A (Very) Belated Christmas Post

      Hey, everyone.  Time again for another wardrobe post. 

     Christmas was kind to me.  I got to spend time with my family and my girlfriend, as well as with my girlfriend's sweet and warm-hearted family in Palestine, Texas. 

 

     Christmas was also kind to me in a material way: I got a nice haul of clothes and grooming supplies!  It's funny how when I was a kid, I didn't want clothes as a Christmas gift; now, they're all I want.  I guess that's part of getting older (and, hopefully, more stylish.)

 

     I must say that my girlfriend's sister and brother-in-law got me a great lavender gingham shirt, but, unfortunately, it was a little small, so I exchanged it for Ross store credit.  I'm hoping to find something as good-looking as that shirt with which to replace it.

 

     Anyway, here are the new additions to my wardrobe and bathroom sinktop: 

 

Here is the lovely Geoffrey Beene tie that my girlfriend's "Aunty Dine" got me from Bealls. It has a lot of characteristics that I like: blue, polka dots and a green base that matches my eyes. Hmmm...I think my girlfriend gave her aunt a crib sheet on my tastes.

When I knotted this tie for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the weight and thickness of the silk.



The maker's mark.

Hmmm...what could be in here?



Getting closer...



Boom! 



My girlfriend Misty bought me this beautiful teal pocket square and I love it, not only for its color and polka dots, but also for its generous proportions.  It's king-sized!

The stitching looks as if it was done by hand.

 

Plopped in.

Ain't it purddy?

 

Let me guess where this came from.  :-P

Almost there...



Stop teasing...

Ah ha!  My girlfriend paid attention.  Every time I go with her to Sephora, I go to the men's section and gussy myself up with Jack Black eye balm, face lotion, body lotion (on my elbows), lip balm and cologne (if I'm not wearing any already) while she shops for base and eye cosmetics.   

I had never used the Beard Lube before, so this was a pleasant first experience for me.  It's a three-in-one pre-shave oil, shaving cream and post-shave balm.  It's light and creamy and creates a comforting buffer between my face and my safety razor.  I already use a face moisturizer, but this one has a higher SPF level and comes from the same company as my new shaving cream.  I love having things from a matching set. 

 

 



Here are some great socks that my mom got me, mainly from Last Call for Neiman Marcus.  I love the colors of the socks on the left (and argyle socks in general), but I am not impressed with their wrinkle resistance.  They have a lot to learn from their more resilient, more presentable drawer-mates.



I love the marled green-and-white camp socks in the middle and wearing them with corduroys and Sperrys.  The orange-and-blue argyles on the right are one of my all-time favorite pairs because just looking at them is fun and pleasant.



Introducing the handsome quilted Barbour jacket my mom got me from Orvis.  I had wanted a quilted jacket like this, in this color, for the past couple of years.   



Where's my check for all this free advertising, Barbour?  :-P



Body shot.

    

Shopping Shot-Outs:

    

     Give the Bealls website a peek if you like my new tie.

 

     If you like my new pocket square from The Texas Clothier and would like to pay them a visit, click here to learn more about them and find out their address and hours.

 

     For guys who are not familiar with Sephora: Check out their men's section here.

 

     Learn more about Jack Black skin care and grooming products on their website.

 

     Find plenty of great deals on socks and other things at LastCall.com.

 

     The Orvis website has quilted jackets like mine and plenty of other great outdoor clothes and accessories.

 

     Go straight to the source and look at all of Barbour's jackets and clothing at Barbour.com.

 

     *Visit my girlfriend's artist website to see her fantastic portfolio of work.  If you're in the Austin area, please buy a ticket to her RAW artist showcase (February 21st) here.  Be sure to select Misty Poe when you're given the choice of which artist's show you're going to see.

