A Swell Guide to the Men’s Undershirt

I came across this post from one of my favorite blogs thin morning: The Art of Manliness. I thought it was perfect for the summer season, and great advice for all you men aspiring to dress swell. So, I am re-blogging it here, for that reason, and because Antonio did a great job compiling and writing it, and shhh, to give me a break for a busy week in the summer. Here it is, follow the advice in this guest post and your summer will be guaranteed to be cool comfortable and swell: Continue reading

I’m Bringing Paisley Back

paisleyAhh My favorite pattern, If Justin Timberlake can Bring Sexy Back, I can Bring Paisley back! Well it never actually left, it seems to be in a perpetual state of renaissance, as much of an oxymoron that may be. The Paisley pattern is one of the most enduring in textiles. Its name is derived from a town of the same name in central Scotland. Paisley (the town) was where a huge surge of textiles bearing the design were manufactured in the early 19th century, to meet the demand of the returning colonial soldiers who had seen it in the far east. It is English for a design of eastern origin. Resembling a twisted teardrop, the kidney-shaped the design is known as Boteh Jegheh and it has been used in Iran since the Sassanid Dynasty (AD 224 to AD 651).express-paisley-button-down-1

HandlerImports from the East India Company in the first half of the 17th century made paisley and other eastern patterns popular. It was thought to ward off evil demons. Paisley was also particularly popular during the sixties identified with psychedelic style and the interest in Indian culture promoted by the The Beatles trip to India in 1968. At that time Fender even made a pink paisley version of their Telecaster guitar, by using wallpaper on the guitar bodies.

Today you can find it in all sorts of great clothing and accessories for men and for women. It is so much more than just some design you once saw on your grandfathers handkerchief. contrary to what the uninitiated may think it is a very masculine design, representing strength and fertility. Although that thought never enters my mind when I wear it, I just like the look. A quite a few mens designers have incorporated it into ties, pocket squares, shirts and even jackets! And for women the options are endless.

bow tie

shortsA few designers have done a great job with this; Indochino has a nice assortment shirts, ties and accessories, and Bertigo offers some beautiful shirts with contrasting color cuffs, but one of my favorite conceptions of it is in the extra slim fit shirt from Express. It’s done in a black and white paisley pattern. Cut in a slim (athletic) fit and is 100 percent cotton, so it is comfortable and durable. The make it is a few patterns, and they are all great, and if you hit them during a sale (which seems like all the time) you can get a nice quality, great looking dress shirt for pretty little.

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Baume et Mercier Clifton Automatic

IMG_1363Happy father’s day all you swell readers! I’ve been reading everywhere lately about so many gift ideas for dads on Father’s day. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but what every dad I know wants is time, time with his loved ones. A special moment that can be captured in a memory, a photo, or a memento. We dads really want more than anything for our day to be filled with our favorite people. Dads do quite of a lot for our families, and today is our day to reap the reward and be with them. If you want to take that gift of quality time for dad not so literally, then I have a great idea for you. Baume Mercier has delivered something that captures this idea perfectly; the Clifton Automatic. Continue reading

Midwest Diamond & Watch Company-Minneapolis

MinneapolislI was in Minneapolis a few weeks back listening to a speaker at a gemology event. I had some spare time before the event started so I took a stroll through downtown. I ended up in the US Bank Plaza (nice building) on a quest to look at some jewelry or watches, or whatever else I could find to play with while I was there. Continue reading

Citizen Proximity-Bluetooth Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

Proximity blueWow, what a mouthful in that name! Well, that’s because this watch can do a lot, really it is quite impressive. Citizen has been long known for some advanced technology in its watches, and this is no exception. Now, when you are dealing with quartz movements you can add some pretty impressive features, take a few of my favorite complicated quartz movements such as; the Tissot T-Touch, The Citizen Radio Controlled world timer, and of course the Breitling Emergency. Continue reading

50th Anniversary Platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

cosmograph_daytonaYup, I am in the watch mood. Basel World 2013 just came to a close, and the world’s watch manufacturers had their finest on display and their newest, most exciting treats were announced there. I unfortunately did not attend Basel World, but I have had a close eye on what is new coming out of there. This piece, I am truly excited about, from a brand that I enjoy, but haven’t said a lot about. This watch is the stuff dreams are made of, it the type of piece that (excuse the expression) gives watch collectors a woody, in a word it’s breathtaking. Continue reading

Omega Aqua Terra 15000 Gauss

Seamaster Aqua Terra 15000 GaussOmega has recently unveiled a fantastic new watch that will drastically improve timekeeping for almost everyone. The Aqua Terra 15,000 Gauss is a revolutionary way to address the major flaw in mechanical watches. Through history the one Achilles heel to a mechanical watch was magnetism. Even a small amount of magnetism (measured in units as a Gauss) can drastically affect or even stop a mechanical watch. The parts of a watch movement can become magnetised and begin to move erratically due to their magnetic attractions to one another. Continue reading

Men’s Jewelry Courtesy of GIA

Here is an interesting post on gentlemen’s jewelry I “borrowed” it from my Alma Mater, the Gemological Institute of America. The text is theirs, but the photos are mine. You may have seen  one or two of these photos in my post called Real Men Wear Pearls. I wanted to share this with my readers so I am re-blogging it here, because as with all things GIA, it is totally swell. Continue reading

Omega Co-Axial Advertisement-A Journey Through Time

Omega recently released a fantastic and visually striking advertisement for their Co-Axial movement. Proof positive they have thrown their full weight behind the movement. The coaxial movement replaces a typical lever type escapement with a revolutionary wheel design which Omega claims reduces friction, improves accuracy, extends the time between service intervals, and is more durable.
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