Off the Cuff — The Classics

My father, who passed away late last year, had many beliefs. Punctuality is next to godliness. Good pitching beats good hitting. Never let the truth interfere with a good story. But from a wardrobe standpoint, he believed most fervently in one thing: the sportcoat. Even though he was a top-flight executive in the sports world for half a century, he never owned a suit in his adult life. When the family packed up my parents (who'd both recently turned 80) to move to their more modest cluster home, my sisters got my dad to pare down his collection of sportcoats...

  Fear not the denim!  The most versatile of fabrics, it's no wonder denim became the workhorse of the working-man's wardrobe.  But you don't have to look like a cowboy or a Backstreet Boy.  Here are a half-dozen ways to rock the denim in a risk-free way. 1.  Order up by one size and wear it like a jacket over all black or chalky grey, for a bad-ass travel outfit.  TSA pre-check advised. 2.  Amp-up your workday look by replacing the ubiquitous white or light blue dress shirt with its chambray counterpart.  Be prepared for compliments at the water cooler....

The best style tip I ever read was this: On a day when you're feeling a little taller, standing a little straighter, and you’ve got an unexplained bounce in your step, look at what you’re wearing. And buy more of it. I’ll even add to that: When someone says, “You look like you’ve lost a few pounds,” and you know you haven’t, the same advice applies. Enter the TDX Super Flex “trouser fit” chinos and 5-pocket jean by Thomas Dean. See those two tips above? Check and check. It might interest you to know that engineers have sweated every detail...

The Cape in Autumn: sand dunes, oyster shacks, a cigar stroll amid the wildflowers. There is a very definite style to the architecture here, but even more so to the clothing. Whether you’re checking out the cranberry festival or relaxing on the ferry back from Provincetown, you’ll notice that the natives have an effortless style that seems perfectly appropriate for clambakes and concerts alike. Sure, the pant legs might be rolled up for a sunset walk on the beach, or clipped to keep your bike chain from catching, but the polos, long-sleeved cotton shirts and the sockless loafers are smart,...

Depending on where you live and the time of day, late summer can present you with sartorial challenges. Blistering sun? Cool evening breeze? Light drizzle? How do you prepare for each? Then throw in how we live. In the same day, we might work, walk a dozen blocks, ride a subway, dine alfresco, go to an open-air concert, a ballgame or a bonfire. The key that turns all the tumblers? The Chambray blazer. It’s your passport to all of these lands. Throw it over your shoulder on the train. Button it up when you’re rocking a dress shirt for that...