Hello. This is my first public venture outside the get acquainted exchange. Having come of age in a multi-blade culture, I am really enjoying shaving for the time in my life. I can never really remember the time without; stubble-stab, itchy-scratchy, rash, burn, bumps, or some combination of the above till now. I have learned so much here....THANKS. I was reminiscing about a couple of other man-skills that I valued the same way. Whether it was vanity or just some simple things I liked I'm not sure. This goes back to my days of more formal dresses codes. First, was tying the perfect full windsor knot in my tie. For whatever reason it just took time to get right. One of those skills your supposed to get from dad. Dad always used the half-windsor until I taught him the full windsor. Funny, he never went back. Next, and this might sound funny, but a perfectly ironed shirt, mostly light starch with a crisp sleeve crease wrist to shoulder. I can recall lots of big money dudes who used professional laundries on shirts I'd have to bleed to buy. Frequently I see those telltale little wrinkles close to the seams that I acquired the skills to avoid. I started traveling in the day that hotels had a couple of irons/boards at the front desk. My key criteria for hotel selection became, newspaper at the room door, coffee maker in room, an iron and full size ironing board in every room. I faithfully packed my secret weapon every trip, Niagara spray starch. The VP of one of the companies I worked for would even ask if I'd iron his shirt once in a while. Glad my traveling days are over, but you can bet that the next time my brain b.b.b.bounces that way, it will be...... Niagara, the Full Windsor, and Riding the Cap. Thank you again gentlemen Enjoying the ride
Nice background story. I sincerely hope you told your VP's to iron their own shirts! BTW, I'm a Half-Windsor knot guy myself.
Well.... It was 1 vp. I liked him and considered him a friend. After boasting about my skill, how could I not....I mean he was taking us out to a real nice restaurant that night. So I ironed both our shirts before dinner and ordered expensive stuff. Then..... the best part. I got to rib him the whole next day about how nice it was to travel with someone who didn't look like a rumpled up elf.
Full Windsor. I've done a Trinity knot a couple of times, but it works best with a solid color tie. Almost all mine are prints. Had to iron my uniforms for the Air Force for 20 years. Still do all my own ironing, AND my wife's - I like to bless her.
I added the full Windsor knot last year. For years I ironed my own shirts and took pride in my job. I also used Niagara spray starch. I have ‘trained’ my current cleaners to properly iron my shirts. I also use shirt stays when I want to keep things extra crisp.
Ahh... Those skills that best learned from dad and/or the service. I chose the girl to become my wife over the military and had to settle for Dad being a good friend who taught me mechanical stuff. Hmm....... Trinity knot huh.... Next thing you know somebody around here is gonna bust my newfound love for a comfortable DE shave and tell me I gotta try a straight.
I learned the full Windsor from my Boy Scout Handbook when I was in junior high. Since I retired in 2011, I have not worn a tie. I quit wearing a watch, too.
Double Windsor knot; naw not since the 70’s. I also came to appreciate starch (double) in the service. I still iron my own shirts, but very seldom wear a tie.
Gave up ties, ironing, long pants, jackets, suits (except clubs diamonds hearts spades) and shining shoes about a decade or so ago. Temperature dropped a few nights ago and I miss long pants.
My father taught me the full Windsor knot when I was 22 and had my first job at a financial firm in Manhattan. I’ve been tying that same knot for almost 40 years now, along with wearing starched white shirts. The kids in the office say I’m a dinosaur, but they look like they’re dressed to clean the men’s room.
Full Windsor. It's refreshing that these "lost arts" are still alive. Our company (CPA firm) has business casual every day and, to me, nobody looks professional; we're all kinda just hanging out. It reminds me of school when kids were clamouring to wear jeans because it"didn't affect how we learn". I relish the opportunity to wear a suit and get the knot in my tie just right. Herm
I had a boss years back that told us “kids” in the office that we had no business wearing anything but a white shirt to work. His statement made an impression on me. That was when the two tone dress shirts were all the rage. Remember the shirts with the white collars and the rest of the shirt was blue? I loved the three piece suits with the vests. I don’t wear vests anymore, but the pants still must be pleated and have cuffs before I’ll wear them. Man! I am a dinosaur!
One of the great indignities suffered by George V was that his children wore trousers with cuffs and with the crease in the front and back instead of along the seams on the side as was customary.
I had a dream last night that after steep declines in sales due to high priced gimmicky shavers the Gillette Co. was re-energizing things again with a revolutionary new concept, reasonable pricing. After the market thrashings from Larry's, Moe's, Shemp's, Curly's and the dollar club razors....people are looking at real shaving again. Unfortunately for those who scrapped, sold or moved their double-edge blade machines or re-tooled for the Add a Blade Club......many folks have rediscovered the lost art of clean and sharp. I woke up and it wasn't really a dream after all. I went happily back to dreamland where all of the Beard Dynasty crowd and proud to be rough and red folks went on daily ShaveQuests. I woke everybody up chanting TSD...Ride The Cap, TSD...Ride The Cap, TSD...Ride The Cap...in my sleep. A carefully placed elbow fixed that one. Ouch!
Gratefully, my youth, in-experience, and stupidity.....good as they were, never quite lead me to a single one of them shirts. the Other Dinosaur
Air Force fatigues and dress blues kept me from that fate. T-shirts or flannels and jeans were the order of the day when I wasn't in uniform.
