How To tie a tie

This is a topic that half you may be pros in while the other half are amateurs. Tying a tie is a basic that every Gentleman, especially an Urban Gentleman, should know how to do.

Simple picture instructions:

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Windsor Knot

The Windsor Knot is a thick, wide and triangular tie knot that projects confidence. It would therefore be your knot of choice for presentations, job interviews, courtroom appearances etc. It is best suited for spread collar shirts and it’s actually quite easy to do.

While just about everyone can use this tie knot to tie his tie, it looks especially well on men with longer necks as its wide form shortens the perceived height of the neck a little bit.

1) The wide end “W” should extend about 12 inches below the
narrow end “N”. Cross the wide end “W” over the narrow end “N”

2) Bring the wide end “W” up through the loop between the collar and your tie; then back down.

3) Pull the wide end “W” underneath the narrow end “N” and to the right, back through the loop and to the right again so that the wide end “W” is inside out.

4) Bring the wide end “W” across the front from right to left.

5) Pull the wide end “W” up through the loop again.

6) Bring the wide end “W” down through the knot in front.

7) Using both hands, tighten the knot carefully and draw it up to the collar.

2. Half Windsor Knot

The Half Windsor Knot, a modest version of the Windsor Knot, is a symmetrical and triangular tie knot that you can use with any dress shirt. It works best with somewhat wider ties made from light to medium fabrics.

To tie the Half Windsor Knot, select a tie of your choice and stand in front of a mirror. Then simply follow the steps below:

	1) The wide end “W” should extend about 12 inches below the narrow end “N”. Cross the wide end “W” over the narrow end “N”.
	2) Bring the wide end “W” around and behind the narrow end “N”.
	3) Bring the wide end “W” up.
	4) Pull the wide end “W” through the loop.
	5) Bring the wide end “W” around front, over the narrow end “N” from right to left.
	6) Again, bring the wide end “W” up and through the loop.
	7) Bring the wide end “W” down through the knot in front.
	Using both hands, tighten the knot carefully and draw it up to the collar.

3. Bow Tie Knot

The Bow Tie Knot is used to tie a bow tie and is worn to give you a formal and elegant appearance. A “black tie occasion” such as a wedding is an event that you would commonly wear a bow tie at, along with a tuxedo.

The proper size should never be broader than the widest part of your neck and should never extend past the tips of the shirt collar.

	1) Place the bow tie around your neck, situating it so that end “A” is about two inches longer than end “B”.
	2) Cross end “A” over end “B”.
	3) Bring end “A” up and under the loop.
	4) Now double end “B” over itself to form the front base loop of the bow tie.
	5) Loop end “A” over the center of the loop you just formed.
	6) Holding everything in place, double end “A” back on itself and poke it through the loop behind the bow tie.
	7) Adjust the bow tie by tugging at the ends of it and straightening the center knot.

Glasses

Lupe Fiasco & Kanye West consistently jazz up their look by wearing glasses
Kanye is rockin’ Tom Ford glasses above

Glasses. When you were little wearing them made you lame. People didn’t like you, some even called you names. . . 4-eyes, goggles, etc. But now it’s 2008. . . and the past few years have been slowly preparing us for this moment- GLASSES are HOT. The flyest dudes in the world rock glasses these days, and you might as well join the club. And the best thing about them is that they automatically make you look smart- boosting your IQ by atleast 50 points, lol. Glasses are absolutely a perfect addition to an Urban Gentleman’s wardrobe.

Not every retail store carries clear glasses quite yet, but many do. There are several ways to get these glasses- check out the list below:

1. The Urban Gentleman Store
We have the latest styles are recession-friendly prices. We seriously have the best collection of all the latest trends in eyewear, clear glasses and sunglasses, at very low prices, check it all out here.

2. American Apparel
They always keep chic frames in stock. There online selection is okay, but the instore selection is much better.

3. Thrift Store
The thrift store carries the most unique frames, and more often that not, thrift store frames are the kind you see in pictures and movies. If you’re from Atlanta- check out Little Five Points for these authentic frames- they have the best selection.

4. LensCrafters
If you want a huge selection of glasses and designer frames to choose from then LensCrafters is your spot. You can just buy the frames straight off the floor or get a prescription put in the lenses. LensCrafters also has coupons.

5. Drug Stores, Wal-Mart, or Target
Drug Store like CVS or Walgreens and places like Wal-Mart or Target carry reader glasses for really cheap prices. If the reader has a prescription in it then just pop the lenses out. This would be the best choice for someone who wants to test out the style.

