VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

The Men Pen: Concealer for Guys?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of The Men Pen. All opinions are 100% mine.

In the past, mens cosmetics fell into two different categories. The Halloween category, full of pastes and pancake makeup for ghoulish looks, was the first category. Medical makeup for men with disfiguring burns was the second category. For the most part, guys accepted blemishes or scars just as a part of life.

Now, there is the Men Pen. Sure, it’s a concealer without a pink tube, but is the average guy going to go with it? This sort of mens makeup has been used for years on the stage and in film, but I still wonder if it will truly catch on. To my surprise, there were more comments that seemed to be from average guys, rather than only guys that were models or were into the club scene. There was a Gent named John who uses it to cover up a big scar on his face he has had since he was a kid.

One Gent named Kyle said: I discovered The Men Pen works great for covering Tatoo’s (sic) I have a tatoo (sic) on my arm and It can’t be seen at work. I can actually hide it using The Men Pen. Thanks much. At $17.95, I guess it is a BIT more economical than tattoo laser removal. I wonder if it is a similar item to what was used to cover up Angelina Jolie’s many tattoos for the Tomb Raider movies. One Gent, Kevin, commented that he ran out after a year. Maybe guys should take a cue from ladies and dispose of it every six months, and get a new one at that time, because of bacteria. He probably will find he has to cover up acne less using a clean Men Pen. Just a thought.

What are your thoughts on products such as the Men Pen? Do you think that its something that works for a niche, or do you think it is going to catch on? Some people believe that something like this is just a “gateway” and a slippery slope to men wearing a complete foundation application and curling their eyelashes. I don’t really think that’s the case. I am also wondering if this isn’t just the same makeup that is made for ladies, just in a tube that is a bit more manly? What are your thoughts? Currently, I don’t know of any men who use products like this, but maybe that’s the point…I can’t tell.

Edith Shain, World’s Second Most Famous Nurse, Passes Away

Florence Nightingale is arguably the world’s most famous nurse, but Edith Shain is a close second.  Who is Edith Shain? You might not know her face, but might know the back of her head.  Mrs. Shain is one half of the famous couple in the famous WWII era Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in New York City.

Mrs. Shain passed away Sunday, but she will be remembered for posterity. There were as many as 10 men who claimed to be the sailor, with Carl Muscarello proving to be the most likely, but it seems that only Edith Shain seemed to have a legitimate claim as being the nurse. She was 92.

Life magazine has a fantastic slideshow, if you’d like to take a look.

Tips for Attending a Live Auction

Live auctions for antiques, collectibles. tractors or other what not can be both an adrenaline rush and a tedious affair.  It can be a long day if the item you really want is dead last in the auction catalog.  It can be exciting when you get caught up in bidding.  There are tons of articles out there on auction tips.  Many start out pretty mundanely, educating people about registering and getting a number and premiums.  That all can be learned about two minutes by reading the catalog or being prepped when you register.

If I were to break things down into one single most important auction tip, I would actually pick five that ad to the standard advice.

1) If there is a preview several days before, take advantage of it to thoroughly inspect the items you are interested in.  Unless the auction is very high profile, there won’t be a crowd there.  If you are especially interested in something, this is your best bet to give it a thorough once over without drawing attention from other potential bidders.

2) If you preview the items on the day of the auction, quickly inspect an item, then walk away and inspect another. Come back and inspect the item you are interested in later, rather than spending an inordinate time at it.  Don’t call your spouse, business partner or friends over to it. It may be no big deal to some, but buzzing around an item constantly does attract attention of others.  They think what you are looking at must be something undervalued, or something they should pay attention to.

3) Choose your guests wisely.  If you are attending with someone else, it is best to attend with someone who is interested in different kinds of items than you are.  If not, perhaps you will have an agreement not to bid against each other on certain items.  Or just play may the best person win.  If you attend with someone who is not there to bid, but is just there for the fun, have a conversation with them about discretion.   If you resell items, the worst thing is for someone to say, “hey, you can sell this!”  There are advantages to revealing your status at auctions if you are a dealer, as some times there is a break on sales tax if you have proper identification or the auctioneers or helpers may alert you to other items you are interested in.  Though this may be done with discretion.  There is a belief that some auction attendees automatically try to outbid dealers so the precious collectible doesn’t “go to someone who is just going to sell it.”  But then, how did THEY get half the stuff they have collected? From dealers.

