Mantyhose: An Interesting Frontier

"Dude, I got a run in my mantyhose. Fuck!"

From construction workers to athletes and businessmen, the male populations have found a passion for pantyhose, claiming they wear the hosiery for support, comfort and aesthetic purposes. Luckily, there are now pairs made specifically for men so that they don't have to ravage their wives’ or girlfriends’ dressers to nestle into a pair of nylons.

According to an MSNBC article, European men have been sporting hose for several years, but the trend has been slow to catch on in the U.S. (It is important to note that the trend has no connection to men who wear hose to cross-dress, since they prefer to wear pairs that are more feminine.) The "mantyhose" is also part of a larger trend of nontraditional men's underwear designed to lift, sculpt and suck in that beer belly — from the "mirdle" (man-girdle) to Australian designer Equmen's Core Precision Undershirt, touted as the "Spanx for men." A small group of male pantyhose enthusiasts from America, Canada and Europe even set up a Web site, the U.K.-based e-mancipate.net, "to speed up the mainstreaming process of male pantyhose" for men all over the world.

I realize that many of you out there are a little taken by the fact that men are wearing hosiery, but I say get over it. For those of you who have been studying your fashion (and reading my blog), you are aware that the trend these days is to blur the lines of gender and sexuality. This is just another step in that direction. Let us not forget that there is man makeup, man bags, and so on. As we move further into a new day, more fashion trends such as this will come about. Whether you like it or not, mantyhose is here to stay.

What is my personal opinion on the subject? I don't like the idea of pantyhose on a man for any reason, support or not. Something just seems off to me about it. I am a James Bond kind of guy ... well-groomed, but still ready to whoop ass when necessary, and lacking in real sensitivity. James Bond don't do no damn mantyhose.

I will say though, if a man is going to wear mantyhose I would prefer that they look like these photos in them. The better you look in something, the more likely people are to forgive what you wear. I can certainly forgive nice legs like these. You should too.

The lesson we should all take from the mantyhose is again that fashion is a reflection of society and where it's headed. I have been saying for years that the future will blur the lines of sexuality and gender. Before long, those boundaries will be a thing of the past. Fashion is reflecting that by creating clothes that are can be worn by men or women. I think we should all just embrace the change, and help it along. That way, there's less of a chance that the blurring will be done badly. I have already seen mantyhose in purple, so there needs to be more fashion conscious people watching this trend to steer it in the right direction.

Here's to style. Cheers!

GQ-Suit-Lookin' Boy

I am glad that everyone enjoyed my last blog with a live model. It was a new thing I thought I would try so that you can see the real deal fashion ... live and in person.

I have a new present for you: another live model. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a female yet, but I think we can all agree that men need the most work with clothes anyway. So, my roommate Michael will be my model today as I dredge up an old blog. We all remember my blog many months ago on finding the perfect suit for men.

In my September blog, "Most men's suits just don't suit me ...," I provided some simple rules to turn any man into a GQ man. At the time, I didn't include photos in all my blogs so that you could see what I'm talking about. Now, thanks to my model, I have something to show you all.

I just happened to be walking upstairs to my room when Michael walked out of his room to the bathroom to check out his suit. He recently purchased a suit at Bloomingdale's and had it tailored there. The suit caught my eye, and it was perfectly tailored for him. I was impressed. So much so that I snapped a couple of shots for a sequel blog.

To refresh your memory ( for those of you who will not go back to read the entire blog), here's a summary of the tips I gave:

1. Fabric

There are only three basic fabrics to choose from, so no need to go any farther unless you are an advanced dresser--wool, polyester, and cotton (yes, there are cotton suits being made).

2. Pants

The waistline of your pants needs to be at a comfortable fit. Pants should sit comfortably on the waist, just above the hips. As far as the hem of your pants, pant length should reach the heel in back and allow for a break in the front.

3. Shirt

The sleeve length needs to be exact. Stop wearing shirts too big for you. Remember that this is your "good suit." Everything should fit just right.

4. Jacket

The suit’s jacket needs to fit easily across your stomach in order to appear professional. It should not be overly tight, but rather allow for some play when the jacket is buttoned. A two-button suit is an American classic.

5. Colors

Black, charcoal, gray, midnight blue, brown, tan, slate, do you see where I'm going guys? These are colors that work. This suit must be multi-functional.

Now, taking all these tips as a whole, let's take a look at how it works in real practice. Here's Michael:

And here's to style. Cheers!

Diamonds are a bland girl's best friend.

Inspired by a friend's recent engagement, and aversion to diamond engagement rings, I thought now would be a good time to address that. Spring will be coming soon enough, and marriage proposals will be the talk of the town. Why not get a jump on ideas now for that special someone in your life. I will be giving my top tips for finding an engagement ring.

