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What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. All designed to get you in some stuff that’ll make you look and feel great, then get you out the door and off to do things other than thinking about your clothes. Look for these with no regularity. Want to suggest a scenario? Send those in here.
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The Sweater: Club Monaco Bailey Viscose/Linen/Cotton V – $29.00 ($89.50)
Yes you can wear a sweater at this time of year. As long as it’s light in weight and color, it’s close to sundown, and it helps if you’re indoors of course. Don’t get spooked by the almost white “wheat” color. Made from Italian yarn. Raglan sleeves keep it casual.
The Shirt: Merona Everyday Poplin Button Down in Grey – $22 – $23.00
The obvious and safest play would be a light blue or a navy gingham since most of us default to layering a light shirt under a dark sweater or jacket. In this case, try flipping that around. You want a real casual shirt. Grey chambray would be great, but in this case, the Target Poplins are too cheap to pass up (but make sure to size down). The dark shirt under a light sweater & on top of jeans produces a cleaned up workwear look. Keep the first AND second button undone. Even if you’re not used to that, the slim fit on the sweater will keep it from drifting too far.
The Pants: A favorite dark, but well worn pair of Jeans
Speaking of jeans. Right. Jeans. Don’t go with some rigid/ stiff pair of denim. You’re at home, it’s late summer, get reacquainted with your favorite pair of 514s or 501s.
The Shoes: Banana Republic Gabriel Driver – $98.00
You could do just about whatever you wanted to do here, including going barefoot. If you were lucky enough to grab the Allen Edmonds McTavish during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, those would do real well here to. The BR penny loafer shown is highly reviewed online, comes in a few different colors, and this one here is black with tan stitching. Hang out for a code that you can actually use on shoes, and they could be less. If you don’t like drivers and prefer boat shoes, Bonobos has a pair of navy camp mocs on sale for $80.
The Watch: Seiko SNDA65 Chronograph – $158.00
One of those quartz watches that doesn’t get enough deserved attention. Gunmetal stainless steel case, great layout, and orange accents. Be warned: It’s bigger than you think. 44mm in diameter. Smaller options include this
The Meal: Salad Nicoise from Everyday Food – 45min to 1 hr
“The Nicoise was delicious.” “Sorry we bothered you” “Look, we all go way back, and I owe you from the thing with the guy and the place, and I’ll never forget it.” “That was our pleasure.” “I had never been to Belieze.” A salad like this looks, and more importantly tastes, way more impressive than the talent (or lack thereof) it takes to put together. If you can boil water and keep track of time, you can make this thing. It’s colorful, it’s light but still filling… your date will like it and be impressed. Hard not to like a recipe that has you boil potatoes in a pot, remove the potatoes, then just dump the green beans in the same water. It’s timed out pretty well too, but there’s no shame in making the salmon the day ahead. Maybe on the BBQ even. Recipe originally sourced from this book.
The Obscure Board Game: Ticket to Ride Europe
or U.S. – $36 – $37
Streaming a movie off Netflix is all well and good, but hardly anything starts and drives conversation like a competitive board game. Ticket to Ride Europe is apparently a little more complicated, but it’s a blast. You’re a rail baron in competition with the other players, trying to connect cities while blocking others. No stove pipe hat or pocket watch necessary. Usually best with more than two players, so good if you’ve got another couple hanging out with you. Outrageously fun, especially when someone slams down a glass of bourbon and shouts “I WILL OWN ALL WAYS TO PETROGRAD.” More on the games here, and here’s an online tutorial. And if all else fails, there’s Monopoly.
Wow that Seiko is an absolute beaut. Too bad isn’t an automatic otherwise I’d be all over that.
Salad Nicoise is one of my favorite meals. My personal favorite is this one found on Food Network;
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/salad-nicoise-with-seared-tuna-recipe/index.html. I am not sure of the traditional way to serve it but we serve it cold. Best of all it is very easy to make.
Hmm. that game seems pretty interesting. Might have to give it a shot.
Anddddd the sweater is sold out in my size 🙁
Ticket to RIde! That’s the absolute last thing I thought I’d see on this site… either way, it’s awesome – best pick out of this whole kit!
