Building The Perfect Dopp Kit
March 18, 2008
Unlike many women who require a small suitcase for their toiletries, a traveling man needs only a few essentials to be happy. Nevertheless, a man needs a place to stow these items. Enter the Dopp kit.
Bringing Back the Hat
March 1, 2008
Up until the 1950’s men were rarely seen out and about without a hat sitting upon their head. Since that time, the wearing of hats has seen a precipitous decline. No one is precisely sure why. Some say the downfall of hats occurred when JFK did not wear a hat to his inauguration, thus forever branding them as uncool. This is an urban myth, however, as Kennedy did indeed don a hat that day. Another theory posits that the shrinking size of cars made wearing a hat while driving prohibitively difficult. Most likely, the demise of hats can simply be traced to changing styles and the ongoing trend towards a more casual look.
Yet hats are due for a full resurgence. Hats are both functional and stylish. They can cover a bad hair day, keep your head warm, and shade your eyes from the sun. They can also be worn to cover a receding hairline, which interestingly enough is why Frank Sinatra, an iconic hat wearer, start wearing one in the first place. They give you touch of class and sophistication, impart personality, and add an interesting and unique accent to your outfits. And hats are a sure-fire way to boost your confidence. A cool hat can quickly become your signature piece and give you extra swagger.
Keep Your Ties In Tip Top Shape
February 8, 2008
A nice tie can bring a whole outfit together. They also allow you to easily diversify your wardrobe simply by mixing and matching ties with different shirts and suits. But ties are delicate. If you don’t take care of them, they can easily become worn and tattered. Instead of being a punctuation point to a sharp suit, an unkept tie will make you look dopey. Here’s a short run down on how to care for your ties.
Untying your Ties
Care should be taken when removing your tie. After a long day of work, I know you probably just want to get the damn thing off. But fight the temptation to pull the thin end of the tie through the knot. While this is the easiest way to get your tie off, it ruins the shape of the tie in the process. If you want to make your ties last, remove your ties by following the tie-tying steps in reverse.
Storing Your Ties
When putting away a tie, many men roll them up, stuff them in a drawer, or lay them over a chair. But ties are made of delicate fabric and are extremely impressionable. So as soon as the tie comes off, drape it over a coat hanger or closet rack. Hanging your ties properly makes it easier for the creases and folds from a knot to fall out.
A nice tie rack is a good investment. Tie racks make storing and organizing your ties much easier. The Executive Ladder is a nice quality rack that sells for under $15. Spend a little on a rack now, and save money in the long run by making your ties last.
When traveling, fold your ties into fours and place them in your coat pocket. That will help maintain your ties’ shape while traveling.
I think one of the reasons I’m popular again is because I’m wearing a tie. You have to be different.” - Tony Bennett
Cleaning Your Ties
A small stain can ruin any tie. Use care while eating with a tie on to avoid getting food on it. If you do stain your tie, take action quickly. Blot the stain with cold water as this prevents it from setting. Seltzer water or club soda works best. If you get any greasy materials on your tie (like juice from that medium rare steak you’re eating), water won’t do. Get some talcum powder on your tie ASAP. The powder will absorb the grease. After a few hours, brush off the remaining residue and clean with a soft cloth.
If you take your ties into a dry cleaner, specifically request that they don’t press your ties. Most dry cleaners do, but ironing a tie presses down on its rolled edges and ruins its shape.
Removing Wrinkles from Your Ties
As mentioned above, ironing ties should be avoided. But it’s inevitable that your ties will start to wrinkle. The best way to get the wrinkles out without ruining your tie in the process is using steam. For easy wrinkles, simply hanging your tie in the bathroom while you take a hot shower will do the trick. For more stubborn wrinkles, consider purchasing a hand held steamer. Conair makes several good ones for a decent price. A couple of passes with this baby and your wrinkles are gone.
Tie Tacks
Tie tacks are nice because they keep your tie in place and out of your food. However, tie tacks leave holes in the fabric of your tie. To avoid these holes, insert the tie tack through the fabric keeper on the back and then through your shirt. No holes, but your tie will be kept in place.
If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg.
Subscribe to Art of Manliness by RSS or email to get your FREE guide to being a gentleman in 2008.
Rules on the Proper Wearing of Socks
January 23, 2008
At a company training meeting a few months ago, I was introduced to a new co-worker. This guy was extremely motivated and on the ball. I was pretty impressed with him, until I looked down and saw that he was wearing white socks with a pair of dark dress slacks. Maybe it’s superficial, but at that moment this guy’s credibility as a sharp shooter and go-getter entirely evaporated. I suddenly saw Steve Erkle standing in front of me. Other people at the meeting noticed as well, and got a laugh out of it. No one took the guy seriously.
You don’t want to be this guy. If you want to impress people, you have to pay attention to the details. It doesn’t matter if you’ve put together an awesome outfit; if you don’t have the right socks, you spoil your whole look.
To help you not sabotage your image or credibility like the guy at the meeting, follow these simple rules when selecting which kind of sock to wear with your ensembles.
Wear dress socks with dress shoes
Don’t try to wear athletic socks with dress shoes even if the socks are black. Athletic socks are thicker than dress socks and don’t match the refined style of dress shoes. If you try wearing gym socks with a pair of dress shoes, they’ll bunch out over the shoe and look goofy. Stick to dress socks. The thin material feels nice on your foot and looks sharp.
With jeans there’s a little more wiggle room. Preferably, you should have dark socks even with denim, but you can get away with wearing gym socks with jeans.
Sock color should match your pants, not your shoes.
This is a rule that many people are confused about. I’ve heard numerous arguments about whether you should match socks with shoes or socks with pants. You should always match socks with pants because when you sit down and your socks are exposed, you want a solid line of color from your pants to your shoes. Socks that don’t match your pant color create a jarring break in your outfit. So black socks go with black pants and brown socks go with brown pants. Absolutely and under no condition should you ever wear white socks with dark pants unless you want to look like Steve Erkle or 1980’s Michael Jackson.
No socks with sandals or shorts
The goofiest thing is to see people who wear socks with sandals. Society’s ability to take you seriously will be reduced to zero if you do this. Sandals were designed to be worn with bare feet, so please, do not wear socks with sandals.
Socks with shorts should be avoided as well. Wearing socks with shorts visually makes your legs look shorter. If you need to wear socks while wearing shorts, invest in some ankle socks that aren’t visible when you wear you sneakers.
Novelty socks are for elementary school teachers
No man should own a pair of orange novelty socks that say “Boo!” on them and are adorned with little bats. The only excuse you have for wearing these is if you’re an elementary school teacher named Mrs. Heart. Keep you sock collection simple and classic and you’ll never go wrong.
How To Shave Like Your Grandpa
January 4, 2008
Proper shaving has become a lost art. Today’s average male has no clue about the fine art of the traditional wet shave that their grandfathers and some of their fathers used to take part in. Instead, they’re only accustomed to the cheap and disposable shaving products that companies market. I’m not sure when or why it happened, but the tradition of passing down the secrets of a clean shave abruptly stopped. Thankfully, this glorious male ritual is making a comeback.
Read more
