3: GET PERSONAL
Make it your own by adding a twist. Keith Richards has his skull ring, Bob Dylan has his sunglasses, Angelo Galasso wears his watch on his shirt cuff. But you could go for something a little more sober – an elegant bracelet, perhaps, a flower lapel pin or some horn-rimmed spectacles.
4: GIVE THEM A BREAK
Don’t make the mistake of wearing an item to death while keeping its backups pristine. Leather shoes, for example, last longer if they’re given time to rest between wears – that’s because if they’re allowed to dry out properly, they maintain their shape. Cycle through your clothes to reduce overall wear and tear.
5: BREAK YOUR OWN RULES
If a situation requires a dress code that your wardrobe can’t provide, it’s better to buy the required items than to come off as a chump. So you never wear a tie? Well, at your sister’s wedding, guess what? You do.
HANG YOUR TROUSERS USING THE SAVILE ROW FOLD
How often have you gone to put on your carefully pressed suit, only to find that the trousers have slipped off the hanger and are now looking decidedly unpressed at the bottom of your wardrobe? The easiest solution comes from Savile Row, home to London’s oldest (and greatest) tailors. From time immemorial, they have been using a simple technique to keep customers’ kecks securely in place without resorting to grips or clips but using friction alone. Here’s the secret, so you can do it at home…
1: PREPARE
Fold your strides flat and lay them neatly on the bed.
2: FOLD
Fold the top leg inward over the bar of the hanger.
3: REPEAT
Fold an equal amount of the bottom leg over the top.
4: STASH
Hang the trousers in your wardrobe. Take that, gravity!
SPOT A FAKE ROLEX
When newbies prepare to start building a watch collection, they often disregard Rolex because its fame makes the brand seem a cliché. They start obsessing over what they perceive as more specialist names, such as Jaeger-LeCoultre or A. Lange & Söhne. But as their expertise grows, they invariably add a Rolex back to their want list – and probably make it their first purchase. Few can match this Geneva-based watchmaker for reliability, durability and innovation. Its timepieces are also relatively affordable in terms of the rarefied world of luxury watches, particularly if you buy a “preowned” model (that’s the industry euphemism for “second-hand”). The problem is, of course, that the market is littered with counterfeits – and some of them are worryingly convincing. So how do you know that you’re buying the genuine article?
We consulted Adrian Hailwood, former Director of Watches at Fellows auctioneers, a favourite supplier to those in the industry. His overriding piece of advice is straightforward: “You’re buying the seller as well as buying the watch. If you’re buying from someone who is a bricks-and-mortar operation, who you can physically take it back to, whether it be an auction house or a specialist vintage dealer, they’re going to take care of you if there turns out to be a problem.” Actual fake-spotting, however, is rather more complicated. There’s a myth that forgeries don’t have Rolex-style “sweep” second hands – in fact, many do. Instead, you need to examine the finer details. That’s why you first need to acquire a loupe, a tiny but powerful jeweller’s magnifying glass for getting up close and personal with the timepiece. Here’s what to look for…
1: MARK IT OUT
If it’s gold, find the hallmarks. One should depict either Helvetia, the female symbol of Switzerland, or a St Bernard dog. Despite their tiny size, these hallmarks should look “very three-dimensional, and very crisply done”, says Hailwood. Sometimes signs of wear can be genuine, but a blurry image should always raise suspicions.
2: GOT ID?
Authenticity documents (whether paper or bankcard-style) help resale value, but can themselves be faked. “When they are, the print quality gives it away: it’s a little ragged, a little off-centred or it’s smudged. Most things Rolex do are so crisp, the moment anything deviates from that, you’re like, ‘Really?’”
3: IT’S WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS
“If you were to ask, ‘What is the rock-solid test?’, I would always say, ‘The movement.’” This is the watch’s internal mechanism, which the dealer should agree to show you. It ought to be highly polished – even on the sides of its parts – and should exactly match a photo of the real thing.
4: CHECK THE BODYWORK
The bracelet can be a giveaway – if the edges of the links feel sharp, that’s wrong. “Fakes aren’t machined to feel nice in the hand.” Next, ask the dealer to remove the bracelet. Between the lugs at 12 o’clock, there should be a shiny, hand-engraved model number.
5: DIAL DOWN ON THE DIAL
Some models have an internal serial number – it should be oriented as shown. Elsewhere on the dial, if there is a magnifying window, hold the watch so you see the date unmagnified, then rotate it so the date aligns under the lens. Fakes often magnify just 1.5x rather than 2.5x. “You want to see a real visual ‘pop’.”
TIE YOUR SCARF IN A GILET KNOT
Ah, the humble scarf – so simple yet so problematic. Here at GQ , most of the style questions we get asked about scarves concern how to wear them. Is looping and tucking too feminine? Is a drape too pedestrian? And what’s the best way to do either anyway? You can understand the anxiety, to a point. When it comes to fashion, men have fewer variables to play with than women, so small things end up commanding disproportionate attention. Well, there’s one knot that goes perfectly with a formal overcoat and we love it for its balance of warmth and elegance. We call it “the gilet knot” (or “the kidney warmer”)…
1: SCARF UP
Acquire a thin scarf with some length to it. Drape it around your neck, making sure the ends line up.
