: Bass Weejuns ($2.99)

Grand Total: $68.62