SEANOTES, PALMETTOS AND GETTING NOTICED FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS

Basic matter - I have always been interested with the classics – things that don’t go away and are based on functionality as much as fit and aesthetics and I’d  say it extends to how I feel about the music I listen to and the decors I buy for my flat.

For someone in my profession, it is just impossible to dress badly and with the amount of daily client and internal meetings, site visits, socials and last minute invites to launches, I just can’t! Honestly, it can get pretty tiring.

Even despite having the luxury of pulling out my favorite trousers and dress shirt all crisp and ironed from my make believe Narnia, the thought of repeating an outfit within the same week is like stabbing yourself with a Swiss knife. And for others who end up ironing their own clothes in the morning, wasting precious minutes, would you rather enjoy a nice cup of newly pressed coffee than suffer, trying to flatten every crease?

Fast forward – I’d rather not! We’d rather NOT!

Thought bubble – how about non-iron trousers for each day of your work week? 

You got all days covered! 

Bonobos, a men’s apparel brand focused on better-fitting clothes and a better-shopping experience, recently launched their Weekday Warrior Collection, featuring iron-free, embroidered pants in 12 colors. Yes, 12 colors from your standard navy to edgy burgs (burgundy).

Made of premium cotton, each trousers are precisely cut, conforming to the natural shape of your waist, minus the extra saggy fabric which usually  gives that unsightly mangina (for the lack of a better word).

Connect with Bonobos on Instagram and Facebook and get yourself a pair!

They fit like a charm which also makes it perfect for weekends. Pair it with your favorite blazer or pique shirt and you’re good to go.

You’d rather get noticed for all the right reasons, right? 

DOWN TO A TEE

After hitting 9 holes and spending a couple of hours in the driving range over the holidays, I’m confident I never lost my swing even after years of inactivity in the fairway.

Lately, I have noticed a lot of golfers no longer dress the part, favoring more on loose frumpy shirts,  shapeless shorts, jeans and basketball shoes – horribly dowdy!

 

Got my groove back with 200 yards and a perfect tan

Being a classicist myself minus the old tartan-wool cap, I am one of those who prefer hitting the fairways looking good in lightweight cotton pique shirts in lime, pink or white paired with either tartan trousers or shorts that are cut just right, not too tight or baggy – and oh, nothing that would seem out of place in the country club or Saturday brunch.

Bringing back what was once the most stylish game in the world, thankfully, brands like FootJoy, have created functional and fashion-forward golf apparel perfect for the younger and hipper generation of golfers.

Using the best athletic material without sacrificing style, maximum protection and comfort, FootJoy equals fashion-meets-function golf-wear. Even  FJ’s sport golf shoe is beyond words – even more comfortable than your favorite pair of espadrilles.

Starting the year right, online golf apparel specialist, Function18, just launched their GREAT FOOTJOY SALE (Silent scream) – everything from jackets, coats and waterproof trousers. I have my basket ready and fingers itching to click, BUY! You should have yours ready too.

And oh, just like the sport, FootJoy is all about accuracy and yes, they’ve nailed it to a tee.  Time to hit your driver like a top PGA tour player!

YES YA'KAN!

I am in love with my new yoga bag!

Hand crafted by the remarkable  Yakan artisans of Zamboanga and Basilan in Southern Philippines, Yakang Yaka yoga bags are stylish, unique and neo-ethnic, with designs patterned after the bunga-sama or the local python; kenna-kenna, patterned after a fish; dawen-dawen, after the leaf of a vine; pene mata-mata, after the shape of an eye and the kabang buddi, diamonds.

“Almost every Yakan fabric can be described as unique since the finished materials are not identical. Usually taking weeks to one month to finish a meter, differences are seen in the pattern, design and the distribution of colors,” said Kelly Marian Murga Mortensen, the advocate  behind Yakang Yaka.

Available in a wide selection of striking prints and colors, these yoga bags are the perfect addition to any yoga gear!

And guess what,  these bags are quickly becoming a fixture. Lesley Dimson, a yogi from Pulse Yoga was spotted carrying one.

WHY VINTAGE ROLEX IS HOTTER THAN EVER

Vintage Rolex watches are hotter than ever. More and more collectors find themselves drawn to the more subdued luster of that older steel. For some, no doubt, it is a nostalgia thing. Forty-something’s grew up reading National Geographic ads for Rolex models that are now considered vintage. They grew up watching –and still watch—classic movies and TV shows where the heroes often wore some model of now-vintage Rolex. The younger set watches the same stuff on Hulu and Netflix today. Bill Cosby and Robert Culp wore Rolex GMT-Masters on the classic 1960s TV show, I Spy.  Tom Selleck wore the same watch on the popular 1980s TV show, Magnum, P.I.

It has become fashionable in recent years to collect and to be seen wearing vintage Rolex. Celebrities too, are seemingly going for vintage in a big way. Singer John Mayer is a vintage Rolex Daytona junkie and is said to have a world-class collection. He even writes for an online watch collector site occasionally. Actor Orlando Bloom is also said to be a major collector of vintage Rolexes. One concern for collectors is whether to buy restored or non-restored, completely original watches. Rolex expert Jeffrey Hess expert estimates 80-perecnt of Rolexes made before the 1980s have had one or more parts replaced as part of a Rolex repair or service at some time in their past. The completely original watches are more desirable and valuable, but a good restored piece can make a great every day wearer, too.

An article in the UK’s online Guardian newspaper reported that more and more people were now turning to the older watches, “their dull patina considered a sign of class.” For many celebrities who can literally afford any watch in the world, the attraction of owning something made of unobtanium is real. When you can have anything you want, you tend to want something you can’t: hence the appeal of items no longer in production.

Vintage watches are increasingly seen as stylish pieces of history you can wear on your wrist. They also combine the appeal of historical curio with the masculine aura associated with the celluloid heroes of yore. Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner in the early James Bond films and Paul Newman and Steve McQueen are so associated with vintage Rolex that collectors have named specific models after them. It’s not just for the guys, either. With the increasing popularity of the “I’m wearing my boyfriend’s watch” look, more ladies are wearing men’s watches than ever before. Jennifer Anniston collects and wears vintage Rolex and Patek Philippe.

Finally, there is one more thing vintage has going for it. You can buy a Picasso or Vermeer if sufficiently well-heeled and hang it on your office or living room wall, but you can’t take it into that high-powered meeting where the watch on your wrist can go. This helps make the vintage watch one of the most appealing collectibles of all. It goes everywhere you do, and as such is a very personal possession. For more and more watch lovers, when it comes time to have a Rolex service, the watch being serviced is likely to be a vintage one.