2: THE PASS
Cross the scarf neatly over your chest, keeping it as flat as possible, and pass it around your sides.
3: SECURE
If it’s long enough, simply tie the ends together just above your waistband. If it’s not, tuck the ends into your trousers.
4: STEP OUT
Add an elegant overcoat (single-breasted works particularly well) and pop the collar. Voilà : all the warmth of a gilet; all the style of a Parisian.
SPEED-FOLD WITH THE TOKYO T-SHIRT TECHNIQUE
The origins of this method for folding a T-shirt quickly and perfectly are hazy. We’ve seen it used in shops from the UK to the US, but it has become closely associated with Japan. That’s thanks to a clip of a woman demonstrating the technique on Japanese television, which has been widely circulated and imitated online. No wonder: it’s a nifty life hack, and the best practitioners can do it in under five seconds. Here’s how…
1: LAY IT OUT
Place the garment on a level surface, face up and sideways on to you. Make sure its edges are straight and the fabric is perfectly flat.
2: FIX YOUR CROSSHAIRS
Envisage a vertical line running exactly up the middle of the garment. Imagine another running horizontally across from the centre of the right shoulder seam. Pinch the material with your left hand at the point where the two lines intersect.
3: HOLD SOME, FOLD SOME
Take the centre of the right shoulder seam between the thumb and index finger of your right hand. Cross your right hand over your left, pulling the fabric over, and grab the garment at the other end of that horizontal line.
4: SHAKE IT OUT
Uncross your hands, keeping hold of the material. As you do this, it might seem like it’s going wrong, but trust that it isn’t. Shake flat.
5: THE TUCK
Lower the T-shirt back on to the surface so that the left sleeve tucks underneath. Perfect.
KEEP YOUR SNEAKERS ICY-WHITE
Consider the most enduring sneaker designs – the Nike Air Force 1, for instance. Launched in 1982, this chunky creation gained such traction outside of its original hip-hop fan base that it has become everyman footwea
r. Or the Adidas Superstar: originally championed by the NBA pros of the Seventies, it’s still seen today on the feet of everyone from Jay-Z to David Beckham. Then there’s the ever-popular Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, which began life when the basketball player Chuck Taylor joined a team sponsored by the Converse Company – way back in 1923. And what do all of these timeless shoes have in common? Their signature colourway is mainly white.
That’s no coincidence. White sneakers and popularity go hand in hand. Sneakerheads fixate on shoes’ silhouettes and the lack of colour emphasizes shape. Moreover, it makes them versatile, a kind of sartorial blank canvas that can form the basis of any number of looks, whatever the season or the decade.
The problem is that no matter how watchful you are, white sneakers are practically guaranteed to get dirty eventually – and if you’re anything like us, that’s irksome. A box-fresh pair of Nike Air Jordans can be worn to the office (if you work in that kind of office), but as soon as they get scuffed, forget it – hell, there are nightclubs that would gladly turn you away. While canvas shoes can be thrown in the washing machine, sneakers with leather or synthetic uppers are more of a challenge to restore to their former icy-white glory. But nobody said looking good was easy…
1: LACE WITH BLEACH
Remove the laces and throw them into a bowl of warm water with some detergent and a splash of bleach. Swirl them around and massage the fabric; leave for five minutes. Rinse them in clean water and flatten them out on a piece of kitchen paper to dry.
2: GIVE IT THE BRUSH-OFF
Wipe down the shoes with a damp cloth, and use a toothbrush to get dirt out of nooks and crannies. Your local supermarket will sell stain-removal scrubber pads – these are meant for household cleaning but are also great for getting marks off the edges of the soles.
3: BUBBLE OVER
Visit a dedicated sneaker shop and buy some specialist cleaner – or, failing that, simply use regular washing-up liquid. Squirt this on to a clean shoebrush, dunk the brush in hot water and work up a lather on the shoe’s upper. Note: any suede areas will require softer bristles.
4: DRY-CLEAN
Rinse off the soap under a warm tap. Next, use a microfibre cloth to gently dry the shoes. If there are stubborn marks, you may have to rub harder but be careful not to cause damage. Only apply real force on robust areas, such as the sole or toecap.
5: ON YOUR GUARD
Spray with a specialist sneaker protector for stain resistance. If you’re wearing new jeans, put duct tape inside the leg cuff to prevent dye bleeding on to the leather. You might call that obsessive; we’d say it’s conscientious.
DEPLOY THE MILITARY TUCK
There are few things more inelegant than a billowy shirt. So when we heard that American soldiers have an unofficial method to keep theirs looking presentable, we did a little research. The US Marine Corps generally wear elasticated “shirt stays” when they need to look their best – but it turns out that when these aren’t available, or the situation doesn’t demand such fastidiousness, they use the time-honoured technique set out here. Caveat: if your shirt is so baggy it looks like a collapsed soufflé, then you simply need to buy one in a slimmer fit. Shirt sorted? Read on…
1: TROUSERS UP
Tuck in the front of the shirt. Zip up your fly but do not button.