Also, never bring someone who is going to guilt you.  You know how much you are willing to pay for the item and know what it is.  While you may not listen to the individual, it makes for a long day when someone tells anyone who will listen about how you just wasted your money on junk.

4) Never bid first.  If the auctioneer starts the bidding off at $50, do not immediately jump to bid.  If there are no takers, the auctioneer commonly drops the starting bid, often in half.  Sometimes a lower bid creates a bidding war and the item goes higher than expected, but often you can get the item for under the initial bid offering or at least with a lower ceiling.  If you are really interested in the item and the auctioneer has already cut the bid and there are no takers, go ahead and bid. You just might win it with a single bid, or at least not have as much initial competition.

5)  Don’t be afraid to go to auctions outside of your subject matter.  If you are not interested when the brochure for a farm equipment auction comes along, read the list of miscellaneous offerings.  Instead of individually listed items there may be general categories.  Often, antique trunks, kitchen items, or furniture can be found at these auctions without the competition of the usual crowd of the antique auctions.  I remember finding a trove of vintage suits at a tool auction. I also recall finding some great tools at a collectibles auction.

What are your favorite oft-forgotten tips?

Bestest…I mean Worsted…Wool is The Best

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

When browsing photos of turn-of-the-century Coney Island, you’ll see proper ladies in gents with wool britches, layered skirts and parasols. In another scene, there might be a mustachioed gent in a full bathing suit – long legged one piece and all. It all looks rather picturesque until you realize that the photo was taken in 90 degree weather at the peak of August. The idea of heatwave wool makes me itchy and dehydrated just thinking about it. Sure, will is durable but the idea of tailored suiting or corsets in the heat makes me glad that anything seems to go nowadays.

The use of wool sure has been relegated to the winter months these days. However, the way that cotton t-shirt and underthings wear out with washings and sweating and general abuse, I wish that they had the durability of the 1940s suit stashed in my closet that looks great after all of these years despite heavy wear.

Rambler’s Way offers wardrobe basics, such as T-shirts, made of superfine worsted wool. Superfine has a similar thickness to a synthetic fabric, such a polyester, rather than to standard wool. Worsted wool is created by setting the wool fibers in the same direction, rather then twisting them around each other, as in standard yarn.  The result is a stronger wool product with a smoother hand. The material is suitable for undergarments and provides superior moisture wicking.

What’s more is Rambler’s Way garments are 100% made in the United States.  Garments are assembled in the United States and the wool comes from a network of family farms full of happy sheep.  One of the sheep on the Maine farm is Isaac, at left.  While his impressive horns look intimidating and he is a great protector of the flock, he has a gentle side.

Rambler’s Way exclusively markets wares on their websites. Samples of the wool are available so you can see for yourself, or should I say feel for yourself.

Clothing Songs: St. Cecilia and the Knickers Ban

There are a number of popular songs that mention fashion designers or specific articles of clothing. Today I was thinking that fashion that ends up in song may not be reflective of the actual attire of the time, as it seems that for something to make it into song, it has to be outrageous.  Someone usually needs to obsessively love a fashion or piece of clothing, or is pointing out something unusual.  After all, your everyday socks don’t inspire artistic expression.  For example, the polka dot tie that I mentioned in the song Pink Shoelaces.

Sometimes, it is amazing to ponder how sensibilities change in such a short amount of time.   In 1971, the group with the ever so pious name of St. Cecilia, was kicked off the air for their tune Leap up and Down (wave your Knickers in the Air) for singing a “rude song.”  Of course, with the “knickers” title, this created an uproar in England, as it wasn’t referring to the synonymously named faux jodhpurs that were so popular with middle school girls in the 80s.

In the early 80s, when tastes changed, and people calmed down about the song, they were able to perform it and it was considered rather tame, and a little silly.  In fact, the song makes many lists of worst songs of the 70s, despite the hoopla.   A decade after the song saw light, we of course started seeing people’s behinds on network television, such as on NYPD.  Apparently waving one’s knickers around had become passe’ and “no knickers” was the “new knickers”.

Oddly enough, I have not been able to find the lyrics transcribed anywhere unless I got cracking myself.   Are there any other crazy clothing songs among your favorites…or least favorites?