Posted by William Chrismer on Sat, Jun 05, 2010 @ 11:26 PM
Seriously, you're all grown up now. Time to abandoned the Gold Toe socks for something well, more stylish.
Fashion is in the details. Resist the urge to make an impression by going over the top fashion-wise. Think about details. Think about about small subtle details that send the message that this guy doesn't chase trends. He's got his own style.
That brings us to socks. Huh? Yeah socks. Not very exciting and certainly under foot of late. Sorry we couldn't resist.
Summer is the time for linen. But not in socks. Sure, they're lightweight and purportedly wick moisture. They also don't stand up, don't fit well, and frankly aren't very comfortable.
We recommend Marcoliani Milano socks from Italy. Go figure, we recommend everything from Italy; women, food, wine, socks. Usually in that order.
The company was started in 1952 and today they specialize in superior hosiery in wools, cashmere and cotton.
Most guys that dress well wear Pantherellas. Nothing wrong with that. But then, do you want to be like most guys? Remember, success in the details.
A little bit about Marcoliani Milano socks? The line reaks of superior quality: fine yarns, a perfect fit, easy care, and the most fashionable colors. You can go conservative with essential solid colored, fun striped or eye-catching argyle socks. Marcoliani Milano presents new sock designs twice a year with the Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter collections.
The Marcoliani Milano collections feature hosiery made of cashmere, cashmere-cotton, washable extra fine and fine merino wool, Peruvian pima cotton and lisle. No linen.
One thing to think about is hand-linking . That's the process that does away with that little "knot" of yarn which invariably falls right under or next to your big toe and makes a dent in the skin. Which dent, BTW, can become quite painful after a few hours.
In the case of Marcoliani, hand-linked or not depends upon the model. Some are; some are not ... in contrast to Pantherella where all are hand-linked. The upper-priced range of Marcoliani luxury socks is hand-linked.
This summer, spice it up get some color. People will notice.
Oh we almost forgot. You can get them at www.zappos.com
Posted by William Chrismer on Sat, Jun 05, 2010 @ 12:58 AM
Well now, I am just too cool. I was accepted for membership in Gilt Man. The exclusive online membership retailer of guy stuff. It reminds me of the feeling I got that crisp spring afternoon when I opened my acceptance letter from Harvard. Ok, so I never got an acceptance letter from Harvard, Yale or any other Ivy League school. So what? I've had a AAA card for 25 years and now... while not a Harvard man...I am a Gilt Man.
If you didn't read my last post you have no idea what I'm rambling about so here's a refresher.
Go to www.giltman.com
Take 10 seconds and sign up.
They make you wait a day or so before they accept you. That's ok. It just makes you feel all special like. The next day, confirm your membership and then you get a daily feed of specials.
The specials are pretty deep discounts on stuff you need every day, occasionals and then the rare splurge. Most of it is about style and fashion. Today they've got casual clothes from C&C California and Victoronix, furniture from Julian Chichester and leather stuff from Barclay Butera, Cross pens and Tissot watches.
My weakness is clothing. Especially italian fine wools and other sexy threads I can't fit into. But today you can buy an Ermengildo Zegna wool blazer for $358. That's pretty amazing.
But not only that, Gilt Man has cool threads from Isaia, Dunhill and Faconnable as well. Where can you pick up a Dunhill herringbone overcoat for $528, that's 75% off? Granted, you don't need this in Phoenix right now, but it's a great time to cruise some deals.
Please trust us on this one. Log onto www.giltman.com and at least get a peek at what your missing.
Seriously, I could drop a sh*tload of money here and probably will.
Posted by William Chrismer on Thu, Jun 03, 2010 @ 01:56 AM
Shop Like a Guy. Dress a Man.
Do this today.
Click this link
http://www.giltman.com/
Sign up now
It takes 10 seconds.
It's by invitation only. So you have to get on the waiting list. When you are accepted you get in on the deals. What deals?
Like up to 70% on the best gear and gadgets guys like. "We're the only private club where you can shop in your boxers." That kinda says it all for me.
Gilt Man previews everything. So you don't have to ask "Does this make my butt look big?"
"Think of Gilt Man as a hardware store selling the tools for life: workware, playware, lifeware. Right now we have hundreds of items for sale at up to 70% off their original price: killer stuff at killer value."
Work for you?
Seriously, do this today.
Posted by William Chrismer on Fri, May 28, 2010 @ 07:38 AM
Through this past winter and so far this year "manly" men are getting manlier. At Gentleman's Quarters, our Denver barbers are seeing more and more men keeping their winter beards into summer. Normally, the practice for many men is to have their barber shave the beard come Spring. The trend adds a bit of style and distinction for guys of all ages. But not that perfectly dishevelled, unkempt look from a few years back. 
