Man's Best Friend

LeDandy has been sick all of this week with a nasty stomach virus. It wasn't fun but I survived. As you may have gathered, LeDandy isn't the hardiest of creatures. I'd like to thank Jon Dean for taking great care of me. Also, I am very grateful to Tater, my Pug, for never leaving my side during this crisis.

Pugs are known for being very affectionate. The Wikipedia entry for Pug describes this breed as "...very attentive dogs, always at their owner's feet, in their lap, or following them from room to room." They ain't kidding. Tater, you are a good kid.

Then there is Leo, my Pomeranian. Where was he when I needed him? Out chasing squirrels with his sister Sandy as seen below.

I'll be back to fashion and lifestyle next week.

The Under $200 Blazer

LeDandy, as with many men these days, does not wear a tie and jacket to work. Polo shirt, sweater and chino pants are the basic elements of my work wardrobe. Since I like the casual look, this suits me just fine. There are only a handful of occasions during the year when I need to wear a tie and jacket. In this case it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a blazer or sportcoat, unless of course you are wealthy.

For those of us on a middle-class income in this category, LeDandy has found several blazers in the under $200 category which are fine for the Conservative/Reform dandy. Back in February, 2009, I wrote a post on my purchase of a green Orvis hopsack blazer in a poly/wool blend for $79 on sale. They normally sell for $225 which is a fair price. I doubt you'll ever find their navy blazer at this sales price. My navy blazer, a Silverstone made in Canada by Arnold Brant, was a purchase from Sierra Trading Post last year for my wedding. A beautiful blazer for $161 but I'm not crazy about the fit (LeDandy is a tough fit for jackets). Lands' End offers a nice looking navy blazer for $175. There are plenty of choices out there for a fine jacket in this price range.

I recently ran across an interesting tidbit of information on the Ask Andy online forum. While I don't like the overall humorless and snobbish tone of the forum, I do pick up a few tips on occasion (e.g., Jeff Rose shirts). A manufacturer by the name of Anderson Little makes a poly/wool, navy blazer and sells them for $139 online. This includes shipping. The blazers are made in the US. Interestingly, they sell only this one product. Perhaps this is what helps make their standard price so reasonable.

How good is the Anderson Little blazer for this money? I haven't read any valid complaints on Ask Andy and the company advertises an unconditional money back guarantee. By making only one product, it probably allows them to offer the blazer at a much lower price. Scott Anderson, the company president, posts quite a bit on Ask Andy and he appears to be a good man.

Don't worry about buying a poly/wool blend in a nice blazer. It is usually a fine, durable fabric that resists wrinkles far better than an all wool jacket. If you have only one blazer, I'd make it a poly/wool blend. Trust me, no one will care if your jacket is all wool or a poly/wool blend.

[Update: I ordered the Lands' End blazer and was not pleased with the fabric and construction. I had to return the jacket.]

The Age of Accomplishment

Don't worry, you are well past this era.

Do you ever notice how the highlights and victories of childhood seem to bring more satisfaction than their adult counterparts. Is it the innocence of childhood? Probably, as kids have less perspective on the outer world. Things seemed so much more important back then. I’m talking about the time you scored a winning goal in a soccer game or earned the highest grade on a test. Or maybe it was a ribbon for having the best drawing in art class or a round of applause for being in a play.

A good friend of mine, Ms. Golightly at The Thrifty Chicks blog, calls this childhood era the “Age of Accomplishment.” It can help build the foundation for one’s later success in life. Furthermore, we all go through hard times so it is important to remember the feeling of having done something very well and receiving recognition.

A few weeks ago while cleaning out our garage I found an award for winning my eighth grade spelling bee in 1978. This is the pinnacle of LeDandy's own Age of Accomplishment. I'll never forget the feeling of having won that day. It was an incredible rush and to this day brings a smile to my face. It surpassed everything else in terms of emotional satisfaction.

I'm glad that I kept it.

A Day in the Sun

This is a scene from a lazy Sunday afternoon in LeDandy's house. The cats took over the family room and they basked in the warm rays of the sun. Starting at the top of the photo you can see Garson, followed by Gergy in the middle and the Champ (R.C.) is at the bottom. They need their rest for a big dinner.

