Get Ready for the Pool

I know, it is still winter here in the U.S. and much of the country is still covered in snow. Nevertheless, LeDandy believes in preparation with all things whenever possible. And one great thing deserving consideration is summer and the time spent poolside. So you may want to consider how you are going to look this summer. A poolside wardrobe is relatively inexpensive. The cost of a swimsuit is your only monetary expense.

The big expense is attaining a degree of fitness and this does not cost money. Only your time and effort. However, you should be doing a fitness program anyway due to the many health benefits. It also helps one's self-esteem when looking in the mirror and this benefit should not be downplayed.

Start thinking about babes by the pool (or hunks if you are so inclined). It still is winter and we need some motivation to get us moving. As someone with twenty-five years of experience with fitness, you need to start far in advance to reach your desired look. A great body does not happen overnight.

"But LeDandy, I'm no spring chicken. I can't look like the guy pictured above." Don't worry, age shouldn't be a factor. Here is a pic of Robert Conrad taken sometime in the 1980's when he was in his fifties (former star of the Wild, Wild West).


The economy is in horrible shape and you probably know many people who have been laid off work. I hope this isn't the case with you. There are many things beyond our control. Fortunately we can control our bodies to a large degree. Get in shape. Think about "eye candy" by the pool and count yourself among them.

A Few Words From LeDandy

I received an email the other day from a reader of this blog concerning my last post on coat hangers, shoe horns and other minor men's accoutrements. He's a good egg and a stand up guy so I pay close attention to his comments. He asked me in a joking manner if I was a bit harsh with other bloggers as these subjects have been addressed by many of them in a serious manner.

It may appear to the casual reader that I am making fun of other bloggers for a cheap laugh.

I am!

But there is a more serious underlying reason as well. Like I always say, there is a madness to my method. The men's fashion world can turn anyone off. I made my comment the other day, in part, to show the stark difference between Reform Dandyism and the conventional men's fashion world.

LeDandy advocates individuality and a sense of fun with fashion. These qualities are sadly lacking in the mainstream fashion world. My goal is to make it where men feel welcome in pursuing their own style and not get bogged down with rules and minutiae.

On Coat Hangers, Shoe Horns and Other Minor Men's Accoutrements

LeDandy isn't going to bore you with this frivolous bullshit.

The Demise of the Suit

Virtually every men's fashion blog I've read has lamented the demise of the suit. This shouldn't come as a shock to you, but LeDandy once again takes a dissenting opinion. Why? Because the suit is a uniform. The uniform of business. I welcome the decline of the suit and the ascent of casual wear in society.

Clothing, like everything else, is subject to the law of evolution. Why fight the inevitable changes when we can embrace something new? If we didn't believe in clothing evolution, all of us would still be dressing like the character above. Now that would look pretty silly!

If one was able to advance two hundred years into the future, men's fashion would look nothing like it is today. Will it be more formal or casual? I don't know. I can guarantee you that the world of fashion will be different.

The suit is a formal garment and not very practical. Nevertheless, I don't believe it will be obsolete for a long time. I do believe it's utility is much more limited these days and this trend will continue.

LeDandy holds a mid-level, white collar job and wears a suit only for job interviews and funerals. At my workplace, we did have one fellow a few years ago who wore a suit everyday. He looked silly and it didn't impress anyone. In fact, it made him look too ambitious and people were uncomfortable around him.

A suit is not necessary to be a dandy. I cheer the decline of the suit. Are you trying to impress others or please yourself? No wonder LeDandy wore a navy blazer at his wedding.

An Eyewear Coincidence

My better half, Jon Dean, bought new eyeglasses about a week ago. I didn't go with him to buy the glasses so I didn't know what he chose. He hasn't made the leap to pince-nez so he stuck with conventional glasses. Yesterday he showed me his new frames. They are a bright red Mele model by Theo. What a coincidence. My old specs were also the Theo Mele, except the color of my frames is burgundy (officially labeled "cranberry red). He had no idea that he bought the same frames as LeDandy!



I wrote a post on my old glasses back in April, 2007. Man, I was young back then!

LeDandy on AntiqueSpectacles.com

If you have any interest in eyewear, I urge you to check out a great resource called AntiqueSpectacles.com. It covers the entire scope of eyewear evolution in an interesting and visually fascinating style. It is all encompassing and very easy to navigate. This is definitely the model for an online museum. There is no admission charge!

LeDandy appears on the page "Slide Show of Contemporary People Wearing Optical Antiques." Look on the bottom row for yours truly. It is a great visual introduction to the progression of eyewear. The rivet spectacles are especially interesting. It definitely whets one's appetite for info on these styles. LeDandy loves the octagonal glasses shown on two of the photos.

Clothes Storage (Cat Risk Management)

I went to grab a t-shirt for a workout this afternoon and was shocked to find my Gergy sleeping on one of the shelves in my closet. And one of the higher shelves which has a narrow gap. This explains why I found one of my nice sweaters partially shredded a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful lightweight cotton navy sweater with white pindots. Ruined. I've learned to put my t-shirts and sweatshirts on the lower shelves to combat this phenomenon.


Gergy doesn't make the news much. She is the "brains of the outfit" relative to the other pets. She hardly gets into trouble and stays to herself most of the time. Definitely a daddy's girl and very proper.