Celebrities, athletes and even the guy next door have been sporting carefully razored beards to shape up a more masculine appearance. Look at Robert Downey Jr. ,George Clooney and Steve Jobs. They are living proof that a well-tamed beard has staying power.
But not every guy can pull it off. Check with your barber or stylist and discuss the texture of beard. Does it look good as it grows out? Does a little gray add to a distinguished image? A carefully groomed beard can add a distinctive detail to a man's appearance. But it may not work for you. Some studies have shown that there is a correlation between facial hair and career success. Meaning that more guys have beards in the locker room than they have in the boardroom. Just something to think about.
What do you think?
Posted by William Chrismer on Mon, May 24, 2010 @ 08:23 AM
Ok I admit it. I can't type worth a damn. And my texting is even worse. The other evening I mean't to text "Pick you up at eight" and it came out "Pluck your fat weight." Needless to say it was lean cuisine and reality show reruns for me that night.
So when I saw the iPhone app iTextSpeed Lite, I was beside myself. So much so I opted for the pro version and shelled out $.99 to have all the "swells and thistles." See what I mean?
The idea is to type the words as fast as you can. The app records and graphs your progress (or lack of it). If you are completely devoid of a social life you can even connect with friends (who?) and share your scores on facebook and tweet them to millions.
At a minimum if you're even remotely like me, it's bound to help. I mean come on, you'd have to to have hands like E.T. or E. Scissorhands to quickly crank out crap on an iPhone. If nothing else you'll look like a Nintendo Ninja strung out on speed with your thunder thumbs blazing away.
Posted by William Chrismer on Sun, May 23, 2010 @ 06:20 PM
This book is just funny as Sh*t. After being dumped by his girlfriend and with no place to live, 28-year old Justin Halpern reluctantly moved back in with his parents. His 73 year old blunt, fouled-mouthed father is never at a loss for words.
So Justin started a twitter feed http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays and started publishing the blunt, obscenity-laced quips his father says. The twitter account exploded and now has over 1,350,000 followers as of this post.
Full of profanity, this little book is side-splitting-roll-on-the-floor-laugh-til-you-cry hilarious. Don't read it in public or on the train because you will double over laughing. A few examples:
PICKING A WIFE
"Pick your furniture like you pick a wife: It should make you feel comfortable and look nice, but not so nice that if someone walks past it they want to steal it."
THE DEATH OF A DOG
"He was a good dog. Your brother is pretty broken up about it, so go easy on him. He had a nice last moment with Brownie before the vet tossed him in the garbage."
HAVING A BLOODY NOSE
"What happened? Did somebody punch you in the face?!... The what? The air is dry? Do me a favor and tell people you got punched in the face."
COMBING YOUR HAIR"Do people your age know how to comb their hair? It looks like two squirrels crawled on their heads and started fu*king."
THE MEDICINAL EFFECT OF BACON
"You worry too much. Eat some bacon... What? No, I got no idea if it'll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon."
WAKING UP WITH BABY
"Waking up when you got a baby, you feel like you drank a bottle of whiskey the night before, except the sh*t's in someone else's pants."
The book went to #8 on Amazon's nonfiction best seller list during its first week and has only five star reviews (31).
And CBS just announced that Sh*t My Dad Says will be released this fall starring William Shatner. This is the first time a twitter account has morphed into a sitcom.
We seriously doubt the show will last but with Shatner it will be fun for at least a season.You can check out a clip of the show.
.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/23/shit-my-dad-says-video_n_586374.html
Posted by William Chrismer on Thu, May 13, 2010 @ 03:43 PM
Granted most of us non-suits get a little squeemish when talk comes up about tieing the knot. As for marriage, well you're on your own. As for neckties now there's an app for that.
vTie has both a free app and a premium version for $1.99 for the iphone. The premium version includes step-by-step instructions for 12 different knots, including a bow tie and a pocket square instruction. Every knot includes additional information and a selection of collars that fit best with the knot.
Here's what is really cool, you can set the step speed from 3 to 6 seconds per step and there is a switch to show the images mirrored.
Now there is no reason to sport that old style knot that dad showed you when you were 12. Now you can look good and show some fashion with your Hermes tied in an Atlantic Knot with your button down.
Posted by William Chrismer on Wed, May 12, 2010 @ 01:25 PM
You're trying to look good. You've got that great haircut. You get a deep tissue massage at least once a month. Hell you even work out five days a week.
But is that workout getting a little dull? Same boring machines, sets, reps....repeat and then get in some cardio and a few hundred situps. Ugh!! Take a cue from Iron Man and mix it up.
