犯了這些錯，穿再帥也沒救

parisiandaily.com

最近我看到越來越多男生穿著得比較正式，這表示他們開始注意外表，而這是一個好的轉變。然而，我也發現很多人對於穿著的基本規則不太懂。但有些穿西裝的重要禮儀和基本穿著搭配是男生一定要知道的。

即便你覺得西裝外套和西裝褲的材質、顏色差不多，但兩者一定要一致，不要亂混搭!旁人是有眼睛分辨出材質與顏色的差異，他們會以為你買不起一整套西裝、再不然就是西裝褲洗了還沒乾，才會黑色外套配深深灰的褲子。如果你想要走混搭風，就挑對比明顯的顏色，像是海軍藍vs.白。

megasuits.blogspot.com

穿西裝，永遠記得當你站立時最後一顆釦子不要扣，不管是兩顆、三顆釦子或是雙排扣的西裝都一樣。如果你的西裝是單一顆扣子，在你起身當然就該扣起來。而在你坐下的時候就要記得把西裝釦子解開，但雙排釦無論是站立或坐下都只能扣著。這個不起眼的小動作，在懂得禮儀的人眼裡，自然會為你的表現加分。我女朋友去某銀行面試時，就有遇過同場的應徵者被董事長提點穿著禮儀，要他坐下時要記得把釦子解開，這樣西裝才不會皺皺的影響觀感。

請記得襯衫最上面的釦子不要扣，除非你有打領帶或領結，不然別人會以為你早上趕著出門忘了打領帶。另外，皮帶跟皮鞋的顏色要一樣，穿咖啡色皮鞋就要用咖啡色皮帶，穿黑色皮鞋就要用黑色皮帶，簡單來說就是皮件類的物品顏色要一致。

modgentman.com

襪子的顏色是要跟褲子接近或同色系，而不是根據鞋子的顏色來搭配。此外，除非你要模仿Michael Jackson，千萬不要黑鞋配白襪!唯一的例外是你想要表現獨特的時尚品味，你才會穿跟褲子不同顏色的襪子，像是灰色西裝搭配紫色襪子。

collegehumor.com

今年夏天，台灣男生喜歡把polo衫領子往上翻，這是屬於1970、1990年代的流行，如果你怕太陽毒辣讓脖子曬傷，寧可花錢買罐係數高品質好的防曬乳，也不要再當古人了，這樣一點都不MAN。


如果你有使用袋巾，記得材質和顏色要跟領帶不一樣。不然會顯得你很刻意或是有強迫症，同時也透露你對顏色的搭配沒什麼概念。還有金屬配件的顏色不要金、銀混搭，例如；銀色袖扣，金色手表，銀色戒指，不是穿金又戴銀就會提高你的身分地位。

adorn-london.com

附帶一提，即便再流行的穿搭方式，不適合自己的身形就不要勉強，你不是模特兒身高180，短褲配靴子只會顯得你腿短腿粗又矮。

最後，如果你不是視障朋友，就不要在夜間或室內戴墨鏡，不然你就成了自以為帥的渾蛋。

Basics of buying a watch pt 1 continued [Update]

Something I forgot to add with regards to mechanical watches was that there are 2 types of mechanical watches, namely manual and self-winding.

Manual Mechanical Watch

Panerai Manual Winding Watch

This means the main spring of the watch must be wound manually to power the movement of the watch.  Generally this requires the wearer to turn the crown of the watch, (a knob on the outside of the watch case) to wind the main spring. Below is a diagram to explain the process by Tourneau.com's Knowledge Center:

tourneau.com

1. Turning the Crown winds the Mainspring, causing it to store energy.
2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
6. The hands advance.

Self winding Mechanical Watch
This is commonly known as an automatic movement.  The main spring is wound by a rotor, which is turned by the movements of the wearer's wrist and gravity, hence powered by kinetic energy.

Audemars Piguet Rotor (back of the watch)

When the main spring is wound, it builds up energy, which is slowly released to run the watch.  On average, most mechanical watches can run for roughly 40 hours on one full winding. Naturally, once the main spring has released all its stored energy, the balance wheel will stop, which causes the watch to stop, unless it is wound again. Furthermore, mechanical movements could face the risk of over winding the watch, but most mechanical watches these days have a slipping clutch device used on the main spring to prevent this from happening. The diagram below represents the steps involved in the working of automatic movements by Tourneau.com:

tourneau.com

1. Movement of the wrist turns the Rotor which winds the Mainspring. Turning the Crown will also wind the Mainspring.
2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
6. The hands advance.

