A throwback, but some wise words about spending and thrift—but nary the twain shall meet. http://www.effortlessgent.com/when-to-spend-vs-when-to-save/
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7:57 A.M.
It’s midterm season. You hit the quad, half walking, half running, panicking because your bike got a pinch flat back on University Avenue and you had to lock it up and ditch it by Mumford Hall, but your class is over off 6th St.
You had five minutes then. Now you’re down to three.
You didn’t sleep last night; you didn’t have that luxury. Eating, that wasn’t exactly on the agenda either. You’re breathing though, running over a general timeline of early medieval history again in your head. Professor said exact dates weren’t necessary, so you subconsciously purged those. Diocletian. Constantine. The Council of Nicaea. You know this is all living in your short-term memory, trying to bleed back out.
You need to get this down on paper. Now.
You bust through the auditorium doors. Heads turn, people stare. Whatever. You’re past embarrassment. You sit, loudly. That TA, the one who always wears the sweat-stained Cardinals hat and a smug, condescending frown, he hands you the exam. Your eyes close. Open. You check the essay questions first. You always check the essay questions first. Pressure releases, you’ve got those on lock. Multiple choice takes care of itself. You write, and write, and write, shaking slightly from the triple espresso you put down a few hours ago. But it’s not long before it’s all over. You turn in the exam, with an unexpected confidence in your performance. You leave content. You’re walking back across the quad, tired, but more than elated that that midterm is over. Maybe just more excited that you have an opportunity to relax.
And it’s then that you stop and look around. You take it in. The leaves. The colors. You’d been ignoring them for the past few days—too busy. But your studying is over now. You hear the soft rustle of leaves being trampled underfoot. You inhale the crisp air. It feels good. And your once overwhelmed and over distracted mind can ignore it no longer.
Fall is here.
Fall, for me, is primarily about two things: layers and fabrics. Flannels, wools, thick-knits. Jackets over sweaters over shirts, with scarves on top. Hats too, sometimes. Put on boots, any boots. And don’t forget tweed. Fall is your time to experiment. It’s your chance to find who you are, sartorially. Throw on some sportcoats. Or don’t, it’s your call. But really, above all, have fun. Clothes can be fun. They should be fun.
Wear a watch. You should know what time it is without fishing your iPhone out of your pocket. Plus, watch straps are the new way to display your personality (sarcasm). But in all seriousness, start collecting. Or just buy this.
Fall is also a great time to break in a fresh pair of raw denim. Or, if your selvedge collection is already three or so deep, get on that duck canvas jam. You’ll be glad you did.
On Cameron: thrifted herringbone blazer by Hill and Archer, thrifted heather grey sweater by Ireland Group; Kurabo denim in the 77 fit by Baldwin Denim; thrifted blue oxford by Gant, beeswax desert boots by Clarks; military watch by Timex.
Photography by Mallory Wiegers.
