Bona Fide Confidence

Archive for July, 2009

Invest In Custom Clothing – It Pays (Big Time)

by Shawn on Jul.31, 2009, under Articles, Money

tailor073109.jpgThe Importance of Proper Fit

Dress clothes should always be comfortable. If they are not, it is the fault of the clothes’ fit, and not of their nature. If the fit of a garment makes its wearer uncomfortable, he will look it; indeed a man looks his best when his clothes fit so well he barely notices them. The clothes send a message to the world about you, and if they fit is well, then it will always make a good impression.

Unfortunately most men today wear poorly fitting clothes; it’s not their fault though, as that the clothing sold in stores is cut to fit as many people as possible. When buying a garment the retailer is often of little help, as that the department stores rarely have a salesman on staff that has a deep understanding of fit. Thus as in so many things it falls to each person to take responsibility for the fit of his own clothes and not to be swayed by the prolific selection of poor choices or the dubious influence of models or salesmen.

Proper Fit – Dress Shirt

A dress shirt’s yoke or shoulders should cover the shoulders and nothing more; the shoulder point should not extend down his sleeves. As for the sleeves, you want a shirt with enough fabric so that when you rotate your arms and hold them out from your sides all of your arm remains covered; close fitting cuffs will help with this. You want anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of play in both your stomach and chest areas, and the shirt should be long enough so that when you bend over it doesn’t un-tuck from the back or sides. Finally, the neck collar, when buttoned, should be tight enough to fit no more than two fingers in the space between collar and skin.

 Proper Fit – Suit Jacket

A jacket must fit correctly in the chest and shoulders, as that these are very difficult to alter and in some situations downright impossible to adjust. When you stand with your jacket buttoned and arms hanging at your sides, the jacket’s lapels should lie flat against the front panels, the buttons should hang close to or rest lightly on your stomach, and your biceps should just barely break the drape of sleeve from shoulder. If you tug on the top button, you should have enough room to easily slide your hand in between your lapels and chest, but not enough room so you can slide in your fist. As for your stomach, you should not be able to see it pull more than 3 inches from your belly. Of course, all of this depends on the fit you feel comfortable with. Sleeve length should end at about the wrist, although the exact point is also a matter of taste. As for the relationship between the shirt and the jacket: The shirt’s cuffs should protrude approximately ½ inch from the jacket’s sleeves when you stand with arms hanging. The shirt’s collar should protrude about ½ -1 inch above the jacket collar, with both of them slightly touching.

Proper Fit – Trousers

Pants or trousers should be worn at the natural waist, near the navel. Young people with flat stomachs may choose to wear them lower but they gain little in doing so. The man with a belly, on the other hand, looks much better with high-rise trousers draping from his middle than with his stomach spilling over a low-rise waistband; for this he should consider suspenders. Trouser bottoms should touch the upper part of the front of the shoes and should brush the top edge of the sole at the shoe back; a single break in the front is considered perfect by most, but shorter pant legs that just brush the tops of the shoes can look better on the shorter person.
Shorter men tend to do better without cuffs on their trousers, but should they want them they should be in proportion to their stature.

How to get the perfect fit?

Off-the-rack clothing is designed for the hypothetical model – for each brand, this person’s dimensions change a bit, but unfortunately these measurements are never very close to yours. How can you get a proper fit?

Your alteration specialist – A good alteration specialist can do wonders for clothing that somewhat fits you. They can bring in waists, shorten sleeves, and open up room in the stomach after the holidays. The limit here is that they can often only alter an imperfect garment; in the end it is still imperfect.

Invest in Custom ClothingNotice I use the term invest; this is because owning clothing that is made to compliment your features is a smart move for anyone. The beauty of custom clothing is that it is designed with your measurements; by its very nature it fits you better than anything else in your closet, and as a result will look better than anything you’ve ever worn.

It is a wonderful feeling to wear garments that fit you perfectly. One feels light and comfortable as the clothes seem to float around the body, neither heavy nor tight anywhere but rather resting evenly throughout. A person in clothing that fits feels confident and free to focus on the task at hand.

