Saturday Style Note: Collars, Cuffs, and Other Stuff

Another week down and another edition of the Saturday Style Note is coming your way. I don't know where you will be reading this from but down here in Atlanta there is about three inches of snow on the ground. Very strange, I though I left the snow in Chicago. Anyways, one of my pet-peeves is when I put on a dress shirt, or any button down shirt for that matter, and the collar is sloppy. What I mean is that the collar is flattened down, and the edges curl up. Depending on the quality of the shirt you can even start to see some slight wrinkles around the collar. Below is a great way to avoid this problem, take care of your shirts and iron and starch them properly. Here's how:



1. As you might expect, get your iron and a flat space to work. (No brain-er there)
2. Start with the inside of the shirt facing up and flatten out the collar completely. Spray some starch all over it and iron out the collar completely.You can iron from the outside in or the other way around. Whatever you feel gives you the smoothest collar
3. Flip the shirt over, spray the other side of the collar with starch and repeat your ironing motion.
4. Once you have done that, fold the collar over, like how you would actually wear the shirt. Iron along the fold for a crisp collar.

If you like, you can repeat these same steps with your cuffs. Unbutton them, starch iron, flip over and repeat.

If ironing and cleaning your dress shirts and other items isn't your thing than you need to become very good friends with a very good cleaner. Actually, every man needs to have his go to cleaner that he can depend on and trust his nicest clothes with. If your in the Atlanta area than I would like to recommend one. Sig Samuels. This place has great customer service, the kind that has pretty much been lost in business's like this one. Ladies, if your picking up clothes for you or your boyfriend/husband/ect... you can count on them carrying your load out to your car for you. They also know all of their customers by name and do a great job handling your items. They have won "best of Atlanta" a few times and they are definitely worthy of chance to impress you. They are located of off Monroe by the Midtown Arts Cinema in Midtown. However you decide to do it, take care of your shirts. You dont want to be the guy with the collar laying flat, looking like your auditioning for a a remake of Saturday Night Fever.

R.I.P Mcqueen

A great designer, a great innovator. He will not be forgotten, his work will live on.

Quote of the Day Sunday, January 31st: Get Your Week Started Right

The following quote couldnt be any better for the personal experience that I had today. While sitting in my local coffee shop getting some work done I happened to strike up conversation with a gentleman sitting next to me. Long story short, this gentleman happened to be the director of sales and marketing for a hotel in Midtown and after exchanging information I had earned a great new contact in the industry. You never know when an opportunity is going to present itself. So, like many of my other posts suggest...be prepared. This upcoming week put your self out there more so than usual and open your self up so opportunities can present themselves to you. Have a great week.


"One secret of success in life is for a man to be
ready for his opportunity when it comes."
-Benjamin Disraeli

Listen, Learn and Laugh-In Person, With A Real Person

Over the past few days I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to a few experienced and high powered people. Included are the former Director of 3 of the largest hotels in downtown Atlanta, the former President of a large multinational firm and a marketing director. What did all three meetings have in common? It made me realize that actually meeting people face to face and just listening to their experiences is one of the most beneficial and entertaining things you can do. The people that I met had story on top of story, both funny and serious. Too often though we are victims of technology (funny because this piece of technology I am writing though is allowing me to voice this opinion) and it has made us bad listeners. We just don't have the patience for it. If we are actually meeting someone face to face most of the time the person on the other end of the table is to busy calculating what they want to say next that they miss what you are trying to say. People are the most valuable tools we have and we should appreciate them more. Not only that, but just spend some time listening to people. Its intriguing, and educational. Meeting someone and connecting with them is like plugging your laptop into the Internet....you are instantly tapped into their stories, their contacts, their experiences, and their advice. Why wouldn't you want to have as many of those connections as possible? I say we need to take the time to meet more people, and listen to what they have to say and what they have to offer. You never know how they could help you, how you could help them, or what you might learn in general. I was laughing my ass off at some of the stuff I was hearing....and if that's all that I got out of it (which it wasn't-there was much more) then so be it, I am ok with a new friend and a laugh

