The Victorinox is much more moderately priced – very few exceeding $1000. Victorinox are also steeped in tradition. The company has been supplying the Swiss Army with precision cutlery for well over 100 years. Though they are late to the game, when it comes to watches, my friends who wear Victorinox watches have nothing but good things to say about this hardy ever-growing brand. For my part, I wear a Rolex – my grandfather’s. Vintage. A rose-faced number from the 1950s. Grandpa was a grifter and a small time Detroit hood. Wearing the timepiece about carries with it a certain degree remembrance of him and his more obvious faults. You could say a lot of bad things about gramps but you couldn’t say the man wasn’t a snazzy dresser.

Cufflinks are only to be worn with French Cuff shirts – that is shirts that are not cut in the Oxford style. Meaning that without the cufflinks the sleeves wouldn’t button. Next, cufflinks are generally worn with tuxedos, but this is not a hard and fast rule. If you’re wearing cufflinks without a tux, it projects an air of swagger. If this is the desired effect, then you’re doing great, if not try to keep your choice of links as discreet as possible: your initials, coins, etc. But if you’re the type that feels compelled to be a conversation piece at client meetings, let loose my friend and find the best fits your boardroom rock n rolla persona.

I am a guy who appreciates the old school. When I was making my coffee the other day I realized how awesome it is to make it the old fashion way. No, I don’t harvest the beans myself and then grind them with a stone, but I do love to make a cup o Joe with my stove-top Bialetti coffee maker. The coffee is “strong like bull” and I doubt if you’ll need another cup, like you do when you’re drinking drip. Bialetti’s boil water in a lower chamber forcing hot vapor filtering through grounds and into the upper chamber through a flute, delivering a delicious old school brew. Though you can get Bialettis in single serve form I’ve seen whoppers that serve 6. Grab one. Change it up.

That’s why my choice is the MacBook – because it’s purdy – and because they have such exceptional customer service. You can even get free how-to classes for all apps at your local Apple store. My laptop is a very simple Macbook. I only need it for writing and to occasionally distract me on transcontinental flights. She’s not light – weighs about 7 pounds and makes me long for a Macbook Air which clocks in at a light-as-gossamer 3 lbs. I detest schlepping my MacBook from coffee shop to library to bookstore and home again. By the end of a long day, it feels like you’re carrying around a bowling ball. For me the intersection of light, durable, and dependable is the way to the go. If you can say all that about your laptop, pull double click.

I do like to go the beach a lot (seeing the dirt meet the water really blows my hair back). So something like the Canon PowerShot D10 a waterproof number which would be good investment for me. I’m no Bruce Weber, and I’m sure if you’re reading this, you ain’t either. Just get something with a mellow learning curve that won’t get in the way – something that works when you need it to – for instance, if you have a celebrity sighting. The right pic at the right time could fetch a king’s ransom.

That said, if you are young and still figuring it out, you probably already know to buy one of these guys. What you might not know is that you can also do it with a bit of style. If I can steal from Japanese lore, and invoke the spirit of the ninja now, I would recommend selecting a futon that doesn’t look like a futon at first glance – a convertible. They look a bit more grown up and won’t scare off the fairer sex. These days the style of the western futon is evolving at a surprising rate. Choose wisely grasshopper and you can find something both stylish and functional.

Though it truly is a question of personal taste, I find garish over-sized fancy back pockets compliment no one. Keep it simple peacock. Go basic. Go classic and you won’t go wrong. Also, do not fold the cuffs (unless you’re a in a Vespa gang) and go with a basic leather belt. Anything beyond this is flair and costume. You come off looking like an insecure douche playing dress-up. I alternate between my Mined Rd’s – a soft but durable Swedish brand (they’ll set you back about $100 at Barney’s Co-op) and a pair of straight leg beaters from Old Navy that just won’t quit. Jeans, find the right pair and it’s one less thing to worry about.

This modern-yet-classic piece from Design Within Reach will cost you a pretty penny, but just picture a pretty Penny sipping a dark and stormy with you while Miles Davis plays you into the morning.

There’s something about a gamine in a party dress draped over the arm of a leather couch that makes life worth the living. I also wouldn’t rule out a Mid-Century number (something from the 50s to early 60s), like the kind you’ll find in Don Draper’s office. Now that guy knows something about style.

When I wear my favorite gun barrel grey wool suit on the streets of NYC it turns heads (handy with Valentine’s Day just around the bend). You get that wry invitational smile from women who are dressed up too. They appreciate the gesture, gentlemen. Wool suits bear a certain cachet and reflect a maturity and control. Presidents seem to sleep in them. So as NPH would say, “Suit up!” and pick one up today. Drop the “child” and “manchild” and get ready for the looks. Believe me they will come.

Someone with a lot better taste than me gave me my first Filson bag and I am now a believer. Filson’s are built Ford tough and look great too. Durable, quick drying, and waterproof, they first became popular with fortune-seeking gold prospecters during the great western Gold Rush of 1849. They come with a lifetime warranty and guarantee looks of admiration from men and women alike. Bottom line, the bag makes you look like a stud. Most prospecters came up dry during the Gold Rush but at least they discovered Filson.