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
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