Three Choices in Suit Style

Every gentleman should own at least one suit.  If you can only get one, go for a good medium to dark charcoal which can span many occasions.  For many of us, suits are a regular part of life for both work and socializing.  Jeeves always checked Bertie's suit for style and appropriateness to the occasion and Bond was rarely without his classic grey two button.  They should match the body shape, but also the personality.  See what your suit says below.

1. The Break -

 

Break is the amount of extra length on the leg of the trousers.  Full break is a lot of excess cloth, this takes on a very casual look.  A half break is the standard.  It is appropriate for business and casual settings and is the classic look.  No break is a very modern approach.  This features the shoes and has the danger of showing a lot of sock or leg in a sitting position.  Thus it is acceptable, but not the best for very serious and formal business occasions.

2. The Sleeve Cuff Hem - 

This refers to the amount of shirt sleeve displayed.  The pictured length is the most appropriate, often refered to as business cuff.  More shirt sleeve is casual cuff and has its place, but not in the office.  No shirt cuff is not a good look so try to avoid this as it gives the impression that the suit does not fit.

3. Number of Buttons - 

 

There are three options in the acceptable range here.  Pictured is the two button.  Acceptable casually or at the office this is a great go-to suit.  The three button is a little more formal and highly appropriate for formal occasions and serious meetings.  The double breasted suit below is somewhat out of style, but is still acceptable if you are a broad man or in some form of financial or management position.  More buttons or less, not acceptable.

 

There are many other options in gentleman's suits are available and will be discussed later.  Always talk with a good tailor or haberdasher about what suit fits you best.

Ordering a Drink

Time to turn to Mr. Bond.  We all know the classic order, "Dry vodka martini shaken not stirred."  If you order this I commend you...if you know what you are talking about.  So, let's look at the meaning behind Bond's famous drink and then we can explore drinks in general.

A martini is a classic cocktail.  Typically they are made from a combination of gin and vermouth and garnished with either an olive or a lemon (Its a Gibson if garnished with an onion).  However, a trend began of replacing the gin with vodka since some do not take to the juniper berry taste of gin.  This became widely popular and resulted in the majority of martinis being made with vodka.  However, a well trained bartender will consider an order of "martini" to mean the classic version.  Thus Bond stipulates that he wants the vodka version.  Dry or wet refers to the amount of vermouth present in the drink.  Some often praise only waving the cork over the glass as the proper amount of vermouth.  By indicating "dry" Bond shows that he does not want a lot of vermouth.  Martinis are prepared either by shaking with ice, thus cooling the drink, or stirred in the glass, thus keeping it at room temperature.  Bond prefers cooled.  If you know what it all means, by all means try it, but you run the risk of looking like a follower if you can't explain what you're drinking and why.

So, what should you drink?

The Classics - This group of cocktails hail back to the time of the speakeasy and always exhibit a touch of class.  They are acceptable before or after a meal, never during, or just at a nice bar or club.  They tend to be strong so exercise caution.  This group includes: martinis, mahanttans, gin and tonic, tom collins, mint julep (reserve for hot afternoons or outdoor settings), and a couple of others.

The Questionables - These are a couple of drinks which have something of a stigma attached.  The Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) and other combinations of vodka and juice/soft drink tend to say that you do not like the flavor of liquor, only the effects, or that you are just trying to hide the booze in an innocent orange juice.  Exercise caution this can make you look bad.  The Bloody Mary is another danger.  Not that the drink is bad or in any way wrong, but it comes with a recovering hangover/booze for breakfast stereotype.

The Not Alloweds - If it ends in "-tini" without the word "mar-" before it, no.  Just no.  Be wary of gimmick drinks and "house recipes."  No car bombs, sake bombs, or the like.  These give the impression that you just want to get tanked.  Not a good image for a gent.  Also avoid umbrellas and excessively fruity drinks.  The exception to this is on the beach or a boat.  Then the pina colada and daquiri are acceptable.  Nothing with sex, navel, or drunk in the name.  Again bad impression. Know your location.  In the States margaritas with Mexican is acceptable (on the rocks, no slushies please), but in Mexico the margarita is seen as feminine and typically reserved for women and gay men.  Just always be aware of the image you want to present.

