bateau neck - A high and wide straight neckline that runs across the front and back, meeting at the shoulders; it has the same depth in the front and back. Its shape is similar to the underwater part of a boat (think canoe). Also called a boat neck.
Guys, we need to talk. It’s about your shoes.
The rule used to be that a gentleman needed one pair each of black, brown and navy blue shoes, plus a formal pair for tuxedos as well as any resort or athletic needs. That color rule was lost somewhere along the way to Casual Friday, but the numbers hold true.
There are oodles of casual-to-upscale shoes on the market. Of note for the laid-back office dweller is what I call the hybrid. Hybrids are casual shoes with an athletic appeal. You wouldn’t hit the courts in these, but you will look hip at the office or bar if you pair these with jeans or pants.
Unless you’re at the gym, take off the athletic shoes. It’s not a good look, especially if your blaring white kicks are sticking out from dark jeans. A friend of mine went on a few dates with a guy but could not get past his white gym shoes. I don’t blame her.
Now I know you love that one pair of shoes, but don’t wear them every day. Wearing the same shoes is boring, makes them wear out quickly and brings the stink. Make your “most often worn” shoes the ones that have the best construction, seem the most durable and are the most comfortable. It’s OK to buy a second pair in the same style or brand but in a different color.
If you haven’t been measured for shoes for a while, it’s a good idea to do so. Feet can grow bigger or wider as we grow older, and sometimes we don’t realize the reason we hate all our shoes is that they don’t fit right. Keep in mind that feet are smallest in the morning but tend to swell as the day goes on or with lots of walking. Try on shoes at lunchtime for a happy medium.
Dress shoes are important, but if you aren’t wearing a suit every day these are your special occasion shoes. Don’t buy the cheapest dress shoes you can find and don’t wear with a tuxedo the same pair you bought for college graduation, either. These shoes don’t have to be as durable (read: expensive) as the shoes you wear to work or play, but they should be stylish. Trust me, your date will notice.
If you invest in a nice pair of leather shoes, keep up the maintenance and earn return on the investment. Have them polished, change frayed laces and get the soles replaced once they wear thin or become unbalanced. It’s a lot cheaper than a new buying a new pair. Classic, well-made shoes can last a decade or longer.
Realistically, three pairs of everyday shoes (plus athletic or special occasion kicks) is still a good rule. I don’t expect you to go into debt with a new shoe addiction. But when you see shoes you like, buy them. There is something sexy about a well-heeled man.
This column was originally written for KOIT radio in San Francisco. They don’t archive content so now I can share it with you.
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If you’re thinking of shopping in Hong Kong, be ready for sticker shock. There are plenty of high-end boutiques catering to jet-set tourists and the large number of local millionaires. High-rise luxury malls offer well-known brands such as Dior, Dolce & Gabanna and Gucci. If sterling silver rice bowls and brocade opera coats are your thing, local luxury brand Shanghai Tang has four locations in Hong Kong, and offers couture clothing and homewares with Chinese themes.
Hong Kong is all about the malls. Brightly lit and severely air-conditioned, the malls offer many of the stores found here or in Europe. Hong Kongese department store Lane Crawford is well-appointed. Their selection is vast, and includes several nods to novelty. One noteworthy feature was a do-it-yourself decorating bar for HavaianasTale brand plastic flip-flops. In another area, sneakers moved on a conveyer belt across the storefront windows as a DJ spun records.
While Hong Kong does have counterfeit knock-off stalls selling conscpicuously logo’d bags, it’s not at the same volume as other cities. The quality of imposter bags and accessories is very low due to the inexpensive materials and labor used. Better buys are genuine leather, in classic styles or trendy colors. Open the bags to study the linings and test zippers. You can buy quality handbags styled in the same shapes as luxury brands that don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. Shopping in Hong Kong is the perfect time to buy a flashy evening clutch at a fraction of what you’d pay at an American department store. Asian-inspired purses made of brocade and silk are abundant and more interesting than what can be found back at home, and the hand-beading and other detailing is exquisite.
For adventurous bargain-hunters, sellers lure sidewalk shoppers to follow them to back rooms and private shops (read: homes) to see wares. Sometimes these are counterfeit goods, other times the goods are seemingly well-made products at low prices. After hearing the story of a traveler en route to such a shopping spree who was stuck in a rickety elevator for two hours, this writer decided to stick to the well-lit streets. Such shopping excursions come with a very large Buyer Beware sticker.
The Soho area of Hong Kong is home to boutiques with local flair. This is the neighborhood to visit if independently designed clothes are your bag. Small stores in the hillside neighborhood are more approachable than the slick, brightly lit malls. You may even see someone working a needle and thread, creating the wares sold in the stores. The Soho area has a trendy, slightly upscale feel that is reflected in its restaurants and shops.
Nathan Road in Kowloon, a quick ferry ride across the harbor from Hong Kong, is lined with some familiar names as well as European brands. If your luggage was lost, this is the place to stock up for the next few days. Fairly average casual wear and shoes at bargain prices and an inexplicable number of jewelry stores line the area.
There are plenty of sidewalk stalls where prices are more of a starting point than a final rate. Anything from children’s-size silk pajamas to dish towels and inexpensive watches can be haggled down to a song.
hem - The folded or otherwise finished edge of a garment.
Precious few things are true classics. Many so-called classics are tweaked toward the trends of an era, with changes to color, size or shape. True classics are dignified and unchanging, like a single string of pearls. A single strand of pearls is timeless — they bring a quiet and respectable touch of glamour.
My pearls were bought by my grandfather in Japan during World War II and given to my grandmother at war’s end. My grandmother gave the pearls to me as a wedding gift. They’ve been with me through four-star dinners, at least four weddings and a funeral. They allow me to dress up without being too flashy.
I never thought of myself as a pearl girl. Jewelry isn’t really my thing. I’m fair-skinned and thought pearls would get lost on my decollatage. Sometimes I still think of myself as a rebellious youngin’. Like other true classics, pearls take a level of maturity or at least wardrobe restraint. Perhaps my wedding was a turning point, signaling that I was mature enough to carry off the pearls.
Like other classics, pearls are pricey. This is one investment you really will use more and more with time. If you’re not in line for your grandmother’s but yearn for a single strand, start saving, marry rich or start scouring pawn shops. You can have pearls restrung to the correct length or update the clasp. I’m not an advocate of fake anything and I’m certainly not telling you to buy faux pearls to pass off as real ones (but for costuming purposes, by all means, layer them on!). Patience is a virtue, my pearl.
Past the age of 10, everyone needs a real wallet. Losing your loose ID and ATM cards is annoying and laying a wad of cash on the counter is so not chic. But supporting independent artists is tres chic.
Poketo wallets feature work by an array of international artists. There are different series of wallets, loosely based on a theme. The designs are exclusive to Poketo and the wallets function as a promo piece with artist info inside the wallet. I dig all the wallets but right now I feel a kinship to the images designed by Stella Im Hultberg.
People constantly comment on my wallet and my husband gets even more compliments on his. The wallets are sold online, at art shows and at select stores. They make great gifts. Poketo: art for your everyday!
wedge - A heel that is as wide as the shoe itself and follows the shoe’s contour from the ball of the foot to the heel. The heel may be of any height.