I adore that Heather pullover, and your all around style here. rL Love seeing the guys getting out there and making style accessible. I might just forward this blog to my BF who (I sadly have to admit) isn’t too concerned about what he wears. p.s. I do imagine poor Cameron left shivering in his briefs when that last picture was taken. That little narrative was absolute 100% descriptive of the fall season. Who can ever forget running laps around the quad to take your early morning exam? Good times… that are happening now for me.. Love the look, I would die for that blazer (in a women’s size)! Cam, have you found any places that sell cool straps for the weekender besides Corter? I’m loving mine watch, got it a couple months ago. In love with you guys! You look so amazing! That was my thought, too. Love it! Really great last photo, but I can’t help but imagine Cameron standing over the clothes, snapping a photo in his underwear. or perhaps he was raptured… mistermidwester… fantastic name. yale, the drive from Jeff City to Columbia was one of my favourite college memories (Not related to the football/basketball team). Great colors and fit on this one. I take a lot of my style cues from nature, and this outfit is a grey fall day to a T. Was Cameron standing in his skivvies while arranging and taking that last photo? Sixth Street? The EE auditorium perhaps? Back in my day (ugh) the History Dept. decamped in the A&S building (although I do recall taking History 3 and 4 in Geology Aud. Nonetheless, I agree with Joy on the hitting close to home thing. I minored in history at Mizzou(fell 6 hours short of a double major but decided I’d rather move on to law school than hang around another semester). Fall in CoMo is specatcular (in addition to my 4 years at Mizzou, I also happened to grow up just down 63 in Jeff City) and downtown used to be resplendent with great men’s stores. I think Bingham’s is the only holdover from the old days. Puckett’s (where they’d be all to happy to offer you a glass of Scotch while you browsed), Mr. Guy and Woody’s were all within a couple of blocks of each other. Harry Smith’s was out west at Parkade Plaza (back when there were actually stores there). Ah, memories. This last photo reminds me of one of my favorite pic blogs. Do you guys read thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com? Aesthetically up your alley, maybe? Great post but man your opening paragraph cuts too close to home. The natural strap is a sample from Corter Leather – he’s working on getting those available in 20/22/24 mm, I believe. Corter’s product is always great, so I’m definitely grabbing one when they drop. Rigging up your own sounds awesome too. I’d just eBay a cheap nylon Nato and strip its hardware. Let us know if you make one, we’d love to see it! Love that natural leather watch strap – where is it from? Or where can I pick up the nato strap hardware to make my own? The third in a series on the interplay of food and style, with Blake Royer, of the exceptional culinary website The Paupered Chef. We’ve already dispatched with breakfast in bed and a working lunch. Next up: the dinner party.
 To say you’re an accomplished character is putting it lightly. That time you sumitted Kilimanjaro during a snow storm. The month you took a vow of silence. The day all the stoplights turned green.
Also, wear a tie.Roast something. Inviting people to eat requires skill, timing, and artfulness. Roasting takes tremendous pressure off one of those things; with a thermometer and a few basic tips, the timing of the meal becomes far more forgiving.
Embrace the performance. Dinner parties are funny things. People are watching themselves and watching each other, and that’s okay. People are watching themselves and watching each other, and that’s okay. The cast of a dinner party will always be new (if it’s just close friends over for a meal, it’s not a dinner party), so the dynamic is unfamiliar. A little mystery is a good thing.
Never mention your own cooking. Whether you’re fishing for compliments or lamely apologizing for the “dry meat” you’re lowering the tone. Take Julia Child’s advice: “You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good.’” If the food is great, it speaks for itself. If it sucks, don’t mention it. They won’t remember.
Greetings and farewells. Much like giving a good compliment, hellos and goodbyes are best when simple and heartfelt. You’re excited they’re here, you’re so pleased they enjoyed themselves, and you hope to see them soon.
And if you’re the guest, bring a gift. Hosting a dinner party is a sacrifice of time, money and energy, so offer something that shows you appreciate the effort. Booze always fits the bill. Though if you’d like to take it to the next level, bring something that reminds you of the host. It shows you’ve paid attention. Bonus points for a handwritten note the next day.
And now, about that roast…
PORCHETTA
For the pork:
For the polenta:
*Possibly one of the best cookbooks in the world to learn from. Highest recommendation.
Lay the pork out on a cutting board and examine the natural seams in the meat. Using your fingers and the tip of a knife as needed, excavate the seams to expose as much internal surface area of the pork as possible, carefully freeing the muscles along their natural separations. Season the pork inside and out with salt.
In a small bowl, mix together the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Pack the herb mixture into the crevices of the pork, rubbing it into the meat and ensuring the seasoning reaches all the exposed surfaces. Using kitchen string (or if your roast came with a net, use it) to tie the roast back into its original shape. It should take 4-5 strings crosswise and one lengthwise to accomplish this (for detailed tying instructions, see this post on making lamb pancetta). An even shape will also cook evenly.