From – Ezine Articles

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ECC Style Tip: Belt vs. No Belt

by Shawn on Jul.29, 2009, under ECC Style Tips

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When you wear your trim two-button suit, leave the belt in the closet – you don’t need one. Going beltless lends the suit a clean, confident look.

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Beauty Affects Men’s and Women’s Brains Differently

by Shawn on Jul.27, 2009, under It's Science!

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Beauty is famously in the eye of the beholder; but it’s also in the beholder’s brain, and may work differently in the brains of men and women.

In men, images they consider to be beautiful appear to activate brain regions responsible for locating objects in absolute terms — x- and y-coordinates on a grid. Images considered beautiful by women do the same, but they also activate regions associated with relative location: above and behind, over and under. The difference could be the result of evolutionary pressures on our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

The findings, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are preliminary and based on a small number of people, but intriguing nonetheless.

“This the first study about neural activation in aesthetic tasks to include sex as a variable,” said study co-author Camilo Cela-Conde, an evolutionary anthropologist at Spain’s Universitat de les Illes Balears.

Earlier studies on sex-based cognitive differences have found that men seem to have a heightened sense of absolute location. Women, by contrast, are quicker to process relative values.

How these brain systems became tied to the perception of beauty, widely considered a defining human trait, is an evolutionary mystery. According to Cela-Conde, aesthetics may simply be a byproduct of other cognitive tasks.

Differences in cognitive tasks, however, may be less mysterious: For much of human history, men and women had different jobs. Their brains may thus have developed in subtly different ways.

“In current hunter-gatherer groups, men are in charge of hunting; meanwhile women collect,” said Cela-Conde. “If this is a scheme that can be extended to ancestors’ behavior, then we can think about a selective pressure to increase the capacity of spatial orientation in men, and the capacity to identify edible plants and tubers in women.”

BeautybrainsIn the study, 10 men and 10 women looked at images of modern and classic paintings, as well as photographs of landscapes, artifacts and urban scenes. The researchers recorded their reactions with a magnetoencephalograph, which monitors real-time neural activity by measuring magnetic fields generated by electrical currents in the brain.

(To avoid confounding by romantic regions of the brain, close-up images of people were not included.)

The subjects varied as to what they considered beautiful, but brain patterns were consistent: coordinate-processing activation in both men and women, and category-processing in only women.

These differences do not seem to translate into differences in the actual experience of beauty. In earlier research, said Cela-Conde, both men and women describe beauty as being “original, interesting and pleasant.”

However, as the differences were expressed only in response to images the subjects found to be beautiful, they do not seem to reflect a general sex-based difference in perception.

As the brain regions involved are far more developed in humans than chimpanzees — our closest living relative — Cela-Conde’s team suspects that the differences are rooted in early hominid divisions between men and women.

Another possible explanation is language-based: Coordinate-reading brain systems are less activated by linguistic communication than categorical systems.

The differences observed in the study would then originate in another sex-based difference, albeit an arguable one: Women are especially talkative.

Citation: “Sex-related similarities and differences in the neural correlates of beauty.” Camilo J. Cela-Conde, Francisco J. Ayala, Enric Munar, Fernando Maestu, Marcos Nadal, Miguel A. Capo, David del Río, Juan J. Lopez-Ibor, Tomas Ortiz, Claudio Mirasso, and Gisele Marty. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, No.8, Feb. 23, 2009.

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Clothes Do Make The Man! – How Important Really Is What We Wear?

by JL on Jul.23, 2009, under Articles

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Is there a cause/effect in how we are treated by the world? Does it make a difference in getting someone to help you in a Department store, or being seated at a good table in a restaurant? Can’t people look through all the superficial and see the real us? Fortunately, guys, we have some scientific evidence to support what you wear does make a difference in how you influence the world around you. Maybe we didn’t want to believe (but suspected) the real reason that guy down the hall who always dressed great, but didn’t know poop is now a vice president! When your credibility is crucial, in situations such as job interviews, court testimony, sales presentations and first dates (or even second and third dates) it is important to made a “good” first impression.“You never get a second chance to make a first impression ” — Will Rogers

Behavioral scientists tell us that this “first impression” is a strong one. And the process of sizing you up is on a subconscious/emotional level of the brain. Your evaluation by a stranger takes 30 seconds or less and can be so strong that it could take as much as five years to erase. Don’t you think it’s easier to make a great first impression with you appearance and then follow up by showing what a capable, impressive and trustworthy person you are with a winning performance? We’ve all heard the expression ” You can’t judge a book by its cover”. If you agree, it’s a good thing you’re not in publishing. Publishing houses have long since proven that a cover may not tell you what’s inside a book, but the cover is the reason that we pick up one or the other off the rack. Until a book is picked up, no sale is made!

