midweSTYLE: Jayhawk territory

Last Friday, I went to Lawrence, Kan., for work to drop off promotional materials on campus.
And by work, I mean, I visited sorority girl houses. I dressed for the occasion and needed to blend in. Know your audience, right? Red and blue tie? Sure.

Being a graduate of Mizzou, I am required by law to dislike the state of Kansas, University of Kansas, KU fans, ChickenJayhawks, red and blue and anything related to the likes of supporting KU.

However, I do enjoy the town of Lawrence and college towns in general. Cool vibe, great local eats and unique shopping experiences. I had a tasty lunch with Mallory and Carolina at Free State Brewery and scored a sweet leather and wool varsity jacket that should be featured on Thrifty Thursday soon...

ABOUT THE LOOK: The schoolboy tie complements the crisp white button down and shrunken sport coat. It just looks sharp. A golf club tie bar adds a little quirk to the outfit, along with the Sperrys to keep it casual. I also particularly like wearing the unwashed and finely aged denim with the dark sport coat.

WHAT THE CLUTCH: When you wear slim jeans like I do—the only kind that look good on my frame mind you—squeezing a wallet or an iPhone in your pocket completely kills the profile. I carry this aged leather clutch as my big wallet. Essentially, it holds my wallet, Field Notes, iPhone, pens and keys perfectly. Go ahead and hate on, haters, but the pouch is convenient for me.

Seth's edit:

WHAT THE TIE: Good morning, Jeff. What's going on with that tie? Do tell, por favor.

Red and blue silk schoolboy tie (thrifted, $1.50); Grey sport coat (Halls, reg. $680, sale $220) by Billtornade, small; Golf club tie bar (antique mall, $5); "The Henley" 11.5-ounce dry stretch selvedge (Standard Style Boutique, $198) by Baldwin, size 30; Brown leather Top-siders (thrifted, $6) by Sperry, size 10.5; vintage leather clutch/dossier/pouch/document case (garage sale, $2) by Coach; White button-down oxford (retail, $60) by American Apparel, small; Camper watch (retail, $19) by Timex; Brown leather belt (retail, $4.99) by J.CREW.

Photography by Mallory Wiegers.

Next time I visit, let's grab some free food & dessert at your sorority house, mkay?

FAVORITE: rifle tie bar

Hands down, er, guns down. This is one of my most prized tie bars/men's accessories.

rifle tie bar found $6 at timeless treasures antique mall

It's noticed every time I wear it. So dope.

Thrifty Thursday: pencil tie bar

Tie bars and tie clasps. That's what I've been on the prowl for lately when thrifting, antiquing, and garage sailing. The wells are dry in the quirky committee and winter is in full force. I'll have to wait till spring for people to really clean out their garages and grandparent's drawers. Then, more treasures will surface. Until then, I've been browsing around on the internets and Etsy.com is usually an untapped resource when it comes to finding mens goods.

no. 2 Lead Pencil tie bar from gallogrotte

Writing utensil + Utiliatarian menswear accessory = Pencil tie bar. Snag it before I do.