Hair and Grooming #6 - A Rockabilly Exsufflation

Rockabilly, a fusion of the words rock-and-roll and hillbilly is a genre of music that originates from the South of the US which mixes elements of rock, blues, country, hillbilly boogie and bluegrass music. Part of a resurgence of retro hairstyles for men is also the quiffed variant of the 50s and 60s greaser hair. I have recently been searching for a new hairstyle and in the end I decided to go with a modern, asymmetrical, highly texturized version of the rockabilly quiff.

A vintage clip shows that the quiff is not for the faint of heart and just like its modern counterpart it requires a bit of time to get it just right.

Teddy boy rockabilly quiff hair cut 60s


Other modern variants of a quiff include longer hair in the back and on the sides that it slicked back:

NYC Socialite and Cognoscenti, Chuck Bass also dons a modern quiff

One of my absolute favourite male models, Jon Kortajarena, sporting a quiff in danish-designer Matinique's ad campaign

Lastly, the twins of Slikhaar.dk have featured this hairstyle, this example being the closest to what my hair looks like right now, on their YouTube channel:

The best brushes to achieve the quiff are round ball-tipped brushes and large ball-tipped brushes:

For styling you need a strong-hold mousse, a matte pomade or wax and if needed a strong hairspray:

Fashion Forward #11 - Ubiquitous Ties

Studying in a campus that is so reminiscing of Oxford or Cambridge, I often think how much alike my campus is to some other American staples, Disneyland or The Cheesecake Factory to name a few. Though all originally set out with the intention of becoming genuine replicas of European Universities in the case of the former two and a mix of European architecture and eclecticism for the latter two, the end product is a travesty of the original, a mere façade, veneer of vanity.

Saying that you're too busy with school to care about how you look is NOT an excuse!

The universities that are models for the American Universities, as well as many prep and boarding schools within the US still enforce some form of dress code. While many people think uniforms are means of torturous uniformization, they are nothing like that. Uniforms were first designed as a means of distinguishing students of these schools from other people living in the cities adjacent to the universities and moreover to hopefully instill school pride in the case of recognition of one's association with the school. The lack of uniforms, or in the least, of a proper dress code has brought the American student population down to the realm of exaggerated "je m'en fiche-ism". Take a walk through some of the more prestigious university campuses in the U.S. and what you will see will be nothing less than an incongruous image between the architecture that is meant to evoke high values and aspirations of academic excellence and the fleece-pant and hoodie wearing student, whose school pride sums up to nothing more than some bouts of pride during football or basketball season. What is worse is that whenever anyone tries to be more fashionable, without a preset purpose, or just for shits and giggles, as a friend of mine described it, the rest respond unfavorably and most times it's part of a defense mechanism rather than disapproval of sartorial choice.

Just putting on a navy jacket, a shirt and a tie is not even that much of a change yet it has prompted many questions like: "Oh, what's the occasion?"...well does there have to be an occasion for someone to put on a tie? The answer is No! it doesn't have to. With a resurgence of the traditional Ivy League Look, now more than ever, donning a tie in any combination uplifts your entire look and adds that special feeling that you took  a few extra minutes to get ready in the morning.

Ties come in a huge variety of colours, fabrics, cuts and patterns, however that will not be the topic of this post. What I would like to focus on instead, is the versatility of a tie, one of the few accessories that men can play and experiment with when dressing up. While there are many combinations, some of which I might not have thought of, here are the ones I think are worthy of your attention.

1. The T-Shirt and Tie

The most casual of all combos is wearing a tie, loosely knotted over a t-shirt. Though it's not exactly my personal style I have seen many guys don it in European clubs. If you decide to try it out just make sure your tie is on the slim side and not too somber looking (no wool). What's also popping up more and more these days are t-shirts that already have a tie attached permanently to them or one is just drawn on.

