The Table of Contents

The most natural method of reading any blog is just to start at the most recent post, and work through in reverse chronological order. That may work fine for non-sequential blogs, but our format is a bit different: the installments (that's what we call our posts here) run roughly from the basics to more involved topics, starting at the earliest post. This has spawned several different methods of reading, that will better avail to the reader the information he wants quickly.

Readers that have dropped in through a Google search for a specific topic, (and if you have, welcome,) you can find similar or related topics using keywords in the Indexatron or the Search box, in the column to your right. Also, the end of each installment in a Series links to every other installment in that same Series.

There are a few different methods if you want to read the entire blog in a logical order to get the most out of it. The easiest is simply to read each installment in chronological order, from oldest to newest. This is easily done: for in addition to the intra-series links I just mentioned, I have also linked every installment to its next and prior chronological installment, and back to the very beginning.

Our Year @ A Glance™ sorts every post throughout each year by its Series, in prose form, to give a good outline of everything covered in that year. If you're the sort of person who likes to browse a blog in scattershot style, the Year @ A Glance™ serves as a good checklist to ensure you don't miss anything.

This Table of Contents, though, is our definitive method of organizing the posts. Every single installment in the entire blog is listed and linked "in book order," regardless of its actual posting date. It takes the reader straight through a logical progression of topics from simplest to more complex, building each upon a framework laid down by the previous. Read it in order, and it becomes the ultimate Tutorial for The Average Guy. Every previous post is accounted for, and any new Appendix that is to follow will be inserted into its proper place in the Contents as well, so the Contents will always be up-to-date.

I: INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

       --Who I am, what the blog is for, and a general welcome to all.

II: DRESSING THE AVERAGE GUY

PART A: CLASSIC STYLE
   
1. The First Great Secret
         --The real purpose of clothing.
2. An Army of One
         --"Dressing Well for Dummies" with just a sports jacket.
3. How, More Than What
         --The importance of balance and insouciance.
4. It Is What It Is
         --Sussing the purpose of your clothes by their names.
5. The Path of Least Resistance
         --An admonition to "go the extra mile."
6. But What of the Oscars?
         --Introduction to the rules of Classic Style.
7. The Science of Style
         --Proper proportion must relate to the human form.
8. Throwing Fits
         --The use of illusion can improve your form.

PART B: THE GREAT SECRETS

1. Lost in the Eighties, For Instance
         --The Second Great Secret.
2. Lost in the Other Eighties
         --The Second Great Secret's codicil.
3. Personality, Incorporated
         --Blending proper balance with the Second Great Secret.  
4. Proving the Rule
         --The Second Great Secret, illustrated.
5. The Kentucky Derby: or Why The British Hate Us
         --The Third Great Secret.

PART C: TREASURE HUNTING

1. Sock It To Me
         --Of socks, and tone-matching to your environment.
2. The Need for Tweed
         --The art of tone-matching, explained.
3. Keeping Your Balance
         --Find your sartorial center; the basic Continuum Cube concept.
         Appendix 2: The Calculus of Dressing
                  -- The full version of the advanced Continuum Cube.
4. The Measure of a Man
         --How to take your own measurements.
5. To Save or Splurge?
         --The economies of dressing well.
6. Want. Get. Have.
         --Clothes shopping, the manly way.
7. Back to Basics
         --A short admonition to "be prepared."
8. The Futurists Lied to You
         --Learn to appreciate the economy of time.

III: FOOTWEAR

1. The Game's A Foot
         --A look at proper footwear.
2. Shoe-In
         --A diversity of shoes.

IV: HEADWEAR

1. Da Capo
         --The flat cap as transitional headwear.
2. Hatiquette
         --The logic behind when to wear a hat, and when not to.
3. The Hats of Summer
         --Of warm-weather headgear.