Cover, refrigerate, and allow the seasoning to penetrate the meat, at least 1 day and up to 3.
When it’s time to cook:
Heat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large (14-inch) ovenproof skillet or roasting pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the pork (it should sizzle) and transfer to the oven. Roast, uncovered, for an hour (the pork should begin to color; if it hasn’t, up the temperature to 400.)
While the pork roasts, bring the water to boil in a large saucepan, then pour in the polenta in a slow stream while whisking to prevent clumping. Once it’s all added, add the salt and reduce heat to low, stirring often as it thickens and the cornmeal becomes creamy, 25-30 minutes. If it appears too dry and the cornmeal is not yet soft, add more water and continue cooking; you can always cook it longer to evaporate any excess water. Once soft, turn off the heat until ready to serve. To finish, reheat and stir in butter and Parmesan. Meanwhile, halve the fennel lengthwise and cut out the core. Put the halves cut-side down and slice thinly crosswise. Toss with enough olive oil and salt to coat it nicely. Once the pork has been in an hour, use tongs to flip it over and tuck the sliced fennel into the roasting pan around the porchetta, tossing it well in the roasting juices. Return the roast to the oven and continue cooking for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, to an internal temperature of 145º F. Remove the pork to a cutting board and keep it loosely covered in foil while it rests for at least 10 minutes (the meat will reabsorb the juices, ensuring it’s as moist as possible). Put the roasting pan on the stovetop (with the fennel still in it), pour or spoon off any excess fat, and turn the heat to high. Add the vermouth to the pan, using the liquid to scrape up any caramelized bits left from the pork in the roasting pan. Cook, stirring often, until the fennel is soft and caramelized and the vermouth has mostly evaporated. Slice the pork and serve with the polenta, along with some of the caramelized fennel and rich pan juices. Finish with some of the fennel fronds that (ideally) came attached to the fennel bulb. Serve. Prep photos by Seth Putnam. Dinner photos by Ryan Plett. Love the ideas on throwing a party, I think you hit the main components spot on! Our blog provides some additional perspective and ideas for your next party. Give us a visit at http://www.cheeseboardco.com/blog Thanks for the post! Hi Jessica, If I remember correctly, we did 8 pounds, and it fed 10. Of course, you can make up for extra appetites with whatever you decide to pair it with (in our case, polenta and fennel). Good luck! Any idea how many diners the 3lb roast would feed? AMAZING!! Don’t know how I found this blog but I am glad I did. I love everything about this. But maybe what I love most of all is the writing. Keep up the good work. Awesome, thanks Seth. And that is a fantastic comment by Aimee. Williams-Sonooma easily became my favourite store while doing wedding stuff. As a lady who’s day job is a buyer at Wililams-Sonooma, I appreciated the art of a dinner party like no other. With the additional style you gents kick in, I’m not quite sure men of your caliber exist outside of the Midwest. Can you establish a training conference in San Francisco? I’ll host. Sincerely – keep up the inimitable style and class. I’m smitten. This comment has been removed by the author. Indeed we will, sir. Stay tuned. Can you guys throw the recipe up here? I see sage, rosemary, lemons, salt, capers?, garlic, onions, pepper, some cut of pork (shoulder?)… how long to you let it sit for? And the polenta? I want to make that but I don’t want to guess everything from the pictures. Care to share? A splendid week is ahead of us up in Chicago. It’ll be a weekend of pumpkin-patching, porched-in-beer-drinking and shenanigans around the city.
Here’s a batch of things that I’ve been enjoying lately.
Clockwise: Bob’s 47 Oktober Fest by Boulevard Brewery; “The Seven” Winter Gingham button down by Wharf; Woody iPhone 4 case by Jack Spade; Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay; The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 by Dave Eggers; Down Sweater in Fire Red by Patagonia; The Walking Dead on AMC; PORT Magazine; grey crewneck by rag & bone; Baltic Amber candle by Voluspa.
