Post Valentine's Day

Remember that there are 365 days in a year. For leap years, add one more.

The Best Material

About twenty years I purchased my first pair of stylish spectacles. The glasses by Oliver Peoples resembled the ones below except they had small oval lenses. I paid quite a bit of money for the frames and I had several good years of use from them.

Unfortunately the finish deteriorated after a few years of wear. The frames were a base metal and had a dark blue finish. Then the finish came off in a few key places. I was just amazed at the cheap material for such expensive frames. I paid about $350 for the frames and that was twenty years ago. Oliver made quite a bit of money on these glasses.


Compare and contrast those glasses with the frames of yesteryear. Pictured above is a page from an American Optical catalog from 1920. The frames look rather standard for the time period. But note the description at the bottom of the page. The frames were constructed from 14k gold! No worry about losing the finish on these frames.

Gold frames are hard to find these days. And of course they are very expensive. Many frames were melted. If you are so inclined to purchase real gold frames, good luck.

Vintage Fashion Photo

LeDandy has a great eye for fashion shots of a suggestive nature. I found this beauty in a European fashion magazine from the late 1980s. A time when tattoos and piercings weren't rampant and when men were men (well, for the most part!).

February Frivolity

LeDandy was seized with inspiration the other day. I had on my orange corduroy pants and decided to liven things up a bit. For some flair, I added a pair of Broadland opera pumps and checkered black, white and grey socks. I tempered this flamboyant look with a navy cotton/cashmere cardigan. Boring old man in the upper body and excitement down below.

Fighting the Winter Blues

By exercise. I grant you that the San Francisco Bay area has a very mild winter. No snow and the temperature is usually above fifty-five degrees.* Nevertheless, the short days and grey weather can be a bit depressing. Also, this is the time of the year that colds and viruses run rampant. I've been lucky in this regard as of the past few years.

LeDandy strictly abides by his workout schedule. It is a little tougher in winter, having to get up when it's dark. The results are worth it though. Discipline. That's what is needed.

As I've written before, I don't listen to music or have any distractions when I use the elliptical machine. I'll go for a half hour or thirty-five minutes in silence. It is my own form of meditation. Weightlifting is different. On those days I listen to radio talk shows on podcast. Bill Handel on KFI is my favorite.

Fitness is a major component of dandyism.
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*for centigrade, figure it out yourself.

Online Shopping

Last week I felt a need to re-read The Talbot Odyssey by Nelson DeMille. I read back in the 80s and it was an excellent novel about Cold War intrigue and double agents. Yes, it is definitely dated given the way things turned out. Nevertheless I do remember liking the characters in the book. DeMille can be an excellent writer. Unfortunately many of his other novels aren't that good. Some are downright awful.

Back to the topic. Online shopping. I found the book online with Amazon and paid $3.17 for the book with shipping. Many people object to Amazon as they like to support their local stores. Sorry, but I'll shop for the best deal wherever that may be. This may not mean the best price for there are other factors to consider (e.g., shopping experience, customer service, return policy).

Customer loyalty needs to be earned. Businesses can do it in a numbers of ways. Even though I like to get a great price, I'll pay a little more for superior customer service and a pleasant shopping experience. For purchasing the The Talbot Odyssey, Amazon proved the best deal.

Zombies and Their iPhones

Zombies. That is what they are to me. People who walk or drive while having their heads face down into their iPhones. It is dangerous and stupid. Then there are the people who sit with others at meetings or a meal while playing with their iPhones (or similar device).

I worry about the idiots who text while driving. Not for them but for the innocent people who may get hurt by their reckless action. Then there are those who just endanger themselves, like those who cross an intersection on foot while texting.

Consider LeDandy old-fashioned. When I am out in public I pay attention to my environment.