Here is a close-up of Garson. At sleep, the boy is an absolute angel.


And here is a close-up of the Champ. He keeps a low profile in the house.

How Often is LeDandy a Dandy?

Every single day.

The other day I ran across a quote on the Ask Andy clothing forum attributed to Dean Martin. “In a tuxedo, I’m a star. In regular clothes, I’m nobody.” I couldn't disagree more with such a statement.

Reform Dandyism is about living every day with pride and satisfaction in one's appearance. This approach extends to all styles of clothing, both formal and casual.

If you are looking for clothes to turn you into a "somebody," then you need the type of professional help which is beyond the scope of this blog.

A Sock Post!

It has been over a year since my last post on socks. Or men's hosiery if you are the pretentious type. Nevertheless you may be wondering why LeDandy hasn't put up any sock posts since that time.

There are two main reasons.

First, LeDandy hasn't acquired any low vamp shoes which are necessary to show off bold socks. What is the fun of colorful socks if they are hidden by the vamp? I still love the low vamp look. Unfortunately I face very stiff competition on eBay from buyers who, shall I say, enjoy this style of shoe in other ways. They always seem to bid more than I do.

Second, LeDandy's current sock collection is in excellent condition. Thanks to proper laundering techniques, LeDandy's socks have a longer than normal life expectancy. I cold wash on a delicate cycle and air dry the socks. Only one pair has worn out in the last few years.

So are there any developments in the sock world? Of course. LeDandy recently ran across a possible great source for bold, colorful socks. Happy Socks in Sweden offers a nice selection of funky socks at a great price of $10 /pair. They advertise free shipping for four or more pairs. While I haven't bought anything from them yet, this company is worth checking out.

The socks are listed as 80% cotton, 17% nylon and 3% elastic which is a hardy knit. Unlike other makers such as Marcoliani and Nagrani, LeDandy is impressed that Happy Socks offers three sizes in their stock. The socks are made in Turkey, hence the low price. Try not to be harsh about the origin since Turkey is an up and coming place with cotton goods (Bobby Jones shirts are now made there).

I'd like to thank a fellow blogger, Eccentric Orange Gentleman, for previously writing about this sock seller in his blog. He writes an excellent blog and covers men's fashion as well as fountain pens. Check out his fountain pen reviews. Please keep in mind that Eccentric Orange's tastes lean more towards Orthodox Dandyism.

One other piece of news in the sock world. Sox Populi in England is no longer in business. I bought several great pairs from them and I am saddened to see them go under. Hopefully they will be back in business one day.

LeDandy on Cashmere

I admit the timing of this article does not make much sense to those of us in the Northern hemisphere. It is mid-May and fashionistas are getting ready for the debut of their summer wardrobes. Nevertheless, last week's discovery of my moth disaster prompts this article as my one and only cashmere sweater was destroyed by those dastardly devils.

Jon Dean asked me if I wanted to replace my cashmere sweater as there are many good deals available online. For $50 to $75 I could get a very nice one from Lands' End on clearance, far superior to the house brand department store sweaters. "No, I'd never buy another cashmere sweater again," I told JD. I can't believe that I said it but it is true. Heresy?

My criticism of cashmere is that the fabric is too warm and doesn't breathe enough for me. LeDandy overheats quickly. I'd rather put more emphasis on an underlying layer such as a warm turtleneck shirt combined with another type of sweater.

There is one brilliant innovation with sweater fabric and that is the cotton/cashmere blend. LeDandy recently picked up a few of these sweaters from Lands' End as discussed in a previous post. The mostly cotton fabric makes the sweater more breathable while still adding some extra warmth from the minority cashmere element. The cashmere component also lends a richness to the texture.

Not every sweater I have is from Lands' End. I inherited a v-neck,cotton/cashmere J. Crew sweater from JD. He received it as a gift from a friend but it was too small for him. The quality is nowhere near that of Lands' End and I find J. Crew's overall quality to be poor in terms of material and cut. I also have a bright yellow Gitman cotton / cashmere sweater which is of exceptional quality. Unfortunately it is an extremely thin weave and I'm afraid to wear it for fear of a tear.

Imported Radio, Part II

My previous post reflected my gratitude for the internet, being that I can listen to radio programs from different parts of the country. In fact, you can listen to podcasts from anywhere in the world. Or you can chat online if you want with someone thousands of miles away if you so desire.