The Straights - Any straight liquor is included.  Scotch, bourbon, and blends are seen as high class. Order these neat, on the rocks, with water, or with soda per your tastes.  Never just say the name of the alcohol.  Tequila and whiskey move down the line.  These are party or sorrow drinks.  Use caution, but acceptable in the right circumstances.  Finally, vodka. Vodka shots tend to say wasted, exercise caution.

Wine - Wine is a dinner and event drink.  Avoid ordering it at a bar, unless it is a wine bar.  Brush up on varietals and know how to pick a good wine.  If not trust your sommelier.

Beer - Another dinner and event drink.  Acceptable at very casual parties.  Craft beer is great with a variety of foods.  Saisons make a particularly nice match with Asian food and IPAs pair well with spicy food, both of which can suffer with wine.  Do a little research before and trip and know the local brew and favorites.  It will impress the locals and avoid any unpleasant jokes.

Always use caution with drinking and make sure your host and guests are comfortable with it.  Never allow alcohol to put you or others in any danger.  Finally, never allow a quick drink to give you a long lasting reputation.

How to Care for Your Shoes

First Step: Be Careful!  A good pair of leather dress shoes makes a statement about you and your tastes.  The condition of them and the quality of their shine makes a statement about you as well.  To always be ready to impress keep your shoes in top condition.  For this we turn to the master, Jeeves.  In Jeeves Takes Charge we find that Wooster's shoes have been carelessly ruined by applying black polish to brown shoes.  On seeing the shoes Jeeves is devastated.  He understands the basic principle of matching polish color to shoe color.  Follow the guide below to keep your shoes top notch.

1: Keep the shoe as clean and dry as possible.  Immediately remove any grit, dirt, or debris they may encounter as this can scratch the shoe.  If you happen to soak your leather shoes do not place them near a heat source (hair dryer, heater, fire, etc.) this causes the leather to crack.  Instead place newspaper inside the shoes.  Every hour or so replace the paper until the shoes completely dry.

2: Polish your shoes regularly.  This keeps them moist and helps last longer.

3:  Store your shoes with a cedar shoe insert.  This keeps the leather in the right shape.

How to polish your shoes:

1: Clean the surface with a warm damp cloth using a dry or slightly damp toothbrush for sole and stitching.

2: Warm the appropriate colored polish over a candle or lighter, but be careful not to melt the polish.  You only want to soften it.  Alternately you can use a little water on the top of the wax.

3:  Using a warm slightly damp cloth pick up some of the polish and rub it into all the surfaces of the shoes using small circular motions.

4: Using a polishing brush buff the shoes until they have a partial shine.

5: Repeat step 3.

6:  This time get a nylon stocking.  Used ones work best, so sweet talk some girl in your life for her spares.  Buff out the shoe to a high shine using back and forth motions of the nylon.  As a shine begins to develop, breathe warm deep breathes onto the shoe.  The moisture from your breathe accentuates the shining.  Continue to work the shoe over with the nylon.

7: Repeat for the second shoe.

8:  Place both shoes next to each other and polish the caps until they have the same level of shine.  Once you have established a good base for your shoes will get easier.

A few extra tips:  wear disposable gloves, polish can be a pain to remove from your hands.  If you find that you need to remove polish from shoes or other items, isopropyl alcohol works well.

The Condition of a Gentleman's Footwear

The condition and type of a man's shoes speak much about him.  This particular posting refers to the condition of a gentleman's shoes.  We will first approach shoes from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes.  What can we say about a man from his shoes?

First look at these shoes:

 

What do you notice? You may say not much, brown shoes black trousers, a faux pas, yes, but an insight not so much.  Let us turn to Holmes own shoe example. From A Scandal in Bohemia:

"My eyes tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting specimen of the London slavery."