A good example of “how you look being more important than what you say” is the first Kennedy-Nixon presidential debate. Radio listeners thought that Nixon had won while TV watchers gave Kennedy the win. Kennedy looked great, fresh and vigorous while Nixon appeared tired and rumpled. The TV audience gave more credibility to what they saw than what they heard. When I describe someone as an assistant manger at a fast food restaurant you immediately conjure an image of that person, maybe without much conscious thought. When I mention a high level executive you get another, different image in your mind. There is a definite picture of a person with credibility, authority and power – a professional image. Why not take advantage of the research on human nature and utilize the knowledge to enhance and control how you are accepted? A research reports that people notice the following about another human being and in this order.

Remember this is a prehistoric/subliminal evaluation:

1.Skin color

2.Sex

3. Age

We can do nothing about the first three, but we can work on the next four factors.

4. Bearing This includes height (taller people receive higher starting salaries), head movement (nodding is negative with regard to perception of authority) and body language (smiling is perceived as weakness if over done).

5. Appearance Since about 90% of you is covered by apparel, the clothing you choose makes a significant impact. This is such an important area, and on in which you can effect the greatest impression we’ll discuss it detail below.

6. Direct Eye Contact Don’t stare, but look others in the eye 40 – 60% of the time, otherwise you’ll be perceived as having something to hide or that you don’t know what you are talking about.

7. Speech 55% of communication is non-verbal. It’s not what you say, but how you say it.
“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson What you wear makes a difference in how you influence the world. Why not take advantage of this. Since 90% of us is covered with clothing, the clothing you choose makes a significant impact and one area where we can effect the greatest impression. Dressing badly can be taken as contempt for other people or the situation you are in. Clothing is a way to show others that you have respect and consideration for the situation. If you have respect for the theatre, you don’t show up in shorts and a T-shirt to a Broadway play. (The same goes for church, a job interview, etc.).So it’s not a question of being judged. We are judged thousands of times everyday. It’s a question of whether we want to have an affect on that judging or not. Are we ready to see what we can do to present ourselves in the best package to project a credible, professional image?

Here are some basic tips, and faux pas to avoid in order to look your best:

1. Never wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie. Short sleeve shirts are perceived as lower class apparel. Fine as part of a uniform or if you aspire to be a fast-food manager, not if you want to project a professional image.

2. Shoes are one of the most evaluated elements of men’s wardrobes. Your shoes should be clean, shined, in good repair and appropriate for the occasion. If you are wearing a suit, wear lace-up shoes. Don’t wear the same shoe on consecutive days and keep shoetrees in your shoes when you’re not wearing them.

3. Trousers should be long enough to cover your socks, and socks should cover your shins even when you cross you legs. Pants are long enough if they have a slight break in the front. Pleats and cuffs are traditional and functional. Pleats let you sit down comfortably and cuffs add weight to the bottoms allowing for proper drape.

4. Wearing both a belt and braces (suspenders) make you look insecure. One or the other please. And if you opt for the braces, please make certain they are the kind that fasten inside your trousers with buttons. It’s very easy to have a tailor or the alterations person at your dry cleaners put brace buttons on your pants if they don’t already have them. The metal clip-ons are for the guys who wear short sleeve shirts with ties.

5. Socks should match your trousers.

6. Belts should match your shoes in color and texture.

7. Ties should reach your belt line. This is neither arbitrary nor negotiable. Too short of a tie makes you look like a rube.

