Men, That’s a Good Tie

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The tie is the easiest thing to throw into a guy’s repertoire to get them feeling like a champion. Well, I guess I could argue that a collared shirt is the best thing, but I’m pretty sure it’s the tie. Or perhaps it’s the sleek vest that just fits like it’s been personally tailored.. Perhaps I’m just dreaming about a very light gray [almost white] shirt, perhaps a hint of a pinstripe, with a thin black tie, strapping vest and a blazer. There’s a clean shave, with hair that really defines sharp, and shoes that we just can’t start talking about now.

No, he’s not walking down the street with his blazer slung over his back, he’s a man: holding the door open for an equally smart woman…

[Is this the movies? Some Dick Tracy meets Richard Avedon dream?]

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Photo source: Hedi Slimane | LONDON / BRITISH YOUTH 2 / DAZED / JULY 2011 | http://www.hedislimane.com/fashiondiary/index.php?id=121

 

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Photo source: Adrián Cano | Memories Back Home | http://itsadriancano.blogspot.ca/2012/03/memories-back-home.html

 

Photo source: Yannick K | http://yannicksowhat.blogspot.de/

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Photo source: Julia Trotti | Weddings Jess & CLint | http://juliatrottiweddings.com/?p=282

 

Photo source: Wicked Clothes Shop | Harry Potter Hogwarts House

 

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Gucci Pour Homme

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As a follow up to my previous post on sexy mens fragrances, yesterday I had to run into Sephora and took the time to smell a few of the mens fragrances they had available. I found two that I really liked, one of which I’m wearing now: Gucci’s pour homme woody spicy fragrance.

I can’t smell enough of this stuff, and it’s rather intoxicating. I’m very curious to hear what girls have to say about it. I really can’t begin to explain how it smells, for its a mix of very sensual smells, so from Gucci’s website we get:

  • top note of ginger
  • heart note of papyrus
  • base note of olibanum
…if that explains anything. I have one more to try, which I also liked at Sephora, which is John Varvatos’ Vintage. I will keep my interested reader informed on how I enjoy that smell.
What are your thoughts on Gucci’s pour homme?
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Messenger Bag

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I’ve been scowering the back pages of the internet for the best messenger bag out there, and I have found a tonne of awesome ones that I want! I know, its turning crazy my wants. I will not delay, the suspense is also killing me!

Up first is the Diesel Thunders. It weighs in at $72USD on sale from Zappos.com. Its a nice bag, beautiful colors, but I think there are others (which I’ll show you) that are just as nice and a lot cheaper.

The next bag is the Crumpler – Barney Rustle, which was recommended by my friend @nzjayzee.  Its a very nice looking bag, again with beautiful colors, but to be honest I’m looking for one that is more suited for going to school in a shirt and wool jacket, as well as to the art gallery or to work in a suit. It goes for $105CAD.

Next we have the Ultra Force Classic Paratrooper Messenger Bag – Red Star found on amazon.com for $19.70. How can you go wrong? I’m a little skeptical about the big star on it, but I’m pretty sure there were some that didn’t have it on there.

The BedStu Sobel Messenger Bag is another great looking bag, with a lot more leather, and a really great look to it. I’m thinking, however, that its a bit to formal, pointy shoes and cuff links formal, for what I’m looking for. It rolls in at $81.00 on amazon.com.

I really like this Everest Large Cotton Canvas Messenger Bag I found, for it offers both casual, and formal in the same breath. The colors are subtle, and the usability looks great. I really like the pockets on the end for a water bottle. It costs $26.99 on amazon.com

My favorite I think is the All the Kings Men Maxi Blue – 17. It goes for $230 on their website, and it looks elegant, devine and all things put together, it’s got a belt buckle for pete sakes! Unfortunately I think the price puts it out of my range. But… just look.

I like the STM Scout Medium – Notebook carrying case for it also looks great and appears to have a load of cool in it. It goes for $49.95 on Amazon.

The NATO Canvas Medic offers a great alternative to the usual look, as well as it injects that vintage feel. I like it for that reason, but I feel it would be unpractical most of the time. It goes for $11.65 on Amazon.

Original RAPID Heavyweight Classic Messenger Bag is a very elegant choice, it looks great, love the colors, as well as it has that new but classic look to it. I feel that it could be used with any outfit, brown or black, and suit most occasions. It goes for $18.99 on Amazon.

The Chrome Citizen Olive- Black looks like a very inviting bag, and the way that it can stretch to any size is amazing. Off their website, it goes for $140, which makes it a tad bit expensive though.

