Saw this pic and thought it might illustrate something for the group. Who has the better suit fit? My gut says many folks today would say Daniel Craig. I completely disagree. Yes there needs to be some compensation given to the king. ONE: he is nearly 30 years senior to the extremely fit actor Daniel Craig; TWO: one would presume that Daniel Craig was a lot more self conscious about the condition of his suit meeting the king than the reverse; THREE: the kings schedule probably was at a different level than Craig’s (eg longer for King in the suit); FOUR: the King is known for wearing suits for decades so it’s fair to presume Craig’s suit is significantly newer thus less sagging; That said let’s just discuss the cut of the suits and disregard the fact that the Kings pocket flap is tucked in and his hand in the other pulls the suit, and the waist of his trousers have probably slipped slightly through the day in this pic meaning the break in length is a little long. First the trousers: the Kings trousers give him stature in that the fullness of the legs are stronger vs the trendy taper of Craig’s pants. Secondly (yea you guessed it) the Kings operable button is at his natural waist where it belongs. This presents a far better silhouette to the coat (again, be fair between the gentlemen’s ages and fitness routine). In fact look closely-the ridiculously high button stance on Craig emphasizes a slight paunch. 😳. Two to three inches lower where the button belongs and that would not have happened. Once a guy sees this it’s hard to unsee. Lastly the length of the jackets. Here it’s not as pronounced as I was afraid. I’ve seen AI versions of Craig where they put him in an Organ Grinder Monkey suit with the skirt of the coat 100% Porky Pig, but in this pic it covers the length of the trouser crotch and given the more narrow lapel it’s not that terrible. I welcome the end of this trendy fashion look. Hopefully the trending back to Classic Timeless Menswear (what Antonio recently described as Ivy League, Preppy, Traditional), will bring some common sense back into menswear.

Since @Antonio Cent suggested a 3-piece safety razor instead of a butterfly to start with because it holds the blade more securely, I decided on a King C. Gillette model. It was available locally so I could get started right away, it was inexpensive enough that I wouldn't worry if I didn't like the experience, and it came with 5 blades. This may not be the razor I eventually end up with, but it will do for now. I only use it on weekends (and days when I'm off work due to being ill like today) and I'm still refining my technique. I'm only shaving with the grain and have finally learned what that is on different parts of my face. At least I can get through a full shave now without nicking myself, even though it may not be as close as I'd like. 😆 However, I was wise enough to buy a styptic pencil BEFORE I started in with the safety razor, and it certainly came in handy for those first few shaves. My first shave was nick-free, but I was being VERY careful. I grew bolder and more confident over the next few, at the expense of a little bloodletting. Time will tell if I can get as close as I want without reaching for the alum.

Working on my bow tie experience. I decided to practice wearing a bow tie and tying one and I hit it first try! Getting ready for the Gentleman's Live Lounge that i attend with some great men. I always love sitting down with gentlemen from all over to discuss things and bounce ideas and thoughts by each other. When you sit down with great men like @Floyd Bailey Jr. and @Mitch Hoover , you know you're in good company. If you want to have some great laughs and stimulating conversations, you need to join the Gentleman's live lounge.

I found myself in Chicago this weekend for a mix of work and pleasure. When I travel by myself, during my “Downtime” I tend to find an excuse to stay in my room and work on my laptop 🙄. As I get older I have been working hard to get out of my comfort zone and push the work away and actually find something to do or experience. Believe it or not I tend to be much more of an introvert than most people realize. Today was one of those days and I’m glad I did! I left my hotel early and started wandering around the shopping areas. I was able to visit several different watch stores and men’s clothing stores just to check things out but on my own schedule, while I didn’t buy anything from them, I had a very nice and long conversation about watches with true collectors and we shared stories and I learned so much. Then I found myself at a true men’s “Old School Barber” Merchant & Rhoades I treated myself to a hot towel shave and manicure. This is something that I have enjoyed for a long time but it is increasingly difficult to find a true Barber. It was 1.5 hour process and SO relaxing. If you’ve never tried it I would encourage you to. It’s very nostalgic as well as I remember going with my father as a young boy while he would have this done. For me, it is one of the last bastions of men’s self care. The other gentleman in the shop were all regulars. Everyone knew each other by name and you knew it was their standing weekly appointment!👏👏 I also found a niche fragrance house and watched them actually blend the fragrance for me and bottle it. It was so fascinating! Then believe it or not I found the countries oldest tobacconist Iwan Ries and co. Still family owned and operated since 1857! It has that old school But so welcoming. I was able to enter their lounge and relax over a cigar and met some interesting people with great conversation. Now I’m off to my work dinner but I’m In such a great frame of mind that I can see why my father and others of his generation made this a priority!!

People have always named their children after expensive things, Mercedes, Dior, Chanel. Watch out the rest of this year and next year for Electric, Gas, Petrol.