8. Properly knotted ties have a “dimple” under the knot. Clips and tacks are out of date.

9. Suit and Sports jackets are symbols of authority. However the bottom buttons of men’s jackets are not designed to be buttoned, since King Edward VII gained weight, and started a fashion trend (see detail below). Single Breasted suits can have one, two, three or more buttons. Two and three button jackets are classic, one or more than three get you into the fashion forward arena, which is more suitable for social events than business. With two button jackets only the top button is fastened.With three button jackets, you can close the middle, or middle and top button. Some suits are made so that the lapels roll to the middle button. On those suits you leave the top button unfastened. Some East Coast hipsters fasten only the top of three buttons! Four or more button jackets may be designed to fasten all the buttons, even the bottom. If the bottom button of a four button can be closed without a noticeable pulling of the fabric, it’s ok to close or leave it open. Double Breasted suits are the more formal of the two styles and can have four to six buttons with one or two “to button”. They are often identified by a two-number designation such as 4/2, 4/1 or 6/2 (also “four to two”). Translated, the first number gives the total number of front buttons and the second is the number of functioning buttonholes. It doesn’t always mean that all the buttons have to be fastened. Often only the middle or upper button is secured on a 4/2 or 6/2, but the Duke of Kent started buttoning only his lower button creating a longer diagonal line across his chest giving the wearer a thinner, more dynamic look. Why do men never button the bottom button of your suit, sports jacket, vest or Cardigan sweater? King Edward VII, “Bertie”, son of Victoria (1841 – 1910, King 1901 – 1910) was so heavy that he could not get the bottom button fastened on his vest or to be more historically kind, maybe he just forgot. His subjects taking it as a fashion statement followed his lead and today most men’s suits, sports jackets or vests are not designed to button the bottom button. The tradition of not buttoning the bottom button may have also come from the early waistcoats, which were very long. It may have been out of necessity of being able to walk that the bottom buttons were left undone.

10. Suit and Sports jackets should fit properly which includes showing ½” of “linen” or shirtsleeve at the jacket sleeve.

11. No pens or pocket protectors in your shirt pocket. Pens go in your suit coat inside pocket, out of sight.

12. Hair longer than shoulder length for women and over the ears for men diminishes perception of authority, but increases accessibility. We live in a complex, crowded society where considerate people dress appropriately for various places and occasions. Dressing appropriately is about respect for your fellow humans and our institutions. “Do the clothes suit you? Do the clothes suit the occasion? Do the clothes suit each other?” — Richard Plourde “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society” — Mark Twain Why even be concerned with “fashion”? “Fashion passes, style remains.” — Coco Chanel (1883-1971), founder of Chanel Men’s clothing, unlike women’s, is more traditional and less fashion oriented. It takes several seasons for men’s designers to change even slightly the width of a necktie. The male business suit is virtually unchanged in 70 years! Part of that is the progression to perfection that has resulted in attire that looks great on most men. The theory is once you reach perfection, don’t mess with it! “I’m interested in longevity, timelessness, style – not fashion.”– Ralph Lauren, fashion designer. So why even bother with fashion? Why not choose acceptable classic clothing items and just stick with those?

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months” — Oscar Wilde It’s important to know what the trends are, so you can update your wardrobe periodically with the fashion items IF they fit your own style and body type. You don’t want to still be wearing a light blue member’s only jacket and red polyester Sansabelt pants, do you? “The only moral one can draw from history is that it is much better to invent a new fashion than a new social theory. The fist may improve the appearance of men; the latter will only bring about a revolution” — Carlo Maria Franzero the biography, Beau Brummell

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Does a Man’s Automobile Make Him More Attractive?

by Shawn on Jul.22, 2009, under Automobiles, It's Stuff!, Lifestyle

You may read with interest today the survey in Top Gear Australia magazine that concludes that sports cars or luxury cars generally don’t add any attraction points to most men, interesting.

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Unfortunately, I think something has been missing from the picture for a long while now. Society has brought it upon itself to believe that men buy expensive cars simply to impress others, what nonsense.

I’m here to make a case for all the men (and women) that buy expensive sports cars or luxury cars because they choose to. Not because they want to impress others, but because they want that car. I am also going to shamelessly fill this article with photos of me with expensive cars as an example of how gorgeous cars don’t really do that much when it comes to attraction.

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In this job one of the benefits is seeing what it feels like to have a different car every week. One week you drive around in something James Bond would be happy with, the next week you’ve got a Kia Grand Carnival people mover. So not only do you see the difference in treatment but you also eventually realise how judgemental people can be. Let me give you a few examples.

