Getting a Signature Fragrance.

As far back as I can remember, my dad has had three signature fragrances; Old Spice, Polo Green, and Aramis. They all have strong scents in common, and they last.

Like my dad, you should know what you want in a signature fragrance as people will come to associate you with it.

Finding the perfect fragrance  isn’t a walk in the park however, as its not just about picking a nice smelling perfume. A perfume could smell really good in the bottle and even when sprayed in the air, but smell quite differently when sprayed on your skin.

So here are a few tips on choosing a perfume that will be your signature fragrance.

Know your preferred scent. There are about four categories of perfume scents: FRESH (citrus, marine, green grass/leaves), Floral (rose, gardenia, jasmine) WOODY (woods and moss), and ORIENTAL (spices, vanilla, patchouli). So if you do not like floral scents, you will not want to wear a gardenia perfume.

Utilise your sense of smell. Go to a perfume counter and ask the sales associate to try some of the perfumes. Try as many as four perfumes, spraying a different one on each wrist, and inner elbow. Don’t make a decision just yet, leave the store and walk around for a good 30 minutes or so to give time for the scents to mix with your body chemistry. Write down the names of the fragrances on each corresponding inner elbow and wrist so you don’t forget what scent is where. Avoid spraying your neck and behind your ears, as you will not be able to accurately judge the scents there.

Ask for opinions. When walking around ask for opinions. A fragrance only you approves of won’t do much good. The look of disgust on people you stand next to on the way to work can easily put a dent in your confidence.

Also, hunt around for the best price. You’ll probably find that department stores have the highest prices. With that in mind you can save money by purchasing your fragrance through an outlet mall. Usually anything purchased at an outlet mall is a little bit cheaper. So it might make the fragrance you are seeking for, a little more affordable.

Finding a signature fragrance could take a while, but its definitely worth the journey.

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HATS…ways to pull them off.

Hats are one of my personal favourite accessory pieces of all time. Apart from the fact that they add flavour to your outfit, they are also very versatile and can be worn in any season, providing warmth for your head in the cold periods and shade in the sunny ones.

There are as many reasons to wear hats as there are hat types, the important thing to remember when wearing one, is that like clothes, they should fit. Fit your head, the outfit your’e matching it with, the season and the occasion. One would look rather silly wearing a bespoke suit with brogue shoes and a knitted hat, to a summer wedding.

Another great thing about hats, be it a fedora, top hat or a drivers hat is that, they can be used to tone down a formal attire or smarten up an other wise casual or even sloppy look, giving it that casual/smart twist.

Also, when wearing a hat, you should consider the shape of your face. A person with a long oval face should wear a hat with a short brim. While a rounded faced person should opt for a hat with a wider brim.

As for colours, you might want to keep it neutral. Remember it is an accessory so it should be there to compliment your outfit.

At the end of the day though, as with any outfit put together, the confidence with which its worn is just as important as the pieces. No matter how well put together your outfit is, if you don’t carry it with the right attitude, it’ll seem flawed.

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For Accessories sake.

I have recently been asked about accessories quite a bit. How to wear them, what type to wear, what to wear them with, and even if certain pieces, a bow tie for instance can be worn as an accessory.

So I have decided that over the next few posts I will focus on accessories and shed as much light as I know on it. However before then, there are certain pointers I think should be known about accessories and wearing them, or as I like to say ‘learn the rules, then learn how to break them’.

With that said, keep this in mind before and when wearing accessories.

The ‘job’ of accessories is to detail your outfit, giving it character and depth, and making you stand out. Its said that details is what makes the gentleman, but what should also be said it that too many details could easily ruin your look. There are outfits and occasions where accessories would be complimentary, but you can also look as good without wearing any accessory. Yes accessories are great, I have quite a collection myself, but don’t feel the need to always wear some form of accessory when you dress up.

When accessorizing, there isn’t a specific amount to wear, but to be safe one or two pieces is standard, three is a maybe. Anything more HAS TO BE DONE TASTEFULLY. Remember accessories are meant to spice up your look, not be the spice of your look.

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EDITION, new design concept by Debenhams

Debenhams new collection, EDITION is a design concept created in collaboration with contemporary designers, such as Jonathan Saunders, famed for his signature prints and use of bold colours. The fashion duo Preen, best known for their sophisticated yet edgy style with both masculine and feminine aspects. Shoes, bags and accessories are by Jonathan Kelsey, which is definitely something to look out for, as his impressive repertoire  includes designing for Jimmy Choo, Mulberry and Pucci.