Eat Great At Home: The Underrated Meal

Unless you are a huge culinary fan and enjoy cooking at home ( which many people are due to the popularity of shows like Top Chef and avid viewers of the cooking channel) making meals for yourself can seem like a huge undertaking. What should you buy? Where should you buy it from? Do you have the time to cook and clean up the kitchen after a long day at work? All these questions tend to lead people to settling for a quick fast food meal or spending tons of money eating out. Well, I have a great solution for those who get intimidated by the simple task of cooking a meal for themselves. Enter the Flat Iron Steak. This cut of meat is often overlooked by those that feel the Filet is the only way to go and that eating a steak is only for special occasions. The Flat Iron steak is more similar to a Ribeye in nature. Meaning it has a higher fat content and while, not being as tender, provides more flavor (in my opinion). Anyways, the Flat Iron doesn’t look like your typical steak and you don’t eat it in the typical way either. You slice it against the grain so you have flavorful strips of steak to enjoy. Furthermore, you don’t need a grill to cook it up. I live in the city and don’t have the luxury of a grill but this steak does great in the oven. Broil it at a temperature of 500 degrees for about six minutes on each side for a nice medium rare. I recommend medium rare because this steak is not as tender as other cuts. Also, one Flat Iron can easily serve two people however if its just you then save what you don’t eat and throw the strips on a sandwich for lunch the next day. If you are going to be enjoying this underrated cut of meat for dinner, than I recommend pairing it with a few red potatoes and some mushrooms, both of which are extremely easy to prepare. Not only is this meal easy to prepare but it is also cost effective. Your local grocer probably offers the Flat Iron for between seven and twelve bucks and mushrooms and potatoes together will cost you, at most, six bucks. One last note, no seasoning is necessary on this meat. Salt, pepper and cook is all you have to do. Eat great at home, don’t be intimidated. Washing it down with an ice cold beer never hurt anyone either…..

Quick Buy List for Your Convenience:

Flat Iron Steak
Red Potatoes
Mushrooms
Salt/Pepper
Butter (for cooking the shrooms).
Beer (optional, but not really…)

What You Should Be Drinking Right Now: The Old Fashioned

During this time of year drinks can start to seem a bit monotonous. Its mid January so your typical heavy winter drinks are starting to grow old on you but its to soon for lighter summer cocktails. Furthermore, I have always said to drink what you like and not be afraid of what people think but I do draw a line at some point. A man should pretty much always avoid over the top, fruity, sugary cocktails but thats getting away from the point of this post. The suggestion I have for you today stradles the line between the Winter and Summer cocktail. So here it is what you should be drinking right now

*******The Old Fashioned

This cocktail is simple and refreshing but the fact that it is made with bouron gives it that extra body and warmth you are still looking for this time of year. Now I do have to say, like many recipes, there are multiple versions of this drink and you can customize to taste. I like, and advocate, the simple straight forward ingredients below. However, some do use a cube of sugar, or some bitters. This is my interpretation that I would like to pass on to you to enjoy tonight, tommorow, or whenever your next drinking occasion occurs.

Bourbon
Club Soda
A lemon wedge

Thats all you need to have a great cocktail. Plus, the flavor is not over powewring by any means which goes to say that you can have a couple of these and not get over powered by pointless "mixers"

The Power Of The Local Pub

The quote that follows this post below is a great one and is perfect for what I wanted to talk about today. I think every man needs to have his go to pub or his neighborhood bar. A local bar to a man is what a psychiatrist is to a patient or what a salon is to a woman. Its where you feel comfortable. Its where you can go by yourself and enjoy a drink and good conversation. Its where you can go when you are stressed out and feel your trouble melt away...even if they only leave you for the duration of your cocktail. I recently went to my favorite neighborhood bar and there was such a warmth there and friendly atmosphere I just felt like I was at my second home. Now, I dont frequent this bar everyday but its always there for me when I need to get out and get away. Its amazing what a good drink, a good bar tender and a good atmosphere can do to lift up your spirits for an evening. I really do belive that every man should have his favorite local bar and support it. Its such a great benefit when you have found your local spot and it doesnt have a mandatory monthly fee or membership dues or anything like that. Its just there for you whenever you need it. A true Modern Gentleman always has his favorite hide away. Its like the old quote, "Behind every great man is an even greater woman". I would like to ammend that quote and say "behind every great man is an even greater woman and behind both of them is a fantastic pub".

