Cars with nice leather and heated steering wheels may have eliminated the need for driving gloves for the modern driver, but driving shoes certainly still have a place. I haven’t put much thought into driving shoes until recently, even though I have always been aware of them. Now, I’ve found a great driving shoe that you all need to check out.
Not my car…..unfortunately
The warm weather is here, and that means its time for the waves. Since it is now the first official day of summer, I am thinking about swimming. Now, us men have many options for swim wear so that means that there is no excuse not to look swell, even at the beach this summer.
There are three main categories of modern swim wear available to men. Depending on body type each of these styles of suits have something great to offer. They are as follows: Continue reading
The classic Ray-Ban shades. With the mere mention of that, your mind instantly plays an image of Wayfarers adorning everyone you ever thought was cool. from Don Johnson in Miami Vice to Tom Cruise in Risky business. The year that movie came out 360,000 pairs of Wayfarers sold, a testament to their huge popularity.
There are so many options in neck wear for men today. Some have varied in popularity throughout history, and most are closely related through a common ancestor. The cravat (or cravatte) is the original neck-cloth, dating back to the 17th century Croatian military garb. Next came the Ascot, which was a more tailored version of the cravat, it was designed for casual or “morning” wear (I saw someone wearing an Ascot looking real smart just this weekend). That was very quickly followed by the bow-ties and string ties. I love bow ties as I’ve said before. Some argue that bow-ties and the cravat originated together, or are even one in the same, I believe they are distinctly different. Frome all of those we can derive the modern-day necktie. Since neckties evolved from the early cravats, their width has varied, stretching from barely an inch thick to a ridiculously wide five inches. Today, the typical tie is about 3.5 inches wide. Of course these aren’t the only options men have, but if you read this blog don’t even consider items such as the Bola tie unless you are an oil magnate living in Dallas Texas. Continue reading
Some one shared this with me, I think it is appropriate for How to be Swell, don’t you? Swag is a word in rap culture to represent a apperance or style, Urban dictionary calls it the most useless word in the English language.
The history of Montblanc dates back to 1906 when a Hamburg stationery trader, a Hamburg banker, and a Berlin engineer decide to produce fountain pens. The gentlemen eventually created the Simplo Filler pen Company, based in Hamburg Germany and co-owned by the three; Claus-Johannes Voss, Christian Lausen and Wilhelm Dziambor. In 1910 they introduced the”Montblanc” fountain pen and by 1913 the Montblanc star was trademarked. In 1935, after nearly 25 years of business in pens and stationary, they branched out and began a separate leather goods production works in Lämmerspiel Germany, to make small luxury leather goods and to build upon their existing products.
Meisterstuck pen
You need to check out this Swell blog. I happen to really like this post all about the Polo Shirt
I am not normally one to get hung up on labels, but in this case (pun intended), if I want to tell you about this briefcase, I have to tell you a little about Gucci the Iconic luxury brand.
Italian luxury designer since 1921, Gucci’s leather-crafting history goes back over 90 years, but this briefcase has thoroughly retro-modern appeal. It kind of reminds me of the luggage you would find associated with a vintage Le Mans racer, thanks to its dark red and cream stripes, or perhaps something Steve Mc Queen might carry while wearing his Tag Heuer Monaco
Continue reading
Bow ties get a bad rap. Some people think they are just for little boys, or awards ceremonies. BUT THEY ARE WRONG.
Sure the neck tie is a standard-bearer, and the skinny tie is back with a vengeance, which I happen to think is pretty cool. To be truly swell you have to consider a bow tie. I am not talking the cheap clip ons or the pre-tied ones that button in the back but a real live bonafide bow tie that you have to learn how to tie. This is a fantastic vintage look that will never go out of style and looks great from casual to “black tie”. There are a few places to get one if you look a little bit, but there is one place that has it down to an art form, I have a couple of these myself. They are handmade in every color and pattern imaginable. Every wardrobe needs at least a couple of bow ties.
I took the liberty of borrowing a recent post from The Cordial Churchman’s blog and showing it to you here:
366 Bow Ties: Day 51
Posted on February 29, 2012 | Leave a comment
How to be Swell 