Grey Vetiver: Tom Ford

It's THAT good!

Creed discovered it's wonders in 1948 and made it central to their collection. 

Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver is less fragrance, more emotional accelerant.

More info at Nordstrom

Timepiece: Ralph Lauren

After a few stumbles while trying to carve out an identity, it is time to afford Ralph Lauren his due. Simple, elegant and signature Ralph, the collection now exudes the aspirational best of the House of Lauren.

More info at Ralph Lauren

Girl's Boots: Cherei

Cherei gets it!

Fashionable

Comfortable

Indestructible

Kid's Boots

More info at RinaStore

Patrizia Pepe: Kids

If I had a daughter, I am not certain she would wear much else but Patrizia Pepe.

Of course style is a very personal thing, to be interpreted by one's own sense of self, but for me, Limited Too is not cutting it.

I am huge on children steering clear of heels, midriffs and hot-pants.

I also deplore entire wardrobes in Pink, or Blue. Is that not how children are taught the shackles of unemotional, non-artistic wardrobe building that translates into khakis and faded t-shirts in later life?
I call it the 'Puritan Posh." Cool, forward, yet restrained. It let's everyone know you love your girls AND YOU'LL KILL ANYBODY THAT . . . 

(That is one area where gentlemen are allowed to forget all their good breeding)

More info at Yoox

Vespa Rocker: Grandpa

Yes, you want this.

Yes we'd pay an arm and a leg to see the look on our friend's faces when they open our gift to their little one.

But, unfortunately, no this is not (yet) an available product.

This Vespa rocker was made by an adoring Grandfather in Italy. He used an actual Vespa, bicycle parts and other materials to make this one-of-a-kind creation for his 3 year-old grandson, Diego.

There is already a serious push at hand to have this product made and marketed by the famous scooter-maker.

We anxiously await their decision.

Gum Boots: Hunter

*****CAVEAT ALERT - CAVEAT ALERT - CAVEAT ALERT *****

Gum Boots are being recommended on this site for the first (and possibly, only) time because Spring  (and a few weeks in Autumn) is the appropriate season for wearing them.

These Carnaby Boa Wellies from Hunter, with faux-python embossing, will set her apart.

$225

Info at Bergdorf Goodman

The Mission to Honor a Man's Mission.

When John Conyers put forth legislation to commemorate the birth date of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a national holiday in 1979, he felt the universally high esteem with which the late Reverend was held would translate to easy passage of the bill. Instead what he got was a dose of reality, in the person of several Congressmen from southern states stonewalling his attempts behind the scenes and on the House floor.

Despite his efforts, the bill would fail passage by 5 votes.

On October 10, 1980, the King Center was granted National Historic Site status by the United States Government. The King Family and the Trustees of the Center used the new designation to wage a furious public relations campaign, targeting the public and private corporations, to engender support for the bill.

Just as the King Center got it's campaign underway, the consortium of southern Congressmen got a new ally in their fight, in the person of the recently-retired U.S. Navy officer, newly elected as Representative for the 1st District of Arizona, John McCain.

Rep. McCain's opposition for the King legislation cannot be overstated, as his coming on board gave the regionally-isolated southerner's argument in the negative, cache. This, much like the Olympia Snowe "bipartisan" health care vote, could now be called "national," not regional, opposition.

Not to be outdone, the King Center countered the move with a new recruit of its own.

In 1981, after getting word of the actions taking place in Congress, and making a confirmation phone call to Dr. King' widow, Coretta Scott King, an artist decided he would not got to sleep until he had come up with a way to support the effort. Stevie Wonder would, in the process of 3 days, write, produce and record the song "Happy Birthday."

The song was crafted as equal parts honorarium and protest, to those that would choose to oppose recognition of a man, Dr. King, who had literally given his life in the effort to bring justice to all those experiencing injustice.

The song was made with no financial consideration, as Wonder literally gave away tens of thousands of copies, but instead purely to get the public behind the movement to break the congressional stalemate. Few people know this to be the reason for the song never being a Billboard chart-topper. Though in London, where the record was exclusively sold (Brits can't vote in the U.S.), the record would rocket to #2 on the charts, and stay there for 5 weeks.

Across the America, while Wonder's "Happy Birthday" was receiving heavy radio rotation, workers canvassed neighborhoods to collect signatures from voters in support of the King holiday. I can recall watching my teacher at Nettlehorst Elementary signing her name on the petition as we were filing into my 6th grade music class.

Mrs. Burns' signature would be joined by another 6,000,000 others, eventually becoming the single most successful (in terms of verifiable signatures) petition campaign in United States history.

By 1982, with the overwhelming majority of Americans in support, the bill would be reintroduced in Congress, pass both Houses easily, and, by late-1983, find it's way to the President's desk.

On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan, who reversed his staunch opposition in the face of the bill's wide-ranging public support, signed the bill to make Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day a National Federal Holiday, beginning in January 1986.

I wish that were the end of our story, but it ain't.

South Carolina and Arizona refused to recognize the holiday in their states. The latter's Governor, Evan Mechem, with the full-throated support of Representative McCain, leading a well-documented national media campaign to not just refuse to observe the King holiday, but call for other states to join Arizona's stance in snubbing the Civil Rights leader.

