VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

This post brought to you by T.G.I. FRiDAY'S. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few weeks ago, there was no posh piano bar with a WiFi signal at 11:00 at night, so I unspiffed myself and limbered down to the local donut shop incognito to take advantage of those laser beams when my signal conked out. Two gentlemen were talking in booming tones about the inner workings of a new health center opening up. Why would one want to divulge the secret budgets in public like that? Anyway, the consumables included a coffee or two, several scoops of ice cream and half a salad. Way back in the cobwebs, memories of uncles and cousins entertaining customers at three-martini lunches seem like something out of Mad Men. Even ten years ago, it was at least T.G.I.Friday's instead of the Steakhouse or the Shake-It Bar.

Now, the budget is even more paltry if deals are made over donuts. Why not trick your potential business partners? T.G.I.Friday's now has dinners in the freezer section of the grocery store. You could buy Styrofoam take out boxes and meanwhile heat up some T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” in the back. Simply plate them and act as if you are trying to hide the boxes, and guests will think that you spent a lot of green at the restaurant and took the care to order each person something to their individual taste. After all, you can't get Cajun Alfredo from a can. How very thoughtful of you!

All you thoughtful folks can hurry up and vote inr the Fun Freezer contest. Entrants have gussied up their freezer or entire fridge with a theme – from the post it note mosaics to a head to toe end zone theme. While I don't doubt your 50s Frigidaire or your Harvest Gold from Grandma is cool, these are a lot of fun to look at.

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

While many of you prefer to hunt thrifts and vintage shops for classic suits from the 40s through early 60s, sometimes you just have to break down and buy something new off the rack. This was particularly true when the first "grownup" job came my way. It was great at first to wear classic clothing, but when the wear or tear of suits five days a week was realized, a new suit came into the closet.

Old wool is infinitely sturdy and cleanable, but a bout with correction fluid was enough to change my mind on using my favorites as work horses. Sure, for important occasion and client meetings, but not for day to day. The dress code seems to have relaxed, but there is still a need periodically to find something that is currently trendy without worrying about doing it in.

I miss, in some ways, getting up and tossing on a suit in the morning just because it was such a "no brainer." The real thinking that went into coordinating yourself happened when you purchased the items to go with each other. Surely different accessories were rotated in and weeded out, but there was a canvas for it all (whether we are talking women's or men's suits), and surely the jacket style was updated periodically if you did not opt for timeless classics. Even timeless classics change. There was not the guess work that goes in to creating a look that is smart, but casual, but doesn't look like you thought too much about it

Need a spruce up? Those folks at Express are having yet another opportunity to distribute a major clothing prize. The winner will receive $500 in suiting. How's that for a quick makeover? It seems right now that with the slim fits, folks who like the slimmer three button suits of the early 60s – very Mad Men. Enter the Express sweepstakes and try one on, or do I have to twist your arm?

Which style of suit do you favor the most? Do you still wear suits to work? If so are you the lone rogue in a casual office? Or are you usually all about denim and only don one on a special occasion, such as your own wedding? Maybe you are the type that transforms themselves in the evening for the piano bar. Comment and let me know.

This post brought to you by Untitled Jersey City Project. All opinions are 100% mine.

Untitled Jersey City Project is a show that is currently a "work in progress." Eight very short fragments, or mini-episodes will be released. Unlike many other stories told in short bursts, there is no "pay off" at the end of each one. Rather, when you see all eight, everything comes together and makes sense. Some threads will be wrapped, but some will remain loose and hang in the wind for speculation. Once you have seen all eight episodes, things will come together and make better sense.

The only thing really graspable here is the tone and mood of the show, which now intrigues me to find out if this is just another cop or crime show presented in a gimmicky way or if it is the sign of something new. I am curious. While similar genres of hustling, grifting, crimes and the occasional cop might seem tired, the field is always open for something new. Just don't send us "Cop Rock" again. Please.

Recently, I considered how many shows were based in New Jersey and how many of them were petitioned for promoting a negatively gritty or tacky, depending upon the show, image of the state. No one is exactly producing the revival of "Touched by an Angel" there, or the "The Fashionably, yet Conservatively Dressed of New Jersey." I have been to Mawah and know people that do not wear cheetah platforms do exist. Really.

This post brought to you by TRESemmé. All opinions are 100% mine.

The VintageGent-ette fondly recalls college life:

"Twice a week for three hours at a pop, I had movement class where we learned not to grace the stage like a total clod. We learned ballet, basic social dance forms for ballroom scenes, stage combat and how to relate movement to a specific character. I always dreaded it when by week five we were paired up with a partner unless it was at the beginning of the week.

I could only pray, since there were more girls than guys, that I was paired up with a girl. It was harder to learn both the male and female part of the dance to be able to switch, but at least the girls showered. My guy classmates seemed to clean up for mom and dad on the weekend but as the week rolled on, they were big grease balls. Why do guys do this when they first go to college? Are they saying 'whoopee…mom's not around to make me wash?' "

It sounds like a little TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo would have made college memories here at the 'Daily a little less fragrant. Granted, it doesn't do anything for the rest of your body, but if one is blessed with thick hair or a broken hairdryer, it can seem a little less attractive to jump in the tub on a chilly day. When the hair is taken care of, maybe jumping in and aiming the spigot as to not wet your head sounds achievable. How does dry shampoo work? Here are some tips:

• Start off with dry, not damp, hair.
• Lift each section of your hair and aim at the roots. Spray the product in bursts. Do not continuously spray like hairspray.
• Allow the product to dry for a minute or two.
• Work the dry shampoo through with your fingers.
• Voila. Style as usual.