6. Urban Outfitters

UO has a nice variety at their stores

7. Shades
You can always just buy a pair of shades or use some old shades and pop the lenses out.

8. Online
Buying these glasses online are also pretty easy, and as always The Urban Gent storeis your best friend. And don’t be afraid to wear or buy glasses that are modeled by females- glasses are mostly uni-sex anyway.

Other online sites:

- ICUeyewear.com: Great styles for really great prices.
- Readingglasses.com: They have a great selection of reading glasses, including retro styles.
- Bleudame.com

Check Out these Specs

The Official RUN DMC glasses. If you want the authentic look, you should cop a pair of these bad boys.

These give that clean, Pharrell Williams type of look. If you’re going to own a pair of glasses, you MUST have these, every stylish guy and girl I know own atleast a pair of these and/or the “grandpa readers” below. Buy these here.

I loooooove these, they seriously add so much personality to any look. Get the “grandpa readers”, here.

I call these the Ron Johnson “A Different World” glasses, some people call them the John Lennon glasses– I guess it just depends on the generation you’re in. Either way, they’re pretty cool right? Get these flip-up frames here.

These vintage inspired clear glasses come in a variety of shades- black, pink, green,check them out here.

These guys are rockin glasses from American Apparel

Get designer frames from LensCrafter

(shown above Burberry & Rayban)

Get these frames from ICUeyewear.com

Brad Pitt rocks these Tom Ford glasses flawlessly.
Very dapper indeed.

Vans Authentic "Leopard" - Black / Brown

No stranger to wild graphic treatments, the Vans Authentic will don a new "leopard" print this summer. 

The Vans Authentic Leopard features a graphic-printed canvas upper in black and brown, all on top of a vulcanized sole with black foxing. While this isn't the first animal-inspired shoe we have seen this year, it is certainly one of the more affordable options at $55 USD. 

The Vans Authentic Leopard is available now online at Concepts. 

Grooming Routine

I visited a friend’s house a few weeks ago, and the image I saw while there, well, it’s still scarring my brain tissues.

So imagine this… I pull up to a nice semi-exclusive neighborhood, get out the car, glance over at my friend’s black on black Porsche Cayenne as I walked up the driveway (I’ve always loved that car). I get to the door and am met with happy salutations by this friend, and of course he looks nice as always. Fresh shape-up, sea-sick waves, he has on part of his ensemble… well, just the shirt… I believe it was some sort of unique Burberry or Ralph Lauren jean button-up with a club collar. He says to me, “I have to get finished getting dressed”, and just as he turns to go upstairs I glanced down at his feet, and was Highly disturbed at what I saw. Long chipped toenails and ashy semi-crusty feet. I thought to myself, it should be a crime to look good on the surface of things, but then have major grooming flaws underneath it all.

He later came downstairs smelling of YSL, looking dapper from head to toe… he had completed his ensemble with slim fit jeans, desert boots, a custom jacket, and vintage eyewear… but I still couldn’t erase the image of before.

Being stylish, fashionable, wearing well-tailored clothing and all things alike are indeed muy importante, but it almost means nothing when the underneath isn’t matching. Just like women have their beauty routine men must have their grooming routine. And no I’m not saying you should have five or six different specialty cremes and spend as much time grooming yourself as a woman, but you should have a few key basics things that you do on a daily or weekly basis that will keep you a well groomed urban gentleman.

When I first thought of creating the outline for the urban gentleman’s grooming routine I couldn’t help but get constant flashes of Christian Bale in American Psycho. I haven’t seen that movie in years and I only saw it once, but for some reason it stands out as one of the most specific and detailed grooming routines I’ve seen in a film. Though admirable, such a detailed routine may turn some men into narcissists– and no one likes a narcissist. So this routine will be well-balanced, not over the top or bare minimum.

Let’s get started….

The Grooming Basics will always be the same: hair, nails, skin, teeth. Every gentleman must deal with these four key areas.

HAIR

The hair routine for each man will greatly differ, depending on the hair texture and chosen hair style.

Men with STRAIGHT HAIR, WAVY HAIR, or a LOOSER CURL PATTERN (European-American/Caucasian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Mixed-Race):

- Should wash their hair on a daily basis or every other day if the hair stays clean and there isn’t a large amount of oil build-up.