Noteworthy:
If you’re in the Midwest, drink that beer. If you’ve got Hulu or DVR, watch that show.
If you’re in Barnes & Noble, buy that magazine.
If you get dragged into Anthropologie by your girlfriend, buy that candle. (I go willingly, whatevs.) Links Abound:
What’s happening in the style commune:
eBay Snapshot
I’ve got nothing against a fine crew neck sweater, but 150.00 for a 80-20 cotton without any form of credentials or character? Horse shit! Bob’s 47. YES! Just watched first season of The Walking Dead. Amazing. Your blog. Ridiculous! Got to admit I’m pretty stoked about Mylo Xyloto myself. Just ensure you give your lady and boss fair warning that you might be AWOL for the next week or so due to repeated musical orgasms. We live in a day and age where our lives our dominated by choices. We wake up, decide where to get our coffee, what to eat for lunch, what to watch on TV, where to get our haircut, etc. When it comes to denim, we’re blessed with luxury of a few dozen purchase-worthy brands. Take your pick: Baldwin, Rogue Territory, Tellason, Left Field, A.P.C., Kicking Mule Workshop, Imogene + Willie, Apolis and so on and so forth. It’s a little crazy to think that when we turn back the clock a few decades, this vast sea of quality constructed jeans is reduced to just one stand-out brand. I think you know where I’m going with this. Levi Strauss and Co. has been the king of denim since they started churning out their signature 501′s at the turn of the 20th century. And there’s no garment more iconic in the gritty subcultures of America than the Trucker jacket. Just because we live our lives in the indigo of a new brand doesn’t mean we have to forget who invented the wheel.
These black 501s were my Dad’s. They’re some of my favorite jeans in terms of fit. They’re a straight leg that’s slim through the thigh and they have a higher rise that sits at my hips. That is, of course, where pants are supposed to sit. Not that a low rise is bad. It’s just a little less natural, in terms of your body’s dimensions. Your legs begin at your hips. Conversely, that’s where your torso ends. Dropping the rise means that we’re visually elongating our torso, thus shortening the appearance of our legs. For some, that’s the desired effect. Other times, it can look goofy. It’s a subtle thing, but hey, life is in the details.
Something about a black tie makes a man feel alive. Not to mention, a man’s best accessory is always his facial hair. Or if you don’t have any, I guess your best accessory is your awesome personality, or something like that.
Levi’s branding is spot on. And it looks even better after a few decades of wear and tear. The jacket was an eBay acquisition. Note: half of my closet is comprised of eBay acquisitions. Also, the presence of white tube socks denotes #swag.
 On Cameron: vintage Trucker jacket by Levi’s; heather hoody by American Apparel; vintage white OCBD by Gant; black tie by J.Crew; black leather belt (stolen from dad); old black 501s (stolen from dad) by Levi’s; military watch by Timex for J.Crew; black PTBs by Florsheim Imperial.
Photography by Mallory Wiegers.
Ditto. When I realized that Cameron was the writer and the model…*drool* Now I can stalk midwestyle via Twitter! Yes, Cameron is a cutie…sayeth a straight Midwestern mama. @Tyson – I hear that. Best bet is to try and find one at a thrift store and just try it on. You don’t have to get that one, necessarily. Just use it to find fit. Or, generally if you wear a small, go for a 36 or 38, medium – 40 or 42, large 44 and up. I’ve wanted to hunt for a trucker jacket on eBay, but I don’t know that my jacket size. That probably sounds stupid, but I’m not sure how to figure out if a jacket fits without trying it on. Your layering is perfect. And the black tie looks so classic.. really great choice. Cameron is the most adorable. So sayeth one of your homosexual readers. Bought a pair of Levis at the store on Michigan Ave. They are skinny. I have had them since senior year of college (4 plus years). They are still amazing. And they cost $50. Vintage denim is the best. |
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by sethjputnam