5 Favorites from RealMenRealStyle.com‘s Antonio Centeno
Sure it’s just stuff. But stuff can make life easier, more enjoyable, etc… Every so often we ask one of our favorite people to rattle off their five favorite things. This is the stuff they’d grab if the house was burning down.
Antonio Centeno is a former Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, has studied fashion in London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Bangkok, runs the custom clothing company A Tailored Suit (as well as acts as its head designer), writes extensively for The Art of Manliness, and also has his own successful style website: RealMenRealStyle.com. I don’t know when the man sleeps either.
As is always the case with our 5 Favorites series, nobody is paying to be here and we determine who gets a spot. To ratchet up the difficulty level on owners and designers, they’re allowed to pick just one item from their place of work.
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#1 Maui Jim Kapalua in Gunmetal – $209.99
– $269.99
“I found my Kapaluas on sale in 2005 at a department store. Prior to dropping this much money on sunglasses, I had never spent more than $20 on shades. However I had been reading about Maui Jims and really wanted to see if they were as good as the reviews said they were. 7 years later my Kapaluas are still my primary shades and I receive compliments every time I wear them. The lenses are crystal clear and actually improve my vision on sunny days. And because I spent so much on them I do treat them with care, but that hasn’t stopped me from wearing them when I go running, wresting with my kids, or just driving around town.”
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#2 Weber Q 300 Propane Gas Barbeque – $349.00
“Between the months of April and October, specifically on nice evenings, I pull out the Weber gas grill to cook brats, hamburgers, vegetables, chicken, ribs, and steak. I love this grill because it gets really hot fast (max 590 degrees within minutes) which is important for searing steaks and has two burners with separate controls and excellent heat distribution thanks to its cast iron grates.”
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#3 RibbedTee Made in the USA Undershirts – $18.50 / 2-pack
“I make high quality dress shirts and suits. As such I expect a lot from clothing – it needs to fit my body, use high quality fabric that lasts, be stitched with good thread to withstand tension, and should look good by itself – even when it’s underwear. RibbedTee meets all my criteria and more. In fact, these undershirts are so good that I have stopped wearing all of my Hanes and Fruit of the Loom entirely. A problem sometimes as I have to do laundry when I run out.”
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#4 Makita LXT601 18-Volt LXT 6-Piece Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit – $490.49
“In 2007 I bought a 110 year old Victorian House. Initially I expected to hire contractors to help fix her up, but after a few 5 figure quotes I realized I needed to just man-up and learn how to do as much home repair as I could. Between the hammer drill, circular saw, and reciprocating saw these power tools have paid for themselves 10 fold. The impact driver and grinder get less use, but they have saved the day a few times. And that flashlight – it is bright! Finally after 5 years and hundreds of uses the lithium-ion batteries still maintain a strong charge.”
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#5 Lucchese Classics 1883 Boots – $350.00
“On my last trip to Austin I picked up a pair of Lucchese 1883s. Ten years ago I wouldn’t have been caught dead in boots (which is funny as I grew up raising horses in Texas). But now they just felt right, looked great with raw denim, and they made me 3 inches taller. Now they are my favorite pair of footwear – comfortable, memorable, an American classic.”
As the great Billy Mays (RIP Billy) would say, “But wait! There’s MORE!” Runners, photographers, and audiophiles… head this-a-way for part II of Antonio’s favorite things. Antonio Centeno can be found on the web at RealMenRealStyle.com, ATailoredSuit.com, on twitter, and make sure to swing by his Youtube Channel.
Very Top “5″ Photo Credit: Gunnar Bangsmoen
