Style Minute

Check out the Style Minute on ocala.com, web home of the Star-Banner newspaper. I toured a new salon/day spa owned by San Diego Chargers captain, Clint Hart.

Oscars-Best Dressed Men

Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, and Will Smith exuded a classic, and hopefully not lost, gentlemanliness with three distinct looks at last night's Oscars. Jackman sported a classic one-button peak lapel dinner jacket with a waistcoat, custom made from Burberry; Ford opted for an elegant shawl-lapel dinner jacket from Tom Ford while Will Smith went the natty double-breasted route with shawl lapels. Looks to these men because what they're wearing looked just as good 50 years ago. No messy unbuttoned shirt collars, no skinny ties, no trousers bunching at the shoe, no odd colors; just well cut and classic. For formal dress, wearing one of these options is a no-lose situation.

Say no crack...and visible undergarments

How about alerting the young men of America and informing them to, and I quote the always dapper Fonzworth Bentley, "Pull your ass down or pull your pants up." That was from Season 1 of From G's To Gents, great stuff. He's right though, boxers protruding from jeans which waistline hovers around the upper thigh is foul and offensive, oh yeah, it's also tacky and juvenile. It says to world that you're not prepared to enter tax-paying society; you are unable to figure out your true waist size; you believe there's a correlation to the number of women you get to how low your pants are. Wrong. Dead wrong. No man is an island, as the saying goes (my grandfather always said it, I hear) and we must all coexist in some semblance of harmony. You're not alone, therefore if I shower and put on proper fitting trousers and cover my privates, you should as well. If I take the effort to present myself in a civilized manner, so should you. Visible, soiled boxer shorts are not part of civilized society. They are for your eyes and whomever has the unfortunate task and handling your hamper. There. I said it.
On to my second point...Tank tops (sometimes referred to wifebeaters by inconsiderate cretins) are undergarments. I repeat, tank tops and undergarments. Therefore, young men of America, please refrain from wearing them to the mall without a proper shirt, further exposing your faded plaid boxer shorts. This practice is the height of thuggery. It appears that you are ready to fight by exposing your bidceps to potential opponents. This is not part of civilized society. If you wish to expose your meaningless tribal tattoo on your 'roided up bicep, please drive to the nearest beach, jump in the water, swim a great distance and stop.

Sean Penn should adjust his tie

The Academy Awards are formal. Sean Penn is a rebel. We get it. He looks bad, how about that.

Take a cue from Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman is the essence of gentlemanliness in his peak-lapel dinner jacket and shawl-lapel waistcoast at the Academy Awards.

His jacket sleeves are the perfect length; trousers are the precise break for formal dress; and if I was a white man, I would want his hair.

How about no white athletic socks

Gentlemen. Every style manual, book, magazine; every stylish man, stylish woman, store associate, ex-girlfriend has said repeatedly, no white socks at dinner. I'm not sure how many times this memo has to be passed around. Perhaps eternally. White athletic socks only go with athletics sneakers in the pursuit of victory on a court or field. End of story. I was out the other night and saw a nice looking couple; she had a relatively simple dress and he appeared to have put on his best pair of jeans and starched polo for a big Valentine's evening dinner. Well, when seated at the bar, his white athletic socks peaking out of black dress shoes said more than any accessory she had on. Black shoes, black socks.

This week's Style Minute

Click on the title for the link. This week, it's all about presidential style.