VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

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!

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last weekend, a few friends and I sounded like a bunch of old codgers, waxing nostalgic about the old local Bell telephone companies that used to be around before the advent of the big company with the Death Star logo. The nieces and nephews looked at us in bewilderment over it all. Sure, at the time the lot of us weren't of an age where we would even have paid for a landline. That was all our parent's doing. So why were we such disgruntled consumers? Today, the variety of cell phone companies make me a but winsome over the old days of the wild west, where you really, really had a choice over your phone service. Sure, there are "big guys" that might try to scalp you, but for the most part, you can talk with your feet and your money and get a better rate for the penny pinching hermit in you. Though penny pinching hermits probably only call once a week.

The prices for unlimited plans are shocking, if you really are conservative with your use. Net10 seems to be one of the loan stand outs that actually still offers an entry level plan for $15.00 per month. I wonder how many Real NET10 customers do just that. So if you are the type that is still digging your heels in about technology, but is convinced you need a phone to call for help when you go hiking in the Andes, then this is for you. Not everyone needs to surf the web from their phone. But there are plans for that too. For $15 for the phone and $15 for the monthly plan, you can save a lot of pennies. (By the way, there is a Cute NET10 commercial out if you've seen it, where an 80s brick phone and a later model have a baby. Search around for it.)

I admire Willie's admission that he only uses the off and on button…but I do echo Melinda's "ball and chain" sentiment.

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

Finally. Someone has come to their senses. Not in time for this fellow, at left, unfortunately.

In the furniture industry, it is common practice, or at least it used to be, to choose the most garish and ghastly large scale print sofa for the front window. Only one, if any, person would actually order the soda as shown, but sure as heck, the floodgates would open for 1,000 orders of the previously neglected frame style in beige…or maybe a tone on tone damask stripe for the formal set.

The jeggings (are they really men's jeans or denim paint on tights??) were the loud sofa of the men's fashion industry–looking remarkably good on about five men in the world, and three of them are anime characters from Cowboy Bebop. The rest…well..tongues wagged over how they made physically fit men of inseams smaller than 52 and waists larger than 26 inches look preposterously large, and others look cartoonishly thin.

At last, the look has been modified. While you don't see many jeggings at mass market retailers, the trend did inspire makers to reduce the fabric quotient, toss out the rapper pants. The Rocco cut is just one example. Express jeans–yes, at the Express store–has the Rocco cut in their line up. While the cut is slim, the cut is more generous in the calf, preventing the "giant duck feet" look a tight jegging can create, especially if worn with white sneakers. While not everyone prefers a slim fit, this one flatters several body styles.

Enter the Express giveaway for your chance to grab a pair. Fifty pairs of jeans in the style of your choosing will be given away by Express. Travel to their Facebook page for more details, or if you can't wait, go try on a pair and give me your expert opinion (you are the expert on your fashion sensibility and your getaway sticks, after all).

What is YOUR favorite style of jeans from the latest fashion offerings at Express? Imaginary Bonus points for sharing a story about your worst jeans fashion faux pas. Just leave your John Hancock below.

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

On a recent hot and sticky day, I stopped at a fueling establishment as respite from a long journe—just a little leg stretching before stuffing weary legs back into the jalopy. The eyes needed some rubbing, as there was a familiar, but oft seen site…a blue sign with a phone receiver in white–or maybe it was light gray. Could it actually be that someone had the foresight to think that someone might not have a cellphone, or it might be out of battery? That and a bottle of Coke to save yourself from the $5 gas station libations is everything you need in your rescue kit.

I walked briskly to the silver box and there was…nothing! The phone had been torn out long ago, and all was left was a shell. So much for public safety. The VintageGent-ette knows she call a friend from one just to say, "Guess where I am calling you from?" And the friend would say, "Is that Charlie Brown's Teacher? Who is this?"

I am so aghast at the $140 cell phone bills that still seem to be out there, I can fully understand why people boycott them. Maybe its only a few of the archaic…but maybe they are practical. You can't seem to just get a "basic" phone anymore. Everything has to stand on its head and mix you a drink. I was surprised to find that Strat Talk actually had a real, genuine $45.00 per month plan that didn't require you to give away naming rights to your children or sign up for a 7.5 year plan. Speaking of naming rights, we all thought Gwyneth Paltrow was looney–not as Looney as Frank Zappa, but perhaps a milizappa for naming her child after a fruit. Perhaps, we just don't know that Steve Jobs got to her and offered her a bundle in brand recognition advertising. Everytime the younger Paltrow is mentioned, surely…it's associative memories. I bet I had you falling for that one hook, line and sinker. Maybe I'll make it onto Snopes.

But I digress. $10 for a refurbished cell phone with all sorts of gee whizz features is downright retro, and a $45 per month cell fee for as much talking, surfing or texting as humanly exists. That's kind of 1996, isn't it? Payphones are alive and well…we just pay a lot more for gluing them to our faces.

Now it's time to dance like a fool! Just think of all the bowling shoes you can buy now.