If you have pets, you understand that you cannot keep your house in pristine condition. Nevertheless, it is a price I'm willing to pay for their companionship. I'd rather have a home than a museum.

A Shopping Emergency

Yesterday I took an extended lunch hour. When I got back to the office, I told my boss that I had a shopping emergency which needed my immediate attention. Yes, there are many serious issues confronting us these days. However we need to take time for the smaller things in life. And one of them is getting a great deal on some clothes.

I have been looking for another blazer for the past few months. Of course I didn't feel like paying $300 or more. One of the tenets of Reform Dandyism is affordability and I take this part seriously. I figured that a good opportunity would present itself at some point, especially given this poor economy.

I received an email from Orvis that they were having a sale and I checked it out online. I ran across a green blazer in my size (42 short) for $79, marked down from $225. Now that is a real sale. Given my history of poor fit with sportcoats, I decided to go down to the local Orvis in SF on Sutter Street to try on their sizes.

Of course they didn't have a 42 short green blazer in my size. They did have a 42 regular in navy which I was able to try on. A great fit except for the length. Hence the need for a short. So I ordered the one in green and should get it next week.

A green blazer? Yes, LeDandy loves this color. Navy blazers are by nature the most versatile. A close second would be this shade of green. It goes with many colors of pants and is conservative enough for a casual business environment.

Black Shoes Only

The shoes at left recently sold on eBay for $40. You may be shocked but LeDandy did not bid on this pair even though they were in his size. These shoes are the vintage, low vamp Bragano in very good condition. This is LeDandy's favorite model as it is a superb look. Simple yet elegant. Unfortunately the color canceled my interest in this case. I only want black shoes.

The key element is versatility. Black shoes are incredibly versatile and go with everything whereas brown is much more limited in terms of color compatibility. LeDandy likes colored pants, and brown shoes will not go with any of them. One has to be practical with purchases.

Yes, it did hurt to pass these shoes up. Only one other time did I see this particular style in my size and in black. I bid $69 and lost. It is not surprising as this style of shoe has the interest of a small but devoted cult following. I think you know what I'm saying.

More on Blazer Buttons

Back on my October 1, 2008 post, I discussed my interest in blazer buttons. Well, the story doesn't stop there. LeDandy recently had to purchase another set of blazer buttons for another jacket. For this jacket, I didn't need anything fancy. Just a normal set of nice gold blazer buttons to replace the cheap plastic ones already on it. Surprisingly, this turned into quite a challenge!

I work in downtown San Francisco and went to Britex, a well known cloth shop in Union Square. They have four floors of cloth and related products, including buttons. I spent nearly an entire lunch hour going through their stock and ended up with nothing. It was very frustrating. The young lady helping me was very nice but the whole place was disorganized. "Oh, we have the large buttons in this style but not enough of the sleeve size." Or it was "we have the sleeve buttons but not the larger size for the waist."

Then I went to Jo Ann, the chain fabric store. They had buttons but the prices were quite high. It would have been about $26 for a set of normal blazer buttons. That was too much.

The next stop, Thrift Town, was an excellent choice but it didn't work out as I have another three button jacket. You can buy a blazer for $6 and less and just take off the buttons. They had a few jackets with nice buttons. Unfortunately they were all two button coats.

My last venture proved very successful. I went online to ButtonDrawer.com and found the same buttons as I did at Jo Ann's except for much less. Instead of paying $26, it cost me only $16 and that included shipping. Same buttons. LeDandy definitely has luck with online purchases.

A seemingly simple purchase sure took a great deal of shopping.

Be Bold: In Praise of Colored Watch Bands

Or is it coloured watch bands, as my readers in England and Canada (if any) would write. Regardless of the spelling, you can make a strong statement with a bold color for your watch band. The band will probably attract more attention than the watch itself. LeDandy, your obedient servant, recently purchased a powder blue lizard band for his Hamilton Stafford. The light blue color perfectly complements the yellow gold case and dial. Why settle only for a black band? There is a whole smorgasbord of colors available.


I did have a hard time locating brightly colored watch bands for men. I found only a handful of watch band makers on the internet and they seem to dominate the market (e.g., Hirsch, Speidel and Hadley-Roma). The major manufacturers focus almost entirely on black or brown watch bands. There is far more choice with watch band material than there is with color selection. Envisioning the colors is the fun part. Tracking down the right band, for the right price, can be a challenge.


LeDandy finally found a band in powder blue. Perfect for the yellow gold case. There are other colors of course. Lemon, orange, violet, hot pink and lilac are a few of the colors I've found on eBay. The bold colors are not limited to lizard. Crocodile and alligator skins are available as well, but they are significantly more expensive. LeDandy prefers the finer texture and uniform pattern of lizard. Alligator and crocodile bands can overwhelm a small vintage watch face such as his Hamilton.

Ok, LeDandy works in San Francisco in a casual environment. He can get away with wild colors. What do you do if you work in a financial firm in Omaha, Nebraska or Des Moines, Iowa where the environment may be more restrictive in terms of style? Do not fear as LeDandy has an answer. You can go with a dark green or dark blue watch band which will definitely add some style to your look without drawing unwanted attention. LeDandy really likes the dark green band and will probably add one to his collection in the future.

I'll have a few more upcoming posts on watch bands. I believe this is an overlooked and important part of men's style.