Last year when the Jaguar XF first came out I had my hands on the very first one in Brisbane. Now remember, it’s just a Jag, sure it looks very modern and expensive, but it’s just a car.

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I wasn’t expecting much of a reaction, but I was blown away. First day in the XF and a friend and I went to grab some lunch, we decided to head to St Lucia, near the University of Queensland campus, we parked the car directly next to a restaurant and sat down for lunch.

In the hour that we sat there eating we watched five or six people stop and examine the car, nothing out of the ordinary but still interesting, however once we paid the bill and got up to leave, two rather attractive girls approached the car – “hey guys, nice car, can you take us for a ride?” – were they serious? I mean, who does that?

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It was one of those movie moments where the two guys stare at each other and wonder what they should say “Sure…” – “Don’t think so” both of us spoke at the same time. My friend was keen, I wasn’t.

“Sorry girls, we’re on a tight schedule (lie) we need to get out of here”. “Oh, come on, guys, just up the road, we live five minutes away”. Now I had a dilemma on my hands. At this point my friend was looking at me, wondering what the tight schedule was, with that “are you crazy” look on his face.

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“Can’t do it, have a great day though”. We got inside the car and drove off, 30 seconds went past in silence but it finally came: “Dude, have you gone mad!” said one rather confused man.

I love cars. I really do, I love the way they look, I love the way they sound, I love everything about them. One thing I don’t love is the stereotypical attention they get.

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A while ago I was in a gorgeous red Ferrari 360 convertible driving around the Gold Coast, at one stage while we were stuck at a red light two girls walked past us, stopped, one of them wrote her number on a piece of paper and threw it inside the car. “Call me!” she yelled as we looked at her in disbelief.

Would any self-respecting man really call her?

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That same week in the XF, I went to the Brisbane Chocolate Festival at Portside and there were absolutely no car parks left, but as soon as the manager saw the Jag, he came out, directed me to a reserved park right at the very front, next to a Porsche. Deferential treatment? Not at all.

Now that I’ve driven most supercars worth driving, I can honestly tell you, if you’re looking at buying one to impress anyone, don’t bother. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, etc, they are all cars of beauty, power and finesse, but they are all, at the end of the day, just a car.

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You should only buy them because YOU love them. This already holds true for the majority of owners.

My favourite story though is with the Aston Martin DBS, in Quantum Silver (James Bond’s car) in Brisbane. Those familiar with the Brisbane night life scene have probably been to West End and Lychee Lounge in particular.

I usually have a policy of not taking supercars out at night unless they are under consistent supervision, so with that in mind I planned to park the DBS right out the front of Lychee Lounge so I could see it at all times.

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You can of course hear the car coming kilometres away and as we approached the venue, I could see the first parking spot was free, literally right out the front. Perfect position, as the place was packed.

As I pulled in, I could see and even feel the glances, conversations had stopped, heads were turned. James Bond had arrived.

There is something enormously empowering about getting out of a $600,000 supercar in front of a crowd of people. Somehow you’re now someone important, simply because you drive an ultra-expensive car. For the sake of my social study experiment, I was happy to play the part.

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My friend and I sat down, I had a coffee and we stayed for a while. I realised I’d left my wallet in the car so I got up and walked outside towards the DBS, and there she was.

Between the DBS and I stood a girl no older than 25 in a red dress, stunning in every conceivable way possible. She looked so good, that the Aston was being humbled. I could once again feel that everyone in the lounge was starring, it was law of expectations in full force “Oh, of course, that’s definitely his girlfriend, it all makes sense…”. She wasn’t.

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I didn’t really know why she was there, maybe she was admiring the car, maybe she was just standing there, but she was actually physically standing between me and the door so unless I intended to push her out of the way, I had to talk to her.

“Hi there, I need to open the door…” I said. “Oh, sorry (lie). Is this your car? Wow it’s beautiful… ” she looked me up and down “and you’re so young, you must be doing something right” she said in the most intoxicating voice.

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“Aw, yeah… I guess”. I love my job.

“You know I’ve never been in a car like this, can you take me for a ride?” she said as she got one step closer to me.