Holmes pays attention to the details and deduces from them.  You can do the same.  Look back at the shoes.  What should you notice? Below are a few classic indicators and deductions from shoes:

The Wrinkled Heel - If the shoes in question have horizontal creases or wrinkles in the back or heel cap of the portion of the shoe the person is likely frequently in a rush to make appointments and or does not place a high degree of importance on appearance.  These marks result from forcing the foot into the shoes without a shoe horn.  Particularly in leather dress shoes this type of wear creates wrinkles at the back of the shoe.  Why would an owner of leather dress shoes be so careless?  He or she likely only wears the shoes when absolutely required and thus does not care much for them.  Alternatively the person may be in such a hurry to get ready he or she cannot take the time to search for the shoe horn in the closet.

The Worn Cap - This one is a little tricky.  You need to pay attention the wear pattern.  Circular and irregular patterns indicate that a person is often on his or her knees, particularly if the wear is slightly to one side or the other.  When a person is kneeling the cap (front) of the shoe touches the ground.  As such a position is uncomfortable on the ankles the person usually angles the feet outwards or inwards.  The friction of the carpet or ground creates a circular wear pattern as the person moves.  However, if the scuff patterns move from the front to the back, as in the picture above, this says something different.  The person likely spends a great deal of time riding in cabs, on airplane flights, or at a desk.  The marks are the result of placing the feet under the seat or edge of the desk in front of the person.  Over time the movement is bound to make marks.

The Side Crease - Notice the two horizontal wrinkles on the man's right inside shoe.  This indicates the man often stands with the right leg behind the left as he is in this picture.  Perhaps the right leg is the stronger/favored leg or possibly the left has been injured.  When the man begins to move forward, he will push off the back foot.  This force pushes the inside of the shoe down and over time develops a wrinkle.

These are the most common and easily deduced characteristics of men's footwear.  If you want to avoid these stereotypes always make sure to care for your shoes.  More on that in the next post.

Introduction

Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening Ladies and or Gentlemen.  I am the Gentleman of Fiction.  Welcome to our first session.  In the postings and information to follow one can find the lessons of the legends--The Men of Fiction.  They have had the jobs you want, been to the parties and places you dream of, talked to the men and women you admire, and received the looks you want.  Their mottoes, ways, and skills span the test of time and pave the pathway to the respect and success you can achieve.

Why are you visiting this library?  Perhaps you are bored or curious.  Perhaps you have been looking at a special someone for a time and just do not know how to approach them.  Perhaps you are looking for a particular job and want show your employers that you are a man of class.  Perhaps you desire to make the most of your gentlemanliness.  Whatever the reason, it is good you are here.  The current generation seems to have forgotten the basic tenets of manners and many cannot even define etiquette.  To be honest, true gentlemen are a dying breed.  Perhaps you want to save them.

This library is derived from three principal gentlemen: Sherlock Holmes, Reginald Jeeves, and James Bond.  Let us for a moment examine each of our contributors:

Sherlock Holmes -

 

Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  That's right, Sir, so you know he knows what he is talking about.  Holmes is a detective during the Victorian period primarily in London.  As such, his time period demanded a certain formality of action and manners nonexistent in modern times.  Holmes is considered a man of culture and science; however, he is also known for his eccentric personality which often paints him in a mysterious light.  Perhaps Holmes most distinguishing characteristic though is is mental ability.  Holmes pioneered the art of deductive reasoning.  This type of reasoning centers on pulling information from observation, sometimes seemingly small or insignificant facts.

Reginald Jeeves -

 

Jeeves is perhaps the definition of the formal English spirit.  Reginald Jeeves was created by P.G. Wodehouse.  In this comical series of novels Jeeves is the valet or gentleman's gentleman for the bumbling Bertie Wooster.  Throughout Bertie's misadventures, Jeeves is always there to bail out his employer through some incredible understanding of human psychology and social logics.  Jeeves ever understands the importance of looking one's best and is ever focused on making Bertie look his best and avoid any faux pas of couture.  In addition to Jeeves' quick wit and reasoning skills, he is a master of dress, grooming, and maintenance.  He pours a great cup of tea, oolong of course.

James Bond - 

 

James Bond was created by Ian Flemming.  A master spy, peacemaker, and lover Bond is the upper echelon of MI6 Intelligence.  Known for his ability to keep his cool in any situation, Bond knows how to own the occasion.  He is physically adept, exudes class, and is very comfortable with beautiful women.