Playing with the Big Boys

September 16, 2021January 2, 2022Cameron Ansari

The Language of Dress as Practiced by Four Current World Leaders Click images for source It’s a game that my wife and I play after work. As we settle down to watch the evening news, unsolicited I make observations about the dress of male newscasters or the pundits being interviewed. Something...

10 Gift Ideas for the Gentleman in Your Life

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019Cameron Ansari

When it comes to giving a thoughtful gift to a discriminating gentleman, many of us can use a little guidance. We’re here to help with 10 suggestions for the man in your life who pretty much has everything. The aim is for items that are either easily ordered online (or available...

The Atlantic Divide: Red Trousers

October 11, 2018October 30, 2018Cameron Ansari

The avoidance of controversy has been a guiding principle for articles on this website, but a recent vacation to New England ‒ Nantucket Island specifically ‒ has unleashed my emotional conflicts on the contentious subject of men wearing red trousers. Or, in my case, not wearing them. Our host on Cape...

Do It Yourself: A Working-man’s Guide to Shoe Care

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018Cameron Ansari

This is a touchy subject. It was as a six-year old boy living in a rather grand household that I was first asked to clean my shoes. Entitled little prince that I was, I refused, stating that I had a servant for doing that, and a cook to make my meals,...

Gifts of River Oaks

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017Taylor Byrne Dodge

We know you’re hustling to cross people off your gift-giving list, and time is ticking. Fortunately, you don’t need to go to a mall or pay high shipping costs for just the right gift. Below, we’ve broken out a selection of possible recipients you might be shopping for, and our picks...

All Tied Up

October 20, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

My mother died early this summer. And I found myself not wearing a tie for a dozen weeks. Granted, it was a grueling summer, and who wants a swatch of silk tied tightly around the neck in this climate? But I had worn a tie for the previous 17 summers while...

Of Buttons and Buttonholes

July 15, 2016October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

A man’s jacket is much like his house. And his buttons are as important as the house’s hardware, fixtures and architectural details. As with architecture elements, the entire button thing can seem daunting. What’s proper? What’s in good taste? Will people be impressed? Do I really care? In matters sartorial, as...

Keeping It Together

January 13, 2016October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

While the obvious function of cufflinks is to hold your cuffs together on shirts that have no cuff buttons, the more important purpose is to provide an opportunity for a man to wear jewelry without having to appear vulgar. However, it’s not enough to simply rush out and buy expensive cufflinks...

“All Cuffs and Collar”

November 30, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

It’s a fairly obscure and sarcastic English observation, with a meaning similar to the sardonic Texan expression, “All hat and no cattle.” Finding common sentiments between English and Texan culture has become a labor of love late in my life. Refreshingly, Google was of little help in finding examples, meaning and...

A Stroll Down Jermyn Street, London

October 21, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

I slipped off the leash on the eve of our departure from London for a pilgrimage down Jermyn Street. It’s the real reason we stay in Mayfair on recent visits. In the Thatcher years Jermyn (pronounced “german”) used to be a mere cross street for me, a LSE student on his...