High class, born in the USA. The LongWinged Cordovan

Needless to say, a man does not and should not boast the same volume of footwear as his female counterpart. The mans shoe is not a 6 month (nor 6 hour) affair; and thus the appropriate research should be given to the shoe you are going to put on the street for the longer term. The complication of course, comes when you need a shoe that is versatile. Something that can go with chinos or jeans, or the right coloured suit.

The Longwinged Cordovan leather from Alden is that shoe.

http://www.aldenshoes.com/Store/DrawProducts.aspx?CategoryID=46&ParentID=94&PageID=&Action=

The Trunk Club

The basis of this idea is that you can join (for free) the Trunk Club, @ www.trunkclub.com and you fill in the necessary details of your style and measurements. You will receive a call (and facebook invite) from a style advisor who will quiz you on what you want to get from your experience.

The trunk club take your credit card details and mail you 10 items (based on conversations and preferences); and from these selections; you choose what you want to keep (and thus pay for).

I received Eton shirts and cashmere sweaters, and I am keeping a shirt and t-shirt totaling c. $200.

Looking forward to getting the next one!
See here for details
http://www.trunkclub.com/our-clothes/

O' Mast - High Quality from Naples

O'MAST from Kid Dandy on Vimeo.

5 Things Digital Marketers Learned From The London Riots

1) Influencers are a powerful means of spreading your idea. Couch rioters

2) Capitalise on emerging opportunities quickly

3) Choose the tools that your market is most familiar with

4) If you go Black hat, will be met with White hat competitors

5) The same strategy will work more than once it is patiently deployed

Santa Cruz, You're Not That Far

 

Surfing in California is akin to religion. So, being a new native of the 415; I decided to take a trip down the golden coast to absorb some of the vibe that had oozed through Beach Boy records- and try my hand at it. One of the NorCal mecca's (amongst many) is Santa Cruz- and so to the Santa Cruz Surf School I went. Just an hour and 20 minutes down the 880 > 17 the ocean views appear through the winding evergreens, and not long after that; you hit the Welcome sign.

There is something of a self-fulfilling-prophecy of the surf town. By its nature, it attracts bohemian types with an appreciation for a slower pace of life than most others. The architecture of the urban centre alone; speaks softly of the 60's; when 'east coast girls were hip'; and has not changed much I suspect in the past 30 years at least.

After learning the basics of paddling, arching and standing; we got to try our hand on the waves (the water was glassy.. there were no waves as such). Aided by Engau our Brazilian instructor. Having crashed out 3 times, I eventually caught a slow ride on the shore on my oversized foamtop- but I have been hooked!

I cannot wait to go back.

A simple lunch

I do not count myself among the most accomplished men in the kitchen; however I wanted to share a very simple recipe that I put together today for a lunch

• One Cut of sourdough bread
• 2 slices of prosciutto
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Lime fused olive oil
• Low fat Mozzarella cheese
• A fistful of mixed greens
• Half an avocado
• Rasberry Vinaigrette
• Triangle of speadable cheese
• Four crackers
• Thyme

Toast the bread, add 3 teaspoons of balsamic, a sprinkling of mozza; sprinkle thyme, then the prosciutto. Then avocado diced, raspberry,  mozza; and the rest is crackers and spreadable cheese. You will be surprised how these simple flavors mix. Give it a whirl.

What Dre and Conference Calls have in common...

I have a couple of things I am a really proud owner of. I will say at the outset that I am not impervious to the marketing trappings of pop culture, thus I made the long fought decision to purchase a $300 pair of noise cancelling headphones. I had done some research into the various sound titans in the market, and had been made acutely aware of the difference between business class and coach; as a younger man passing the executives decked out in Bose noise-cancelling QuietComfort3's. I spend much of my time in creative space, open plan offices; where there can be a good deal of ambient noise. Thus cancelling this distraction was high on my list of characteristics for choosing headphones.

So having taken a look into some of the vintage options; I decided to go pop with over ear Dre's Monster Beats at Best Buy. They are the hier to the throne of the range which include smaller a smaller Solo (on ear), and a range of Tour bud-versions that I have heard underwhelming reports of. There is another higher end pair, aimed at DJs and some limited editions. Owners can have their pairs customised by ColorWare for c. twice the cost of the headphones. I have to say I have not been disappointed. The call and sound quality of the Monsters is exceptional however not being able to hear yourself talk (due to noise cancellation) is a slight drawback of the in-call functionality. Mute/Answer/Hang-Up is all possible from the microphone smart-cable. Warning: you do look like a dj hipster with them draped around your neck in between calls.

Although I have not tried these; Klipsch has released a stylish new pair of noise-cancelling headphones for those who prefer a little more signal and a lot less noise.  The Klipsch Mode Noise Cancelling Headphones wrap a pair of leatherbound speakers in a smooth black-and-copper shell.  Each speaker includes a 40mm driver for deep bass and smooth mids, plus a 15mm tweeter for clear, crisp highs. The active noise cancelling system runs on a AA battery for up to 45 hours, then reverting to a standard set of stereo phones with classic Klipsch output.  They’ll soon be on the market for $349, a price well-suited to the frequent first class traveler.