Fantastic French Press.....I have been converted

Iam not afraid to admit that I can be a coffee snob. Yes, I have refused coffee from friends and family because it tastes like bitter water. Yes, I have visited a starbucks three times in one day. So what? I feel like if you are really maximizing your time then coffee is a must. What I mean is that when I am out until three or four in the morning and then I have to get up at eight thrity or nine I need a little something to get me going. After you do that enough times you start to have a prefference for coffee and my prefference happened to be for the strong, bold, bitter taste that starbucks coffee has. To speed this up for you, I am at a point where I pretty much always have a cup of coffee in hand and I gotta tell ya, that gets expensive. Even straight black coffee is $2.50 and the hasle of leaving early to get to your meeting or where ever you may be headed to to make sure you hit a starbucks is annoying. Enter the French Press. I was sckeptical, and I though that this simple device was going to end up in the same place my standard coffee machine did...in the trash. Up to this point, nothing has been able to match the strengh of flavor that you get from the actual coffee shop. However, now I stand corrected and I would recommend the French Press to anyone who is similar to me. First of all, its easy...second of all its cost effective...lastly, it eliminates the hasle of planning around a trip to the coffee shop. You can still buy from your favorite store but you can buy a bag of their beans instead of a cup. The press retains oils from the beans (unlike your coffee mate standard machine) and gives the coffee more body and more flavor. If your like me you wont be convicned until you try it. So do it....by the way, a recent study showed that heavy drinkers who woke up the next morning and religiously had a few cups of coffee were far less likely to have liver damage. Things are looking up! The press that I own is made by BODUM and their prices range from $20 to $100. Check their site out and make the switch.....www.bodum.com

A Tip of the Hat to Texas and to Garrett Gilbert

As you may or may not know, this blog comes to you right out of Midtown, Atlanta. With Atlanta being a major city in the South that means it is impossible to not get caught up in college football hype. Personally, I am an NFL fan (Steelers all the way...a true fan not a bandwagon fan). Either way, I knew that I would find my self at a party for the BCS National Championship game and I would have to choose sides seeing as how I dont have a loyalty to Alabama or Texas. Due to the fact that I have more friends and family ties to Alabama I went with them. Needless to say (if you watched the game) picking Alabama was the right way to go. However, I just wanted to give a "tip of the hat" to Texas's second string true freshman quarterback. The last game this guy probably played was in high school and here he finds him self running into the game on the second drive and it is up to him to win the Nation Championship game. Talk about pressure! Garrett Gilbert (Texas second string QB) started out a little shaky but by the second half he was confidently completing passes and at one point got the game to within three points (21-24). Now, Gilbert was unable to finish what he was thrown into and Texas did eventually lose but lets give Gilbert some credit. The guy stepped up to the plate when his number was called. I am not sure if we will be seeing a lot from Gilbert in the future but he handled himself how this blog believes a Gentleman would. Step up, do your job, dont complain and give it all you got.

Away We Go! I just broke a bottle of Champagne on my laptop.....

Have you ever met someone who has that impossibly cool way about them? Its a subtle confidence that is contagious. Its walking into a room and capturing it in a completely unpretentious way. Its not being to good for some and only associating with a select few who share your interests. Its about being a conversationalist and being able to get along with anyone, no matter how different you may be from each other. Its looking good without looking like you tried.Its being worldly and having a wealth of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. That is what embodies the Modern Gentleman and that is what this site represents.Please note, I am not claiming to have all these qualities. This is going to be a journey to become that Modern Gentleman and also a learning while doing experience for me. Hopefully this will be an entertaining,enjoyable,and informational experience for you. The end goal? Finding a sense of whats good in a confident yet subtle way...in every area of life. So welcome and I hope you enjoy whats to come.