Chappish!

I don't like ironing, but I don't like going around in wrinkled clothes either. Lately, I happened upon a product called wrinkle releaser. It's neat how it works. You spray it lightly on the clothes, pull the wrinkles straight and smooth them out with your hand, then hang up the shirt or whatever to dry. It works. It is not as great as a good ironing job, but it is better than going around looking like Columbo. Great for travel!

It's difficult to speak about what honor is, for our culture has so few present-day examples. Honor is doing the right thing when it costs you. It is doing that even when no one is looking. It is refusing to duck the question--when a question of what's right puts you to some inconvenience or risk or interferes with your plans or ambitions. It is saying that questions of principle are important questions, important enough to have weight when you do not want them to. Our society sees so little honor these days that you can stand out as a man among men by showing some. Women who are not impressed by it are not worth impressing. Remember, chaps: In the stories, it is the knight, not the knave, who gets the princess.

Lately, I had the chance to taste some wines from Presque Isle Wine Cellars, a winery in the Lake Erie district of northwestern Pennsylvania. The wines were made with evident care and craftsmanship, and some of them I think are excellent. Their port is heavy bodied, red, fruity, complexly tasty and has plenty of alcohol authority. Their Riesling is mellow and round, not at all flat or heavy, and finishes crisply. Their Noiret and their Carmine are full-bodied reds, rich and complex. A friend very much likes their Pink Catawba as an amusing, and very tasty, "poolside wine." Check out this winery if you enjoy serving good wine that, perhaps, none of your friends has heard of. http://www.piwine.com/our-vineyards.html

Yeah...well a lot of guys ignore it, but according to the ancient made-up rules about such things, our socks should match or coordinate with our neckties. Easy trick: Buy only plain black dress socks . Buy only ties that have a lot of black in them. Black does not clash with anything and we don't have to peer carefully at our socks and ties in the semi-dark of early morning as we are hurrying to get dressed. Don't listen to people who tell us that we also need pocket hankies that match our socks and our ties. That's taking things a bit far. A plain white handkerchief is always appropriate, or simply omit the hanky.  

Ah, the necktie, symbol of civilized man. Lovely fabric in patterns and prints ranging from the tastefully subdued to the loutishly loud. And as you proudly wear this symbol of virility, it is hanging right where food stains are sure to mar its loveliness sooner or later. Take heart, though. Foodstained neckties can often be cleaned up and returned to service using this simple trick. Lay the necktie, stained side up, on a flat surface. Press a slightly damp paper towel over the stain. Let the damp towel dry and you will find the stain has been drawn up into the paper. It works because paper is more absorbent than silk and thus tends to wick the moisture, and the stain, up into itself. You may have to repeat the treatment several times for stubborn stains. The procedure does not always work, but it often does, and it beats shelling out money for a new tie every time the gravy does not stay where it belongs.

There is something particularly manly about lathering up your chops with shaving soap worked up into a rich lather using a shaving brush . Here is the right soap to use , handmade and natural. Bergamot and cedar scented. https://www.etsy.com/listing/265790012/whisker-whacker-natural-shaving-soap

http://amzn.to/1M99Vi9 To the devil with the fashion police. Canvas pants are practical and comfortable. They look great with a navy blue blazer or with a tweed sportcoat. Izod makes the nicest pants of this sort that I've worn, well put together and made of attractive fabrics. Classic khaki is a nice color but check out the other choices too. (Click the picture.) I like the pleated front style because you can carry more stuff in your pockets without looking bulgy. A part of chappishness is not being a slave to someone else's fashion sense. Who decided that some magazine somewhere is the arbiter?