Tastehunter

The nice folks at Philips Norelco recently sent me their Vacuum Stubble and Beard Trimmer Pro for testing. We tried it on Rath & Co. team member Josh, who usually sports a bit of neatly trimmed stubble. Here’s how it went:

-We loved the vacuum design. It was a major bonus not having hair fly all over the place while shaving.

-The blade felt big, sturdy and soft. We didn’t need any fancy products for it to be comfortable.

-Josh liked being able to shave in reverse with it. The trimmer he nomally uses sometimes pulls on his hair painfully when he does that, but he had no issues with this one. We did notice some hairs in the sink though he used it backwards (which might mean we weren’t supposed to do that).

-It was nice to be able to customize what length stubble you’re going for. The Trimmer Pro has 18 settings from 1mm-18mm.

-We also liked the options for faster and slower speeds.

Overall, this is an excellent product for no-brainer trimming if you want to get that “next day beard” look, without waiting for your hair to grow in after shaving and hoping it does so evenly. The Stubble and Beard Trimmer Pro retails for $59.99, and you can get it here. If you have any thoughts on this trimmer, or any others that you like, we welcome you to share them in comments or tweet me here.

I was flipping channels the other morning when I came across the above specimen of non-eyebrow grooming. At first I thought it was a joke, like maybe David Faber was having a snooze in the green room when Erin Burnett took a razor to one half of his brows and some crazy glue and a fake mustache to the other. But after a few minutes with no one batting an eyelash or, er, a long eyebrow strand, and showing David Faber how foolish he looked, I realized that it was no joke indeed.

I’m not saying guys should go out and get their eyebrows perfectly formed, but when the pieces are so long they start to tickle your eyeballs, or you have one eyebrow instead of two (a unibrow? uh…check please), it’s time for a little grooming action. Find a reputable salon in your area and ask the groomer to reduce your brows. Tell him or her that you do not want scarily feminine eyebrows of the Jesse Metcalfe variety, but rather normal, cleaned-up, but still masculine ones. Then get yourself some tweezers and a pair of small scissors, and touch them up yourself in between visits, being careful not to get overzealous. Also consider using Givenchy’s Mister Eyebrow fixing pencil which contains adhesive polymers to keep those stubborn stragglers in line.

P.S. Dear TV-photographing, I wish I knew how to quit you.

It was clever TV programming last night to pit the guy-magnet movies “Old School” and “Saving Private Ryan” against the 82^nd Annual Academy Awards. Although a lot of men are averse to watching awards shows, much can be learned from how the stars present themselves. Here are some interesting picks and the serious and not-so-serious messages they tell me as an Image Consultant.

Wow, just wow. Ryan Reynolds looks relaxed and at ease in his monkey suit, something that’s not exactly easy to accomplish. His confidence absolutely shines through. Takeaway: own your look and people will notice.

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James Cameron shows his playful side with a haphazardly stuffed blue silk pocket square. The color and execution of this detail reflect his creativity and unpredictability. The matching of pocket square to wife #5’s dress is also unpredictable…er, unpredictably bad that is. Maybe it was meant as a gesture of solidarity with his incumbent spouse, especially with his stunning and stylish ex Kathryn Bigelow also up for numerous awards. Regardless, someone please tell him that the Oscars and prom are two very different scenes.

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In contrast to James Cameron’s fluffy pocket square look is Jake Gyllenhaal’s meticulously folded white one. From his neatly trimmed hair, eyebrows, and beard to his perfectly fastened bowtie, we see his understated sophistication and attention to detail. This is a guy who makes his bed every morning — or at least tells his butler to.

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Style icon George Clooney is always dressed and coiffed impeccably, especially for awards shows. That’s why his hair cut fail is particularly surprising. The man actually has duck fuzz bordering on a mullet. The only rational explanation for this deviation from his usual elegance must be that he’s got an upcoming part in “Wayne’s World 3”. If that’s not the case, I’m sure there are boatloads of ladies who would be more than happy to trim the back of his neck for him.

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While it’s old news that Robert Downey Jr. is an aggressive dresser, we really see how playful he is via this look. Of note: despite his apparent sneaker-wearing nonchalance, he does match his sunglass lenses to his bow-tie. Evidently there is method to the madness.

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Robin Thicke thinks outside the box with his velvet tux and calfskin loafers. It’s hard to do this with formal wear, which has so many hard and fast rules, but the talented Robin Thicke displays his imaginative but still refined clothing personality.

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Woody Harrelson…is down with world peace. ‘Nuff said.

The Grammy Awards are endlessly entertaining, of course for the performances, but also for the quirky statement-making ensembles the attendees wear. There was plenty of eccentricity this year, but here I’ll be addressing the more conventional looks and what can be taken away from them for the purposes of everyday dressing.

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The Now That’s a Classy Situation Award: Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest is understated elegance at its best. Black and white is a failsafe combo, and I love the straight edge pocket square.  He looks amazing without appearing to have tried at all.

