I roll my own cigarettes, use a zippo lighter, carry my smokes in a vintage metal cigarette case. I use fountain pens, use straight razors and safety razors, but that’s a given lol. I fell into these other hobbies because I already had an appreciation for the old school. And plus a lot of people that are into wet shavings are into things like these. I just got into shoe shinning. I’ve always had an eye for mens fashion but lately have been eyeing up mens dress shoes and formal & casual wear. I would like to get a few nice outfits and want to start incorporating bow ties and suspenders into my 3 piece suits. I’m not a white collar guy, but it’s nice to take care of yourself and dress nice when the situation calls for it. This way when any funeral, wedding, or event I don’t have to scrounge around or always wear that one thing in the back of your closet lol. You could also look nice in a casual setting, but you have to pick the correct things, like dress shoes that have broaging, or penny loafers, and stuff like that are more casual. But if you get a cap toe Oxford then it will be more formal. I’m learning this stuff as I go. but yeah the older I get the more I start to dress differently. I still have my HipHop/skater/50’s leather jacket/ preppy styles I go for but it’s really nice to be able to get dressed up at a moments notice. I bought this shoe shine kit on eBay and it came with 2 polishes, a black and brown, 2 small brushes, and 2 buffing rags. The brand of the polish is “Panther” and it’s either a vintage brand or made in a different country because it’s not very popular and when I try to look at reviews of it there is little to no information about it, so doing more research and watching more videos I decided to get the very popular Saphir Patè De Lux shoe polish. I hear the standard middle of the road stuff is Kiwi, angleus, and Kelly’s but from what I read and seen, the Saphir line of products from France is the best money can get. Of corse they are a lot more expensive but they offer a standard line. I just bought these Florsheims on eBay for $28. From what I gathered brands like Cole Haan, Stacy Adams, Allen Edmonds, Johnston and Murphy, are all quality brands. Of corse you have stuff like Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger , Santino that also offer mens dress shoes, pants, suits and the whole nine.
I also got a bigger horse hair brush, because the one I got in my kit it’s very tiny and better suited for detail work in the Little crevices. I also got this leather balm/ conditioner. I’m sitting here thinking maybe I could use it on my leather strops as well? I don’t see why not
still have my striped 30's gangster suit,fedora and shoes(my wedding)..good sized collection of fragrances,some prized zippo lighters,getting into cloths and stuff again..
Pocket knives and fountain pens. I have a Parker Duofold Jr. that's around 100 years old, maybe a few more, that still holds ink and writes well. What/when was the start to us becoming a throw-away society?
With casual being more popular than dress up I have found a lot of nice sport coats in excellent condition for pennies on the dollar in the last several years by haunting quality thrift stores and consignment shops. I have much more opportunity to wear a sport coat than a suit but there’s no shortage of those either. I have picked up several in like new condition for less money than what it costs me to have them dry cleaned.
Yeah I noticed places like Goodwill have increased their prices, I heard it’s because of resellers. There’s nothing wrong with that, people need to hustle some extra money. But it doesn’t mean that they have to raise their prices. God forbid in fine some Luxury item at a discount haha! I always look for Ralph Lauren at thrift stores
Post WWII. In the 1950's and 60's was the beginning of the move towards 'replace' over 'repair.' Appliances like washing machines and toasters led the charge, with automobiles soon following.
As a former Ralph Lauren employee, that is a good brand for "timeless fashion." A RL sweater, dress slacks, or button down shirt from 10 or 20 years ago can still fit seamlessly into a modern, if somewhat conservative wardrobe. "Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion" and "Color for Men," are two older books that still have value today for someone who is concerned with their appearance.
I love fedoras! I have a very nice fur-felt black fedora. (As I have lots of curly hair, it’s rather flattering.)
There are 980 stitches in the logo in older shirts. 1,100 in current shirts, and a whopping 10,800 stitches in the "big pony" logo. Funny the stuff that sticks with you. Not to feed any aquisition disorders, but have you seen some of the shaving stuff RL put out in the 90's? The Safari collection is particularly nice. Matching shave mug, military brush, comb, razor, and shave brush.
Yeah I seen that metal Safari brush. Someone gifted me a Ralph Lauren soap, but it smelled bad so I ended up throwing it out
I also roll my own cigarettes and use a zippo. I have smoked pipes off and on. Fountain pens are awesome if I can get one to last longer than the brands I’ve bought. Practically use only straight razors these days. I have a hobby of using either push reel mowers or using a scythe to maintain my lawn but not sure if that counts as a gentleman hobby or just a penchant for the old ways of doing things.
You been reading my mail. I stopped buying razors two years ago...that money now going mostly to vintage outerwear and boots. Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk