His Point of View

It’s time to drink like a grown man.  When the time comes to put away the cheap bottom shelf liquors and drink like a grown man try this one.  The French Connection is my #1 grown man drink.  You take equal parts of Grand Marnier and your favorite Cognac, ( I prefer Courvoisier) and you put them in a cognac or brandy glass and enjoy.  I like to drink my quality Brandy/Cognac as it was intended to be consumed…and that is without ice at room temperature.  Depending upon where you are drinking expect to spend $12-20 per glass at your local club or bar… more if you upgrade your cognac to X.O. or VSOP, etc.
And before you go there… yes there are other drinks that go by the name “French Connection” but here in the south eastern part of the states if you ask for a French Connection at a bar you will get Grand Marnier and cognac… so relax and have a drink.

These Carbon Fiber Wheels by HRE Wheels are lighter and stronger than aluminum wheels… Lighter wheels = faster lap/race times and better braking.  But these wheels will set you back at least $10,000 (US) They come in 19 & 20 inch sizes for now, with 18 and 22 inch models coming soon.   Images from www.hrewheels.com

This camel back sofa by Dominic Gerard (DG), which is upholstered in Versace velvet is certainly something to look at.  If you have $13,7500 (US) and a home/office interior which can handle this style of furniture I say this is a must have.  It comes in a black and gold as well as a black, blue and silver colorway as well.  Go to www.DominicGerard.com to see more.  DG has been able to carry on producing the same style of furniture that Versace is known for.  Many items on this site are featuring Versace designs and or fabrics.  Even the non Versace branded items produced by DG fit in very well with any other Versace furnishing you may have, or that you may acquire in the future.  On the DG site one can also order Versace branded home accessories and fixtures such as bathroom sink faucets,  curtain stops, rugs, towel bars, shower heads, lamps, bed linens, and more.  Even if things are out of your price range it can be fun to imagine what life is like with 24K gold plated soap holders.   Oh and I can’t forget the $700(US) gold plated Versace toilet brush holder… Image from http://www.dominicgerard.com/

I am a huge fan of fountain pens, if I had a couple hundred dollars to invest in one I would pick up a “Boheme Jewels Topaz” by Montblanc.  This particular pen is white gold plated Rhodium.   Rhodium is used as a jewelery quality metal itself these days, but in this case that was not good enough, so the fine folks at Montblanc plated it in 18K white gold.  It is wrapped in blue tinted calfskin, and topped off with a platinum plated cap and a square topaz stone.  You don’t have to spend more than $100 for a fountain pen but you must remember that you get what you pay for, and I can say that Montblanc pens are the finest that I have used(even though I don’t own one…yet).  Generally you can find a Montblanc for under $500 but many of the more ornate models are nearer to $1000, if not more.  Image from http://www.montblanc.com

“Clean” is a term some of my good friends and I use to describe being dressed well. To be clean in 2009 you should check out these suits and accessories by Ralph Lauren and Stefano Ricci. These designers are hitting hard on the off the rack suits and accessories for 2009.  Ralph Lauren(RL) has always been one of my favorite designers, but this guy Stefano Ricci is really impressing me with his colors and materials used in his accessories.  You should be able to find many of these items at your local Ralph Lauren store, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, or other fine retailer. This post is for the guys who can’t quite afford a $5,000+ custom tailored suit but still want to look  good in what they wear. You can get your hands on a quality Ralph Lauren suit for well under $2000 and get it tailored to fit you for around $100. Stefano Ricci’s accessories are pricey, but their quality is second to none and their bright colors and classic styles work well with RL suits and shirts.