2. The Short Sleeved Shirt Combo

Also on the more casual side, wearing a tie with a short sleeved shirt is a funky and hip way of adding originality to your look. It's great for a summer in the city and if your work place permits it, a great summer office look. Same rules as above with regards to choosing a suitable tie.

3. Simple is not necessarily lazy: The Shirt and Tie

Now I'm pretty sure most of you are hyper-familiar with just wearing a shirt and a tie in the office or for events where a sports coat/blazer would be overkill. The rules of slim-ties apply here as well and please do tuck in your shirt. If you find there's some extra stuff hanging out, either think of something else to wear or put on a sweater to cover it up (read below). If you're not a big fan of short-sleeved shirts but you find your long-sleeved ones to be a little stifling in the summer, you can always roll up your sleeves stylishly (remember, rolling too little or too much over the elbow is not the right way to do it). 

Shirt, tie and jeans all by Dolec & Gabbana. Shoes by Calvin Klein Collection. Tie bar by Paul Stuart.

For the more daring of you, suspenders are another accessory that can enhance the almost bare look of a shirt and a tie. Keep the suspenders simple and do go with the ones that use leather tabs to attach to the pants rather than clip-ons. The Topman suspenders I introduced to you a while back make a great addition to any look

4. Wearing Vests is Tré Cool: The Tie and Vest 

Of all the casual appearances of the tie, its combination with the vest is probably the most wide-spread. Often hipster teenagers and metro guys going out are seen wearing a tie and a vest. Almost any vest works whether it was originally part of a 3-piece suit or is a fluffy down-vest.

5. Layering Up - The Rugby and the Tie

As fall descends upon the northern hemisphere and the weather gets chillier in the mornings and evenings, just a shirt won't be enough to keep you going so the art of layering comes in handy here. A simple way to keep warm is to add a rugby shirt over your shirt and add a tie for panache. Since we are no longer able to see the tie, whether or not you're wearing a slim or wide tie is of no importance anymore. A way to get creative is to step outside your tie-knotting zone and try a different knot each day, depending on your shirt's collar. You can always roll up your sleeves to complete the look and please do not forget to not pop your collar. Rugby.com has a nice selection of Rugby Shirts.

6. It's Getting Chillier, Break Out the Sweater: The Sweater and the Tie

As the temperatures plummet and a thin rugby shirt is not enough anymore, a cardiganm or sweater is a welcomed substitution. This is one of my favourite combinations as I am a big fan of sweaters, especially shawl-neck sweaters, although you can wear any type of sweater, even v-necks and crew-neck sweaters

7. Bring in the Blazers and Sport Coats: The Tie Meets the Jacket

The cherry on top, when it comes to layering is adding the final touch, the blazer, sports coat or jacket in our case. Whether you choose to wear your coat over the shirt directly or doubly layer it with a sweater or rugby is up to you as well as choosing the jacket to top everything up.

8. The Suit

Last but not least, the outfit your probably associate most with wearing a tie, the suit, will never loose its appeal and whether you're a fan of the double or single breasted suit or of peak or notch lapels, you'll still be wearing a tie to it.

I really hope you've enjoyed our little incursion into the different ways you can incorporate a tie into your daily wardrobe and that you will try to go out of your comfort zone a little next time and wear a tie. There wil definitely be some people who will ask you what the occasion is and it will get annoying, but you know what.. you feeling great is all that matters at the end of the day.

Tie Tips

- Avoid wearing clip-on ties or bow-ties, they are unproffesional.

- The front point of your tie should be just long enough to touch the waist of your pants.

- Your tie should be darker than the color of your shirt.

Food and Drinks #1 - Beers Aplenty

“A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.”

This Czech Proverb could not be more right and with so many types and brands of beer nowadays it's often hard, even for the most beertastic of bros to wrap his head around what makes each beer different and what exactly he likes in a beer. So many of us drink it quite often yet don't know that beer is actually a general term for more than one type of fermented beverage. Though I will never claim that I am a beer expert, I will try to sum up what everyone should know about this beverage of choice.

