Manolo for the Men Fashion and Lifestyle Advice for Men

March 25, 2005

Ten Essential Shoes for the Man

Filed under: Shoes — Manolo @ 12:55 am

Manolo says, the Manolo’s internet friend the Fat Mike has put up the amusing article under the title “Walmart Manolo” in which the Fat Mike he discusses his love of the shoes and the thinness of his wallet.

Much to the chagrin of the Manolo the Fat Mike relates to us that he loves to buy the shoes, and wear the shoes, but that he is terribly hard on the shoes, destroying many pairs of the inexpensive shoes in under the year.

I love the shoes the way Manolo loves, well, the shoes
Only his love is the classy love – Prada, Rene Caovilla, etc.
Where as my love is the no frills kind of love, the Walmart love – Bata, Aldo, Steve Madden, Lugz, etc.
Why? Why would a lover of shoes not rise up to the high level of the Manolo?
Simply put, I can not justify paying $200+ (that’s Canadian dollars, eh!) for a pair of shoes…
…because I am a shoe murderer.

No matter how much I protect them, clean them, spoil them, etc, etc, etc, they never seem to live longer than 6 months.
Sad, I know, but true.

There are two things the Manolo he would say to his friend the Fat Mike.

First, because the men of size they are hard on the shoes, the man of size who would be well-shod must take the special care with the shoes. This it means not just the polishing and the shoe-treeing at the home, but also the visits to the cobbler for the frequent re-heeling of the shoes.

The heels of the heavy men, they wear down faster, especially along the inside of the edges. This it must be corrected whenever it begins to appear or the stress on the shoes as they become misaligned, it will destroy them. (The correct heels they are also better for the back.)

Second, and this it is no secret, the shoes of cheapness they fall apart.

Most of the shoes the Mike he mentions in his blog, they were made in the China, probably from the leather of civet cats or pandas or something that you would not like to know you were wearing on your feets.

The fault for the failure of the shoes of the Mike it is only partially because of the size of the Mike, and probably more because of the cheapness of the shoes.

This it creates the vicious cycle. The Mike cannot justify paying much money for the shoes because he is “hard” on them, so he buys the cheap shoes, which then fall to the pieces, thus proving to the Mike that he was right to not spend much of the money on the shoes.

The Mike, he must trust the Manolo. The shoes of quality, they are more durable than the cheap shoes. Plus, the incentive for doing the proper care of the shoes, it is much the greater, when the cost of the shoes they are higher.

The Mike he has included in his post the list of the ten types of the shoes that he believes every man he should own. Here it is.

The Guys Essential Pairs of Shoes — a list:
1) The black work/weddings/funerals/court appearances shoes
2) The city walkers
3) The workout shoes
4-6) The drivers — dark, tan & light
7-8) The sneakers — dark & light
9) The sandal
10) The shit kicker boots

Manolo says, this it is not the bad list, although the Manolo he would have the very difficult time limiting himself to just ten (or even 20, or 30, or 40) pairs of the shoes.

And, of the course, many of the Manolo’s shoes, they would be the custom made. Nothing is there that can compare with the custom made shoes for the man.

Yet, there are three or four places on the list where the Manolo he would reccomend the shoes that were not only not custom made, but were indeed surprisingly affordable.

#3 The Workout Shoes.

Manolo says, the shoes of the workout, they must the first and the foremost be practical. This is not the time for the crazy spring-loaded shock-absorbing air-bag-cushioning techo-shoes. You want the shoe that does the most with the least amoung of the fuss. And likewise, you cannot be swaning about in the fancy designer shoes, after the all, is not the first word in the workout the “work”?

This it is why the Manolo loves the shoes of the New Balance.

New Balance - M 603 (Navy)  Manolo Likes!  Click!
He himself has owned three consequtive pairs of the New Balance 603s.

#8 The Light-colored Sneakers

The Manolo he has recommended these before, but it must be said again, the Adidas Rod Laver, it is the classic sneaker shoe of the casual wear.

adidas - Rod Laver (White/Navy Nylon/Mesh) - Men's    Manolo Likes!  Click!

The Manolo he has lost the count of the number of the pairs of the Rod Lavers he has owned. Above the dozen, at the least. (Yes, the Manolo he is somewhat the creature of the habits.)

#2 The City Walkers

As for the shoes for the walking in the city, the Manolo he has become increasingly disposed towards the Mephistos. This monk strap, it has the beautiful classic styling that the Manolo appreciates.

Mephisto - Perino (Dark Brown Smooth) Manolo Likes!  Click!

Technorati Tags: ,

March 19, 2005

From the Archives of the Manolo: The Big Man

Filed under: The Big Man — Manolo @ 11:41 am

 The Condi grows absolutely limp, Ev'ry time she kisses her baby blimp,The Condi must hug a ways and chalk a mark to see where she began

Manolo says, everyone loves the well-dressed man of size.

Manolo says, recently several of the Manolo’s internet friends have asked him about finding the the clothes for the Texas-sized man. The Manolo he has spoken to this topic a couple of the months ago.

*****From the Archives of the Manolo*****

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s many internet friends she has asked the Manolo the question.

I am writing to you on behalf of two of my friends who are both in the same predicament: they are too large (even by American standards) for most nice, good quality shirts. By large I mean 6’5″, 300 pounds, 54″ and 58″ chests (19″and 20″ necks, 37″ sleeves I believe) but without the gut that usually accompanies a wide man. Where does a good friend (and girlfriend to one) buy quality business dress shirts and casual polo shirts for barrel-chested athletes? If you could even just recommend a brand, so that I know where to begin. Thank you for your insight!

