I – Make the most of your body, whatever it’s like

In the erratic but excellent American Psycho, Patrick Bateman replies to his secretary when she compliments him: “You can always be thinner, look better”. Don’t take this literally (don’t become anorexic, or a serial killer for that matter), but remember that you can (and should) make the most of what nature gave you. And to do so:

II – Invest in yourself first. Then buy the other stuff

I’ve got lots of friends who don’t have the time or the money to buy gym membership, or get their teeth whitened and get their corns sorted on their feet, but they have the time (and money) to watch the box sets of American TV series (£50 each) on DVD (£120 for the DVD player) on their 32–inch LCD TV (£900). Until you’re a multi-billionaire, when you can spend your money any way you want, spend the money on yourself first, on things which will make you a better person. Intellectually, and physically. For example:

III – Get the look

If you’re already more handsome than Cary Grant, and if your body language is already more manly than Brad Pitt in Fight Club, then, and only then, will getting the killer look do more harm than good as it will push you and your target further apart (putting you way out of her league) For the other 99.99% of you, this isn’t the case, so make sure you’re always as well dressed as possible in any given situation. You won’t believe the power of these bits of cloth they sell in shops called “clothes”, once you know how to choose them. But never use clothes to cover up the deadly sins:

IV – Hair, odours, wolf claws and other mutations

Stop lying to yourself: Only couch potatoes like telling all and sundry that a real man has a hairy back and smells like the changing rooms down at the local rugby club when he lifts his arms. Newsflash: (normal) women like men who are clean, not (too) hairy, and who smell nice. So go buy yourself some dental floss, don’t grow the Brazillian rainforest under your armpits, use antiperspirant if you need to, and get rid of any hair that grows anywhere where you’re the only one of all your friends to have hair! Only then will girls be able to concentrate on your other qualities:

V – Your confidence will flow from your skill

Along with energy, confidence is probably the sexiest free asset that a man can have. But to radiate confidence, there is no shortcut or joker you can use other than to be the master of your art. When the physio straps you up when you get injured, do you trust him? Of course, because he learnt and has carried out the same procedure 3000 times before you turned up. Don’t waste your time faking confidence if it’s something you lack. Learn how to react with women (in this case, how to make yourself more attractive to them) and your confidence will grow, along with your power of seduction.

Get more advice and details of Spike’s makeover and seduction courses, along with all his other news on www.spikeseduction.com

This is a little nod to MensSana who thought that the leather bracelet wasn’t expensive enough ;) Here’s a very beautiful ring, in yellow or white gold, set with a 9.3-carat black spinel (a gemstone used in jewellery). The rings in the XL Collection are individually made in the Sigomonta, workshops, in Budapest. Outstanding, aren’t they?

€1540 on La Boutique des Joailliers

If you like this style of leather bracelet, have a look at this store on eBay. They offer several styles from MOGO, a handcrafted Tibetan brand. All the products are entirely handmade with natural products such as leather, hemp, stone, wood, horn, clay and shell. You’ll find more info on the seller’s store.

€9 on eBay

Have you seen Tom Ford’s latest sunglasses collection? It’s really great stuff. I love the retro style! Like the above style with the large squarish frames and the silver T for Tom on the hinges. And they’re quite tempting in spite of the price, because they’re the sort of timeless shades you can carry off from one summer to the next! They’re starting to appear in certain stores. However, beware, the distribution is fairly selective!
You can definitely find them in Paris at “Regard du Marais by I…, 16 Rue Vieille du Temple (Paris 4)
” and “Marc Le Bihan Opticien“. If not, have a look on their site and have a look around your area… ;)

$335 on Eyegoodies

Cardigans are very in vogue at the moment, and you can match the colours to the season. Here’s a mid-season style (blue for spring, brown for autumn) from Peter Werth. If you like this one, why not check out the rest of the range, let me know what you think! Worth noting: some styles are reduced to £9.99!

£29.99 on Stand-Out

Summer sales start on Wednesday 27 June 2007 in and around Paris for 6 weeks. And the same goes for Lyon ! The specific dates for each département (the French counties) are displayed on the DGCCRF site. To get yourself ready, the francophones among you should read our articles on making the most of the sales. The rest of you, keep reading…

This season, I will focus on the need to know your size. Because it’s doubtless one of the most important points. It’s not important which brands you wear, more that an item of clothing suits you! You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes that don’t fit (and you find out very quickly when you try them on), though it’s much more common for people to buy the wrong size of jeans, shirt or suit. And all the more so when you make your choices in a hurry. So if you want to make sure you don’t get it wrong (again), take notes!

Your perfect size for jeans is a 31. For a shirt, 16. And your suit is a 44. You’ll save time (not trying on 3 pairs of jeans before finding the right ones), but also you’ll avoid buying the wrong size and realising that the jeans that you liked the colour and cut of so much don’t suit you at all! Or they might look ok, from the front, but from behind it looks as if your pants are made of newspaper (to put it politely).

So, to save you adding another shelf to your pile of “prematurely-abandoned clothes at the back of the cupboard”, write the following down as a reminder:

Underwear size M
Jeans size 31
T-shirt size L
Shirt size 16
Jumper size L
Suit size 44

Apart from these preparatory measures, the best thing to do is to take someone else along for a second opinion. A friend, not a shop assistant ;-) Someone capable of telling if the size is right for you, but also the style and the colours…

During my last few shopping trips I came across this brand that Raider mentioned on the French-language forum: Junk De Luxe. You can see for yourself that all the good things people say about this brand are true by visiting their site. In particular about their unusual multi-pocket shirts, which are relatively inexpensive. There are a few on ASOS. And you lucky Parisians can pop into “Et Vous” or le Printemps to buy them. See the Paris Shopping Directory for more details ;)

Courtworth Paris is a fashion house specialising in lingerie of the highest quality. It is inspired directly by the forefather of fashion; the pioneer of haute couture. Designed by Giovanni Bedin, Courtworth Paris fashion garments boast the utmost superiority, with regard to both design and art of seduction. They are handcrafted in Italian workshops using only the finest silks and satins.

From the French brand Courtworth Paris

And now for another polo shirt suggestion! After the pink Gas Jeans polo shirt, here’s a brown stripy one from Original Penguin. It’s made of pure cotton jersey. I love the retro style and the colour harmony. Has anyone p-p-p-picked up a Penguin?

€83 on La Redoute

Aviators came back with a vengeance 2 years ago, sales were off the scale last year, and will be extremely popular this summer! However this summer will be marked by the return of the other great Ray Ban classic: The Wayfarer! Designed in 1952, Wayfarers were not only a new style, but also the first plastic sunglasses! They were worn by Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, John Lennon and many other stars, particularly in the world of music. And as you’re a star (in your own bathroom), you can wear Wayfarers too!

(Your talent might not have been recognised yet in which case you can find a way to adopt the Wayfarer style for a bit less below ;)

£19 on Not Designer