Gifts for men #6, Adidas top ten tennis shoes

Gift #6, let me tell you that first and foremost, Zappos.com is the best source online to buy shoes. They offer standard, free next day delivery, and no tax on your shoes and purchase. So the price that you see is the price that you pay. Their return policy is awesome and it is just as easy to return the shoes as it is to order and receive them. With that said, I found these flashy Adidas Top Ten tennis shoes on the site. I happen to be a fan already of this particular shoes. Being that I own two pair already, I look for the most recent and cool colored shoes whenever they come out. These shoes are not for everyone, however they are an attention grabber.

Gifts for men #5, Coach weekend bag

Item #5 happens to be the gift that I have requested from my Fiance for the past 2 years. For some reason I always end up wanting something else when it gets closer to Christmas, however, months prior to the actual day, I always want this bag. It is called the "Transatlantic weekend leather bag". It comes in black and brown, and also has a small toiletry bag as well. If you can get past the price tag of $498, then this is truly a good buy.

Gifts for men #4, Kenneth Cole Boots

The fourth item on my list are these cool boots from Kenneth Cole. I saw these at the Herald Sqaure Macys, they immediately caught my eye. Not to mention that I also saw Ne-Yo wearing them during the Macys day parade. Not that I am a Ne-Yo stan, however it is cool to see a celebrity appreciating my taste level. These boots are more for the cold weather days, with faux fur lining, they provide a great looking boot

Gifts for men #3, Canon digital camera

Next on the list is a digital camera. No matter who you are or where you are, the memories that you encounter shoudl be caught on film. Unless you are in Vegas, because we all know, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", you should not be without your digital camera. I have chosen Canon as my brand of choice. I have the Canon Rebel EOS SLR camera at home and it takes great photos. Now that I need a smaller, more compact camera unit, I will opt for the Canon Digital SD750 Camera

Gifts for men #2, Justin cowboy boots

The next item on my list is a pair of cowboy boots. Years ago I had the pleasure of going to the Justin boot factory in El Paso Texas. I found a pair of cowboy boots and became extremely attached. Cowboy boots add a certain amountof confidence to the gentleman who is bold enough to wear them. They make a statement at all times. Sometimes you dont want to hear the statement that they make, or that others want to speak, however they never go not noticed.

Top 10 Gifts for Men, Hamilton Watch

This season I have comprised my Top 10 gifts for men. This list is more about what I like than the rest of the world, however I feel like I have a pretty good gauge on the pulse of what men are looking for, so therefore the list was created. Take a look and tell me what you think. I have included pictures and links to pull up any and all items listed.

ENJOY!! and Happy Holidays

Since men are defined by their watch and their shoes, I have chosen the first item because I happened to run across it in Macys and I liked it immediately. This Hamilton watch is guaranteed to be in all the men's magazines next spring and fall.

Bypass the middle man

Why is it that whenever a man wants a good looking suit, he has to go to the local department store to get ripped off by the high price mark up cadence that is being offered by the national monopoly of the moment. You can make a dash for any type of 3 day suit broker, example S&B, 3 day suit broker, S&K etc, however you tend to only get what department stores have either passed on, or dumped because of excessive inventory. Now in some cases this is not a problem. For the male who is a casual shopper and does not mind looking at more than one place to find the deal, or the man who is willing to wait for the price he wants to pay for that suit he has been eye balling, these locations are legitimate. However what about the guy who wants the fashion forward seasonal suit of the moment, right now, at the price he wants to pay, this is the problem, there is no place to get them. The factories who are local and willing to sell suit to the main deparment stores and chains have not stepped out of the box enough to start to gain the money that they are leaving on the table by delivering to third parties. So in esscence, the suit that you are about to purchase has exchanged hands a minimum of 3 times, and been marked up all along the way. So that suit that costs you $300, for an average today's man suit, should have cost you about $75.

