Off For the Month of August

LeDandy needs a break. I'll be back on Sept. 1st. Thanks, LD.

The Italian Golf Shirt

LeDandy has been very busy lately. Over the weekend, he spent a lot of time with his nephews. Not much time for blogging. I did find time last week to purchase this gorgeous orange Jeff Rose golf shirt on eBay. Ten bucks and new. This is a prized possession in my collection. A long time ago I had an even nicer orange Jeff Rose shirt, but Garson (my Siamese cat) put his claws into it. I learned my lesson with him!

It is important to have two kinds of short sleeve knit shirts: the common American polo shirt in neutral colors (e.g., Lands' End polo in white or navy) and the funky Italian golf shirts such as Jeff Rose or Bobby Jones. These two styles each have their own distinct calling and I'm not referring to the sport mentioned in their titles.

My Lifeblood

The essence of life. Coffee. Just like the characters in the science fiction novel Dune needed the spice to maintain their civilization. Without coffee, I cannot function. Last week my coffee maker finally gave out after three years of faithful service. I had to go one day without homemade coffee.

Why homemade? Everyday I make half a pot of coffee in the morning and have a cup with breakfast. I put the rest in a thermos and sip it throughout the day. I bought a Nissan stainless steel thermos which holds sixteen ounces. A great purchase as it really keeps my coffee hot into the afternoon.

Convenience and savings. These are the two critical elements of my homemade coffee. Last week I ended up paying $1.75 for a small cup of coffee. If I bought coffee at this price every day, I'd end up paying $500 a year. Throw in a few mochas or cappuccino at $3.50 or more and you can easily spend $1,000 a year just on your caffeine fix. Then you need to consider the time and aggravation factor of standing in line to get your drink. Have you seen the line at Starbucks in the morning? It's crazy.

Well, time to have another sip.

The Absence of Clothing

There are a hell of a lot of posts on this blog about clothing. My shoe posts alone outdistance other topics by a considerable degree in regard to the number of postings. Yes, LeDandy is obsessed with fashion. But since it is summer, I often consider the opposite of clothing: nudism. Naturism, buck naked, call it what you will. A long time ago in Arizona, LeDandy visited one such establishment.

I reference a post which I wrote for my old blog, The Pen Gaaghi. Please check out this article. You will find it quite titillating. I apologize in advance for any dangling participles. I concluded that nudist camps are a crock and an exercise in frustration for straight men. Regardless of what the "naturists" may say, there is a very strong undercurrent of sexuality at these places. It is the last place I'd want to take my kids.

The Winner is ...........

The Corbin shawl collar tuxedo in black. I've finally decided on my tuxedo purchase for the wedding. It wasn't exactly a tough decision as I knew exactly what I wanted to buy. There aren't that many shawl collar tuxedos on the market when compared to the very popular notch lapel. I shopped around on the internet and found the best deal at Buy4LessTuxedo.com for $400. Other online stores had this suit at $560+. I've worn Corbin trousers in the past and they were of excellent quality. I'm betting the suit is equally good.

I did try on a few tuxedos in the department stores in San Francisco. Two weeks ago I went into Macy's and tried on a Calvin Klein notch lapel which was on sale for $420. I was amazed at the cheap fabric and poor construction of the jacket. Horrible. The sleazy salesman said "Oh, it looks great on you. It is a one day sale." Some sale. Buy4Less has the exact tuxedo at a regular price of $350! Last week I went into Bloomindale's and tried on a Burberry notch lapel for $1,000. Nice tuxedo but not worth that amount. These outings confirmed my belief that the best deals are found online.

As long as an online store has a good return policy, I have no hesitation buying from them. Online shopping gives the advantage of not having to deal with salespeople. I consider this a big plus. I'll be ordering the Corbin tuxedo soon and hope to get a lot of use from it.

Wedding Wardrobe Accessories

Jon Dean recently purchased a nice set of button covers and a pair of cufflinks on eBay. He gifted the silver button covers to me and I plan on wearing them on the big day. I didn't know a thing about button covers until he bought them. They open up on the back and it slides over the button. Then you snap it in place. Each one is about the size of a penny.


Here are the boss's cufflinks. Nice little floral pattern on 10k gold.

My Introduction to the Tuxedo

LeDandy has been extremely busy these days. Wedding plans alone are demanding and can be emotionally draining at times. On TLC there is a show about brides buying their wedding dress. What a mess! I'd rather be in combat than dealing with "bridezilla." No such problems at LeDandy's household but there are a lot of arrangements to make. The church, reception hall and the catering are all set. Jon Dean met with the photographer yesterday.

I ordered my shoes a week ago so now the remaining big purchase is the tuxedo. LeDandy may know shoes and socks but was totally ignorant of the tuxuedo until a few weeks ago. Hence, a crash course on this formal garment. I found a wonderful website, Blacktieguide.com, which discusses the basics of formal attire. I highly recommend it. The author of this site has an excellent buying guide as well. You do not need to spend $1,000 for a good tuxedo.

There are three basic style of tuxedo, all based on the shape of the lapel. They are the peak lapel, shawl collar and notch lapel. In all cases, it is best to stick with the single breasted jacket to get the most versatility from it.


The most proper and traditional is the peak lapel. It is derived from a tailcoat and has a long history. But as Jon Dean says, "It makes you look like a vampire." This is due to the lapel extending outward, making a mountain like peak. Another tuxedo variant is the shawl collar which has a totally rounded lapel. Its roots are in the smoking jacket and it also has rather long history. Shawl collars are definitely in the minority of tuxedos sold today. The most prevalent, and modern tuxedo is the notch lapel. If you walk into any department store, I guarantee you most tuxedos will be notch lapel. The triangular notch in the lapel makes this tuxedo match the standard American business suit. Boring but acceptable.

For a good discussion on tuxedos, I suggest doing a word search on Men's Flair. They have some good articles. Stay away from the clothing forums as those guys will lead you to spend a small fortune and you will not look any better.

Guess which style appeals to LeDandy? The shawl collar, of course!