My MANy Bags News #180

How To Be A 21st Century Gentlemen

Interesting article on GQ.com. Fine details to spruce up your gentlemen appeal:-)

1) Embrace the Pocket Square
So you've got on a perfectly tailored blazer and your current favorite tie. Guess what? So does the next guy. Try distinguishing yourself the way elegant dressers like Clooney and Kanye do—with a pocket square. Choose a cotton, linen, or silk one and arrange it according to your comfort level. Here are your options. Simple Fold a white handkerchief in quarters and slip it into your breast pocket, folded-side down. It should stick out about half an inch. Bold Tuck in a square with textured trim or colored piping, folded-side down. Let the layers fan out and open up a bit (but still keep the exposed area to half an inch). Dandyish Try Glenn O'Brien's breezy approach and allow an unfolded handkerchief to burst out of your pocket bouquet-style. In the words of GQ's Style Guy himself, "Grab it in the middle, hold it upside down, then wrap your hand around it and cram it in the pocket. Arrange slightly."

2) Learn to Form a Tie Dimple

If you're wearing a skinny tie, just knot up. But if you're opting for a wide one—preferably in a solid color or micro pattern—add a little evening-news-anchor sophistication (Brian Williams, not Wolf Blitzer) with a dimple. Here's how.

1. Tie your tie as you normally would, but before tightening it, press your finger into the fabric just below the knot.

2. Keeping your finger flat, slowly tighten the knot, leaving a deep dimple in the center about half an inch deep and an inch long. Practice makes perfect.

3) Find a Signature Scent (Scent Critic Chandler Burr Explains)


Should the twenty-first-century gentleman have a signature fragrance? There's the obvious argument against it: If you have to limit yourself to one, how can you decide between Terre d'Hermès, Fresh Cannabis Santal, or Comme des Garçons 2? But on the flip side, if you have an everyday scent, people will start to register you invisibly—and more important, remember you. The fragrance itself is the starting point, of course. Your potential olfactory fingerprint should be something you feel comfortable in and something that gets you a positive reaction. Get a couple of samples and test-drive them for a day; the right one will make people enjoy just being near you—and you should get comments to that effect. Try Rêve en Cuir by Scent Bar for niche elegance, Monsieur de Givenchy for retro greatness, or Thierry Mugler's B*Men for hipster cool. Once you've settled on one, master the application. You want a single short spray on the top of each forearm, one on the neck, and one down the back of the shirt (before you button up, pull the collar back and aim downward). Play with the volume till you get it right, remembering that the scent should be neither suffocating nor undetectable. In time, you'll have your own invisible ID and—oh yeah—one less thing to think about.

Source: GQ