I don’t have a business card anymore — at least not a valid one. And, as one who works primarily at home, I don’t really meet that many people. So I haven’t really felt the need to have cards printed up. When someone asks what I do for a living, I usually tell them that I am a writer. And in response to the inevitable question that follows, I tell them that the thing I enjoy writing most is my blog “Easy and Elegant Life (dot com.)”

Everyone promises to look me up on the web. But for one reason or another, probably that the name is sort of cumbersome, nobody remembers the URL. And that’s not limited to people I meet for the first time. Good friends can’t seem to get a handle on it either.

So today I headed over to Merrymaker, my stationers in Richmond, to have a card made up.

Of course it wasn’t that simple. So to help me with the multitude of decisions I had to make, I went to the source — calling cards are very 19th century London.

After consulting my DeBrett’s, I realized I was about to design a woman’s card — and very fast sort of woman, too.

A quick email to an art director friend, and another to the unfailingly tasteful architect, helped sort things out. That’s the advantage of having an aesthetics committee to consult.

I now have two cards.

One is my “business card” and the other my calling card. Both are to be engraved on triple thick white card stock with black ink. Unfortunately, one of the fonts I wanted isn’t one of the standard offerings, so the results are a tad more conservative than I thought that I would wind up with. But they should be beautiful.

Of course I have to add my first initial and fix the name of the site on the draft (above) designed by my art director friend. But what’s in a name, right? And after handing out an engraved card heavier than a Chinette paper plate, I bet it’ll be more memorable. Or at least easier to find in a crowded wallet.

(This shot is from The Sartorialist’s archives on Men in Milan. For more great shots of be-scarfed people, please check out Sart’s blog. He does great work.)

It’s finally getting to feel like Autumn around here. After months of 90ºF days, the mercury has plummeted into the high 50s! Which, of course, gets me thinking about my wardrobe. I’d love to be able to break out the heavier suits and overcoats, but it’ll be a few months until we get to that point. Unless you believe the global warming guys, in which case, I should have had my evening clothes made up in 7 1/2 oz. wool and mohair…

So what to do with the “in-between” days — not too hot, not cold. Just crisp or cool or damp?

There is an easy and elegant solution to not having to lug around your overcoat on days when the temperature is erratic…. get yourself a good scarf and learn a couple of ways to tie it.

At an end of the season sale last year, I lucked into a gold and brown glen plaid wool that reverses into a silk with multi-colored little boxes sprinkled around the gold background. I feel particularly sharp wearing it with my grey suits and brown suede shoes.

It used to be that I had one way to drape a scarf under my coat — over, up through and let it go at that. Sort of the way that you begin to tie a tie. Then I graduated to the fold in half and pull the ends through the loop method, which I thought particularly jaunty and European (see photo, above.) These days, I’m just as likely to wrap the scarf a couple of times around my neck and tie it into a knot when it’s down to the fringes only. Or I might tie a four-in-hand with a silk scarf and use it as an ascot. Thicker and longer wool scarves get wrapped around the neck and the ends are left to dangle in front of my coat. I had an English professor at school who used this “Old Boy” look to great effect over a sack-like ancient tweed jacket. Taking that one step further, pull one end up and through to tie a simple knot at the neck (if it’s cold, this works wonders.)

One last thing, whatever material you opt for (I also have a new red cotton jersey scarf from American Apparel to be used for bicycling like the art director in the shot above)– buy a long one. Or check out the $13 faux pashminas at Target. The price is right.

But remember, go long — they’re just easier to tie and look better when you’re wearing casual clothing.

I’ve spent all day running around trying to get things done, neglecting things that should be started (read: paying projects) for the things that need doing first… It always leaves me with a feeling of distress.

But as the unflappable Mrs. E so often points out, I can get stressed eating ice cream on a warm summer’s day.

So here I am, finally at home, where I’ve shucked my city suit and changed into … If you’ve been paying attention and are curious, you’ve already followed a link or two to A Suitable Wardrobe. Here’s another one pointing to a post that mentions the most comfortable things a man can wear at the weekend. Taking heed and in more than a little bit of need for something soothing, I dug out a pair of pumpkin-colored, flat front, moleskin trousers. A good start. The temperature is dropping nicely here inside the 100 year old house, so I topped the trousers with a navy blue cashmere turtleneck and finished off by kicking up my feet in a pair of velvet “Prince Albert” slippers. Mine are by New and Lingwood, but some rather nice ones, like those pictured above, are found at Stubbs and Wooten.

A very good alternative is my weekend uniform of wide wale corduroy trousers (usually in olive green), a Brooks Brothers button down and a cashmere crew neck. Cashmere socks by Pantherella keep things cosy when the sun begins to set. Driving shoes are very comfortable around the house and useful in the event that Mrs. E runs low on champagne.

I feel better. And isn’t that the feeling leisure wear is supposed to impart?