Bacco Bucci Shoes

Recently I stumbled across the Bacco Bucci website. This website isnt bad, it offers the customer a chance to see the entire seasons assortment in its catalog form. The catalog is clear, concise and to the point. This particular brand of shoes tends to cater more to the athlete and more fashion forward customer, however I believe there is a shoe on this website for everyone. Check out the site and let me know what you think.

Europeans do it better

So upon my return to the states from abroad. I have concluded that european men and women simply dress better than people in the states. Now this is totally my opinion, if yours differs, who cares, this is my blog, just kidding. However I am serious about Europeans dressing better than Americans.

Last week I had the pleasure of traveling to London and to Italy. Lets first talk about what I saw in London.

London is the best place to go if you want to find great variations of dress shirts. They have the standard british spread collar, which is my personal favorite, as well as the 2 button tall collar with the extreme wide spread collar to accomodate the over size tie knot that a lot of gentlemen are wearing these days, as well as all the other standard cuts that you will also see in the states. I was surprised to see many stores dedicated simply to one particular item, not all over the place like most stores here in the states. If the store intended to sell dress shirts, then they displyed dress shirts in a major way. the merchandising as well as the customer service in this city was awesome.
The one thing that I did not care for was the fact that every store seemed to be on the same sale candence. So that meant that whatever store we went to pretty much had the same promotion as the one previous.

GQ magazine August issue

Please take a look @ this months GQ magazine for the article on "Suit your shape" this article breaks down how men without the cookie cutter body styles should buy quality suits that fit their physique. I picked it up, @ the local grocery store while my girl shopped of course, and could not put it down. It really goes into detail on what shoes should be worn, the lapels that shape the shoulders, as well as the designers which look the best on the focus body type. The entire August issue is worth reading, I just found this article the most helpful.

Let me know what you think

APPLE, AT&T, CINGULAR, IPHONE FRENZY

I dont know what to make of this frenzy surrounding the I phone. I mean the world went bananas when Verizon dropped the motorola Q phone, and in just six months, the phone went from $400 to $99 for the christmas holiday. Now with the backing and superior technology that apple seems to give it's products, I am sure that the new I phone will not meet the same fate as the motorola Q, however, I would be hesitant to jump into a new phone that would cost me $499 for the 4 gig, $599 for the 8 gig, with a minimum of $60 a month phone bill, not including roll over, taxes and service charges, on a 2 year contract. You do the math. You are looking @ 2K, $2000, on the lowest rate plan that cingular, of excuse me, the "new at&t, has to offer. Lines have already begone to form in most metropolitan cities.

"Customers were camped out at Apple and AT&T stores across the nation. The gadget, which combines the functions of a cell phone, iPod media player and wireless Web browser, will go on sale in the United States at 6 p.m. in each time zone.

At Apple's flagship store in New York, the line snaked around the block as would-be customers brought a dog, an inflatable couch and good spirits". (Yahoo news)


Everyone wants to be the coolest person in the office with the newest phone. I am just saying, be careful, but if you do buy the new I phone, please enjoy it and let me know how you like it.

Waiting on the sales

If you are like me, then you are waiting for the right time to buy yourself some nice things @ a reasonable price. I have the nick name amongst my friends as the "fashion stalker". I will see something that I like and stalk that item until it goes on sale, for however long it takes, I will wait on it, if that item is worth having. that is my dedication to this fashion life.

So this brings me to the point. Coming up next weekend, you are going to see the mother of all sales for this season. I shop for the future, meaning I shop for next spring/ summer, this summer. Next week 4th of July weekend, all retailers will be on sale. You will not be able to walk into a store next weekend and not find something in the store on sale. Its just a fact, everyone wants to get those last minute markdowns into the system, all retailers want to pad this season to get those bonuses, or better yet reach that strectch goal to obtain big money. In any case you get the picture. Retailers want to grab your attention with sales, and they want you to walk out of the store with a lot of merchandise.

Tailor Made... yeah right

Recently I read an article in Esquire magazine, one of my favorites, that spoke on the rules for purchasing a suit. Upon reading the title, I continued with the body of the article hoping for an elaborate detailed list of things to look out for when purchasing that quality suit. I received the following.


