5 Small Style Tricks

1. Roll up your sleeves so they look good and stay up.

Believe it or not there is a much better alternative to the: unbutton… roll… roll… roll… roll method.  And that better alternative is the: unbutton… flip… pulllllllll… flip… smooth… method.  Here’s how to do it:

Unbutton the cuff.  Grab the edge of the cuff and flip the whole cuff back.  Allowing your sleeve to turn inside out along the way, slowly drag your cuff up past your elbow until the seam where the cuff and shirt meet is in your elbow pit.  Fold the extra 3-5 inches of exposed inside-out sleeve up to “lock in” the cuff.  And you’re done.

2. Beef up your four-in-hand:  Embrace the Kelvin

Here’s a scenario:  Four in hand is too small.  Half Windsor is too big.  The answer is a Kelvin, which is basically a four-in-hand that has you start tying with the underside facing up, and adds an extra sweep for the needed bulk.  Primer magazine has a terrific diagram to show you how to tie it.

3. Have your open collar stay where you want it

Seems like cheating, but it’s not.  Buy some wurkin’ stiffs.  They’re incredible.

4. Tie a better shoelace knot

Most of us have been tying our shoes “wrong” since childhood.  A basic shoelace knot has two stages:  1.  The beginning cross starter knot,  and 2. The loops.  The key is to alternate which end goes over the other on each step.  Starting with a left over right cross, then a left lace over right loop gives you an odd laying “granny” knot.

Left:  The Granny is ornery.  Right:  The balanced, square, or reef knot lays flat.

Start again with a left over right cross, but then on step two wrap the left lace BEHIND the right loop.  That’ll give you a much better looking & draping balanced knot.  (If you’re like me and start with a left cross, just imagine the “rabbit” having to duck behind the “tree” to use it for shotgun cover from Granny.)  Extensive coverage over here.

5. Pour a better beer

Most of us get the first step of the process right.  Step 1:  Hold the glass at an angle (45 degrees), not straight up and down, and start pouring with the stream of beer hitting about halfway down the glass.  This lets the beer ease in without building the head quite yet.  Step 2:  Once the glass is about half full, slowly start tipping it up straight while moving the beer stream from the wall of the glass to the center of the beer pool.  Practice if you need to.

Your turn.  Any style tricks worth sharing from your own arsenal  are more than welcome in the comments below.