Ossington Greene Messenger Bag is one of  my favorite choices, it just looks defined and classy to me. It goes for $62.99 on Amazon. The colors are great!

Classic has their Messenger which really looks great as well. So hard to choose! Again wonderful colors, and a great look. It goes for $28.76 on Amazon. It’s a slightly darker shade then the rest of them, but still very relevant.

I like the Ducti Hell Storm Messenger Bag that looks like it was named by somebody who wanted to make this simple and elegant piece have some rAwR factor to it, but its not fooling me. It goes for $43.16 on Amazon.

I also really like the look of the Khaki Strap Messenger Bag. It actually looks brilliantly simple, with a touch of that ol’ sailor boy getting off the yacht look. It goes for $29.99 on Amazon.

A few more that I will quickly highlight, but have, I feel, to much splash to them with grafix, are:

Skull Messenger Bag. Amazon price is $29.99.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Foxhound Messenger bag goes for $29.95 on Amazon.

The Kakhi BIO HAZARD Bag, goes for $18.95 on Amazon

So please, I ask you dear reader: which bag should I get? So confused, to many!

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New Shoes: Simple Shoes

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As you can see from the picture above, Simple Shoes does not just make simple shoes, they make shoes that make the wearers feel happy and conscious about the choice that they have made with their pair of kicks.

I think this quote from their website aptly sums up their existence: “Finding materials and processes that make our products sustainable is a method we call Green Toe. It isn’t a magic formula, or a cure. It is a compass that, we hope, points to a bright green future.”

So without further adieu, I will showcase my picks that I’ll be trying to get my hands on.

First up is the Men’s Carport Elastic – Wool and Suede. These things are a delicious style of class mixed with aging University Professor with a color that swells with vintage. They go for $60USD.

The other shoe that I really like is the Men’s Tuba – Hemp & Eco-Certified Leather. These shoes define very well the type of shoe that I want as a more casual shoe. Since I do a lot of skateboarding in the summer, the Carport Elastic wouldn’t really do well for that, so I feel that a more casual shoe would do the trick. The Hemp Tuba’s go for $70USD.

Of course, this Tuba comes in different styles, and I’m trying to decide which style I like better, the Hemp or the Suede shoe. The Suede is slightly cheaper at $65, and I think is a slightly bit more ‘hipster-ish’ with its brown colors…But I think with the Carport Elastic I’d already be jumping into the category of the hipster…

These shoes look great and are very environmentally consciously made. With my recent new passion to reduce the waste in the world, it would only seem like fitting choices for shoes.. What do you think of them? Do you like the suede better than the hemp?

For the final bout, in anticipation of the sweet beaches I’ll be hitting, I think it would only be fitting to get a pair of sandals… the choice? Men’s Flippee – Recycled PET. They go for $30USD, and I think I’d feel like Jack Johnson walking around in them! I like the coffee liqueur stripe personally, which ones do you like?

Good luck and happy trails!

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Sexy Mens Fragrance

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I have taken the liberty to put together a hot and sexy list of fragrances that will not only make you feel like a million dollar man, but also get you the attention you deserve!

DANGER Note: All of these fragrances have been recommended to me by women, gorgeous women with intense sexual prowess. If you wear this stuff, you risk being more attractive to them, and things could get steamy.

  1. To start off the list is Blue de Chanel. Off of their website it goes for $59.00 for 1.7oz. This fragrance is described as a woody, citrus’y, and fresh scent, “defines convention, and resists the ordinary every day.”
  2. Next is Giorgio Armani’s Acqua di gio men. From their website, it goes for $57.00 for a 1.7oz. They claim it as a woody marine freshness for a natural and authentic mood. “This aquatic, aromatic fragrance opens with a splash of fresh, calabrian bergamot, neroli and green tangerine.”
  3. Le Male, by Jean Paul Gaultier is a fragrance they claim to balance the life of yin and yang. It goes at Sephora for $42.00 for 1.3oz. The website claims it to be “A verile man who accepts his sensitive side will appreciate this strong yet sensual eau de toilette.”
  4. Issey Miyake out of Paris has a wonderful fragrance called L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme. This goes for $58.00 for a 2.5oz at Sephora. They claim it to be a “vibrating freshnes of Yuzu meets Sandalwood.”
  5. Play for Him by Givenchy is an interesting little package. 1.7oz goes for $53.00 at Sephora. They claim it to be a “perfectly balanced concoction of elegance and hedonism.”
  6. The One by Dolce & Gabbana is an intriguing fellow that comes in at $57.00 for 1.7oz from Sephora. They claim it to be for the charismatic, seductive, elegant, and sophistic man. This one has hints of tobacco in it.