It was the Jag situation all over again, only this time the car was six times the price and the girl, well, she looked like she was six times the price too.

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“Umm… I’m here with a friend, maybe later?”

“I’m leaving now, give me a lift to my car? We’ll talk on the way”

Argh! Men are hard-wired to respond to a situation like this with a big clear massive “Yes”. Dammit, the whole point of my experiment was to see if this would happen, it wasn’t to fall for it!

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There was a five second pause, it felt like a week. “Sorry, can’t do it at the moment” I said in the manliest voice I could muster. My internal organs were at this point rejecting me, they had gone into failure mode.

She smiled and walked away. I convinced my body I had made the right choice, walked back inside and sat down. I then realised I still didn’t have my wallet!

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You can say what you want and pretend it doesn’t happen, but if you want to break it down to an evolutionary psychology level, mate selection can be influenced by the male’s ability to care for his offspring. So an expensive car is going to increase the male’s sex and reproductive value, but only to a degree.

In my experience of driving the world’s most expensive and prestigious cars, female attention is increased dramatically,  but it’s hardly a good thing as most self respecting males would find it hard to be proud of that.

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Now, what about the not so expensive cars.

Currently in my garage is a Suzuki Swift Sport, one of my favourite little cars to drive around town. I’ve had it for a week now and knowing I was going to write this article, I’ve been trying to subtly survey female opinion.

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“Cool, I’ll pick you up around 8pm” I said to a female friend of mine last weekend. “I’ll bring the Swift.” – “Oh… why? Bring your own car, it’ll be more fun.” she replied back.

I have tested the theory by going out on dates with the same girl with different cars. I distinctively remember picking my date up and going to dinner in a Kia Grand Carnival. The week before I had picked her up in a BMW and given she had no idea what I do, it made for a really interesting observation of character.

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One thing I can tell you with utmost certainty is that everyday cars that blend in with the traffic do little to inspire any attention – from anyone.

Of course the point here is, when the time comes and you’re buying your first Aston Martin or Lamborghini, make sure you’re buying it for you.

More importantly though, next time you see a guy getting out of his expensive car, please take a moment to appreciate that he loves his car, he bought it because he loves it and he chose to buy it. He didn’t buy it to impress you. He is not compensating for anything.

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Many females I’ve questioned have told me that attractive cars make already attractive men more attractive (consistent with the Top Gear survey results) but little to no affect on average or not-so average looking men.

As for the flip side, do expensive, sport or luxury cars make women more attractive to men, the clear consistent answer from our side of the fence is a big massive YES.

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We can’t help but to fall in love with a girl driving a Porsche 911 Turbo. We can’t help but to love a girl as she screams past in her BMW M3 convertible. We are visual creatures and are pre-programmed to admire things of beauty. For most men, the pre-existing attraction to cars is a massive bonus when it comes to increasing our interest!

If you’re female, I would really like to read your opinion so please leave a comment.

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As for the men reading this, by all means let me know what you think and share any experiences you’ve had with cars and their social value.

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What in the World is Qiviuk?

by JL on Jul.21, 2009, under Fabrics

Qiviuk: The most expensive wool in the world.

The MUSKOX is a shaggy, big-shouldered, almost prehistoric-looking beasts. At a distance they appear to be relatives of the buffalo, with their long, dark coats and curving horns. But here’s the first surprise: they stand only chest high to a human. What’s even more amazing is that beneath the hairy exterior is a layer of fleece so luxurious, it’s eight times warmer than wool and keeps its occupants warm even at minus-50 degrees C (-58 degrees F).

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No wonder that qiviuk (kee-vee-ook), as the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories call it, is one of the knitwear world’s most expensive raw ingredients, selling for three times the price of cashmere. Supply is extremely limited, since wild Arctic muskox shed their undercoats just once a year — in May, when warmer temperatures arrive and the tundra becomes littered with tufts of grey-brown fleece. It’s harvested sustainably — by hand, the old way. Hunter-gatherers for centuries, the Inuit collect it where it falls or strip it from hides during hunting season. (Inuvialuit officials say it’s sustainable because the population is large and healthy, and native hunters slaughter only a fraction of the herd each year.) Inuvialuit hunters in Sachs Harbour on Banks Island, NWT, keep some of the wool for their families. Mittens made of 100% qiviuk can sell for up to $250 a pair in Yellowknife.