It would take 14 years for the two states to join rest of civilization (and the country) in their observation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. That same year Utah, a state founded by a man, Joseph Smith Jr., who founded Mormonism, which precluded people of African descent from entering heaven (under ANY circumstance), would officially recognize "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day." For the prior fourteen years it had been known, exclusively in the state of Utah, as "Human Rights Day."

2000 would also bring about the official adoption of "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day" in the great state of Virginia. From 1986 until then, the state had, UNBELIEVABLY, chosen the third Monday of January to celebrate, in this order, "Lee-Jackson-King Day." If those names sound familiar, it's because they are familiar.

Robert Edward Lee and Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson were the two most prominent Generals in the army of the secessionist Southern States in the Civil War. The idea of honoring Dr. King was considered politically untenable in Virginia, so they chose to include these two people who had only a January birth date in common with the man the rest of the nation was choosing to honor at the same time.

So this January, as the nation prepares to honor the memory of a man whose life's work was so much more than the "I Have A Dream" speech, we stand united as a country in saying the work he laid as foundation for our society was relevant, important and worthy of application.

The night before he died, while speaking to a group of striking sanitation (sic. garbage) workers, Dr. King said the following:

"Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation."

Is that not the least possible debt we owe? To carry the torch he brought so far along that difficult road for the betterment of us all? I think so as well.

The "I've Been to the Mountaintop" Speech, in it's entirety:

Business Gift: Dunhill

Whether as an expression of appreciation at the closing of a tough negotiation, as a way saying "job well done" to a recently promoted colleague or just as a way of completing the power portfolio of a spouse, nothing exceeds the appropriateness of a writing instrument.

Not a pen, those are sold at Walmart and come in sets of 24, but a proper instrument for the art of writing.

Alfred Dunhill is a well-known and highly recommended resource for making that first splash. 

Whether signing your team's holiday bonus checks, articles of incorporation or a United Nations Climate accord, Dunhill instruments look and feel right at home.

More info at Dunhill.

Sneakers: Balenciaga

Just a quick preview of Balenciaga's Spring/Summer sneaker line-up. 

No pricing yet and only a few pictures to share for the time being.

Though one thing is clear; Balenciaga seems to be blazing a new trail by adding ultra-luxurious touches, like crocodile and oyster lace-holes. Look for these to be near or above the $1000 threshold. 

More info and BIG THANKS to those trailblazers over at HypeBeast.

Illumination: Areaware

This creative flashlight is the brainchild of Areaware, the New York design group behind so many of the awesome personal accessories hogging the spotlight this Spring.

The flashlight comes in size medium or large, is made from new growth beech wood, runs on energy efficient LED bulbs and has a functional on/off switch at the base.

Three AAA batteries not included.

More info at Areaware.

Transport: Van Moof

Van Moof's re-imagined idea of the bicycle is a revelation.

This single-speed cruiser boasts a spring-less leather seat, 26" or 28" aluminum wheels and a solar powered LED lighting system.

A subtle change never made such an aesthetic impact.

More info at Van Moof.

Custom Shirt: Alexander West

Custom Shirt maker, Alexander West, is offering the ultimate Valentine's Day gift for the man in your life.

The Alexander West "Shirt of the Month" Club offers a new, custom dress shirt for your mate, son, dad or uncle, delivered to their door for $1250.00.

That works out to just over $100 per shirt, for a custom fitted, custom colored, dress shirt.

No worries for non-New York residents. The service extends to the entire country by your ability to send them a custom shirt, from which they will make a sample, send it to you for fitting, then walk you through the final measurement.

This is an unbelievable price, for an unbelievable service. And yes, he does make his shirts available in lots smaller than twelve.

More info at Alexander West.

How to Travel: Globe-Trotter

Too many color ways to imagine.

Too much history to deny.

Too many cool-points to count.

Handmade luggage usually prices itself out of the range of the masses. Globe-Trotter's easily accessible price-points stick a thumb directly in the eye of such ideas. From 9"-33", this won't require a second mortgage to distinguish yourself from the knock-off "Louis" at the airport.

More info at Globe-Trotter.

Flats: Pretty Ballerinas

From the "Emergency Kit," which is only to be opened when your "heels are killing you," to the classic knob-toes, Pretty Ballerinas have kept this female wardrobe staple in stock for nearly 100 years.

You will not find a more comprehensive selection of ballet flats ANYWHERE.

More info at Pretty Ballerinas.

How to Travel:Dior

The 'Detective Bag' by Christian Dior.

It seems to me, the perfect bag for the modern man.

An unusual silhouette, not popular among men since the 19th Century, will set you apart from your counterparts.

More info at King of Madison Ave.

Babyfood Maker: Beaba

The Beaba Babyfood Maker may be the best product for new parents. The Beaba company has been a staple in France for a long time, now the products are available in the U.S.

Essentially the Babyfood Maker is a one-of-a-kind, compact appliance that steams, purees, defrosts and re-heats the freshest, healthiest food for your baby.

What can be better than the avoidance of preservatives and sweetners that go into most food products?

Uh, NOTHING!

More info at The Baby Cook Store