1. When in doubt go with 2 button
2. Beware of the saleperson on commision
3. No two suits are cut the same (not really helpful)
4. Listen to your tailor. (and who might that be?)
5. More elaborate pattern, less often to wear. (not bad advice)
6. Try to take the suit outside in the daylight. (now what stores allow this?)
7. Reputable shops offer tailoring. (again not really helpful)
8. Dont order suits online. (why not, if you know your size.)
9. a 3 piece suit means business. (good advice)

So this bring me back to the title of my post. Where are these great tailors. The average person, meaning you and I, have to go down the street to our local cleaners in order to receive a sub par alteration. Meaning the changes made to your garment never seem to truly fit your body, and they end up costing you more in alterations than what the suit was actually worth. The art of the masterful tailor is long gone. No longer do you get sons following in their father's foot steps in order to one day become that master tailor. Nowadays we are comfortable buying that box cut suit off the rack and hoping like crazy that it fits.

A great tailor is like a virtuous woman, when God blesses me with the location of one, I intend to marry them for life.

Wide Leg Dress Pants / Trousers

Years ago I was shopping with a buddy of mine when he went on an excursion looking for wide leg trousers. I had no idea what he was talking about. These were the days where baggy jeans, and loose fitting tee shirts were my norm. So to hear someone speak of "wide leg trousers", it naturally peaked my interest. If you are like me, then the idea of traditional fitting dress pants/ trousers don’t sit well with you. Historically most designers have stayed in the box with their make and model of traditional dress pants. Meaning they give you minimal room in the seat of the garment, this does not go over well for men with larger hind parts, the room in the thigh regions never give you adequate circumference to be comfortable, and if you do want that comfort you have to jump up 2 sizes in order to obtain it which then throws off the waist of the garment which even a great tailor can not fix or else it looks like your back pockets are kissing. Now that was slightly long winded, however I want you to understand my frustrations with tradional trousers, and embrace the wonders of the improved wide leg version.

Now I know what you are thinking, "why would I go out there and buy wide leg pants to end up dressing in the likes of Michael Irving, Steve Harvey, and Erving Magic Johnson"? This is a good question, why would you? These gentlemen, although well dressed have taken the silhouette of wide leg trousers, and suits for that matter to another level. Almost parallel to dressing like a clown, or the zoot suit wearers of days ago. Now I will commend these gentlemen for taking the initiative to dress like a grown man should, however, trading in a XXXL white tee shirt for a XXXL suit is not that big of a step. Suits and trousers should compliment ones physique without making that person uncomfortable. Clothing is made to enhance the appearance of that person wearing it, not drown them in fabric. Enough ranting.

Wide leg dress pants/ trousers offer what the gentlemen of today are looking for. From the athletes, to business men, to every weekend church service goer, the wide leg pants provides that man with the additional room necessary to feel relaxed and good about there appearance.

Now that I have told you about why they are so good, and important to have, let me tell you where to buy them. No this is the hard part because I have only seen them in one place. Now every designer every couple of years tries to incorporate one pair into their assortment for the season, however one store in particular, carries them as a basix model, year after year, with a variety of fancies to keep you coming back for more. The store I am speaking of is Bachrach Men’s Clothing. This store operates roughly 40 doors mostly in the Midwest and the east coast, however they do have a catalog business, as well as an internet site with is user friendly. I encourage you to go out there and take a look for yourself. Try a pair on, and then come back to this site and post your comments. I can almost guarantee, you will not be disappointed.