V: NECKWEAR

1. Spicy Tie Recipes
         --A short introduction to proper neckwear.
2. A Ruff History of Neckwear
         --History, from 1500 to 1800.
3. Taking Stock of the Cravat
         --History, from 1800 to 2000.
         Appendix 1: The Art of Tying the Cravat.
                  --A closer look at the classic works.
4. Win, Lose or Tie.
         --An overview of modern tie options.
5. A Four in Hand is worth Eight in the Bush
         --The art of knot tying.
6. Bow Diddley.
          --The bow tie and its proportions.
7. You Bet Your Ascot
         --The formal ascot: wearing, making, and substituting.
8. Day Cravattitude.
         --The casual day cravat: wearing, making, and substituting.
9. It's Hip to Be Square
         --Neckerchiefs: variations and history.
10 Scarf it Up, Scarf it Down
         --Is the scarf the tie of the future?

VI: ACCESSORIES

1. A Pocketful of Balance
         --Balance, accessories, (and a detour to the Mayan calender.)
2. Accessorial Tutorial
         --Traditional accessories and their uses.
3. Kitted Out
         --Ideas for modern accessories.

VII: SEASONAL VARIATIONS

1. Spring Break Experimentation!
         --Vacation wear.
2. Venial Equinoxious
         --Dressing for the Spring.
3. The Shirt Off Your Back
         --When to not wear a jacket.
4. Go Out and Play
         --Autumnal recreational attire.

VIII: PACKING AND STORING

1. Time to Put Up Your Toys
         --How to pack away your summer shirts.
2. As The Wardrobe Turns
         --How to pack away your winter wear.

IX: FABLES

1. Drastic Measures Required
         --A short fable of modern headwear.
2. Aaah! They're Coming This Way!
         --A fable on attire when society crumbles.
3. The Fighting Yank is Laid Low
         --The fable of a little statue.
4. The Fighting Yank Rises
         --The vindication of the little statue.
5. The Fighting Yank 3: Yank's Revenge
         --The little statue returns.

X: LESSONS OF HISTORY   

1. Yes, Miss, I find your shallowness most diverting.
         --The importance of proper social education in youth.
         Appendix 3: Mandatory Finishing-School.
                  -- Put the polish on your own social education today.
2. Former Casual, Formal Causual.
         --The development and evolution of what we wear.
3. Downton, Things'll Be Great When You're Downton
         --Lessons from historical drama like Downton Abbey.
4. The Political Uniform
         --Why the universal black suit is a bad idea.
5. Easter Parading
         --The history of the April sartorial tradition.
6. Proper Toppers
        --A brief history of the top hat.
7. The Essential Accessory, Pt.1
         --The history of tobacco, from antiquity to 1820.
8. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 2
         --The history of tobacco, from 1820 to today.
9. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 3
         --Correlating smoking to fashion.
10. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 4
         --The search for a new essential.

XI: EVENING SEMIFORMAL -- THE DINNER SUIT

1. The PROMulgation of the PROMise of PROMpt PROMiscuity.
         --The Prom as an introduction to Black Tie.
2. The Tony Tygers
         --Critique of the 2011 Tony Awards
3. Emmy or Isn't He?
         --Critique of the 2011 Emmy Awards
4. Just Feel Those Golden Globes!
         --Critique of the 2012 Golden Globe Awards
5. SAG Like A Gansta In The Quarter-Formals, Yo!
         --Critique of the 2012 SAG Awards
6. Oscar Grouching
         --Critique of the 2012 Oscars (part 1)
7. Who's the Dandy? Oscars Edition
         --Off-site critique of the 2012 Oscars (part 2)
8. Correspondents and Spectators
         --Critique of the 2012 White House Correspondents Dinner.
9. Generation Degeneration
         --Critique of the 2012 Billboard Music Awards.
10. Em & Emmy
         --Critique of the 2012 Emmy Awards.

XII: NIGHT FORMAL --  THE DRESS SUIT

1. The Scariest Thing I've Seen This Year
         --A look at White Tie, through the Alfred E. Smith Dinner.

XIII: DAY FORMAL -- THE MORNING SUIT

1. The Wedding of the Century, version 2.0 (beta)
         --Introduction to morning wear, via Will and Kate.
2. The Wedding of Prince Georg Von Sloppypants
         --Morning formal wear, and the perils thereof.