Tip #1: Know Your Fiancee.

I would certainly say this is the first and most important tip I can give you. Is your fiancee a ring girl? Does she want an engagement ring, or a down payment on a house? I know this will shock many of you, but not every woman wants a ring. I know you may want to lock her down and make her your property by putting a nice stamp on her for all men to see. But, maybe ... just maybe ... what will make her stick around is knowing y'all will have a roof over your heads.

Tip #2: Diamonds Are Forever, But Not For Everyone

First, let me say I love diamonds. I think a flawless six carat rock will make me marry dang near anybody. However, diamonds are too typical people. Not every girl wants one. Know this now. Is your fiancee a diamond girl? Or is there another stone she always wears, or that she just finds more beautiful. I, personally, am a sapphire guy. Deep, blue, sapphires. I love them ... and I think they are the most gorgeous stone around. My mother loves garnets. So, in our cases, a diamond wouldn't work for us. Besides, I find diamonds a little tacky nowadays. They clash with most fashions, unless of course you dress like Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl every day. Do you? Well then, think of another stone. Diamonds are not the rarest stone around, so the price of them doesn't actually correspond to their supply.

Tip #3: Dare to Design

This is my favorite tip. If you really want to blow her mind when you present her with the ring, think about creating a ring that she's never seen before. Designing your own ring can be a great way to provide that unique touch to the ring that makes it that much more special to her when she gets it. A special tip from me to you is that I like to visit Van Cleef & Arpel's website to look at their engagement rings. They have a great selection of rings, and their designs are usually quite unique. I like to use them as a starting point and then add something more catered to my desires to the ring (in my head), and bam, you have an outstanding ring that is your own creation.


Take a look at this ring, the Couture. I love how it's designed to look like the diamond is like a button. Now, I am not a fan of the classic circle cut diamond, I like a rectangle more. So, my spin on this is to take the center diamond, make it a rectangle cut sapphire, raise it a little, and the loop can stay. It still looks like a button, but just a rectangular button. And the sapphire throws it off just enough to make you look again at the ring. It reminds me of this shirt I had once. It had wooden buttons to it...oak I think. it was so different than everyone else was wearing people talked about it the whole semester I wore it.

In this case, I think the diamonds really make the sapphire pop more once you see it together. But you get what I'm saying about a simple revamp. You can look at a number of rings to get ideas. Piece things together. Just don't do the pear-shaped diamond with a gold band. It looks hideous, and there's a reason Carrie threw up when she saw it on Sex and the City. I would too.

Tip #4: Befriend a Jeweler

If you're looking to save a little money, it might be nice to get to know a jeweler now who can make you your creation at a fraction of the cost. You can buy the stones wholesale at a much cheaper price (allowing you to get bigger stones wink wink), and even take your old gold jewelry (or platinum, whatever) and have the jeweler melt it down to make the band. There, you can have a gorgeous ring made that doesn't break the bank. I do have a jeweler in my back pocket should I ever lose my mind and go the marriage route. I have a design in mind, I can get the stones cheap, and I'm sure I can swing a good price on the white gold needed for the band.

Any of you can do it. My brother took my mother's old gold jewelry--that had broken but she never threw away--and had it melted down. He bought a garnet stone (her favorite, and had a ring made up of all her old jewelry. She loves that ring and wears it all the time. She'll tell anyone about how her son made a ring for her out of her old jewelry. And I will admit the design of the ring is great for her ... exactly her taste. The same thing can be done for your fiancee. Go for it.

Tip #5: Men get engaged too!

That's right. It ain't all about you honey. Men are on the other side of the engagement, and sometimes they want a ring too. Sometimes, more so than the woman does.

This tip is really just to make you all aware that it is okay to ask the guy to marry you. And if you do, give the boy a freaking ring. Don't ask him to marry you then demand he go out and spend thousands on a ring for you. Get him something! Nowadays, men's engagement rings are become a common thing. They are truly more unique than a woman's ring. Take a look at this one I found:

Not bad, huh? Certainly an interesting way to go. Break with tradition. Put your stamp on that man. Hell, the gays have been putting engagement rings on men for a while now. Don't let them have all the fun. Besides, maybe a nice engagement ring will get the guy to stop wearing his tacky class ring all the time. Those things are ugly ... just ugly. They are bulky, ugly, and should be kept in the box it came in. I hate those things, and men buy them as big as they can get, don't they? That's a whole other tangent I shouldn't get on. Let's just say putting that ring on HIS finger instead is a cost saver, and takes care of several accessory problems he may have. It's win-win.

LOL ... here's to style people. Cheers!