Board games are totally underrated these days. To Joe’s point, I dig video games and Netflix, but with willing participants, a good board game with friends is much more interactive and memorable. And, I may add, free to play as much as you like.
Did you change the sweater color? I saw all sizes available except for XS.
Ticket to Ride was featured on Tabletop a while ago. I couldn’t open the link for the online tutorial in this post but I enjoyed watching Wil Wheaton and friends play. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHmf1bau9xQ
For a game that gets everyone interested, is gender and culture neutral, and does not require a lot of skill or fiddly parts (i.e. easy to play once a little tipsy) I would go with Yahtzee (minimal math skill required, though)
Where do you guys live that a sweater is even a gleam in your eye this time of year?
I’d be all over a sub $200 automatic chronograph from a reputable watch manufacturer too. Unfortunately you’d be lucky to find one for under $1000.
Love seeing my other love, eurogames, featured in the last place I’d expect! There’s a whole world of fantastic board games that have been published in the past decade and a half that are far more engaging and entertaining than the monopoly-style games of old. Ticket to Ride is a great way to get started.
Joe, you’ve got some editing issues in the jeans paragraph. You have “it’ slate” and “reaquantied” instead of reacquainted.
Really enjoyed this post. Great job, Joe.
Ticket to Ride sounds pretty awesome… i may have to pick it up. Great alternative to the usual Scrabble/Monopoly
In a house? 102 here today at the home offices. It’s mid August. Which means it’ll be September soon. Stack on some shipping times, and we’ll be layering before you know it. Plus, this one is a linen blend. But yes, it’s hot as hell all over the place this year. Wishful thinking for cooler weather. Can’t wait for summer to die.
It’ll be October, nay November before I’ll need a sweater here in the sub-tropical climate of MS. But then, it’ll skip straight to winter and stay cold until late March. Spring will last a weekend, and then it’s back to Summer and humidity so thick you’re practically swimming.
Another board game that is always fun in Settlers of Cattan. Some people might find it a bit nerdy but it is a ton of fun and really gets the competition going. There are all kinds of expansion packs that add on additional challenges so it never gets boring.
Yeah. Deep south. Not real kind to layering.
I play Catan everyday at lunch here at work. No two games ever play out the same. Great suggestion!
Nope, but we don’t have to shovel snow, either.
What do you call a meal made of raw vegetables, dead fish, and unborn chicken?
A Niçoise salad.
Absolutely – Settlers is a go-to gateway drug for “non-mainstream” board games – though I don’t think it’s obscure anymore. Of course, I don’t think Ticket To Ride is obscure, either, so maybe I travel in different circles.
Wow, I didn’t realize Ticket To Ride was considered “obscure.” If so, I’m glad to see it recommended here. European-style games have made a lot of headway in America – in no small part to another great one, Settlers of Catan – so I hope more people will try them. If you’re still playing Life and Monopoly, you’re really missing out.
Personally, I’ll take the snow. With all due respect to you and the rest of the southern readership 🙂
Better than live fish. All that flopping gets the dressing everywhere.
Disagree. Catan is only fun if frustration is your drug of choice, with its reliance on dice rolls. If I want my friends to enjoy their first few games so that they will come back for more, I’d pick Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne any day.
@dapperedsite:disqus I am from the south and I would prefer the snow too
I don’t know. My first time my friends introduced me to it, I had a blast despite losing. Beer helped.
That sounds like a great place to work. Lucky…
My friends and I have always talked about playing shot Catan. One shot for every victory point.
I agree, I am in DC and it has been nothing less than 85 since about late May here.
It was over a 100 here in St. Louis all summer, but it’s been dropping into the low 60s the last couple days at night. I’d have a use for it.
awesome ocean’s 11 reference… one of my all time favs!
My wife and I love to play ticket to ride. Especially when we have friends over for dinner.
Hey Joe, what color is that Poplin shirt? Charcoal? Been camping and outta internet range for the last week. Like the light colored Merona and want to pair with that shirt. Great outfit selection all around. Thanks!
Seriously, here in Southern California it was 90-100 basically all day and all night the week this was posted. It’s cooled down this week to 80s during the day and 70s at night, but 70s is still not cold enough for a second layer.