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Wool – A Luxury Fabric

by Shawn on Jul.21, 2009, under Articles, Fabrics

CountingSheepIntroduction
Although the importance of wool has diminished over the last century, the fiber still retains a strong place in the clothing world due to its unique characteristics. Wool is a generic term applied to the hair of animals, mostly sheep, but also including Angora and Cashmere goats, camels, and llamas. It is a natural protein fiber, and is considered a luxury fiber not only of its price but also because of the lengths an owner must go through to ensure proper care. Despite these drawbacks, wool has endured as a fabric because of its resiliency, physical attractiveness, insulating ability, comfort, and the stubborn quality position it has established in the minds of the fashion conscious. It is a staple fabric in Men’s Suits and Sport’s Jackets, and the reasons are -

Physical Characteristics
Quality of wool depends on the fiber fineness, length, scale structure, color, and cleanliness. The most sought after wools are very thin in diameter (10 to 20 micrometers), long in length (at least 2 to 5 inches), and the fibers themselves are free from defects. Here is where the term raw wool comes into play; oftentimes wool is recycled, and although this may lower the cost it also increases the likeliness of damage to the wool’s structure. Raw wool is the industry’s way of saying it has never been used before.

Properties

Appearance
Wool appears lofty, and even a small amount in a blend can give a fabric an appearance of body. Wool is the “look” other fibers are measured by and compared to. Drape, luster, and the fabrics hand depend on what type of wool we use and the percentage of that wool in the fabric, but it is safe to say that when it comes to looks, wool sets the standard.

Absorbency
Wool can absorb almost 20% of its weight in water before reaching saturation. In inclement moist weather it does an excellent job of keeping its wearer warm and dry, a great combination when it is raining and the temperature falls.

Heat Conduction
Wool is a poor conductor of heat, so it does an excellent job of keeping its wearer warm in cold weather. It traps still air, which when heated by the body amplifies the wools heat conduction qualities. A thin wool garment will often do a better job than a much thicker cotton one of keeping its owner warm on a brisk fall evening.

Resiliency
As mentioned earlier, wool does an excellent job retaining its shape. Fabrics made from wool tend to resist wrinkling and hold their shape well; this doesn’t mean you can just wad your suit jacket into a ball and throw it in your suitcase, but you should ensure wool is in your wardrobe if you travel often.

Durability
Although wool fibers can be bent as many as 20 thousand times without breaking (7 times cottons ability), wool is overall fragile fabric. Here are the things to watch out for:

Heat – Be very careful with heat. The safest way to pull out wrinkles is with steam, not an iron. The hot steam breaks down the hydrogen bonds, allowing the wool to relax and take on the desired shape. Ironing introduces a heat source that is too strong, and can cause irrevocable damage by denaturing the proteins (think of cooking an egg, you can’t un-cook it!)

Weak when wet – wool loses 1/3 of it fiber strength when soaked in water. Be very careful with wool when it is wet, and let it dry on a flat surface that does not create stress points that can leave permanent deformation.

A need for some moisture – Too much moisture is bad, but a wool garment needs at least some in the air will or it will become brittle. Not a problem if visiting the desert, but if you are moving to a very dry climate you may want to consider leaving your suits at your summer home up north.

Bleaches – Chlorine bleach is an oxidizing agent, and wool is very sensitive to it and alkalis such as strong detergents. Dry clean only or you may destroy the wool completely.

Insects – Moths and their larvae are just one of many insects that attack wool. It’s imperative that you invest in proper storage for your wool garments, or your investment will be literally eaten over the period of one summer. Mothballs are toxic, but there are many effective natural alternatives such as lavender and cedar. Remember to have your wool items professionally cleaned before storing them, or you may seal them with the moth eggs still alive.

Environmental Impact
Overall wool leans towards being a green choice. Most modern facilities treat the animals humanely (longevity and a healthy coat is in their best interests), and the price commanded by it in turn encourages the consumer to take better care of the garment thus extending it’s life. Although large farms may use substantial amounts of energy, water, and chemicals to bring the fiber to market, you have to weigh the alternatives.

- Ezine Articles

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