Quartz Watch 

The diagram below illustrates the process of how a quartz watch works by Tourneau.com:

tourneau.com

1. Electricity is carried from the Battery to the Quartz Crystal via the Integrated Circuit.
2. The electricity makes the Quartz Crystal vibrate at a rate of 32,768 vibrations per second.
3. These electrical pulses are sent via the Integrated Circuit to the Stepping Motor.
4. The Stepping Motor sends every 32,768th electrical pulse to the Dial Train.
5. The Dial Train advances the hands on the watch.

Basics of buying a watch pt 1

Recently a number of friends are interested in buying their first serious watch, thus I would like to discuss some the the basic things to look for when purchasing a watch.  To traditionalists and conservatives, the watch is the only acceptable form of jewelry a man can wear, besides cuff-links and tie-bars.  

Naturally the purpose of the watch is to tell the time, but in this day and age, where the time is available in our car, on our phones, in public and so forth, the importance of telling the time on your wrist has decreased.  Hence the current emphasis of wearing a watch can be said to be more form over functionality. This means it provides another opportunity for self-expression of your personality, life-style and status.  In addition, wearing a watch subtly indicates that you care about keeping time and in the professional world, you will be taken a bit more seriously when you wear a watch as compared to whipping out your smartphone to tell the time. Obviously if you wear a Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty watch, I don't think you will be taken seriously at all.

Generally, there are two types of watches based on their movements.  A movement is a device that measures the passage of time as well as displays the current time. The two types of movements are mechanical and electronic, commonly known as quartz movement.

Mechanical
These types of movements essentially use a mechanical mechanism to measure time and is powered by a spring that needs to be wound regularly to build up energy.  It releases the energy through a series of gears to power the balance wheel, which through other mechanisms, move the hands of the watch at a constant rate. The seconds hand of a mechanical watch can be said to 'glide' or move around smoothly. 

Electronic/Quartz
forums.watchuseek.com

Mechanical Movement
ofrei.com

Electronic or Quartz Movement
These watches use a specially designed battery that activate a quartz crystal to vibrate very quickly.  These vibrations are converted into energy by a computer chip to drive an electronic motor, which move the watch's hands.  The seconds hand can be seen to tick every second, but some quartz powered watches also have seconds hands that glide. 

Although mechanical watches are less accurate than electronic powered watches, and require periodic maintenance, mechanical watches are more expensive and considered more prestigious.  The reason for this is there is craftsmanship, aesthetics and tradition associated with mechanical watches.  Moreover, if properly maintained, it can last much longer and passed down through generations, whereas the electronic circuitry of quartz powered watches have a limited lifespan.  Thus serious timepieces only consist of mechanical movements.

So if you want a watch just for fashion purposes where you can throw away next season, a quartz watch is probably more suitable for you.  However, if you want a watch that will be taken more seriously, where you can keep it for many years and pass down to others, rather get a mechanical watch.

Manners matter more than most people realise

For the past few months, I have been discussing the importance of appearances and setting first impressions. What you wear and how you dress sends out invisible messages about yourself, and the people who see you receive these messages and make subconscious judgments.  The people who are aware of this fact present themselves in the way they want people to perceive them, be it professional, stylish, or glamorous. 

Photo via: blackdiamondsky.com

However, even if you look like a million bucks (or these days perhaps a billion dollars), your manner or lack thereof could betray you.  This usually happens when someone opens their mouth to boorishly express themselves or does an action that is plainly uncouth, thereby shattering the illusion of their appearance, like a glamour spell dissipating abruptly. For example, a man wearing a tailored suit enters his BMW limousine, and so I start making reasonably positive judgments, but then he tosses his cigarette out of his window and he is now no better than a dog peeing on the side of a street.

Quite often, I find myself sounding like an old man, and this is probably one of those cases.  We currently live in a time where dress codes have become more and more casual, hence the sense of occasion has started to diminish, but this does not mean etiquette should be eroded too.  Unfortunately, a lot of people forget their manners and a lot of these people forget they are in public spaces.  To my great annoyance, some people will talk really loudly on the phone in the bus or train, others will push their way across queues, or step on my shoes in a crowded place without apologizing.  These sort of actions should be put with transgressions such as smoking in public! 


Perhaps its the faster paced lifestyle that we live in, but far too often people don't say please and thank you enough or excuse me, especially to those who work in the service industry.  No wonder you get bad service.  Having a bit of manners and etiquette will not hurt, in fact it will most certainly help.  People are more likely to give you their attention, their help or service as well as their respect.  This does not mean be a tight arsed sissy, you can be an ice-cold son of a bitch, but be polite about it.  It will make you even more intimidating or charming, depending how you want to present yourself.  Additionally, having manners does not imply you should be a snob about it, as the purpose of being polite is to be more sociable and more accepted by others.  


Therefore, in conclusion to this little rant of mine, be mindful of manners. Watch what you say and how you act in public.  If you are unsure, ask the people close to you or you can ask me :p