The Lady Guide to Modern Manners: 22 July
Dear Thomas,
You have solved problems for me before and I hope you might be able to again. I have a gentleman friend in his late 60s. I would like to give him a special present for his birthday. He does not smoke or drink, is fond of music, plays guitar, watches his diet, hasn’t got much of a sense of humour (probably because he comes from the Great Abroad and cannot understand our jokes). He dresses conservatively and only wears black socks. Really, he is rather boring, don’t you think? Help me bring some sunshine into his life, please. I am totally at a loss.
Bridget Last, Colchester
Dear Bridget,
What a nightmare! The mind turns to a total desert. Presents for men! The worst! But just a minute – trawling through my emails, I recall our invaluable staff writer, Melonie Clarke, sending me the results of a survey. It was something to do with men. Yes, here it is. Deramores.com, the online knitting store, surveyed 2,000 men and women re what should the modern man be like? The answer: women want a man who can knit and change a nappy; for men one of the top priorities is their personal grooming. Women don’t care that much about men’s personal grooming nor their outfits. In fact, only 1.7 per cent said following fashion trends was important. Disaster: men are peacocking before the mirror, while women are screaming from the service parts of the home: ‘Get your knitting needles out, you wretch!’
I don’t know what to make of this. Maybe women want to keep all the frocks and shoes for themselves? They don’t want competition. David Beckham is wheeled out as the ideal modern man since he was seen on Instagram sewing clothes for his daughter’s dolls. But he’s not famed for a lack of interest in modes, is he?
I’m thinking perhaps you should go down the grooming avenue for your special present for your friend. How about a ‘wash bag’ as they are now called? ‘Dull’ you might say, but a man always needs a new one, or will do soon. If he doesn’t like it hugely he’ll still use it on the grounds that nobody much will see it. Aspinal offers a luxury leather bag at £195 or Paul Smith will have something more whacky for less. You could then track down a few little products to put in it from a website such as mankind.co.uk, face wash, or better still face scrub – anything with a slightly aggressive edge and masculine packaging. Shaving balm is also good.
Otherwise, you mention he likes music. How about headphones that shut out engine noise when you’re flying? Or perhaps an artwork – a Henry Moore sculpture is coming up at Christie’s: only £15,000. But seriously, bargains are to be had online. Or get him three nights at the Ice Hotel in Lapland.
Please send your questions to thomas.blaikie@lady.co.uk or write to him at The Lady, 39-40 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ER
Take note: the Windsmoor business-suit look was bagged by the first one. Forget it. Your best outfit so far was the navy dress and light blue dress coat. You were much photographed going into No. 10 wearing it. Strange, because I was promoting the dress coat, admittedly as a choice for a wedding guest, in The Lady only the other day. I’m glad you were taking note.
You have solved problems for me before and I hope you might be able to again. I have a gentleman friend in his late 60s. I would like to give him a special present for his birthday. He does not smoke or drink, is fond of music, plays guitar, watches his diet, hasn’t got much of a sense of humour (probably because he comes from the Great Abroad and cannot understand our jokes). He dresses conservatively and only wears black socks. Really, he is rather boring, don’t you think? Help me bring some sunshine into his life, please. I am totally at a loss.
Bridget Last, Colchester
Dear Bridget,
What a nightmare! The mind turns to a total desert. Presents for men! The worst! But just a minute – trawling through my emails, I recall our invaluable staff writer, Melonie Clarke, sending me the results of a survey. It was something to do with men. Yes, here it is. Deramores.com, the online knitting store, surveyed 2,000 men and women re what should the modern man be like? The answer: women want a man who can knit and change a nappy; for men one of the top priorities is their personal grooming. Women don’t care that much about men’s personal grooming nor their outfits. In fact, only 1.7 per cent said following fashion trends was important. Disaster: men are peacocking before the mirror, while women are screaming from the service parts of the home: ‘Get your knitting needles out, you wretch!’
I don’t know what to make of this. Maybe women want to keep all the frocks and shoes for themselves? They don’t want competition. David Beckham is wheeled out as the ideal modern man since he was seen on Instagram sewing clothes for his daughter’s dolls. But he’s not famed for a lack of interest in modes, is he?
I’m thinking perhaps you should go down the grooming avenue for your special present for your friend. How about a ‘wash bag’ as they are now called? ‘Dull’ you might say, but a man always needs a new one, or will do soon. If he doesn’t like it hugely he’ll still use it on the grounds that nobody much will see it. Aspinal offers a luxury leather bag at £195 or Paul Smith will have something more whacky for less. You could then track down a few little products to put in it from a website such as mankind.co.uk, face wash, or better still face scrub – anything with a slightly aggressive edge and masculine packaging. Shaving balm is also good.
Otherwise, you mention he likes music. How about headphones that shut out engine noise when you’re flying? Or perhaps an artwork – a Henry Moore sculpture is coming up at Christie’s: only £15,000. But seriously, bargains are to be had online. Or get him three nights at the Ice Hotel in Lapland.
Please send your questions to thomas.blaikie@lady.co.uk or write to him at The Lady, 39-40 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ER
WHAT TO DO ABOUT...OUTFITS FOR THE PM
I’m assuming that Theresa May will still be PM by the time The Lady goes to press. But before we say goodbye to the old one, I must mention the subject of men crying in public again (Modern Manners, 8 July issue). I did get a weeny bit cross with Andy Murray for being in such a state after he won Wimbledon. You’d have thought the world had come to an end rather than he’d just won £2m. He of course rather led the way on the weepingmen front with his tearful interview after his Wimbledon defeat in 2012. But I really wanted to offer fashion tips to our second woman Prime Minister.Take note: the Windsmoor business-suit look was bagged by the first one. Forget it. Your best outfit so far was the navy dress and light blue dress coat. You were much photographed going into No. 10 wearing it. Strange, because I was promoting the dress coat, admittedly as a choice for a wedding guest, in The Lady only the other day. I’m glad you were taking note.