Given that we’ve not yet mentioned underwear since the beginning of the sales, I went looking for some nice boxers and I came across Sligo! So here it is: in black and green (a very nice green) from Energie, which might still be available in your size if you’re lucky ;-)

€19.60 reduced from €28 from Adventice

Flip flops are the ultimate summer must-have, and because I like to have a wide choice I buy at least 2 pairs a year :) Here are my favourite flip flops this year: Havaianas SAKURA! Havaianas is well-known for their flip flips but these are more unusual than others! They go just as well with a pair of jeans as with your favourite swimshorts :)

100% rubber

€48 reduced from €102 (-52%) from Rushcollection

Do you like the combination of sky blue and brown? Do you love the “straight outta Hawaii” look? Get a taste of paradise with these board shorts decorated with oversize patterns!

We like:

• The subtle stripes that give it a modern, graphic design edge :)
• The Velcro® back pocket
• The general quality of Quicksilver clothing

€36.36 on Nordstrom

Finally! A few weeks ago, you discovered the seduction advice section of Frenchtruckers, and 7 is no longer the number of deadly sins for you, but the number after the 0 in the phone numbers of all those girls you’ve met. Sarah, Louise, Jennifer, your diary is starting to look more like it should (you being a single man about town, and all), rather than a homework diary. But in love as in rugby, scoring tries isn’t everything, you need to go for the conversion. I mistrust all systematizers and I avoid them, said Nietzsche, and therefore we will not follow a set of magic rules to be applied at all times, but we’ll change tack according to the situation.

Situation 1 – typically, its that old chestnut, the girl you met in the street, you overcame your fear to speak to a stranger without trying to blatantly chat her up, you have managed to get her number, and your happier than if it were the winning lottery numbers. Nevertheless, when you think back on it, you realise that everything went quite quickly, and you only spent about 5 or 10 minutes with her. In this type of situation, don’t be big-headed, you’ll only stay in her mind for a few days. This means that the less time you spent with her the less comfortable she will be around you, so you shouldn’t wait too long to call her. She’s expecting you to respect the unwritten, and frankly stupid “3-day rule” that she’s read about in magazines, so thwart her plans by calling her only 2 days later, before the memory of you goes into the lost-and-found section in her brain. Whatever happens, never call her the day after. Whatever your other qualities may be, your attempt at becoming and staying the main attraction will not survive this gross error.

Situation 2 – you had the chance to christen your new powers of seduction over a longer period (an evening with friends, seduction over a longer period at work etc), and to put her enough at ease to almost miss you when you leave. In this case, change tack and make yourself scarce. An example being worth more than a long explanation, imagine that Ingrid, from the Swedish branch of Elite models, spends the evening at the Met Bar to celebrate the launch of a new redder-than-red lipstick. That night, she “chats” with 6 men, for 30 minutes each. They are all equally funny, cultivated and all drive Porsche Cayennes. Just another night for poor old Ingrid.
– The following day, 3 of the men call her. As she is busy counting the number of drops of olive oil she is allowed on her salad, she can’t answer. Of course, she’ll never call them back, as that’s not the done thing, or because it’s not worth it, they’ll either call back or be replaced.
– The next day, the 4th calls. She answers, he gives it a go, and with over-the-top good humour, tries to make her laugh and invites her to the theatre. She refuses, saying it’s her flatmate’s birthday. The last time she went to the opera, her seat was so uncomfortable that she woke up every time she managed to drop off.
– The 5th calls 3 days later. Before he even gets his name out, she already knows what he wants, and promises to call him back because she’s in the car at the moment, and “the signal keeps dropping”. He finally understands 2 months later that she’s never going to call him back.
– Days go by, and, chatting with her best friend (girls aways have best friends, which they rank like competitors in a race), she realises that the 6th guy hasn’t called her yet! How dare he! What else could he possibly have to do other than call her, like the others?

That’s your weapon, “what’s he doing?”. That’s what you need to call to her mind, and in order to do so there’s only one way: to disappear. For maximum one week, don’t push your luck. And never call at the weekend, or you might as well have got “no social life” tattooed on your forehead. You can stretch the week from 5 to 9 days, depending on which day you met.

Coming up: I came, I saw, I called! – Part II: what to say ?

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

Next episode in the “choosing trainers for the summer?” series, but this time they’re on sale ;-) I’ve just discovered this style from Underground. Anyone for whom the Union Jack means something will love them as much as I do…

€46 on Sarenza

I’ve been testing the Philips Bodygroom, the 2-in-1 body hair trimmer, for 2 weeks now. If you’ve not heard of it yet, it’s a special gadget for shaving the body and private parts. It looks a bit insectoid, with a long, rounded body and a round head. The shaver has a hypoallergenic foil and a trimmer on each side. This means you can use it in either direction. You also get 3 comb attachments for shaving different lengths. Other features: It’s completely waterproof and can be used for up to 50 minutes between charges. Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty: what’s the Bodygroom for?

It’s a trimmer and shaver specially designed for the body. You can use it to trim hair on your chest, belly, armpits, shoulders, back and legs, but also more delicate areas such as the groin, pubic hair and goolies. And as the Bodygroom is waterproof you can use it dry or in the shower. I tried to test it as often as possible over the last 2 weeks to give you a thorough report. So here are the advantages and disadvantages I found for this gadget.

Advantages:

• Simplicity and practicality. It’s designed for the growing number of men who like to look after themselves and keep trimmed. The Bodygroom is really simple and practical. Its ease of use and the ability to trim in both directions mean that you really can use it everywhere.
• The different cutting lengths. The 3 combs allow different lengths of cutting according to your mood and the body part concerned.
• Cordless operation. 50 minutes use between charges is ideal, all the more so given that when you first use the Bodygroom you find that you can easy spend half an hour trying it out.
• Its multiple uses. Even if you already have clippers for your hair, the Bodygroom won’t replace them (it’s not powerful enough), but it does work rather well on beard hair. The combination of trimmer and razor is particularly practical if you have a few days’ beard growth! It also hurts a lot less if you use the trimmer before you use the razor!
• The price. At under £30 the Bodygroom is affordable.

Disadvantages:

• The packaging. When I opened the box and found the Bodygroom in a plastic mould, I thought it looked rather cheap, and was worried that my first impressions would be right!
• No carry case is supplied as you would normally expect with a razor or clippers. Especially given that the Bodygroom is supplied with 3 combs and a charger and cable.

£29.99 on eBay

You’ve probably heard of the collaboration between Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto, Vans and Marc Jacobs, or even Le Coq Sportif with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, well here’s a new one: between Veja and the stylist Christine Phung Based upon Veja Tauá, made of eco leather, this collection is filled with bright, pop-inspired colours, such as these in electric blue.

€99 at Printemps Design, Killiwatch et Palais de Tokyo in Paris (Limited Edition!)

Open your eyes. Stop working. Close you eyes. It’s summer, it’s warm, you’re on the beach, she’s approaching you ;-)

From the Canadia brand Baltex

Did you like the stimulating Millesia boxers? Then you’ll love these new boxers with unexpected powers. These brown boxers (chocolate-coffee to be precise, cheque please!) are no ordinary item of underwear: They’re made of carbon fibres, 100 times more antistatic than cotton. Which makes them a perfect piece of “anti-stress” clothing, a great way to chill! So, you’ll not get worked up when a scantily-clad young lady breezes by or on a first date. You’ll stay calm. Oh yes. So you’ll be at ease no matter what situation arises (ahem). Isn’t that incredible? ;-))

€28.50 on Rue des hommes