EDITION launches in stores and online on the 14TH of February.

Valentine’s day special.

The British accessory designer Anya Hindmarch has created a limited edition clutch bag especially for Valentine’s Day. The dusky pink suede with chic pale gold hardware clutch comes with a card in the inner pocket with the bag’s number in the edition, as well as space for a personal message, should you choose to gift it to your loved one.

This Limited Edition Marano costing £350 is available at the Bond Street, Sloane Street and Harrods store as well as online at anyahindmarch.com.

iPhone 4 Hands On Review

Wonder what it is with Apple and Macy Gray???

On buying a watch.

If you are a stylish man, you should already own a watch or two, but there is a difference between ownig a watch or set of watches and owning the right one or set.

When shopping for a watch, one of the most important factors that seems to be thought about the least if at all is, the purpose of the watch. Ofcourse the purpose of a watch is to tell the time, but if thats about the only purpose for your watch, you might as well get a $10 one from the next fuel station. On the other hand, if there is more than one pupose for your watch or you need a set for different purposes, then you should know some basics about purchasing a watch.

THE EVERYDAY WATCH

For an everyday watch, you should be looking to get one with one or more complications, meaning it should do more than tell the time. A good everyday watch will at least have a date window in addition to telling the time, but for most the chronograph is the ideal everyday time piece. As for the band, metal is a more durable choice but regardless of taste a leather band would do well too.

Avoid buying a digital watch for your everyday use. It might be fashionable and impressive, but your potential client might be of a different opinion. The everyday watch should be polished and professional.

FOR THE WEEKEND

The weekend is for unwinding and living, so the budget for the weekend watch should be resonably less than that of the everyday watch. For the weekend, you should be looking to get a watch that is durable and rugged. If you can find an inexpensive watch with mechanical movement great, if not get a solid one with quartz moment. It should be shock and water resistant, ask the sales man if you are not sure, if he says he isn’t sure, it probably isn’t. The band could be plastic, aluminium or steel.

THE THIRD WATCH

This is the watch for special occassions. Its distinctive, timeless and damn good looking. Its one of those watches that has a feature that sets it apart from the rest. It should be a midsized watch i.e. not larger than 44mm with a fairly basic design and colour scheme that never goes out of style. It should definately be the kind of craftsmanship that produces mechanical movements.

THE FOURTH WATCH 

This is the watch for very special occassions. Its the kind of watch worn with a bespoke three piece suit, bespoke shoes, bespoke shirt and even a bespoke tie. Basically when you are dressed to kill or meet  the Queen. Its the kind of watch you use as collateral when getting a loan from the bank. They are usually made of rose gold, titanium or platinum. This is a limited, limited edition. Whatever it may be, it should definately have something thats unique to it and only it.

Tag Heuer Monaco V4 (Limited Edition).

Transmission

• 5 notched belts including 2 with internal steel reinforcement wire.
• 3 different transmission belts.
• 2 identical barrel belts.
• 11 micro ball-bearings.
• 6 notched pulleys including the escapement pinion replacing the traditional pinions and wheels.
• 48 swiss quality jewels.

Energy

• 2 pairs of barrels in series, set in parallel and inclined at 13 degrees, storing 450g of energy each: 900g total strength.

Automatic winding system

• Linear mass with double rack rail: 12g tungstene ingot.
• Limited edition’s number (150 units).

Movement Features

• 28,800 vibrations per hour.
• …etc.

Watch Features

• Platinum 950 case.
• Beveled edge and curved sapphire strap
• Folding buckle with double safety push-buttons in platinum 950.
• …etc.

Basically, the Monaco v4 is the first watch to be powered by an engine similar to a car’s, i.e. with transmission belts. The idea is meant to resemble a piston in an engine, hence the v4. Price is $80,000 for each piece (of the 150 units made to celebrate Tag Heuer’s 150th anniversary)in the limited edition (save for the first piece that is being auctioned off for charity).

Hublot Watches

MENACING…

Gemela Amor by Coco & Breezy Spikey Studs Sunglasses

Coco & Breezy, the 19 year old twin up coming eye wear designers to definitely look out for in 2010. They HAND make and hustle all their products. Its no wonder their clientèle keeps growing and currently has names like, Ashanti, Kelly Osbourne, Amber Rose, to mention a few on it.

Pretty impressive taking into account they only started about 6 months ago.