Doing It On Your Own

Some things are worth doing on your own, and to do so requires skills and the patience to learn them. Realizing the former is a great first step in every person's life. The latter is life itself.

Words to Live By

With Summer part way through and Fall around the corner, I took the time to edit (read: clean out) my wardrobe. Pieces that did not get worn much or at all were up for consideration. Several shirts, ties, socks, shoes, hats and sportcoats - likely enough to form a wardrobe on their own - lost out and were tossed. Actually, I was the one who lost out. Those items should have been keepers. You go into a friendship expecting a longterm play - acquiring a wardrobe item is no different. So where did I go wrong?

Settling. Ever wanted something but didn't go for it for one reason or another, and went instead with the next best thing? Well, you never stopped thinking about what you wanted in the first place did you?

Lured by the sale. If the goods were inferior to begin with, do they suddenly improve with a price drop? No, they don't.

Learn to love it. If it does not feel right on first impression, it rarely gets any better with time.

Those are some of the lessons learned, and over time many more will follow. And to be sure, there is a list of things that have come and gone as a reminder.

Summer's Weave

Summer is the time for open weaves. Coarse or fine, an open weave lets the breeze through. All the better to enjoy the shine.

Packaging

Great packaging goes hand in hand with great products. And great service. And great customer experience - indeed each touchpoint should be memorable for all the right reasons. Which brings us back to packaging. My favorites are those that are delightful to the senses, much like the products they hold. They beg to be used, held onto, even collected. Boxes made of firm paper board, with surface texture and in a rich shade are attention-worthy unto themselves. What lies inside, wrapped in soft and crisp tissue? That will be for another time.

Panama Dreaming

Fedora or optimo crown, Summer is the time for panama loving.

Fun in the Sun

A Casual Day

The art of being casual? Not always. Not never. Sometimes. The rest is up to you.

Hands

Hands are to the body what eyes are to the face. A touch-point. A window into a person. Catch their eye, then touch their hand. Hands tell tales of battles lost and won, and hint at a person's personality. Are they nervous, outgoing, strong, compassionate or confused even? People wearing sunglasses who's hands are in their pockets have an air of mystery about them. What are they hiding? What do they have to tell?

Hands come plain, or adorned in all manner of polish and jewelry. I prefer mine plain, regularly washed, and suitably surrounded by a shirt cuff. Seems a bit vanilla, but then again I am hardly a man of mystery.

Bare Essentials

May 14 update: I finally got around to finishing this post. Having time to pursue the things we enjoy is a bit of a luxury, but then it really is about taking the time isn't it?

With a newborn in the house, the living has been primal. There seems to be just enough time for the barest of essentials, like getting sleep and putting on clean underwear. It is amazing how things concerning dress can fall by the wayside. Suddenly socks have holes in them, and every shirt seems to be wrinkled. At a time when dressing is about covering up, holes and wrinkles are just fine! Every button, zipper, belt and shoelace is a struggle. Sportswear and tights become a godsend.

Remember How...

Toys were fun and you owned nothing but. You made things yours, maybe by playing with it, giving it a personality, a name - even yours.

Everything had its place and some things just could not mix, while so many other things could, in the most imaginative of ways. You made the rules.

There was so much to learn: why things were the way they were, how things worked. You wanted to know everything and to do it yourself. You tried, got frustrated and kept trying. Things would fall into place, somehow they always did.

All in the Bag

As bags are useful, I can understand why people would want to own several. For business, travel, day, evening, woman or man, each situation demands its own bag. There is the duffle for clothes and the odd short trip, briefcase and portfolio for papers and the day's newspaper, clutch for the evening's necessities, tote for shopping, and luggage for getting away; not to mention the cases for laptops, and bags for shoe, makeup, toiletries and even lunch. Hard-sided or soft-sided, in different colors and materials, hand-carried, messenger-style or over-the-shoulder, there really is no end, nor does there need to be, to bags.

A fantastic bag makes a fantastic accessory - a window into the wearer's personality and mood of the day. Maybe an unstructured bag for a change of line, or a hard-sided brief for an air of seriousness? I like my bags to have simple lines and a sense of purpose as they are entrusted with carrying my possessions. Whatever the case, you carry the bag, do not let it carry you.

How you use your bag is up to you. I will only say that it is not nice to sit on other people's bags, but then it is not nice to leave your bag on someone else's seat either. I like to change which ones I use to suit the mood of the day. I find bags useful as I do not carry things in my pockets but still manage to carry many things with me. To borrow a saying, it is all in the bag.

Downtime

In this day of i-that and e-this, it seems that our sense of touch is ruled by button-pushing and screen-swiping. What of tactile delights and art? I am all for pen and paper. No keystroke has compared to the glide of a well-balanced pen across fine paper. Journals take on the shape of your hands. The feel of wood, paper and leather: warm and soft, with a natural physical beauty. The crinkle of pages whilst leafing through one's thoughts makes for good company.

Between the Lines

Another Tie

From top: cashmere tie, cashmere tie, silk knitted tie, cashmere tie and large knot grenadine tie.

What's in a Wardrobe?

I like the idea of having a wardrobe where there is something to wear for every situation - for example, a particular season, each day of the week maybe, anything that life has to throw at you, or just according to how one feels. Being able to mix and match what you have, and looking chic for it, is the epitome of style. Lest a wardrobe gets excessive, remember: a wardrobe is used and utilitarian to a tee, whereas a collection is about, well, collecting.

So what is in a wardrobe? There will be the staples to see you through the day, some special items here and there, and plenty of accessories to make it all interesting. So here is to sock wardrobes, hat wardrobes, and everything else in between. As to a wardrobe of umbrellas, that may be much - even for rainy Vancouver.

Shirt as Example

Building and maintaining a shirt wardrobe is a sartorial journey, one encompassing fit, form, make, material, color and texture. The shirt is felt by the wearer and seen by everyone else, and when done right touches both's hearts. A higher collar. Longer points. More spread. Three millimeters here, 3/4" there. The details are subtle, but curiosity brings about experimentation and refinements are made from shirt to shirt. Tastes, desires and whims evolve. Maybe a darker shade of blue and a fine check this time around.

Ultimately, each shirt has its own personality and brings with it its own experiences. And with each shirt the wearer learns something about the shirt and themselves. A journey indeed.

For That Glow

Treat your shoes to a day at the spa. Start with a hydrating cream to nourish the leather and work out those wrinkles and fine lines. Saphir's shea butter based cream is a winner.

Now put on some wax to protect the leather. Keep the product natural: wax is all you need, and Kiwi has been the name for basic polishes.

Buff with a brush. The more you do it the better the shine; and we can all stand to be more vibrant can't we? A horsehair brush, in keeping with the natural products theme, is the way to go. For that extra touch of luxury, buff with a sheepskin mit for a shine that says, "wow".

Hot and Heavy

Enjoy Responsibly

Perusing through swatches, those collections of fabrics and skins, is one of life's true pleasures. The sensual delight of leafing through nature's materials - silks, linens, cottons, wools, felts and leathers to name a few - is intoxicating. One touches and caresses the samples. Eyes widen. The mind wanders, and the heart grows fond of the possibilities.

There will be materials too rare and dear to ever own something made in it, and the sheer number and variety of materials available could not possibly be rendered into a wardrobe over a lifetime. But what is intoxicating is being able to see and feel a finished piece - a tie, shirt, suit, hat or pair of shoes perhaps - when all you have is a swatch of material before you. Thoughts of a piece or two can easily turn into an order for three.

The Right Touches