Up Close and Personal: The 20 Things I Love Most About Summer

By James V. Ruocco

Summer.
It's the most eagerly awaited season of the year.
And with it, comes lots of fun ideas that friends, families and loved ones enjoy over and over again.

Run barefoot in the sand along the beach.
Fire up the grill with your favorite foods and appetizers.
Make lemonade from scratch.
Dress up in your favorite designer clothes from Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren for a night on the town that involves drinks, dinner and dancing.
Watch the sunset from your deck or patio.
Pop open a bottle of champagne.

From hot summer days to cool summer nights, these are the 20 things I love best about summer.

Walking Barefoot on the Beach

Homemade Lemonade

Picnics for Two

 

 

 

Champagne on the Beach at Sunset

Dining Outdoors

  

Summer Food 

 

Dining by the Water

 

 

Lemon Ice

Sunbathing

 That Saltwater Smell

Impromptu Road Trips

 

 

Cocktails on the Patio

 

 

Outdoor Barbeques

Lightning Bugs

People Watch

Strawberry, Blueberry and Blackberry Picking

Outdoor Flea and Antique Markets

Watch the Sunrise or Sunset

 

Get Dressed Up to Go Out to Dinner

 

 

 Wine Tasting

The choice, of course, is yours.

Just let your imagination run wild.
Be creative.
Have fun.
Fill in the blanks.
Indulge.
Enjoy.
Celebrate.
And catch a lightning bug or two.

The 25 Best High-End Men's Stores in New York City For Clothing, Suits, Shirts, Ties, Jewelry, Watches, Colognes & Accessories

 By James V. Ruocco

Men's fashion changes at a rapid pace in terms of trends, designs, styles, fabrics, brands and pricing.

That's a given.

"Fashions fade, style it eternal."

Yves Saint Laurent 

When purchasing a suit, a shirt, a tuxedo, a tie, an overcoat or other apparel, what you buy and where you shop should make a statement about you, your social position, your background and what it's like being a well-dressed man on the move.

Wearing the finest men's clothing - couture, bespoke, custom-made, high-end - is essential.
Dressing right, in turn, entails no more or no less than finding clothes that make you feel good and look great and knowing how to pick and choose the right colors, materials and patterns while maintaining style, classic, wit and individuality.

It's that simple.

"Dressing well is a form of good manners."

Tom Ford

To get you started, set your fashion goals, spend a weekend or two in New York, find the right hotel and shop at stores designed specifically for the man who wants to look his best by wearing the best.

To guide you down the right fashion path, I've prepared a list of some of my favorite stores along Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue and E. 57th Street to make your shopping spree fun, accessible and well worth the trip to the Big Apple. 

Just set your price goals.
Bring lots of cash.
And don't forget your American Express card. 

The stores are listed in no particular order:

Ralph Lauren, 867 Madison Ave, New York, N.Y. (212) 606-2100

Brooks Brothers,  346 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 682-8800

Burberry, 9 E. 57th St, New York, N.Y. (212) 407-7100

Burberry Brit, 444 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 707-6700

Tiffany and Co., 727 Fifth Avenue,  New York, N.Y. (212) 755-8000

Yves Saint Laurent, 3 E. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. (212) 980-2970

Brioni, 57 E. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. (212) 832-6525

Patek Philippe, 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. (212) 218-1240

Ascot Chang, 110 Central Park South, New York, N.Y. (212) 759-3333

Paul Stuart, 354 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 682-0320

Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 753-7300

Cartier, 653 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 446-3400

J Press, 51 W. 44th Street, New York, N.Y. (646) 973-1329

Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y.  (212) 753-4000

Giorgio Armani, 760 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 988-9191

Gucci, 725 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 826-2600

Mulberry, 134 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. (646) 669-8380

Turnbull & Asser, 50 E. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. (212) 752-5700

Penhaligon's, 620 Fifth Avenue, Suite 9, New York, N.Y. (646) 858-0880

David Yurman, 712 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. (212) 752-4255

Asprey, 853 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 212 688-1811

The Custom Shop, 338 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 212 245 2499

Hermes, 691 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 212 751-3181

Tom Ford, 672 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. 212 359-0300

Salvatore Ferragamo, 663 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 212 759-3822

"Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever."
Ralph Lauren

"The difference between style and fashion is quality."
Giorgio Armani

"Clothing is a form of self-expression. There are hints of who you are in what you wear."
Marc Jacobs

The Key to Dressing Right: Class, Style, Sophistication, Status

 

By James V. Ruocco

A real gentleman is someone who leaves nothing to chance.

