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."
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.
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
Get on Top—With the Right Coat
We all know a guy who walks into the office every day wearing an electric blue North Face jacket over his suit. Do not be that guy! Get yourself a three-quarter-length topcoat that hits just above the knee. (You don't want some billowy overcoat, or you'll look like Lawrence Taylor pacing the sidelines on a snowy sunday.) There should be just enough room in the shoulders to accommodate your suit. The coat should be cut slim and fall straight down along your legs, not fly out like a dress. And yes, if she's cold, you should still offer her your coat—no matter how liberated she is.
Keep 'Em Polished
Take care of your lace-ups, loafers, and boots and they'll take care of you. Here's how.
Clean
Start by removing dirt and old polish using shoe cream (try Meltonian), a rag, and a little bit of water. And scrape out the edges and the threads in the sole with a nailbrush.
Polish
Rub a little shoe wax into the leather with a rag. Match the color, or choose a neutral one if you just want the shine. (Tip: For a cool varnished look, try black polish on brown shoes.) After polishing, pass over each shoe with a soft brush, then buff with a clean, thin cloth to bring out the sparkle.
Wait
Ideally, let them dry overnight. And to get the most out of your hard work, store them with cedar trees in felt bags.
Wear
Ideally, you should repeat the process every three wears or so. And rub them gently with a cloth between polishes.
Hit the Links
Ever been to a wedding and noticed that some guys actually look sloppier when dressed up? The fact is, you can be dudded to the nines and still look a mess if you get the details wrong—namely, the hardware. For an upscale event, wear french cuffs secured with simple gold or silver cuff links. You don't need anything flashy or gimmicky. That you're wearing cuffs 'n' links at all is enough of a statement.
Upgrade Your Denim
Fact number one: There is something undeniably manly about having a favorite pair of jeans that you wear every day and never wash; it's that “middle finger to the world” je ne sais quoi that Martin Sheen pulls off to such great effect in Badlands while wearing a pair of Levi's that look like he was born in them. Fact number two: In that film, Martin Sheen doesn't put in a proper day's work at the office, go to a chichi new restaurant with his girlfriend's parents, or go to the symphony—all things you can now do in jeans. The point is, if you're going to wear denim to respectable places, that denim should look respectable. So instead of one or two pairs that you wear all the time, have a range in different cuts and at different stages of broken-in-ness. Wearing a tie and a suit jacket to the office or out to dinner? Nothing superskinny. No fading or fraying. No funky washes. They should be made of crisp, high-quality denim and be cut simply. Going downtown with the guys? A relatively broken-in pair is perfect, and you can get away with something on the clingier or baggier side. Running from John Law in the Great American netherworld? That's when to pull on your ripped-to-shit 501's and put pedal to metal.
Lose the Novelty Drawers
Your underpants shouldn't be funny. They shouldn't have jokes on them. They shouldn't have hearts, cigars, flying pigs, superhero logos, or anything else gag-related. They shouldn't have been "cool in college." (Dude, seriously: go through your drawers right now and throw half your underpants away. You'll feel better about yourself.) In a world gone casual, where there's hardly a venue outside of an arraignment hearing where a man can't wear jeans, the one thing that should always be elegant is your underwear. Even if you're the only person who's going to see it on that particular day. Plus, that way, if you get lucky, you won't have on the ratty ones that read "who farted?"
Stay Trimmed
L.A. Based hairstylist Chris McMillan explains
I get my hair cut at a black barbershop in L.A., and a lot of the customers there, who keep their hair really short, come once a week. You don't even notice it's cut; it always looks exactly the same. I love that. The lazy guy, he waits too long and gets comments from everyone in the office every time he finally goes in. So go more frequently. After about four weeks, your sideburns have grown out, anyway, and the back of your neck has started to get furry. Even if you keep your hair a bit longer in that Euro, Italian way, you still want your sideburns and neck cleaned up. And if you go for that more classic American look—shorter on the sides and longer on top—you can always throw gel or grease in to wrangle the top, but you can't wrangle the fur on the back of your neck. So here's what to do: Find yourself a barber you like. You'll build a relationship with him, and it becomes fun. Getting your hair cut becomes time to yourself. You put your BlackBerry down, your wife's not nagging you, there are no kids on your lap. It's just you, your barber, and your own head, cleaning house.
Stay Timeless
In a world of gadgety, gimmicky oversize watches, these understated, vintage-inspired timepieces prove that the twentieth century still has plenty to offer.
From Top Left:
Zenith, Class Elite New Vintage [1955]
Elite, indeed—only 250 of these watches are being sold. All of them in eighteen-karat rose gold. $16,200.
Ebel, Hexagon [1977]. It may be the baby of the group, but what this timepiece lacks in age it more than makes up for in personality. What other watch sports a power-reserve indicator? $4,800.
Tissot, Heritage 150th Anniversary [1946]
Based on a watch designed more than half a century prior, the Heritage 150 celebrates Tissot's sesquicentennial. Flip it over for a view of its jewel movement. $1,295.
IWC, Ingenieur Automatic: Vintage Collection [1955]
The Ingenieur marked IWC's introduction of automatic movement. Designers supersized the 1955 model's dial, increasing the diameter by a full five millimeters. $7,300.
Use Your Head
Maybe you've noticed that for the first time in decades, men are wearing hats, and maybe you want to get in on it. But will it be a fedora, a trilby, a porkpie, or a bowler? And are you going for that Sinatra vibe or more of a Timberlake thing? You've got a lot of options. Here's how to get your head around them.
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