My 10 Essentials

Together with my little feature in GQ magazine this month I was asked to document my 10 essentials for GQ online.

Now, these aren’t meant to be fashion essentials, just the 10 things I cant live without. Admittedly, I had a lot more than 10, and whittling it down was pretty difficult, but in the end, I definitely couldn’t get by without these guys. Here’s what they are and why.

Essential 1: I need to start my day with a good cup of coffee, the best coffee in Cape Town is a little spot called Deluxe thats pretty much 2 blocks from where I stay. The walk there and back allows me have a meeting with myself, I plan the day ahead and all thing I need to do, no matter how late I’m running, I always make time for this essential.

 

Essential 2: Every gentleman should learn how to tie a bow tie – it’s tricky, but when you get it right, you’ll never wear pre-tied again. Besides there’s nothing like letting that bad boy swing loose around your neck at the end of a night!

This particular one is from LVJ Haberdasher

 

Essential 3: A good leather satchel goes a long way, literally. It’s one of those items that gets better with age and collects stories along the way. From a practical level its also a handy place to put all your stuff.

 

Essential 4: When I’m in the mood and the weather allows, I love nothing more than taking my little vespa around town It’s the best way to see the city and you never struggle to find parking. This helmet is therefore an actual essential, because you know, you only get one head.

The above helmet is a Ruby, check out the post I did on it a while back

 

Essential 5: For the most part, I live life by the book – regular exercise, healthy diet, etc. But you need balance and I believe It’s better to die of something, than to live for nothing, so yes, I smoke, not much, maybe more than I should, but a lot less than I could.

 

Essential 6: Really this goes without saying! Whether it’s a pocket square, a tie clip, a lapel flower or all three, it’s the details that bring your outfit together. You should always have a little collection to mix and match.

 

Essential 7: Most of you already know this, but for those who dont if I had to choose one shirt fabric to wear for the rest of my days, it would be gingham. It’s the most versatile pattern and seems to go with everything.

The one above is by Ben Sherman

 

Essential 8: So we spend forever finding the right jacket and getting it tailored, then we fill our pockets with stuff and end up bulging all over the place and ruining the silhouette we’ve worked so hard to create.  Keep a slim wallet with only the essentials. Coins are for car guards and buskers.

 

Essential 9: Leather shoes are an essential – they wear well and last long. If you can afford to, get an all leather shoes, inside, outside and under. If you only get 1 leather shoe, make it a wingtip brogue, it will live on your shoe rack for the rest of your life, or it should if you take care of it.

 

Essential 10: A simple watch with a leather strap to tell the time (and maybe the date) is pretty much all you need. If you are not actually running laps or scuba diving at the time, leave the chunky chronographs and sportswatches at home…or in your gym bag.

That’s it, my 10 essentials for GQ, It was quite a fun project. It also left me thinking, what would my 10 fashion essentials be? Or what would all the fashion essentials be for any mans wardrobe? Maybe I should start that as a new section on the blog.

What do you think?

Okay. Stay fancy.