Don't stop shampooing your hair with wet shampoo in the shower for life. Please shower. It is meant to work in a pinch or in between washings, or when you for the months still walking around in that cast after you dropped your partner in class and she drop kicked you for doing so.

Elle Fowler has some tips on the Top Hair Products for School. Ladies, you can apply some of her organizing tips to not just the dorm, but to roommate situations. Guys, skip the flower tote, but some of the styling products as well as the prep for the community bathroom at the dorm, apply to you.

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

Calling all ladies! I have mentioned the great Express giveaway, but wanted to make sure you all knew that it wasn't just a man's game. Among the 50 winners that will receive a pair of jeans, women's jeans are most definitely included. Each winner may choose whichever style of jeans they like. Surely, it is best to visit an Express location to find out what your best size and fit in Express jeans are. Each of the styles has a slightly different cut, so you are sure to find one that flatters.

For ladies, the flare jean is considered on the roster of classic styles, and works with high heels as well as platforms. Hem them as you would hem dressy slacks with or without a break. The jean leggings might have been a disaster that is often mocked on men on this site, but for ladies who have been accustomed to stretch pants over the years, they work in the right "environment." Consider them a legging with long sweaters and blazers, rather than your go-to pant with cropped tops or t-shirts. Otherwise they can look like you are trying to fit into your little sister's clothes.

So, "Like" Express on Facebook and give it a try, Lady Luck. You could be a winner with a free pair of jeans…or buy a pair of jeans that finally flatters.

What flavor of jeans would you pick? Comment, or send me a telegram, to let me know.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There is still time to win a pair of Express jeans in their giveaway. Express is picking 50 lucky guys and gals to win a pair of jeans in the cut of their choice. For men, their two signature looks include the Kingston, which is a classic fit and the Rocco, which has a slim fit. What is classic nowadays anyway? I have thumbed through catalogs of today and of yore and the items touted as "classic looks" look quite dated, as it is the time's interpretation of a classic look. In a "classic" jean, at least we have the original image to go on since they were only invented in the 1800s and not 1,000 years ago. Classic means enough room in the seat to not have your gluteous maximus escape from your waist band when you sit down, nor trip you in large bolts of fabric when you walk with purpose.

The slim fit in men's jeans according to Express's Rocco is not an uncomfortable jegging but merely a cut that eliminates excess fabric. It is more of a straight leg, than finishing in a very subtle flair to accommodate a boot. What is extra nice is Express lists the measurements of the leg openings so you can make an honest assessment of your slim jean worthiness before ordering them. Any guy is worthy, I suppose, but will they fit? Yeah, don't bog things down with explanations on how they will transform one's knees, height or buttocks…just give us the stats!

Which would you choose, if given the chance? Wander over to Express' Facebook page to enter.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Diageo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Rum, both premium dark rum and nausea inducing light amber attempts, has been the stereotypical drink of pirates everywhere in literature and film since the beginning of..well..pirates. Not the gun wielding Somali pirates of today, but the more Keith Richards emulating Johnny Depp types. Historically, enough water could not be stored or purified, thus one disinfected one's innards with libations.

While the heritage may be swashbuckling to most, are you surprised that the proper Miss Mary Pickford, darling of the silver screen has a rum drink named after her?

1oz Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 Maraschino Juice
1/4 cup Grenadline
Shake over cracked ice and then strain the ice out.
Serve in a 3 oz glass.

Does the wasting of the ice and the exclusion of the actual cherries from the Maraschino juice suggest Miss Pickford was slightly more high maintenance than imagined, whilst her personal assistant or rabid fan flavored their tap water with the cast off ice? Or was she merely trying to hide her past or her family tree of swashbuckling pirates with gentility?

But, I jest. Though the story would be a humdinger. If someone wrote it that way.

While Mr. Boston made a mean cocktail back in the day, Zacapa premium rum and its makers cast the spellbinding tale of a heritage without thespians or pirates. Somewhere high in the mountains of Guatamala, way above the point that you start to get light headed and need a magical unicorn to bring you back to the valley, rum is brewed from sugar cane harvested high from a volcanic plain. The yeast is extracted from pineapples. Then, it is aged in barrels once holding American Whisky, sherry and wine. The sugar cane grows in a volcanic plain.

I could just see the situation as a backdrop for either a sweeping epic historical film with a cast of thousands, with a romance at the center. Or, of you took another direction completely, Warwick Davis would star. Maybe when you join the Zacapa Society, you'll get the inside scoop. It sounds almost like a fraternity or sorority name.

While you fashion yourself a pirate, or merely an understudy for a production of the Pirates of Penzance, be careful and be like Mary. Just a short little bit at a time if you have to oar back to shore alone.

This post brought to you by Martinsburg Institute. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are currently serving in the military or have just returned home, thank you for serving. The Martinsburg Institute offers online courses that qualify for the GI Bill. But you don't have to wait until you settle back home. Classes can be conducted while you are overseas, are in training, or are stationed at a base stateside. Actually, "online" is a misnomer, as you can also take them on the computer without an internet connection. That's handy for traveling from between internet hubs, or when you don't want to attract attention by logging in.

When folks returned from the war in the 40s, the job market was flooded with the recently furloughed and discharged. There were many new jobs created by the construction industry, but for the most part, many jobs opened because the women and older workers who filled them in the absence of their male family members were displaced. Now, there isn't the same situation. Someone coming back into the workforce needs a competitive edge.

You can have your degree in Business Administration by the time you come home, which is a solid degree to springboard yourself from. The benefit is that you can sell yourself in different ways – to start your own business or to put your hat in the ring for management at just about any industry if your life experiences demonstrates a liking to the specialized industry in question…even in fashion or the arts. The other benefit is that military spouses are also eligible.

So if this describes you…here's your cue!