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The Not So Classy a Situation Award: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
I’m a little disappointed with The Situation. Don’t get me wrong, this outfit is a trainwreck in every sense of the word — from shiny sleazesuit to chia pet ‘do — but it’s really not as bad as I expected. I had my heart set on something along the lines of, oh say, an Ed Hardy tattoo print onesie. With tearaways. He still gets “Unclassiest” though because even on the red carpet, he’s gotta flash the flesh. Gymtanlaundry, Gymtanlaundry!

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The Best Mixing of Patterns Award: Usher
Usher gets pattern-mixing just right with his dotted tie and checked shirt: he employed two different patterns in varying scales but maintained the same color scheme. However, he’s got enough going on with the shirt and tie, that he’d have been better off keeping the suit a simple black, which also would have given his combo extra pop. He’s bringing Bobby Ewing back with that khaki three-piece with white piping. Polka dots and Dallas menswear don’t mix.

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The Squarest Dude in Crazytown Award: Stephen Colbert
In a sea of clashing prints,

and spooky preacher ties,

this year’s Grammy host keeps it business as usual with his sharp dark tux and grey tie. It’s hard to think of Stephen Colbert as mainstream, but he’s downright bland in tonight’s company!

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The My Razor Was Confiscated by Airline Security Award: Ringo Starr
I’m all for scruff, especially in wintertime, but I wish Ringo had tapered the neckline of his beard before heading out tonight. Rather than shaving a straight line along the jawline, which feels self-conscious and faux thespian to me, he would have done better to have found a middle ground and tapered it down his neck using a beard trimmer. That way it would look groomed but still natural.

1. Hair product can tend to make your forehead shiny, so wash your face after application to avoid that lacquered look.
2. If the weather is foul, and the party you’re going to isn’t dressy, try wearing a dark wash, slimmer cut pair of jeans with rugged boots. You can even roll your jeans up neatly as seen here:

but for the love of Gandhi, please don’t tuck them like this guy:

3. Be prepared for the occasional host who asks guests to remove shoes at the door by wearing dress socks that are in good repair – you could even try a pair of red or green ones (not both!) for subtly festive flavor. I like these which are on sale from J. Crew.
4. Do keep your facial hair trimmed for holiday festivities. The only people allowed to have big furry beards are Santa and Randy Moss. When your facial hair brings to mind a certain fake beard from Jackass: Number Two…that’s a party fail.

5. Make sure your hair isn’t greasy on the day of the party. You should be looking slick…your hair, not so much. If you’re unsure if it looks dirty or not, ask a female friend whom you trust to be straight with you.
6. If you wear cologne, spritz once (or twice max) on your neck, then put the bottle down. While it’s true that in the wild animals are attracted to each other based on smell, less is more when it comes to people.
7. No matter how festive you’re feeling, don’t wear any decorative ties, sweaters, etc. with things like reindeer or Santa on them. See #2 for how to add a dash of holiday spirit. If you absolutely cannot do without novelty clothing items, put them on a patient friend, like Robert.

8. If you tend to have an everyday uniform like jeans and a t-shirt with a button-down thrown over it, try thinking outside the box for casual party wear. Pair one of your cool graphic t-shirts (no sports team tees please!) with a military cardigan and a nicely fitted pair of dark jeans.
9. If you’re going to a party that calls for “black-tie optional”, and you don’t own a tux, instead of renting one that surely won’t fit right, another “option” would be to wear a black, navy or dark grey suit with a white shirt and a dark either plain or patterned tie.
10. If you wear glasses, make sure the lenses are clean. Ladies want to see your handsome eyes, not the smudges on your glasses.

Many of my recent conversations with guys about menswear have turned to what to wear on your feet in sloppy winter weather. If you have nice shoes but are worried the slush/salt/rogue gifts from the neighborhood dogs lurking in the snow are going to ruin your gear, consider a pair of overshoes. Companies like Sierra Trading Post and Neos make boots that go over any kind of footwear you’re wearing without having to pull and stretch on rubber like those creepy galoshes from back in the day. They’re waterproof, warm and have high traction on the soles so you stay upright at all times. My favorites are the Explorers

and Uptowners

from Neos and the New England All-Season Overboots from Sierra Trading Post.

If you’re looking for something a little more streamlined, check out the Men’s Executive Overshoe from Tingley.

They aren’t insulated, but they’ll keep you dry and standing on your feet instead of your bottom. You gotta love the names companies give for men’s shoes…”Uptowner” and “Executive” — how subtle!

And if you’re just looking for rainwear that’s not obnoxiously ugly, I am very into Tretorn’s rain boots. I like both the green for a downtown look and the charcoal for something more conservative, or “uptown,” if you will.

So there you have it, my first post. Welcome, and please come back soon for more musings on men’s styling!