2: THUMBS DOWN
Move your thumbs around your waistband from front to back, tucking in the shirt.
3: PLEAT IT
At the 4 and 8 o’clock positions, fold the excess into pleats.
4: FINE-TUNE
Button your trousers and tidy up as required. Carry on.
SHAVE WITH NEXT-LEVEL RAZOR SKILLS
We’ll let you in on a secret: there’s a whole set of wet-shaving strokes out there that your father never taught you. While the standard “slide razor down face” approach will usually do a better job of getting rid of your stubble than an electric razor, it will never quite remove everything. Enter the shaving geeks, a community of tinkerers first brought together by web forums in the Nineties, who have developed a set of advanced techniques. One of their most high-profile figures is Texas-based Mark Herro, who runs the blog Sharpologist.com . We asked him for some face-enhancing moves…
1: PREP THE FLESH
Before you try the two techniques below, you should remove the bulk of your stubble. The best way is with the “Gillette slide”, whereby you move the razor diagonally downward while keeping it horizontal. “It approaches the hair at a more efficient angle,” says Herro. “Like a guillotine.”
2: GET TO GRIPS
In preparation for the “J-hook” (see step 3 ), re-lather, then shift your razor grip so you’re holding the end of the handle lightly by your fingertips. Indeed, with all shaving, lightness is key. “Otherwise, if you press down hard, the skin ripples and the blade edge cannot maintain a consistent contact.”
3: INTRODUCING THE “J-HOOK”
For areas of awkward grain variation, move the blade in small “J” motions. “Think of it like a golf swing. So you’re starting a stroke before the area you want to use the J-hook on, and as you approach that area you do the J-turn and follow through.”
4: CHANGE IT UP
Where grain dictates, shift the J-hook on its side. “The J-hook looked so scary when I first saw it, I did not try it for six months. But after I did, I realized it wasn’t difficult. I have come to rely on it fairly routinely to clean up little bits of stubble on my neck.”
5: THE FINISHING TOUCH: “BLADE BUFFING”
Still have stubble patches? Re-lather for “blade buffing”, where you scrub the razor rapidly back and forth, using short, light strokes. Note: this is the technique for a cartridge razor. “Vary the location subtly as you buff for better results.” Caveat: don’t try for the first time before a job interview.
DODGE THE WATCH DIAL CON
When Danny Pizzigoni was growing up, he developed a precocious expertise in watches. His father was in the business, and he would often accompany him to London’s markets and auction houses, picking up a wealth of knowledge through osmosis. By the time Pizzigoni was 15, he knew that he could leave school and make decent money in the trade; so, at 17, that’s exactly what he did.
His tactic was to buy timepieces relatively inexpensively in the UK, where demand was comparatively low, and sell them for much higher prices on the Continent. “I started developing private clients in Italy, professionals like doctors and business people, who were looking for the exceptional Patek Philippe or the very rare Rolex.” Finding himself in the upper echelons of the market, in 1996 he decided to open a shop in Mayfair that was more luxurious than the competition: “It was an upmarket Bond Street shop selling upmarket Bond Street watches.”
Today, it trades as The Watch Club, selling thousands of fine timepieces every year to customers from Hong Kong to America, Russia to France. It has welcomed the likes of Paul McCartney, James Corden, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Daniel Day-Lewis through its doors. Pizzigoni’s popularity is partly down to his reputation: if you buy from him, you can be confident the watch is authentic. “Authentic” doesn’t simply mean “not fake”. It also means that the dial hasn’t been tampered with. If you’re buying a vintage watch, it’s important to make sure that the dial hasn’t been restored (or “redialled”, in the jargon) as this can diminish value. Here, Pizzigoni explains what to look for…
1: MAKE SURE THE DIAL SEEMS AS OLD AS THE CASE
The dial on a vintage watch ought to exhibit signs of age. For instance, white dials usually develop an opal patina over time. Also examine the “lume” – the parts of the dial that glow. “Back in the Fifties, they used radium as lume but it was very radioactive,” says Pizzigoni. “A radium dial will have radium burns.” Old lume should also appear dry and discoloured.
2: THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL
Most watch dials are printed, but restored dials are often done by hand. Look for errors, smudging and typeface inconsistencies. “Many vintage dial
s have beautiful serifs on even the smallest letters, and you can only see these under strong magnification. The restored dials don’t have the same quality.”
3: EXAMINE COMPLICATED AREAS
Places where sub-dials intersect with the main dial can look messy on a refurbished timepiece. “It’s general sloppiness. Manufacturers have printing plates, laboratory conditions, and if it’s not perfect, it’s just scrapped and they start again. It’s very difficult to replicate and get it right.”
4: DON’T PASS THE BATON
Are there paint flecks on the hour-marker batons? Major giveaway. And if a restorer took the batons off and reattached them after working on the dial, this can also provide clues. An obvious sign would be batons not lying flat: “That means they’ve forced them off and they’ve forced them back on again.”
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