Of course there are a tonnnne more fragrances out there, but these are just some of the more popular ones. Of course, some people do not like going after a fragrance that everybody has, so I’ll leave that up to you to report back to me! I’m interested in any other fragrances that you may have that you think blows these 6 out of the water.

A few notes that I have learnt along the way.

  1. Seasons should dictate which type of fragrance you are wearing. In the spring and summer more fruity and bright fragrances are a better choice. In the winter and fall months its a good choice to go with the heartier fragrances that have more earthy and wooden, even tobacco scents.
  2. Don’t go crazy with spraying it on your clothes, its meant and designed for your skin.
  3. The best way to apply it is a tiny bit in one (or some) the following places (not all, dont put to much on!): wrists, back of knees, or even the back of the neck. Applying it to the sides of the neck is a bad place because your skin is extra sensitive there.
  4. After about 5 minutes, the smell should be blended with your body, so you shouldn’t be able to smell it anymore. This is a good place.

Good luck and I hope you’ll recommend some more fragrances I’ve missed!

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Mens Hair Goop

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A lot of men are on the fence as to what to do, put goop (or paste) in their hair or not. After this major step of jumping into the styled world, where do you go from there? Do you use a gel? or the ol’ hairspray? Or some sort of goop? Should you go old school with some plain ol’ Vaseline?

I’m pretty sure, once you jump into the grooming world, you want to use some sort of goop or paste, unless of course you’re going for the Wall Street, 3 piece suit and tie every day kinda look with a slick for your hair. In which case you’ll want to go for a wax or grease, maybe even a gel would do the trick… but if this is you, chances are you’re not looking for advice from a blog and you’re going into $100 haircut and grooming at the closest salons once a week.

Anyways, I’m going to highlight a few products that I use, or that have been recommended to me by hairdressers so you can know what to do.

1. Sexy Hair’s Short Sexy Hair Frenzy found at Amazon for ~$17… I’m pretty sure its new!

2. Axe Messy Look found on Amazon for ~$23. I use this stuff religiously, so it works perfect for me. Can barely tell most of the time its in there, but it holds my hair in place.


3. Tigi Bed Head Manipulator on Amazon for ~$17. This stuff comes highly recommended and is a little bit lighter.

4. Aveda Control Paste. It runs for ~$25 on Amazon. I read a few blog posts to get this one recommended to me, but it sounds like its pretty good stuff. They say it smells nice.

5. Chi Twisted Fabric finishing paste goes for ~$8 on Amazon, so its the cheapest of them all. Sometimes I find that the simplest cases sometimes have the best products. This one definitely has the simplest case…

6. I don’t think I could feel right without doing some American Crew Defining Paste. Its on Amazon for ~$13 as well. I used this stuff before, not the defining paste, and it was to shiny and oily for me after a long day of work. So I stopped using

7. And the last, but not least expensive is the Redken Maneuver Working Wax. It weighs in at ~$32, so its a heavy hitter. It comes recommended as a product that you can still run your hand through your hair and not feel greasy. This is a good thing that most girls enjoy.

So, thats what I got. Can anybody else recommend some great products? I’m curious to start trying out some more.

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TOMS Cordones

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So, its time I get myself a new pair of shoes I think, and I just got interested in TOMS shoes from @elim_chu, also found at The Style Seen. Apparently she just got her new shoes. She hasn’t blogged about it yet, but I suspect she will soon.

I read up a bit on TOMS and apparently they are doing a thing where every pair of shoes that you buy from them, for the time being, they will donate a pair to a person in need of shoes. Quite a valiant thing to do for a shoe company, I hope they are actually doing it.

I’m undecided between which pair I would like though, first up is the Brown Waxed Twill Men’s Cordones:

I like the brown color. I love the toes on their shoes. Simply awesome.

The next on the feet is TOMS Cortazar Cordones:

I think the Cortazar’s are what I will go with, just because for casual I’m more of a black guy.

Next is their Martinez Cordones:

Oh such decisions. Which ones do you like best?

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Watches

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My latest desire is to get myself a new watch. I’m having a hard time deciding between my picks though…

So, here are the choices:

1. The Time Teller Retrometrique by Nixon

2. The Rubber Player in Black and Red by Nixon

3. Destroyer in blue by Vestal

4. The Newton in Black and Gray by Nixon

5. The Newton in black by Nixon

6. The Block in black by Nixon

Does anybody have any suggestions on which one I should get?

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