Standards are high and must be kept up at all times.

His clothes must be smart and stylish - of the finest cut and quality - and in immaculate order.

Appearance is everything.

 

The key to dressing right is not how much you spend on clothing, but how you wear it, how you feel when you wear it and knowing exactly what looks right on you and what doesn't. First and foremost, fashion is all about individuality. It s an extension of yourself, your personality, your lifestyle, your background, your social position and the statement you choose to make. That's it, in a nutshell.

For me, fashion is easy.

It always has been. 
I know what works, what doesn't and how to make clothes look good on me, fit correctly and represent who I am at that particular moment. Growing up, my parents felt that classic clothing - Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, Burberry - was well worth the investment. It was classic. It was masculine. It was smart. It would never go out of style. It also looked very good on me.

Since color was important, my mother always bought me the right wardrobe to complement my blue eyes. That was was key to dressing right. So clothing -  in all shades of blue - was prominent in my wardrobe for university, the theater, the opera, the movies, dinner parties, dining out or hanging out with friends.

When I was a student at New York University, my friend Judy Baldwin told me, "Jim, you could wear a burlap bag, and you'd still look like you walked right out of the doors of Bergdorf Goodman onto Fifth Avenue."  I laughed, of course, but the more and more I thought about it, Judy was right.

Today, I'm older, but maintain that fashion mindset that was given to me in my teen years and later, at university. And yes, I get compliments from friends, family and complete strangers. If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud of this and take me into New York to shop on both Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.

Growing up, my parents, uncles, aunts and my grandmother would always venture into New York to go to the theater, have lunch and dinner and shop at their favorite stores - Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bonwit Teller, Lord and Taylor, Burberry, Bergdorf Goodman, Gucci, Tiffany and Co., to name a few.

 

 

 

Watching them pick out clothes, try things on and find right salesman was second nature to them. They even had charge cards set up in my name, but with restrictions. If I bought something ridiculously over priced or just plain stupid, it was returned immediately.  

Years later, when I became a buyer for men's clothing at Saks Fifth Avenue, I had the world at my fingertips. I was able to buy things at cost or with my store discount of 40 per cent off. Or I was given shirts, ties and suits for free from the store's most prominent designers.

Regardless, I played by the rules.

Clothes create a picture of you. If you couldn't speak a word, your wardrobe would do the talking for you and send out the right signals, Therefore, when dressing for a particular occasion, the first rule of thumb was "Understand how it all comes together"....suit, tie, shirt, socks, shoes, belt, cologne, watch, colors, texture, contrast. If not, one can and will look ridiculous. Or be dubbed "an oddball."

Balance is everything. 

You can get ideas from magazines or walking around the showrooms of your favorite store. But what looks good in the storefront window, in adverts or on Timothee Chalamet, Ryan Gosling or Brad Pitt, may not necessarily work for you. So take notice...Just look in the mirror....and go from there.

 

 

The first rule of thumb: Don't (and I mean don't) buy clothing from catalogues. Or purchase things without trying them on. Today, all sizes and cuts differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, designer to designer and store to store. It's the same thing with the fabrics and the materials used. Not to mention... how much you are paying: $500 vs. $5000.

As I mentioned early on, color is essential to dressing right. You can work almost anything into the ideal color combination, but when doing so, you have to think about the entire picture, the entire look and what works best, from top to bottom. You also have to take into account what expression you're trying to make without going overboard. It should be effortless, not a three-ring circus.

Good grooming....clean hair, clean shaven, fresh-scrubbed face, the right cologne and the right deodorant...is mandatory. Mandatory. 

Cologne can be very tricky (I learned that first hand), so before buying any fragrances, visit the store of your choice, bring a friend and pick out whatever you like and spray it on your arm or hand and go from there. It's that simple and it can be lots of fun.

Shoes....make sure they shine and are squeaky clean. There's nothing worse than seeing a well-dressed man with shoes that are dirty, not polished or have run their course. Or even worse, entirely wrong for what you are wearing.

The right tailoring is also essential. If you buy something off the rack, make sure it fits properly. Adjustments are often necessary, even the subtle ones. For the best look, however,  pick a store like Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren that has an in-house tailor. It makes all the difference in the world.
Or find a tailor, close to where you live. I have one. In fact, I wouldn't go to anyone else but her.

When all is said and done, clothes are what you make of them. Their charm and strength lie not only in the maintenance of classic traditions, but the right combinations, the mixture of patterns and the harmonious coordination of the entire look.  Bear that in mind and you can't go wrong.