XIV: THE ISLAND OF MISFIT CLOTHES

AKA: THE TAILORING SERIES

1. Manly Machinery
         --Essential equipment.
2. Say Hello To My Little Friend
         --How to make your own tailor's form.
3. Who's Got The Button?
         --A simple adjustment of your button stance.
4. Going to Waist
         --Waistband alterations, quick-and-easy style.
5. Waist Not, Want Not
         --Waistband alterations, in-depth style.
6. Presto Change-O Jacket Size-O
         --The interrelationship of size, balance, and fit of a jacket.
7. Suit and Suitability
         --Choosing a project suit for our purposes.
8. Carving a Turkey
         --Disassembly.
9. Wrapper's Delight
         --Marking and pinning.
10. Marked Improvements
         --Stitch-marking and unpinning.
11. Sliding Into First Baste   
         --Manipulating and basting.
12. Things Start Coming Together
         --Hand-stitching; shoulderwork.
13. Cold Shoulders
         --Setting the sleeves.
14. Happy, Sleevey, Doc
          --Sewing the sleeves to the armscye.
15. Hemming and Hawing
         --Lining and finishing.
16. Liner Notes
         --How to simply un-line a jacket for use in the summer.
17. Let's Get Shanked
         --Re-visiting button stance, with shanked buttons.

XV: HARDWARE

1. I Am Iron Man
         --Rebuilding a classic iron: disassembly.
2. Ion Iron
         --Derusting via electrolysis, and operating diagnosis.
3. Irons in the Fire
         --Repair and refurbishment.
4. Strike While the Iron's Hot
         --Cleaning and reassembly.

XVI: MEN OF THE YEAR

1. The TT&S Bow Tie Man of the Year (2011)
         --The exemplars of the art of the bow tie.
2. The TT&S Razor Square Man of the Year (2011)
         --The exemplars of the art of the pocket square.
3. The TT&S Bow Tie Man of the Year (2012)
         --The exemplars of the art of the bow tie.
4. The TT&S Razor Square Man of the Year (2012)
         --The exemplars of the art of the pocket square.

XVII: EPILOGUE

1. Epilogue
         --A bookend for the blog.
   

Wheels of Progress

At last, the moment you've all been waiting for -- the rusty old wheels in the blog machine have begun grinding and churning again! We've taken some time off (well, a year off, actually) from posting regular installments, but as I mentioned last time we met, the blog has not been forgotten in the interim, and all those topics I had mentioned last time -- and more! -- are indeed in the pipeline, and there will be bloggy goodness forthcoming in future weeks!

The format will be a bit different, as I alluded to earlier, and I've put some serious thought into how Dress Like A Grownup! will operate in the upcoming months and years.

I began the first two years of posts as a self-contained tutorial that the Average Guy, starting from zero, can use to learn to dress himself in an adult manner; and I want to keep that original intention intact. So what to do with the new posts? I could make a new start with a sort of Phase Two that covers more esoterica, sort of a "Year Three Advanced course." I get the nagging feeling, though, that particular tack would detract from the core readership of Dress Like A Grownup! that we've set out to reach. It's important to keep the Average Guys in mind, and not leave them behind. In some way, we need to make the information always relatable to the sartorial neophytes.

I thought about how I could take that new information and intersperse it right in amongst the old posts: go back and insert elaboration of specific topics right where the old ones left off, and back-date them to a day after the original posts. Although artifically inflating the previous two years has its advantages, (not the least of which is greater consistency amongst the topics,) doing so runs against the very nature of a blog -- posting new information in sequential order. More importantly, it would be unfair to new readers, who would have to plumb the depths of previous posts to suss out the new data. It might work if I were editing a book, but it's important to keep what's already been written at least somewhat historically sacrosanct.

Then it hit me -- "if I were editing a book." That was the key! That's how I can include tangential, esoteric information, relate it back to the Average Guy who is starting from Square One, and still keep it in the forefront of the blog as new, up-to-date postings: new posts will be in the form of Appendices. Each appendice will relate in some form to a previous installment, and will link to and from the original post. That way, the Average Guy working through the Series can have a ready link to advanced information, new readers can link from new posts into the Series, and any new stuff is right out front for everyone.

The new format will give me a little latitude: most notably, I can devote some new posts to expanding upon those topics that have been most popular with readers. I can elaborate on some topics that have not been given proper attention previously. And I can get a little crazy and include some oddball topics as well. But most everything from here on out will be in the form of an Appendix.