- It’s been a long-standing tradition for men with this hair texture to get their hair cut once a month, but it all boils down to the rate at which your hair grows back, the chosen hair style, and the budget you set aside for hair care. I find that many men with straight hair need a cut after about 3 weeks. *It’s very important that your barber knows how to cut your hair so it grows out evenly and looks great for the entire month between cuts.

Shampoos & conditioners:
Axe 2 in 1 Shampoo and conditioners, Patene Pro-V, MenScience Daily Shampoo,Billy Jealousy Fuzzy Logic Hair Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner, American Crew shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Redken for men, Baxter of California, there’s so many to choose from.

Men with CURLY HAIR/TIGHT CURL PATTERN (Men of Color/Black Men, Mixed-Race, Hispanic/Latino):

- Should generally wash their hair every couple of days or once a week. It is important for men of color to maintain the moisture in their hair soshampooing/conditioning once a week, then washing the hair with aconditioner twice a week is a good routine to acquire. For example: Shampoo/condition your hair Thursday morning while in the shower then get a haircut or shape-up later that evening. Wash your hair with a conditioner Sunday and once again on Tuesday. (If you’re maintaining a certain hairstyle, like if you’re trying to process your waves for the first time then you may want to wait a week and half between washes until your waves process).

- Hair should be lightly moisturized on a daily basis to keep hair from becoming dry and breaking off.

- Again, the frequency at which you cut your hair depends on the hairstyle, rate at which your hair grows back, and budget. I generally recommend a hair cut every two weeks and a shape-up the week between getting your hair cut. So basically, if it’s in your budget, you should be visiting the barber every week: hair cut, shape-up, hair cut, shape-up. Most guys I know have a specific day they go on each week (the more routine your visits are the better).

Shampoos & conditioners:
Patene Pro-V for Natural Hair shampoo and conditioners (in the bronze bottle), ORS (Organic Root Stimulator) Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner, Creme of Nature shampoos and conditioners.

Hair moisturizers/conditioners/oils:
Xotics Sweet Jamila, Nairobi Essentials Botanical oils (purchase at a high-end black/of color american salon, online, or in some beauty supply stores), Softee Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hair & Scalp Conditioner, and ORS (Organic Root Stimulator) has a great line of carrot and olive oil hair moisturizers, and of courseBronner Brothers (BB) makes great products for extra curly hair (purchase the last three at most major stores or at a local beauty supply store). Basically look for natural hair conditioners and lotions that have natural ingredients.

Also, consider a sheen spray, especially if you have braids, dreads, or a thick head of hair. Mizani, Bronner Bros, Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil, and Palmer’s Olive Oil hair spray are great choices. Lightly spray your hair each morning.

For more tips on hair styles for different hair types go here.

NAILS

There really isn’t too much to say here, but to just get in the routine of cutting your nails every week. It literally takes no more than 5 minutes to cut both your finger nails and toenails, so this can be easily fit into a Sunday morning, Monday evening, or even a Friday night before hitting the town.

I’ve been meeting a plethora of guys who have cut nails, but maintain the preferred nail length by biting them off instead of cutting them off. This is a habit that many men and women share alike, it’s more common than I realized and is quite unpleasant. The best way to stifle this habit is to simply keep your nails cut so that there isn’t any nail to bite.

If you have the budget, getting a professional manicure and pedicure may be an option. If you do have the budget this should be bi-monthly, weekly if you’re a nail biter.

SKIN

Skin is such a broad topic to cover. There’s the face and the body and both areas need to be washed and moisturized. This means every man should have a cleanser and moisturizer for the face and soap/cleanser/wash and moisturizer for the body. The type of product you use depends on your skin type, and each person’s skin type varies of course.

A basic routine for normal skin could be: Noxzema or Cetaphil as the facial cleanser and moisturizer, Dove Men + Care or AXE bodywash, and Nivea for Men lotion or Palmer’s cocoa butter as body moisturizers.

Another routine for normal skin might be: L’Oreal for Mens Expert Power Clean face wash, Jack Black Double Duty facial moisturizer, Billy Jealousy Ocean Front body wash, and Kiehl’s Deluxe Hand & Body lotion.

(MenScience Daily face wash and Kiehl’s Facial Fuel moisture treatment are also popular choices.)

Raw african black soap is also a popular natural product to use on your skin (thanks YH for the info), especially those with extremely dry skin, eczema, or come in contact with harsh chemicals on a daily basis.