Manolo says, it is no secret that the Manolo he was not graced with the elegant shape of the body, and that as the boy, the clothes that best fit the little Manolo they were found in racks of the “husky”. So the Manolo he knows the thing or two about the fat boys.

This question you ask, it is very easy. First, the Manolo he would recommend to you that your big men they consider the custom made dress shirts. The best of the American makers, it is the Borelli on the 60th street in the Manhattan. The prices they start at $300 and go up from there.

The less expensive option for the custom made, is the Ascot Chang, who gives the good value for the money. The shirts they start at $100 of the American dollars.

However, if this it still sounds too pricey, than the Manolo he would send you to where most of the giant athletes of the professional American sports go, to the Rochester Big and Tall.

They are very good at what they do, which is fit the clothes onto the bodies of the big mens. They even carry a few of the big designers like the Burberry, the Ralph Lauren, and the Ermenegildo Zegna.

Finally, the Manolo, he does have the one reservation about the Rochester. They have recently been featuring the sports clothes in the style of the Tommy Bahama, the heavily-patterned Florida-resort look that it is not good on the big mens.

Manolo says, the big mens, they should stay with the solids and the small patterns like the checks and the narrow stripes. The bold. colorful patterns they can make the big man look like the sofa of the parlor.

*********

Manolo says following this posting the friends of the Manolo, they also helped out in the search for the good clothing for the stout and tall man, providing the Manolo with the link to the Boyd’s in the Philadelphia, a super fantastic store of which the Manolo he did not previously know.

Technorati Tags:

March 15, 2005

Say It With The Flowers

Filed under: Etiquette — Manolo @ 2:25 am

Manolo says, as part of the on-going process of the adult education of the man, the Manolo he would like to take this opportunity to say to you: send your mother some of the flowers .

One of the problems that many mens they have is that they do not understand the power of the flowers to make people, women, happy. Most of the men they send the flowers in the rote fashion, on the special occasions, like the Day of the San Valentino or the Day of the Mothers.

Although this it is fine, much better are the flowers that arrive out of the blue for no reason at all, or just because you were thinking of your mother, or your favorite auntie, or your sweetheart.

In the opinion of the Manolo you do not need the reason to send the flowers to the womens in your life. Although, if you desire, you may say they are for the Easter and/or the Passover, as your respective religious case it may be.

So, take the advice of the Manolo and send the mother the flowers. It will make her happy, and that is more than reason enough to do it.

March 14, 2005

Dressing Better Than the Boss

Filed under: Men's Fashion,Shoes — Manolo @ 2:41 pm

Manolo says, as one would expect the Manolo he receives many of the different catalogs and mailers from the various shoe companies. Some of them, they are quite nice.

Today, the man of the mail, he brought the Manolo the latest catalog from the Johnston and Murphy. It is the good-looking catalog, featuring on the cover the Ziggy Marley, and on the inside the actor Ron Livingston.

As the readers of the Manolo for the Men they know, the Manolo he believes that the Johnston and Murphy they are the good shoes for the money although by no of the means the epitome of the art of the shoemaker.

In the catalog of the Johnston and Murphy, the shoes, they were mostly handsome, but this paragraph of the ad copy it caught the attention of the Manolo.

“It doesn’t hurt to dress like you could be doing your boss’s job (maybe even better). That doesn’t mean dressing old. It means dressing smart. You don’t dress the same for the boys at the plant as you do for the chaps on the board. I’t nice to wear a white shirt sometimes, and wearing the lace-ups on occasion shows you’re not a loafer. Think of your new shoes as a promotion.”

Manolo says, of the course it doesn’t “hurt” to dress like you could be doing your boss’s job! In the fact it is one of the principles of the Manolo that you should be dressing for the job you want, not for the job you have.

Yes, it is to the credit of the Johnston and Murphy that they point out that the loafer it is not the suitable shoe for the wearing to the office, but it is indeed also sad that it has come to this point where the working man he must be told this.

Manolo says, the rules of the Manolo they remain the same: if you seek success, wear the best quality of the shoes and the clothes of the conservative cut you can afford. Make them appropriate for the occupation, but do not be afraid to seem more formal or better dressed than your co-workers and bosses.

P.S. One of the styles of the shoes that appeared under this ad-copy in the catalog of the Johnston and Murphy was this one below. It is the good conservative choice for the young man who is clambering up the ladder of the success.

Johnston & Murphy Men's Aldrich II

Technorati Tags: ,

March 7, 2005

Dressing the Man

Filed under: Men's Fashion — Manolo @ 10:32 pm

Manolo says, if the Manolo he can recommend to you only one book about the proper way for the successful man to dress, it is Dressing the Man : Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion by the Alan Flusser.

This book it is filled with the sensible advice designed to help the man put together the high quality wardrobe that will stand the test of the time. In the opinion of the Manolo It is the one indispensible book about the fashion for the men.

Technorati Tags:

March 5, 2005

Perry Ellis Coat

Filed under: Outerwear — Manolo @ 11:42 am

Perry Ellis

Manolo says, this plaid coat from the Perry Ellis, it presents the problem for the Manolo. On the one of the hands, it is the beautiful soft plaid, in the perfect autumnal colors. It is a beautiful coat.

However, on the other of the hands, the top coat, it is the expensive purchase, one that needs be made, if one chooses wisely, infrequently. And so the coat it should be of the highest quality, and of the conservative cut and color, so that the wearer he is not the victim of the winds of the fashion.

So, ultimately, unless the money it is of no object, and you are young and very handsome, this coat, as beautiful as it is, it should be avoided. Instead, buy the scarf in this pattern.

Technorati Tags:

Powered by WordPress