Wanted Men, not boys!

 Let me begin with an honest confession – I am a bit of a Lolita. I prefer older men to the green horns. Self confident mature men, with their graying hair, wry humour and piercing glances are an immediate turn on for me. Give me an army of young slaves and I will still prefer the old man – be him the general or the king!

Let me clarify, age is not the only criterion. There is a certain type of elder men I swoon about and there are compelling reasons behind this. Most of these men, who can read the meaning of your silence and be pillars of strength when the need arise have a few things in common. The laugh from the bottom of their hearts, stand head and shoulders above petty matters of the ego, have a macho smell of achievement around them, are extremely knowledgeable and have a fantastic sense of style.

Speaking of style, the men that make my heart skip a beat are always accessorized for the effect. As a matter of fact, men who turn my feet to jelly and give me butterflies in the stomach, almost inevitably have the following on them:  

01.   Mont Blanc Fountain Pen.

Real men do not write with ball point pens. They use the cult Mont Blanc instrument – the fountain pen – to ink their pacts. Gel pen scribblers, whatever the amount they may sign on the cheque, just don’t make the grade.

02.   Ray Ban Aviators / Wayfarer

Cricketers sport Oakley frames with neon glasses. And when them boys grow up, the graduate to aviators. Some, who are even more advances as a species, flaunt the retro Wayfarer, replete with the tortoise shell frames and olive green shades.

03.   Rolex

There’s a chunky elegance of a Rolex, or a Tag Heuer, or a Hublot that even the sleekest lines of a Patek Philippe cannot match. Real men wear watches –with heavy steel / gold bracelets – the types that walk on the moon, explore the depths of the Amazons, go on expeditions to the Arctic, split seconds in Monte Carlo or just time the takeovers!      

04.   Black / Tan leather Brogues

I have a serious shoe fetish and I tend to judge men by the shoes they wear. Men I covet, are impeccably dressed, down to their spit and shine leather, lace up Brogues. I am willing to allow up to a side buckled Monk, but nothing more. In extreme cases, for a casual evening out I may relent to him wearing a “penny loafer”. I won’t be caught dead with a man wearing an obscenely priced sport shoe (sneakers as they are called with a snigger). They look good on flying NBA stars. But then again, 8 feet tall basket ball legends are really not my idea of a date.

05.   White Oxford Shirt

Understated, classic statements are the boldest in their careless whispers – if you understand that, then you know what a white Oxford means. Originally introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1896, this classic dress shirt is an eternal favourite that can be worn in the most formal occasion and paired with a pair of jeans for a Sunday out in the club. The ooze power, achievement and is worn by those that had arrived decades before you aspirers were even born.

06.   Money Clips

When was the last time you saw a brash young lad flaunting his credit card? Real men don’t carry cards. They pay the old fashioned way, in bills. Bills, that are neatly arranged and held together, by platinum money clips. When the brash uninitiated, flash their cards, the gentle man quietly draws out his wad - clipped elegance – and puts the money where the class is. End of story.

07.   Levi’s Classic Indigo denim

Designer Denim – ain’t that an oxymoron?  Like all short stories were born out of Gogol’s “Overcoat”, the grand daddy of the blue denim is the classic indigo – straight legs, riveted and with the trademark Levi’s red tab on the right hip pocket. There’s a kind of a rugged honesty about them – little wonder that they have been endorsed by successive generations of paramours, from gun slinging cowboys to flower children singing the song of rebellion to Presidents and Corporate Captains.   

08.   Zippo lighter

The sound of a Zippo being flipped open – that metallic “cling” – has been the beginning of a billion love stories. Because, the sound itself makes me sing “Come on baby, light my fire”. It is an absolute delight to see men fiddle with their Zippo’s unconsciously – the challenge is to get into his mind and read what he is thinking, chances are you are in them.

09.   Cotton jacket

The shiny, navy blue, polyester blended suit is the trademark of corporate honchos around the world. The kinds that make you grit your teeth and go “Grrrr”! Real men, as opposed to these wannabe’s, wear cotton jackets. Tweed, herring-bone patterned woven woolen – the choice before the connoisseur is endless. My personal favourite though is the pure cotton jacket, replete with its crushed and worn look. 

  

10.   Leather brief case

No man is complete without the customary leather brief case. No I am not talking of the bulky side bags that Medical Representatives used to carry not so long ago, but sleek, embalmed, power loaders. They make a quite statement – and come with an air of sophisticated elegance. My man, won’t step out of his shower, without a customary Dunhill or Mont Blanc. Deal, or no damn deal.

- Princess Couture