Sock appeal

Recently, I like a number of other gentlemen in the fashion world have been looking for ways in which to spice up my current wardrobe assortment. I stumbled across the topic of this blog entry while vacationing in Spain. My friend and I went over this young woman's house where she was hosting a gathering of her friends. While in the company of these wonderful people, I noticed the socks of a young gentleman while engaged in casual conversation. At first I overlooked them, then it hit me, how mundane the life is of the man whom only wears those traditionally boring white crew socks that you get $6 for $10 @ any local store. The ones that give off no character when your socks happen to show. The ones that when an individual sock is lost, it can not be placed with another lost sock because there is no replacement. I have since gone out of my way to find rather inexpensive ways to accomplish this goal.
Places that I have gone that seem to have the best bang for your buck are H&M, Banana Republic, and J.Crew. I recently purchased 5 pair of socks @ H&M over the past weekend. Take a look and tell me what you think. If you have places to go to get interesting socks that are out of the box, please include in your post.

Thank you kindly,

Casual Fridays

What does a man wear on casual Fridays? This is the long awaited question that no one has really ever answered. I myself have taken advantage of the treat of casual Fridays by partaking in the oh so casual jeans, tennis shoes, and tee shirt trend. Now before you, the reader, get all judgmental on me, I will have you know that Monday through Thursday, my wardrobe competes with many top level executives in the big city of New York. However my drop off for "Casual Fridays" is rather drastic. I have long wanted to be that guy who wore loafers and v-neck sweaters over button down shirts. However those looks seem so staged to me, as if the person wearing them is putting on a production of what they saw in last months Esquire magazine. Which I might add is rising on my short list of magazines that actually help the men of today put it all together.
Which look do you deem as the appropriate outfit to wear on Casual Fridays? Please leave a posting describing your thoughts on what is appropriate casual friday attire.

Still waiting.....

I have been onto several websites in the past couple of days. I have searched high and low to try and identify those websites that provide some in depth knowledge as far as what to buy, where to buy it, and how I should look in it. These days we are looking for guidelines into the ways and wonders of mens fashion, and all we get is crap. No one is concerned with helping men step out of the box with their dressing styles. We are more geared towards what the trends are in womens, and hope that later on down the road this trend somehow translate into mens clothing.

My take on it is that although womens fashion may be the catalyst by which fashion moves, shakes, and breathes. Mens fashion should not take up a back seat. We should be our own agenda.

Confidence

I receieved an anonymous post which stated the below insert. I however beg to differ

"What makes a man well dressed? I'll tell you; its one key component. Have you ever seen a man that you thought was just so clean? His jacket tailored to reveal a waist line...His slacks hugged the buddox just to the appropriate degree, but not to close becasue no one likes the nut huggers....His tie has the perfect cute little dimple...and in that rare instance that he had to lift the side of his shirt you noticed clean white crisp underoos that said I smell delicious...haver you seen this man, I have. I digress in excitement. However, my point is we have all seen this man, but by the time you reach home you didn't remember the details of that mans ensamble. You didn't remember if the socks were blue argyle or orange stripes. A week later, you can't remember if the man was wearing a suit or a kelt, but your mind says, "he was a well dressed man." The reason he's a well dressed man is the key component. That man had CONFIDENCE, and he wears that confidence as the most important component of his outfit. With confidence a man can convince you he is a well dressed man in his payless shoes, Express suit, and swatch watch. Trust me I have seen a man in a Hugo boss suit with a Patek Phillipe on his wrist only to turn and break my neck for the man in the Stacey Adams suit (don't know the name brand...thats my point exactly). All a man needs to worry about when he leaves the house is....."Did I get my confidence?"

I believe that confidence is the "X" factor. You can not measure or equate the amount of confidence worn by a particular individual. Nor can you soley assume that it is confidence that made that particular gentleman stick out in your mind over the finely tailored suit or garment. My point is that no matter how much confidence a man exudes, he must still step up to the plate, meaning he must fine that suit, that outfit that brings out that confidence. I have watches many of modeling shows and it seems that they all speak to a woman looking her absolute best even while draped in a paper bag. Bologna! You show me a person in a paper bag who can exude that confidence, and I'll show you a person waiting to change into something more appealing to their tastes. Bottom line is that your confidence should not border on the the price tag of your garments. I get that point, but to say that confidence is the only ingredient needed to make a well dressed man, is incorrect

