Sweating the Small Stuff by Billax

The following is a reprinting of a post by Billax. Billax is not only one of my style role models, but a friend and a man that was Trad back when it was called Ivy League style. He has allowed me to share many of his thoughts all of which can be found here: Sneakers by Billax, loafers by Billax, Uprising by Billax

“Sweating the small stuff” is at the heart of a number of detail oriented endeavors and projects. In underwriting securities, the Banker and the Analyst sweat the small stuff. Every risk factor is covered, every significant corporate assertion is fact-checked, and the financial statements are double and triple checked with the auditors. Big software projects “sweat the small stuff” to assure security, interaction with other software systems, and protect against hacker attacks. Hmmm. Given the massive problems with a current big software project, I’ll modify my assertion to say that all big software projects, SHOULD sweat the small stuff.

On a much less consequential level, I’d bet that each of us sweats the small stuff in our attire. I ‘sweat’ some things and overlook others. I turn a blind eye to details that are unimportant to me. I suspect that each of us would have a different list of the things we sweat and the things we don’t. Here are my ‘sweat’ and ‘no sweat’ lists:

Billax

 Sweat:

• Collar roll

• Tie dimple

• Matching the color of tab leather on surcingle belts to shoe color

• Edge dressing on shoes

• Cuff no break

• Jacket buttoned when standing, save when wearing waistcoat or sweater vest

• Every time I get dressed, I get my gig line straight

 No Sweat:

• Tie bottom above or below belt

• Shoe laces tied exactly perpendicular to tongue

• Pocket square, if it’s easy to find an appropriate one, I will, if not, then not.

• Wearing seasonal shoes (e.g., white bucks) beyond their annual expiration date

• Matching blade width of tie exactly to lapel width

• Matching sock color to pants or shoe color, especially when worn with sweaters or sport coats

• Etc….

 So, what do you sweat and what are you unwilling to futz around with?

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

6 Comments on "Sweating the Small Stuff by Billax"

  1. Alan Gray says:

    I’m with you on everything, except I also sweat getting my shirt tucked in tight every time I hit the head (hey, you said gig line, so you know what I mean.) I’ve always done it by reaching in through my unzipped fly and pulling down the shirt tails front and back, but I think I’m in a minority in doing it that way.

  2. Bill says:

    I do something very similar, Alan. Should we both be worried about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? 🙂

  3. Michael Powell says:

    Cuff… but no break? And you leave the house like this? Dude, come back to the light. It’s not too late!

  4. Tie Clip says:

    Hi Ox, it’s cool to see Bilax (R.I.P.) post on the blog. What a throw back!
    Micheal Powell- I agree with you on wool trousers but not necessarily on cotton chinos! Thankfully he could let his too short trousers out if he had wanted to!

    Here’s my list:
    Sweat:
    Tie Clip, my mandatory namesake.
    Trouser color darker then jacket colour.
    Tones matching in outfit. e.g. cool tones with cool tones.
    Subtle pocket square. Far better then a flat empty outer breast pocket.
    Socks darker then trousers leg colour. Lengthens the leg line.
    Tie arched. Self explanatory.
    Shirt sleeve length must be correct. Relative, but I think everyone agrees on this one.

    Don’t sweat:
    Tie dimple can be askew or double dimpled.
    Back blade can be slightly longer then front blade. Not ideal, but I accept fate sometimes.
    Shoes don’t need to be perfectly clean. Just relatively clean looking.
    Belts don’t have to match outfits perfectly.

    That’s about it. What would you put on your sweat it verses don’t sweat it list Jerrod?

    • Michael Powell says:

      TC – All of my suit pants, odd trousers, and khakis/chinos have 1 1/2 inch cuffs. And breaks. The only pants without cuffs are my jeans. I CANNOT wear a tie with the back blade longer than the front. That’s an infamia.

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