We take these privileges for granted now. Such communication wasn't always so easy. When I was twelve years old, my parents bought me a short wave radio so I could listen to overseas stations. At night I would sit by this radio and fiddle with the tuner for hours, trying to pick up an overseas broadcast. It wasn't the content of any particular station but the thrill of listening to something far, far away. Remember, this was 1976.

The exciting part of shortwave radio was when one requested a QSL card from a radio station. QSL cards were given to listeners who wrote to a station providing evidence that he/she heard the station's broadcast. This included the frequency, time and a short description of the content. The station would then send a QSL card to the listener if the information was correct. Since most of the stations were foreign government radio, this was excellent public relations value to those countries.

On June 25, 1976 at 01:00 GMT, LeDandy picked up Radio Prague. He wrote to them and received this QSL card. Afterwards, I received a lot of propaganda from Radio Prague written in the typical East European, Communist style. Lots of calls for peace, brotherhood and rights of the workers. I didn't save anything else but this one QSL card. I'm glad I kept it.

It was a much different time.

Imported Radio

LeDandy relies on the radio to get him through the workday. I used to listen to the local radio station talk shows until about two months ago. In the past, I would listen to Rush Limbaugh in the morning with conservative, political talk and then follow with Dr. Laura Schlesinger's counseling show in the afternoon. It worked great for a few years until Dr. Laura's show was moved to the evening on the San Francisco station. While I seldom agreed with Dr. Laura, I found the callers quite entertaining. In fact, I found her to be quite obnoxious most of the time.

I also began to question my allegiance to Rush. Constant political talk can get very boring. I know. I was a Poli Sci major in school.

So I needed something to keep me company at work. Thank God for the internet as I found two wonderful replacements on podcast: Bill Handel's morning program from KFI in Los Angeles and Dr. Joy Browne's counseling program from WOR in New York.


Bill Handel is a morning radio show host / lawyer and he has a legal show on Saturday mornings as well. He has a great sense of humor and is quite bright (something rare in radio hosts). If you are in search of a news/talk show, I encourage you to check out his program. He'll have you laughing and still present you with the news of the day.

Dr. Joy is the opposite of Dr. Laura in style and personality. Dr. Joy is soft spoken and not mean-spirited yet she manages to keep the callers on point with their issues. She has a great voice and presents a reasonable perspective on the caller's problems. Unlike Dr. Laura, she doesn't condemn couples who live together and aren't married.

Monday Morning Tragedy

LeDandy, your faithful servant, had a horrible Monday morning. Some men are the heroic type who can accept adversity. LeDandy makes no such claim. He almost broke down crying before leaving for work.

It was supposed to be a cold day in San Francisco, in the fifties. Plus our offices are cold on Monday as there is no heat and the building gets cold over the weekend. Keeping this in mind, I reached for my one and only cashmere sweater. A great sweater which I bought a few years ago from Lands' End. At the last minute I changed my mind and decided to switch sweaters as cashmere might be too warm.

While pulling off the sweater, I noticed some stains on the chest and sleeve. I looked closer. They weren't stains but big holes. "Garson, that no good cat. He ruined another part of my wardrobe." I showed JD and he came to a different conclusion. Moths.

Damn. I wish it was Garson. I couldn't wait to get home today so I could check out the rest of my sweaters. How bad was the damage? Thankfully only two other sweaters had slight damage which can be repaired. The sweater pictured will be tossed.

I never suffered moth damage before with my clothes. Prior to living in the Bay Area, I spent most of my life in Arizona. I wore mostly cotton clothes there and the climate was very hot and dry. Not moth friendly at all. The Bay Area, on the other hand, is heaven for these little creatures of destruction.

I'm on a crash learning course on moth prevention. Since high temperature kills the moths, I put my damaged sweaters in the dryer for half an hour to kill anything left on them. Dry cleaning also kills the moths and any eggs. Unfortunately cedar isn't as effective as many people believe.

I'll tell you one thing: I'm glad that I don't spend a fortune on my clothes. The moths did eat my most expensive sweater. However, that was $50. Imagine if it was a $400 sweater on a middle class income? I guess it wasn't a tragedy but it did upset me.