Shopping Experience @ Phils 1908

Today I had the pleasure of walking into a store that I have never been into before and walking out with the mindstate that I will soon be doing some quality business with this store.
The store I am referring to is "Phils" 1908 on 989 Third Avenue @ 59th Street, in NYC directly across the street from Bloomingdales. If you blink you will miss it if traveling by cab, however on foot you can not miss the well displayed street store front visuals of quality tailor made garments.
Upon walking into Phils, I was properly greeted by a gentleman who took his time in explaining the workings of his price points and turn around time on custom made garments. I myself am not ready for this step into the top notch realm of gentleman's fashion, however, I love the idea of playing around with the notion of a future need.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear that custom made garments at the location started @ $895 for custom made super 120's fabric suits. The only additional cost would be the choice of linings to insulate the inside of your jacket. This if you dont know is a steal of a price. I am curious to know how itis that he is able to afford that price, being that he stated the suits are made in Italy. But in any case, I will cherish the though of one day puschasing that custom made suit from Phil. A beautiful business relationship in the making.

Fashion Basics

I often run into this problem where I feel like one of three problems seem to arise at the worng time.

#1 My underwear of choice just do not seem to meet the expectations that they once did, when I first bought them. Meaning, for purposes of clarification, they no longer hold you properly in all the right places, the colors are beginning to fade, and lastly, the elastic around the waste band and thighs, if you wear tighty whities or boxer briefs, start to give way.

#2 I seem to either misplace, throw away or somehow neglect to collect the right foot of a once paired set of socks. This happens to everyone, I dont care who you are and how rich you have become. Everyone one of us has fallen victim to the washing machine sock monster. which seems to eat that one foot of the pair of socks, which leaves you with a misc. drawer of sock hopefuls, that one day the will be rejoined with their loved ones. lol okay enough of that.

#3 Only for those people who have some underarm sweat gland issues like myself, the notorious yellow ring in the armpit of a perfectly otherwise white undershirt.

Now this last one really upsets me, because no matter how good of a washer that I think I am, it is inevitable that all my shirts will one day meet this fate.

So I have proposed the following. Suprisingly so, this tactic will be really easy to accomplish.

If you are like me, then you hate to spend money on those things that you really need but can do without. And what I mean by do without is this. I will spend an extra $100 lets say on a nice pair of jeans or shoes because they are on the outside and readily seen by all. However basic furnishings, i.e underwear, socks and undershirts, are those items that we feel we can overlook in efforts of making other things look better.

I offer you this advise. Try purchasing a single pair of quality socks once a month. What I mean by quality is a pair of socks that would normally cost you about $10 buy themselves. I would try to stay away from the 3 for $X packs because there you are getting quantity and not necessarily quality.

Secondly, try to buy a pack of Tee shirts and underwear once a quarter. What I mean by quarter is this.
1 year = 12 months
3 months = 1 quarter.
Therefore you are constantly rotating your supply of fresh furnishings to your mix, not wearing that lucky pair of draws that you " got lucky in " 2 years ago.

Thirdly, find out what brands fit you the best and what color compliments you and stick with them. For me, my woman likes me in all black. I also find that Calvin Klein underwear tend to have the best fit. However me being the frugal shopper that I am, I try to find these items on sale at various times throughout the year, so that I can pick up more for my dollar.

Some good places to look for these items are during father's day promotions. Everyone, I mean everyone will have a sale on these items during this time.
Stores you should try for designer discount underwear are
Marshalls
Tj Maxx
Ross
Lohemanns
Century 21 (east coast)

Some brands that you may find are to your liking

Calvin Klein
Jockey
X-ist
Polo Ralph LaurenAlways remember to buy your size. There is nothing worse than a pair of undergarments that are too small. Your entire day will have a bad start and duration if you make this attempt. And never buy something too big just because it is the right price. undershirts are made to provide you with that extra layer of protection for most often sweat glands and body oils. They are made to fit to your body. Underwear are the same way, too much clothe in those areas creates an uncomfortable feeling and most often irritation. Stay away from extra big undergarments.

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