    

My First Time with Florsheim

     Anyone who knows me or has read/seen this blog knows I have pretty conservative tastes in fashion.  I prefer classic designs that have stood the test of time, like knitted ties, argyle socks, saddle shoes, bucks and penny loafers.  They always look good, which means you won't spend money on something that's going to look awful and dated in 2 years.
     With that in mind, it makes sense that I developed an interest in Florsheim shoes.  I've always had an appreciation for American clothing/shoe brands (although these days it's likely that companies which started out American-owned and -operated back in the 19th and 20th centuries are now owned by foreign companies.  However, I am happy to report that Florsheim is owned by the Weyco Group located in Glendale, Wisconsin.)  For those unfamiliar with Florsheim, it was started by Milton Florsheim of Chicago in 1892.  Florsheim boots were worn by soldiers in the Spanish-American war of 1898 and in both World Wars.  Florsheim still makes classic shoe styles, but it has also partnered with Duckie Brown to add some modern twists to timeless designs. 
     A few days ago, I was poking around my local Nordstrom Rack store in search of whimsical socks.  That proved fruitless, but since I was already there, I decided to see what kind of shoes were available.  I'm glad I did.  I found a pair of Florsheim Lowell tassle loafers at a motivated-to-sell price that I couldn't pass up.  Not wanting to rush to purchase, I tried on both the 11s (hard to get on and instantly binding) and the 11.5s, which wound up being very comfortable.  I'm confident of this because I wore them to walk around the store to look for the size 11s.  Since I got such a great deal on them, I decided to get a pair of cedar shoe trees to deoderize and maintain them (Nordstrom Rack has a great price on cedar shoe trees as well.) 
     I am so glad I got these Lowells.  They're my first pair of Florsheims, my first tassle loafers, a great pair of dress/casual nighttime shoes and they have leather soles.  Anyway, enough blabbing from me - here are the shoes!
    

Lookin' good!

 

 

 

     For those of you who'd like your own pair of Florsheim Lowell tassle loafers: they're available at 6pm.com for 26 percent off retail price.

 

     If you happen to be in the Austin area and would like to see what a Nordstrom Rack store has to discover, click to find out the North store's location and hours here and the South store's location and hours here.

Trying On the Cartier Calibre aka Never Meet Your Heroes

     Ever since I discovered the Cartier Calibre (check it out here) earlier this year, I had been drawn to it, especially the pink gold/steel model with two-tone metal bracelet and white dial.  I even wrote an earlier blog post about my attraction to it (read that post here).  I had resigned myself to the idea that I would have to go to Houston or Dallas just to try it on.  That all changed with a casual visit to the Sak's Fifth Avenue store up in north Austin.  They sell Cartiers!  It was a shock to be in a store that sells high-end watches as well as handbags and shoes.  However, this pleasant discovery soon became tempered by disappointment after I tried the Calibre on. 

I'll make it simple: it looks way too damn big!  It's a good looking watch, but its white dial and the way its bezel flows into the crystal add up to make a 42 mm diameter watch look absolutely massive.  It's like Eva Mendes' face atop the body of an NFL player.

However, it was not all bad news at Sak's.  I got to try on a beautiful Cartier that I had forgotten all about.  Keep scrolling down to find out which one it was (hint: both President Clinton and Usher have one).

                      This watch looks like a wrist wrecking monster on my 7-1/4" wrist.  Way too butch.  Makes me think I should have no neck, a fake tan and a tendency to call everyone "bro" just to wear it.

                      Even the sapphire set into the crown is too big.  Makes me think of how American cars are designed - every element is oversized.

                      This is a nice color combo.

 

                      The black dial helps disguise some of the enormity of the dial and looks good with the stainless steel case.

     Despite the disappointingly hulking appearance of the Calibre, I was pleasantly surprised by the Ballon Bleu in stainless steel and yellow gold (Ref.: W69009Z3).  This, too, is a 42 mm watch, but its proportions are much more visually subdued and tasteful than those of the Calibre.  It is a very round watch (ballon meaning ball or balloon in French), but its attractive two-tone bracelet, large Roman numerals, contained and fluted crown and opaline dial with guilloche finish are more than enough to distract me from that.  This watch has a charming, old-fashioned appearance that makes it look like an heirloom piece already. 

Notice the subtle "C" shape formed by the indentation of the date window.  It makes for a pleasant-looking assymetry.

 

                      I could get used to seeing that.

                      The Ballon Bleu even appears round when viewed from the side, thanks to its curved synthetic sapphire crystal and rounded caseback.  I don't think I've ever seen a watch that looks like this one.  I like it, even if it does look a little thick (13 mm).

     If you are as smitten with the Cartier Ballon Bleu as I am, you can click here to learn more about it.