Ok boys, it’s already real hot in North Carolina. I’d been living in (Southern) Italy the last few years, and swear by linen in warm weather. Classy, comfortable and incredibly effective to help with the heat- however- nobody here seems to be wearing it. Except me, of course. Dudes have been stopping me and saying “what’s that?” Or “how can you be in long sleeves/ pants right now?” And have genuinely never heard of linen clothes. The real question is… why? Are most dudes just opposed to branching out from what is standard?

You can go down a number of rabbit-holes on the topic of shoes and foot health, as I have in recent years, but the good news is that traditional marketing blather disguised as medical advice is rapidly giving way to actual science. Much of this research comes purely from a sports-science perspective, but we are seeing more and more general-purpose, science based, foot health advice making its way into the mainstream. A couple of bottom lines: - Anatomical toe boxes combined with zero-drop heels typically promote increased foot health by allowing the foot to function as intended. - Heel and mid-foot shoe structure - often labeled as support - is important for high-impact performance activities but bad for everyday wear - as the overly restricted foot movement promotes atrophy and degraded foot health. The question that needs answering is why, for so long, have so many people been so wrong about foot health? To answer this, let's start at the beginning... For millenia, all shoes were anatomical - they were literally custom made to fit each individual's feet. And they typically bore little resemblance to the modern dress shoe. So, from where did the look of modern dress shoes come - with narrow, tapered toe boxes and soles that artificially lift your heel 2-3 centimeters off the ground? Both of those aspects were born - in different ways - from the simple fact that those aspects were NOT functional; those aspects made those shoes not fit for walking and working. Heels, of course, came from riding boots. Narrow, tapered toe boxes came from the medieval, aristocratic, "clown" shoes with absurdly long toes. People who wore these styles effectively wore them as a symbol that they were not required to use their feet. Because they weren't required to use their feet for traveling or working, they were allowed to wear footwear specifically designed to not perform those functions. It was literally a choice to wear unhealthy footwear, as a symbol of wealth. These traditions were compounded by the advent of mass manufacturing and the use of "standard" last patterns. Unfortunately, these lasts typically weren't designed to promote foot health but, instead, to be as easy and inexpensive as possible to manufacture.

So sorry about the late notice but I have a question to see if I can wear this tomorrow, for church! I have worn something like this before and I'm sure that I could pull this off. I would like anyone advice to this. I have trousers that are the same as the jacket itself if that helps. P.S. --- I know that this doesn't mean much now, but I've noticed after I took the picture of my watch was upside down.

Back in November 😬 @Antonio Centeno sent me a very nice thank you for supporting the group as a premium member. When I received it I was both shocked and perplexed... Shocked at the generous gift, and perplexed with how to best use it. Now to explain: Some of you may know I'm in the middle of a weight loss journey that started at 570 pounds in August 2024. As of today I've lost 217 pounds, with about 93-123 pounds remaining to get to my goal range. I found Antonio's channel when I started shopping for new clothes, trying to figure out who I am stylistically. The gifts, by the way, are a Navy Silk Knit Livingston Tie, Stainless Tie Bar, and Berlin Paisley Pocket Square from The Dark Knot. Needless to say, in this transitional period, suits have not been a part of my current wardrobe, hence the conundrum... I've finally decided what I'm going to do with these gifts, and I hope that I'm doing them justice. When I stabilize in that goal range, I'm going to celebrate by, among other things, getting my first proper suit, in dark grey herringbone, with an equally suitable pair of Chelseas to go with it... @Antonio Centeno , thanks again for the gift. I really appreciate it. I'll be sure to share the milestone with the group when I reach it.