Stefano Ricci Paisley ties $215 each

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Silk Satin Ties – $185 each

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Purple Paisley Tie $250

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Red Crocodile cuff links $970

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Horse Head cuff links $6,930 (ok, these are pretty expensive)

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

RL Black Label Wool Gabradine suit $2,150

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

Ralph Lauren 3 button Charcoal Suit $1,395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL 3 button Navy Striped Suit $1,395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL Purple Label Barrel Cuff shirt $425

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL Purple Label Barrel Cuff shirt $395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

Ya’ll are going to get tired of me and watches… for real. But do I care??? Obviously not. Well this one is not going to be a lesson on anything but style. 2009 is going to be a good year for the watch world. There are a few old reliable brands that are breaking new ground. Breitling is manufacturing its first in house movement.  Zenith has figured out how to combine a chronograph and a minute repeater into one movement for the first time ever in a wristwatch. Patek Phillepe has broken ranks from the COSC and the Geneva Seal Bureau to create its own standard of quality craftsmanship(instead of only testing the movements Patek Phillipe has developed a method of testing the entire completed watch). 2009 is an exciting year in the watchmaking world… many of these decisions to break from these companies’ standard method of doing business will go down in history as genius ideas, or mega-flops… either way they will become collector’s items.

Below are more great timepieces to go pick up if you can… or to dream about if your pockets are a little light.

This is the Zenith “Defy Classic Zero-G”.  Zenith has been making fine watch movements since 1865, and you definitely pay for all those decades of experience when you purchase one of their fine time pieces.  This particular model costs approximately $260,000-$300,000 in the US.  Note the lack of diamonds or “bling” even though this item costs more than most people’s houses.  Its all about quality materials, detailed workmanship, and the engineering behind the brand.

(photo from http://media.modernluxury.com)

If you like Zenith but you want to own a piece of horological history that is a bit more affordable  you can pick up other models such as these for under $20,000.

(photo from http://media.modernluxury.com)

Next up is the Bulgari “Diagono Calibro 303″ This piece of work is in the $10,000-12,000 US price range.  At 5.5 mm thickness this is considered to be a very thin mechanical self winding watch.

(photo from http://home.watchprosite.com)

So that we don’t leave the ladies out here is the Boucheron “Ellipse Anniversarie”.  This watch features blue & pink sapphires, and white diamonds for a retail price of $35,000 US.

(photo from https://www.boucheron.com)

OK, this post serves two purposes

Purpose #1 if you know that there is a proper type of know to wear with various shirt collar styles I will simply provide you a link to see videos on how to tie many of the most common types of knots  http://www.youtube.com/user/avvi66

Purpose #2-  If you don’t know the reason why your tie doesn’t quite look right (provided the colors & patterns work well together) with that shirt you are wearing I need to provide a little help with selecting the proper knot for your shirt collar.

photos below are from www.brooksbrothers.com

“Windsor” knots are for shirts with a very wide collar, and traditionally these knots are used for formal ocassions, but I say if the knot fits wear it.

“Half Windsor” knots look very similar to Windsor knots, but they are adapted to fit a shirt collar slightly smaller than one which a Windsor knot would be suitable for.  Notice that the shirt collar above is a bit more wide open than the shirt pictured to the left.

The “four-in-hand” or “simple” knot is probably the knot you were first taught you to tie as a young man.  This is one of the easiest knots and it is the general purpose knot.  Unless your collar is very wide this knot will likely work.  This knot is widely used with button down collar type shirts and with ties that are wide.

If you have a wide tie you may want to consider the “small knot.”  But remember that this knot is not just for fat ties, but if your collar is closed in you may need to consider this knot as well.








This is only a small sample of the many types of tie knots.  These are the few knots which I have found will get most men through most situations… Of notable mention are the “bow tie” knot which I did not cover as you will surely know when you need this type of knot and the “Prince Albert” knot which is useful if your shirt collar is long.  Some of these knots go by many names so read carefully to make sure you are learning about the correct knot.

This dude is crazy on his shoe game… These are all hand painted and one of a kind. For the prices you can’t really beat these for a pair of shoes no one else on the planet will ever have…  I expect that we will see more great designs from John in the future.

all photos from http://www.johnashford.ws

Piano Keys -$1000 (bag included)

Lemonade – $450

White Egyptian $1800 (handbag included)

Komoto Dragon -$1200

Go ahead and kill everybody when you step out in a pair of John Ashford’s hand painted footwear. Yeah the prices are a little steep, but if you want to be sure to stand out in the crowd this is the way to do it.

Since I have been out of touch with the world of fashion lately I figured that I would start with something I am current with.