When Robert Downey, Jr. (45) finished filming Sherlock Holmes he had dropped to 151 lbs. and needed to bulk up fast because he went straight into filming Iron Man 2. But the usual routines were boring and Downey wanted to spice it up. He teamed up with trainer Brad Bose and Bose created a "Rocky IV meets high tech" training regime and Downey packed on 20 pounds of muscle in the first month of filming.
They put weight plates on a bamboo bar and Bose commented that "it was like trying to bench press a snake." Downey also pushed a wheelbarrow with 700 lbs. of weight through an obstacle course, slugged tires with sledgehammers and whipped fire hoses filled with water and sand. Bose explained that they "tried to find the most unique and yet funnily enough, inexpensive training stuff to use."
I trained with former Mr. America Tom Terwilliger for several years. Tom was incredibly creative in designing unconventional routines that not only strengthened the major muscle groups but the anterior and core muscles as well. And we had a ton of fun.
So what are you doing to make your workouts more interesting? Maybe we can't be as elaborate as our good friend Iron Man or Rocky but we can help each other to keep it interesting.
Bag the expensive machines and get back to basics. Sure beats the hell out of circuit training, you can do it in your backyard and you won't look as stupid as Rocky trying to catch a chicken.
(source: Us Magazine)
Posted by William Chrismer on Mon, Mar 29, 2010 @ 09:25 AM
Let's face it, we hate shaving......right? It takes time, sometimes it hurts and frankly what's the point? But we have to. The man dictates that we maintain a well-groomed look, our babe doesn't want whisker burn on her face or anywhere else and well, food gets stuck in our beard.
First off, no one really ever taught us how to shave. I remember my dad passing me a razor, a can of Barbasol and saying "well son, looks like you're growing up, here you go." Huh...that's it. What about razor burn, ingrown hairs and little nicks that won't stop bleeding when we've got to run out the door in 5 minutes?
Here are some tips to make that morning ritual go a little smoother.
Get a decent razor. It doesn't have to be expensive. Just pick one that has a little weight to it so it feels balanced in your hand. You'll feel less inclined to press so hard than with those lightweight disposable razors.
Change your blade at least once a week, maybe every few days if you have a tough beard. And buy quality blades. A triple blade is nice but you really don't need more blades than innings to get the job done.
Prepare your face first. Take a shower and wash your face before you shave. This will soften up your beard. Then consider using a pre-shave oil or a combination shave cream that has pre-shave oil in it. This lays down a protective layer for your face, causes the beard to stand up and will further soften your beard.
Use a high quality shave cream. We also recommend using a badger brush because it helps to exfoliate your face and lifts the beard. A high quality shave cream again protects your face and it softens the beard.
Shave with the grain and avoid pressing down hard. Your beard has been prepared and there is less need to get so close to the skin. This will help you avoid ingrown hairs and razor burn.
If you want a closer shave then go across or against the grain on a second shave. Remember you should only shave as close as your skin will allow. Not everybody can shave close without irritation.
After shaving, rinse with cold water and better yet use a toner to close those pores and restore the pH balance on your skin.
Last, restore and protect your skin. Use an aftershave balm or a facial moisturizer and absolutely put on a sunscreen. Don't worry about using the highest SPF you can find. Just remember to apply it 20 minutes before going outside and to reapply it every few hours.
Personally we love The Art of Shaving and the men's grooming products from Jack Black.
Posted by William Chrismer on Tue, Mar 23, 2010 @ 09:20 PM
I can't tell you how many times I've heard a guy say "I've been seeing the same barber for 10 years, 15 years." Whatever. Just this evening, some guy bragged about how he has been seeing the same barber for 30 years. How he pays him $15 plus a $2 tip. How he wouldn't see another barber if it were free. Truth is, he looks like he got a $15 haircut and has probably looked that way for 30 years. No wonder he is still single.
There are a lot of Denver barbershops and other alternative places to get a men's haircut. But things have changed. Men's grooming has come a long, long way. It is more important than ever to have a fashion-forward haircut no matter what your age. Of course, a guy in his fifties shouldn't be getting highlights or dyeing his hair jet black. But he doesn't have to sport that boring, parted businessman's cut either. And please, can we give up on the faux hawk?
People notice whether or not you have a good haircut. Is it properly blended, is there a weight line, is it or should it be textured, is it detailed and finished, is it contemporary?
We don't wear the same clothes we did 10 years ago or use the same language, so why do so many dudes wear their hair the same way they did when Carter was President? Ok, so nobody wants to get a hack job. Got it. But seriously guys, check out a male specific salon where they focus on designing tall, lean, masculine styles. And people will notice.
Oh, and one more thing, please stop using your wife or your girlfriends hair products. Most likely, they are designed for color-treated hair and put in shine. Get your own stuff.
Checkout Gentleman's Quarters Six Tips for Choosing a Stylist.