The new topics will be coming occassionally and irregularly, as time allows and the whimsy takes me; but each will be for the most part in my favored long-form or multi-part format, so the wait will be worth it! 

Epilogue

Chapter 100

When Fred Rogers filmed the last Mr Rogers' Neighborhood on August 31, 2001, it was the end of an era. He had been on the air every week since 1963, an American (and even before that, Canadian) institution, and a cultural icon for a generation. When asked why he was shutting down production, his reasoning was simple: "I've said everything I set out to say."

This is Dress Like A Grownup!'s 100th Chapter. I set out with a goal: the Average Guy, who dressed in jeans and tee-shirts and sneakers every day of his life, should be able to start at Chapter One, and come out the other end with the knowledge, impetus, desire, and ability to be Well-Dressed. I think I have accomplished that goal, and to continue in the same vein would be to add unnecessary content that would either be repetitive, confuse the issue, or dilute the knowledge already set down.

So, starting in 2013, we're going to switch things up a bit, in content, style, and frequency. 

Most notably, you won't see a new installment each and every week. The extended-essay format that Dress Like A Grownup! has evolved into takes a lot of time to produce, what with research, editing, writing, and compositing; and it takes a sizable chunk of the week to get it online -- usually the better part of a day or more, since I don't have a staff, and do all the work myself. 

I could dial back on the length and complexity to keep the installments coming regularly, but to be honest, I don't want to skimp on content -- I'd rather take a little extra time, put the installments out less often, and keep up the quality of the essays.

Since we can put a final bookend on the Average Guy series, this will free us up to delve into some topics of a more advanced and tangential nature. Off the top of my head, we can look forward to a proper series on waistcoats, and a series on all the ways you can re-bash a fedora (that is, change the crease by hand without re-blocking.) I've wanted to do a series on detachable collars for quite a while, and we will surely get around to that; and that may lead into a series on shirtmaking. 

For a while now, I've wanted to do a series on how to make all the cravats in "The Art of Tying The Cravat," in real life -- whalebone stiffeners, starch, and all. Of course, that wouldn't do at all in the old format, since the Average Guy has no reason to know such minutia...but in the new format, we can go a little crazy. (The Cravat series may actually warrant an entirely new blog to house it, since it will undoubtedly be popular with a certain number of historical costumers...we'll see how it goes.)

Most importantly, though, not tying myself to a one-a-week-installment plan will give me more time to do other things. The first thing I shall do is take a few weeks off, because no matter what you do, taking time off is important, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

After that, I'm going to go back through the first 100 chapters, to sand some rough edges down in the early posts as regards their tone and style, and to make the entire series more internally consistent.  

(For example, in some of the early posts I referred to a "day cravat" as an "ascot." It was acceptable at the time, for I thought I'd never need to make the distinction -- but now that we've covered the difference, I saw the need to go back and change those posts to reflect the correct term.)

I'm also going to add direct links at the end of the posts to make it easier to navigate between the Chapters and the Series. One of the major drawbacks of a blog format is that it's deucedly difficult to simply read the posts in the proper order, especially if a Google search drops you in the middle of a series, so I'm going to address that.

Spacing out the installments, to maybe 3-4 major essays per year, will give me time to do other stuff. I have at least two more books in my head (not of a sartorial nature) that I'd like to get published, and the less writing I do here, the more writing I can do there, if you know what I mean. I also need to devote more time to Mr Thompson's Ties & Squares, as regards advertising and merchandising; and I have a plan to get my products in some brick-and-mortar stores this year as well. If my schedule comes down to This or That, I can pursue the business end without the pressure of getting the weekly blog installment out as well.

I'll keep a weather eye out on the awards shows, as always, and if something new and egregious happens that warrants a scathing post, I will of course be there...but it seems as if men are repeating the same mistakes of late, and I won't post after every show just to repeat myself endlessly about the low waists, bad fit, mini-jackets, long ties, and cheap tuxes, that I've covered many times before.

So stay tuned and fear not, Faithful Readers; I may not be readily apparent, but the blog is not forgotten -- I'm either working on old posts, or behind the scenes, or researching new essays for the future. And the previous 100 weeks will always be there, for new readers to discover how to Dress Like A Grownup!

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