You may ask ‘what is a hidden jewel?’… And if you did I would say yes I am referring to jewelry, but not what you may think. I am talking about wearing 7,17,or 21+ (functional) jewels such as rubies, sapphires, or other precious stones, which may all be hidden from view. Sounds silly? Well let me welcome you to the world of luxury timepieces which use precious stones to reduce friction on internal moving parts, allowing more accuracy in keeping time. Consider this your introduction… I can go on and on about watches but I won’t bore you with detail. After all if you cared you would already know, and if my blog sparks an interest you will Google terms like : watch jewels, movements, complications, etc. But I will ease into the subject with these nice yet somewhat affordable watches. You may think these are not affordable, well when I revisit this topic (to cover super high-end watches) you will feel as if these watches are Cadillacs in a world of Veyrons. If you are unfamiliar, trust me that you could afford a Cadillac far sooner than you could ever dream of driving a Veyron off the lot.

First up to bat is the Breitling Montbrillant Datora, (a part of the Breitling Navitimeter line).

If I had $6,000 laying around this is what I would do with it. It has a good blend of class and a face with a bunch of numbers and lines going on to give it an “I know a lot of stuff”  look which is perfect for me… It was once said, “if you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bull shit” and that sums up my love of the Montbrillant Datora by Breitling.

PS, if anybody in the blogosphere is liking my blog and is a generous individual.. please feel free to send me one of these Datoras.

The next player of the game is the Philippe Patek  “Men’s Calatrava 5116G”.

This is an ultra classic watch.  I mean how can you go wrong with this bad boy?  Well if you can afford this gem of a watch then life is comfortable as Patek watches generally start in the $20,000 price range and some models chime in at over $218,000.   I could not get an exact price on this item but its safe to say its a good portion of my annual salary.

Next I had to reach for the stars… well the Moon to bring you the “Moon Dust-DNA” by Romain Jerome.

Photo obtained from  http://www.robbreport.com/Watches-Idea-Man.aspx

This watch is sick, if for no other reason than the face is sprinkled with particles of dust from the moon.  I guess NASA had a garage sale to buy gas for the shuttle and these guys picked up some moon dust for the low…. Well It could not have been too low since these moon dusted creations range in price from $9,800- $300,000.   There are only 1969 of these pieces and yes 1969 was the year we set foot on the moon.

Ok, ok I know it was nice to drool over what is out of reach for most of us…but the reality is the if you are like me you probably need to stay under $300 or so for your wrist wear.  Even with a tight budget you can get a nice looking quality timepiece.  Avoid the huge faced pseudo iced out joints you can pick up at a flea market or in the back pages of your favorite urban magazine.  Go for simple, classy, real materials.  Stainless steel is a great choice, one real diamond in the face is much better than 200 fake diamonds.  And finally know who makes your watch, a lot of “designer” label watches are made by the same manufacturers so gain an understanding of the differences in quality each brand offers.  So here we go…below are some more affordable pieces that can add some style to your collection.

Photo from http://www.kennethcole.com

Kenneth Cole “You’re Golden”  $150.00, I have 2 Kenneth Cole watches and they are quite durable and they look great, especially for the price.  Photo from http://www.kennethcole.com

Photo from http://www.skagen.com

At $135 this Skagen “Two Tone Link”  is a  great option and Skagen is known for their almost paper thin watches if you do not like bulky wrist wear.

Finally I end with one of my favorite affordable brands…. Invicta…

photos from http://www.invictawatch.com

These are Swiss made watches of all varieties… if Invicta doesn’t make it you probably don’t need it… I mean these guys make more different styles of watches than there is a need for.  I suppose they patterned themselves after the Swiss Army Knife Company by making a watch for every imaginable need.  I say they are affordable because you can always find last year’s models on sale since they market new styles each year.  They retail anywhere from $200-$3,000 each but in that price range there has to be something you like and can afford.  I have found that the quality of these watches is excellent.  I love my Invicta, and my Invicta loves me!

That’s all for the semi-affordable- affordable watches for today… next time maybe I will dive into the world of watch complications, tourbillions, and watches that cost more than your favorite rapper’s leased Ferrari & Bently put together.