Choosing the correct product can be difficult because there’s not a shortage on choices. You can start with recommendations from friends or our website then pay close attention to how your skin feels and reacts immediately after using the product(s) and 7-10 after using the product(s). This is usually enough time to see whether a product is making your skin better, smoother, clearer, etc.

Body scrubs, exfoliating gels, facial masks, etc go beyond the basics, but there are many of those type products for those that are interested in a more detailed routine. You can usually find products that are a combination of many types of products ie. a moisturizing and exfoliating body wash. As a man the less product you have the better, so a combination grooming product is usually the best way to go.

It is recommended that you exfoliate your skin up to twice a week (so atleast once). A few scrubs many men love: LAB Invigorating Face Scrub, MenScience Face Scrub, Anthony Logistics Facial Scrub, Anthony Logistics Sea Salt Body Scrub.

TEETH

There’s no big guidelines to keeping your grill fresh. Brush twice a day or after every meal, floss atleast once a day, and use mouthwash (listerine) everyday. If your teeth are dull, stained, or just out right yellow use a whitening kit. Check out one of ourprevious ‘whitening’ post.

MANSCAPING

We’ve had plenty of articles on manscaping, and our main one breaks down each section: the Face (head, mustache, beard, nose hair) and Body (chest, armpits, groin, leg/arms, back, and rear) as well as options on whether to wax, trim, or shave.

HANDS & FEET

We’ve technically covered hands and feet since they would be included in nails and body, but it doesn’t hurt to go a little more into detail.

Let me first get the point across that men shouldn’t have extra extra extra soft hands, your hands shouldn’t feel like a woman’s hand, but it should be smooth and well-moisturized.

Firstly, be sure to moisturize from top to bottom when you lotion-up each day, that means from your chest to the soles of your feet.

Hands:
If you have calluses on your hands, depending on the severity, a simple hand creme may work: Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer, Nivea Hand Smooth Indulgence Hand Cream, Kiehl’s Body Care Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream.

If your hand calluses are very hard and tough use a callus shaver or pumice stone. Just be sure to be careful when using a callus shaver on your hand– focus on removing the hard callus not the softer skin around it.

Feet:
If you have calluses on your feet use Ped Egg. (There’s also a Ped Egg for Men, which is a little bigger and more masculine looking).

Heal Tastic Intensive Heel Therapy will quickly smooth out rough cracked feet.

One of the quickest ways to soften/smooth out/heal dry cracked feet is to simply moisturize your feet each night before going to bed. Generously apply vaseline/petroleum jelly, cocoa butter, or natural shea butter (raw, pure, or organic) to both feet then promptly put on socks. When you take the socks off in the morning you’ll notice how much better your feet look. This is a very “old-school” method, but it really does work.

*

Beyond the hair, face, and body products there’s: deodorants, lip balms, andcolognes. I think most guys have those down pact, and if you don’t then just click on the links for more help.

So now that we’ve dished it all out, lets organize our thoughts. We know what is needed and included in The Grooming Routine, but what will the actual routine be. There’s millions of urban gentlemen out there, different schedules and lifestyles so it would indeed be hard to customize the routine for each and every person. We will however provide a rough draft that will aid and guide you as you customize your own.

An Urban Gentleman’s Grooming Routine:

Daily:
Brush teeth, floss, rinse with mouthwash
Wash & Moisturize Body
*Wash & Condition Hair
(if you have straight/wavy/loosely curly hair)
Wash & Moisturize Face
*Lightly moisturize hair
(men of color/black men)
Brush/Comb/Style Hair (including facial hair)
2-3 dabs of cologne

Nightly:
Moisturize feet
Brush any dirt from underneath nails

Thursday
(men of color/black men):
Shampoo/Condition Hair
Hair cut or shape-up

Sunday:
Cut nails
Manscape (trim excessive body hair if desired)
Exfoliate face and body

Notes: Men with straight/wavy/loose curly hair should wash hair daily or every other day. Hair cuts every 3-6 weeks.

The Grooming Routine is all about discipline and efficiency. Having a set routine saves you time, sharpens your organization skills, and most of all makes you more of an urban gentleman.

Lastly, grooming goes beyond the products but extends into having a healthy diet and exercise routine. Having an at minimum quickie calisthenics workout each morning and/or night will go a long way. To maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails eat foods or take vitamin supplements with Vitamin E. Most importantly drink lots and lots of water.