Beer 101


1. Power of 3

The term beer encompasses roughly 3 types of fermented beverages: Ale, Lager and least known, Lambic or Mixed Origin beers.

Ale

In short, Ales are a type of beer that ferment at warmer temperatures (60-75 F) and form a layer of foam on top, giving them the name of top-fermenting beers.

Lager

Lagers are a type of beer that ferment at temperatures averaging 50 F and contain a complex sugar, raffinose, as a byproduct of fermentation. Unlike ales, lagers ferment at the bottom, giving rise to the name bottom-fermenting beers.

Lambic

Lambics and mixed origin beers are sometimes bunched up together and forgotten, even though they are original beers that fueled the creation of a beer-brewing industry. Unlike ales and lagers where the yeast cultures used for fermentation are carefully selected, lambics and mixed origin beers are spontaneous-fermentation beers, meaning the yeasts that are involved in their fermentation are naturally occurring ones. Compared to ales and lagers, lambics cover the smallest portion of the beer market and are only manufactured in Belgium, more specifically in the region surrounding Brussels, where the yeasts that are native to the Senne (Zenne) valley are used.

 2. By the looks of it...

There are three visual characteristics that are usually observed in a beer and they are colour, clarity, and nature of the head. Colour is usually imparted by the malts used, notably the adjunct malts added to darker beers, though other ingredients may contribute to the colour of some styles such as fruit beers.

Chart of some more popular beers based in their colour

3. Aroma, Flavor and Feel

Aroma

The aroma and flavour in a beer ares formed by a combination of the malts and other fermentables used, the strength and type of hops, the alcohol, esters, and various  aromatic components formed by the yeast strain as well as other elements that may derive from the water and the brewing process. Bitterness can be measured on an International Bitterness Units scale, and in North America a number of brewers record the bitterness on this scale as IBUs.

Based on different elements that pertain to aroma and feel, similar to wine, some beers go with a certain type of dish while others with another. Use this chart if you ever want to pair beer with your food.

Feel

The feel of a beer in the mouth, both from thickness of the liquid and from carbonation, may also be considered as part of a beer's style. A sweeter beer feels thicker in the mouth. The level of carbonation (or nitrogen, in "smooth" beers) varies from one beer style to another. For some beers it may give the beer a thick and creamy feel, while for others it contributes a prickly sensation.

While wine connoisseurs are called oenophiles beer connoisseurs have no actual name although maybe the word beeroisseur might work?! Here's a chart of the terminology a beeroisseur would use to describe the bouquet of a beer

A condensed history of beer

Please enjoy the next time you open a bottle of "golden ambrosia" as some people call it!

Fashion Forward #10 - 4-Looped Belt

If you've been reading any of my posts you know by now that I am a big fan of any form of innovation when it comes to men's fashion. Browsing around Summer Is A Verb, I saw a picture of a belt the likes of which I had not seen before, and luckily there was a direct link to the manufacturer's website.

Wiley Brothers, founded in 1999, is an American-based leather handcrafts company specializing in leather belts and accessories. The "Classic 4-loop Hoof Pick Belt" is their signature product and is inspired by folding brass hoof picks used by all types of equestrians.

The 4-Loop belt retails at $145

While there is plenty of variety when it comes to Men's Belts buckles, I will never say no to something new that works and is appeasing to the eyes. The 4-Loop Belt's buckle is hand-stitched to bridle leather and hooks into one of four loops. The 4-Loop Belt is available in Black, Dark Havana, Mahogany and Light Havana and in sizes 26 to 42.

A Little More Preppy Than That

I found this hilarious spoof of Easton Corbin's "A little more country than that", sung by Lady Antebellum. Hope you guys enjoy it to and don't take it to heart as it wasn't written to offend anyone! Enjoy the song and video! Thanks to Summer Is A Verb for the link!