Guy jewelry is a tricky thing and some are of the (old) school of thought that it should be watch & wedding ring max. But that seems a bit staid by MFL standards. There’s more than one way at a time to express the complexity of our personalities. Sometimes we want to show our inner tribal warrior off even if we’re wearing a button down Oxford and a tie. Thanks to my better half giving me one for our anniversary (an incredible gift, BTW) I feel that John Hardy leather bracelets can do that job quite nicely.  Not all the designs are winners but a bracelet like the Dayak is nothing but masculine and will complement your tats (or naked hairy wrist) to a T.

The interplay of leather and sterling silver is based on the traditional warrior designs of the Dayak tribe of Borneo, so you can grab a little of that ethos vicariously when you strap on the Hardy version. (You can read more about the badass Dayaks here but suffice to say you don’t want to start talking smack about their jewelry lest you end up with your head on display in their hut.)

If you want a splash of color, a Station Bracelet in red or green makes a nice statement.

These bracelets aren’t cheap by any means at $275-$495 for most of the leather collection. But their solid silver pieces are exponentially more expensive so these are a good way to treat yourself to a bit of tribal toughness that can be worn everyday without breaking the bank. Just don’t wear the ones with magnetic clasps on the same wrist as your watch, as they are quite strong. Unless your watch is an IWC Ingenieur or Rolex Milgauss, that is.

Their official site is here: John Hardy for Men. They also produce a wide range of cufflinks, full metal bracelets, rings and necklaces, as well as stuff for the women & kids.

You can also purchase John Hardy accessories at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Look, you’re not in college anymore and no one thinks it’s “cute” when you shuffle into work or the bar with clothes that just came off the bedroom floor. You’re a young man trying to make a name for himself in this world.  Look the part.

Now you could send everything to the dry cleaners.  But that would cut down on beer money. Maybe you have a man servant to take care of such mundane tasks or you send your clothes home to momma? Maybe you have a throwback 1950s June Cleaver wife who will gladly do it for you (yeah, that’ll last). In any case, we here at MFL prefer self-reliance even for the boring stuff.

So unless your work calls for overalls or a hazmat suit, take 5-10 minutes to iron whatever you’re going to wear, even a T-shirt and jeans. If there’s something that’s just too much of a PITA to deal with like linen, then sure, take it to the dry cleaners and have them do it for a few bucks. Same goes for your fancier dress shirts if you’re worried you might burn through them while you’re busy texting. But mostly you’ll do fine, lazybones.

Some helpful hints: Continue reading →