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.

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

Who knew? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzp4Mqzc1K0

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.