In All its Glory: The Beard

Where has the beard gone? It's 2011, so probably down the drain. Commercials tell us we need to be smooth and buy their shaving products. You know the very fast multiple layered sharp object that supposedly won't pull and cut you? Then you have those corporate guys that want a uniformed look and to be presentable. But, when did looking awesome become not presentable? I do enjoy a good shave (which we will discuss in another post later), but I enjoy a great beard way more.

Having a beard is just not what it used to be. To me the beard was a sign of maturity, wisdom, and power. Kings have beards, wizards have beards, Jesus and all your Biblical characters had beards. Today the beard is a sign of letting yourself go, but fear not fellow gents. It's OK to rock the mountain man look. People freak out way to often over the beard, but we are men! Stand tall, let it grow, and let us show the world that we will not terry.

Take a look at our history in beards. 

Moses

Socrates     

Jesus

King Richard the Lionheart

Paul Bunyan

Robert E. Lee

                       

Then the world shaved (they look good, however a nice beard would look awesome)

1900s

1950s

Today

Other than a select few men out there, you don't see a good beard that often. Most of the time, it has to do with the career that we are in, sometimes there is a lady involved, sometimes we just shave and that is not a bad thing. Beards need to be refreshed every so often. Point being is beards are for gentlemen too. 

Tips on Keeping a Gentlemanly and Awesome Beard. 

1. Don't shave. Let that puppy grow! 

2. Trim the edges. You can still have an awesome 

beard, keep it neat and tidy. 

3. Blend it. I like to keep mine blended in with my haircut. 

4. Participate in No Shave November, beard growing contests, 

NHL Playoff Beards, or any other kind of contest or vowel, 

like Samson did. 

5. Respect the beard. 

Appropriately Stylish

Being a gentleman doesn't always mean you have to dress all fancy and look proper all the time. For instance, I am appropriately stylish. I am prepared for every occasion. No matter what I am wearing, I will always look good and I will always be a gentleman. But this blog is about the gentleman's appearance. We all have down time and get dirty, we are men, its what we do. So when you are out on the town with your lady types, you don't want to blend in with the crowd or be that guy everyone is laughing at. You want to stand out from the pack and be the talk of the night! "I want to be that guy!" I am not just an average run of the mill guy, I consider myself to be a leader and a role model and I want to dress that way too. For instance, on October 8, 2011 Richmond was buzzing over my girlfriend and I. It was our one year anniversary and I took her to dinner and to the theater to Wicked and naturally we dressed up. It's in my blood and shes a woman so it for sure is in her blood and we knocked them all out. She was hot in her little black dress and we had 9 groups of people stop, some in cars in the middle of the road, and tell us how great we looked. This was a phenomenon in many ways, but the main reason why is because it isn't common anymore. Nobody dresses up unless its a funeral or a wedding, and how boring is that?! Liven up y'all! Guys get out and start developing your style and stand out, in a good way. Below are shots from the evening. 

Next blog- The beard

Introductory Statement

Greetings my fellow man,


This blog aims to portray what I believe to be a gentleman's swagger, style, and sensibility. Over the years I have developed a style that I think fits me the best, vintage & modern. I have been told I have "an old soul". In many ways that is true. I feel like I should have lived in a different era half of the time.


A gentleman encompasses more than just his looks, but the way he acts, the things he says, the person that he is. To learn more, follow my blog and see what it takes to be a modern day gentleman.


-Corey

navy suspenders, wayfaers, weekender watch, vintage checkered button up