My first grenadine silk tie - this one is from Fort Belvedere. New employee had a great first day. Outfit details: Shirt: French cuff shirt with bird's eye pattern in white from Charles Tyrwhitt Slacks: Navy/deep blue from JW Nordstrom, recently tailored Tie: Burgundy grenadine tie from FB Belt: The Suede in a khaki like brown from Hanks Belts (first time I've had a suede belt) Vest: Sharkskin indigo blue vest from Charles Tyrwhitt Shoes: Allen Edmonds brown cap-toe Oxfords Socks: "Strong" shadow stripe blue on brown over-the-calf cotton dress socks from Il Regalo Cufflinks: multihue dark blue reflective enamel on silver hardware from Charles Tyrwhitt

Hey guys, I bought a new sweater polo with some black Friday sales and it feels like it's missing an outer layer. I have maroon quarter zip and a pale green one but I'm not sure if those are the best for it given it already has a soft collar. Thoughts? Edit: I'm going for a modern tech style

Good morning gentlemen, I have a question for you this morning, are you a people person? Now for me I like people, but I am not a very outgoing type person that will immediately try to make friends or just walk up and introduce myself randomly. So if you are this type person you are not alone. The sad part is more and more people are being this way because of the world we live in. The caution flags seem to stay raised. Yes we need to always be cautious, but not to where it prevents us from getting to know certain people. For me, I had people say that I look mean or unapproachable. I don’t think that I am or come across as this. But if I hear that from several people then I need to take a look at this and I have. So why is this important? Because when you are making connections this is important, you do not have to be the life of the party but you want people to feel you are approachable. This is very important if you are wanting to make connections beside, that first impression is what people remember. My brother and gentleman Nicholas Logan in this community spoke the other day and I have spoken about getting to know certain people that you frequent their establishments. This could be your dry cleaner, your tailor, the bartender, waitress or waiter, you want to get to know people at places that you frequent a lot because these are the ones that serve you and will also look out for you. For example, there are a few places that I and my wife frequent and also places that I take my clients to, so when I walk into a particular restaurant I am greeted by the person at the door by my name, They also know who my favorite waiter or waitress is so if they ar working they will seat me where they are working. Why? Because that person at the door recognizes me, and that waiter or waitress made sure that they know when me or my wife walks in they get assigned to us because we give them respect and we also tip them well for their service. The bartender, he knows my name and what my favorite drink is and how I like it. This not only impresses my clients, but they see that these people know me and respect me and I respect them as well.

Happy Tuesday gents. I’m in the market for some long sleeved Henleys. Can I get some recommendations from the group please? What have you purchased that you liked? With much appreciation…

This year has felt like one long plot twist. I was laid off, picked up side jobs, and somehow wrote books through the chaos. And because my bold ideas seem to arrive at the least practical moments, I also told my wife to leave her stable job and finally chase her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Yes, while I was unemployed. I knew how wild that sounded, but it was still the right call. She earned her master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA and pushed through student teaching with steady patience. That has been one of the bright spots in a difficult season. Every year her best friend and I go on a holiday shopping trip. It is our tradition. We visit a few stores, hunt for the right gifts, and finish with Blanco Tacos for dinner. It is an odd little ritual, but it works. This year my definition of extravagant stretched farther than usual, and the gift ended up firmly in the expensive category. Her best friend did nothing to protect my budget. We visited Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Nordstrom. I drifted toward the loud pieces my wife usually likes, the ones that practically call attention to themselves. Her best friend kept pulling me away. Then she pointed at the sweater I was wearing, a very nice Armani with no visible branding, and said to the salesperson, “See. He does not need to shout. Why would she.” After that she delivered the line that stuck with me. “You already proved you can afford it. Now I want her to enjoy it.” Moments later she realized I own cashmere and alpaca while my wife owns neither. She turned to me with a look that said only one word, and she said it out loud. “Robert.” No affection. No softness. Just pure judgment aimed directly at my soul. At Louis Vuitton we found the right piece. A soft, understated cashmere sweater with a small tag at the back of the neck. Nothing loud. Nothing trying to show off. Just quiet quality. The salesperson added, “Pieces like this never get counterfeited. There is nothing loud to copy. The value is in how it is made.”