- CW = critiques welcome - always! Today was an early set of meetings for our biggest project and will end with planning meetings for getting our youngest employee on a good track, should he be willing to undertake the challenge. My new leader is actually quite excited about the opportunity to mentor in this capacity. The ability to align employee strengths with internal needs is rarely this easy, but I always enjoy the chess-like considerations. Sometimes it's a matter of "who will hate this the least" and then, times like this, "is there someone aching for an opportunity like this one?". The later can often involve alignment of their preferences with the situation so that one helps them see the connection. This is the part of senior leadership (which does seem odd to describe it as such in a small company) that I thoroughly enjoy. The outfit today was put together over the weekend, largely before I knew the content of the meetings. Nevertheless, it works well. The gray flannel says serious while the vest-only says I am here to roll up my sleeves as well. The focus on reducing CPW on Tuesdays says that I want to get as much value as possible out of what we have already invested in at the company. Oh, it's also a good outfit to show the newest hat! Color story: Executive grayscale with blue and lavender accents Tuesday-rule compliance Today’s outfit meets the Tuesday CPW-development rule particularly well with four items never previously worn: Item Initial cost Current CPW (after today) Reduction Shirt DS-050 $34.85 $37.43 50% Trousers SL-025 $40.00 $20.00 50% Vest VWC-012 $20.00 $10.00 50% Tie NT-058 $7.27 $3.64 50% These are four of the 35 qualifying items with the largest percentage reduction, exactly meeting the preferred target of three to four Tuesday-focus pieces. The shirt’s CPW exceeds its initial price because its recorded item-specific accessory cost is included, but its calculated reduction remains 50%. Additional rule compliance: - Harmony overrides CPW selection: the four focus items form a coherent gray, blue, black, and lavender ensemble rather than being included arbitrarily. - - Pocket-square hard gate: no jacket is worn, and VWC-012 has no recorded usable chest pocket; therefore the pocket-square entry correctly remains None. - - VC relaxation: formal standards are maintained in the visible shirt, tie, and vest, while less-visible elements remain cohesive without being unnecessarily restrictive. - - Watch rule: W-007 is the visible left-hand watch, while W-001 is used as the non-visible Ankle Watch. - Pattern discipline: the shirt check, vest mélange, tie geometry, and suspenders pattern differ in scale and are separated sufficiently to avoid visual competition. -

My latest addition to the traditional wet-shaving collection — another Simpson Chubby 3, this time in Manchurian Badger. And yes… I already own a Chubby 3. 😂 My original is a Silvertip, and I absolutely LOVE that brush. In fact, that’s really why I bought another Chubby 3 rather than going looking for something completely different. Sometimes when you find something that simply works, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. What interested me this time was experiencing the same iconic Simpson brush with a very different knot. Simpson has been making shaving brushes since 1919, and the Chubby has become perhaps its most recognizable design. It is big, incredibly dense and unapologetically substantial. My original Silvertip has that wonderfully soft, plush feel that makes building and applying a lather almost ridiculously luxurious. The Manchurian, however, is a different animal. It has the distinctive two-band appearance you can see in the picture, but more importantly Simpson's Manchurian hair has noticeably stiffer shafts and greater backbone while still having exceptionally soft tips. So even though these are essentially two versions of the same Chubby 3, they should behave quite differently. My thought is to initially use the Manchurian primarily with my shaving soaps, where that additional backbone should be wonderful for loading the brush and working a harder soap, while keeping my original Silvertip primarily for creams. Not because either brush can't do both — they absolutely can. It's simply another little opportunity to enjoy the differences. There's also a practical side to having two. A natural badger brush should be thoroughly rinsed and allowed to dry completely after every shave. Alternating between them gives each brush plenty of time to dry and spreads the use between two brushes that, properly cared for, I hope I'll be using for a very long time. And that probably gets to the part of this hobby I enjoy most. I don't really collect shaving equipment just to accumulate more things. I enjoy the ritual.

Off to have some routine lab work done this morning before I go to work. Navy Criquet polo with pocket and white piping Rust Tommy Hilfiger linen-blend trousers and chocolate Anson belt with silver buckle Chocolate Cole Haan suede derbies and khaki Boardroom socks with orange and blue rectangles Navy linen flat cap Tissot Carson stainless steel and rose gold watch

Monday may be my new beginning each week, but Tuesday is usually when I start putting that beginning into action. Today is an office day spent with my accountant and finance team — which somehow makes “the details matter” feel particularly appropriate. 😂 With a warm and humid August day outside, I kept things relatively simple: blue trousers, a light checked shirt, brown suede shoes and coordinating socks. Comfortable enough for a summer day in the office, but still put together in a way that feels appropriate for the work I’m doing. And, of course, a watch to finish things off. 😎 One of the things I continue to enjoy about this journey is realizing that being intentional about how I dress doesn’t always mean being more formal. Sometimes the intentional choice is knowing when not to add the sport coat. For me, being a gentleman has never been defined by a jacket, tie or particular pair of shoes anyway. It is much more about the standards I try to hold myself to — how I present myself, how I treat people, how I conduct my business and whether I pay attention to the little things when nobody else particularly cares. Clothing is simply one visible part of that. Today’s outfit isn’t complicated. But every piece was chosen for a reason. And sometimes I think that is what intentionality really comes down to: The details matter.