DNA

As Tyler Durden put it so elequently in Fight Club: Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.

Similarly, simply being well dressed does not make you a gent. The DNA section here at Gents Things is dedicated to examining and plotting the quirks, traits and many other things that (we believe) maketh the gentleman.

Q: What's the correct length for my trousers?  (thank you for the question Dave).

99% of questions submitted focus on appearance;

Dave's worried about his trousers, Ben has concerns his belt doesn't match his shoes, James is agonizing over his pocket square, Paul believes you should only ever wear wool socks with brogues and Mike is worried that his £200 wont get him a decent pair of shoes. 

Seriously. Enough. Stop agonizing over this nonsense. Far too much emphasis and importance is being concentrated on outward appearance.

It's time to go back to basics.

The question I most welcome (but don't get asked enough) is what's the definition of a gent? it's a great question but lacks a definitive answer. There's no one size fits all response, there are simply too many facets to consider.

A bespoke suit, a natty tie & pocket square combination, a money clip, a pinky ring, a shirt from Chavret; whilst these things may be outward signs of wealth, and certainly (some of which) may form part of a gents arsenal, they do not make him who he is, they don't define him.

Donning a pilots uniform does not mean you can fly a plane, a stethoscope does not make you a doctor. A gent doesn't live his life vicariously through his belongings. No no. Nope.

Constantly confabulating trouser length, having a pocket square collection or being a member of a sock club (yes, they do exist) are not the attributes that define a gent, it runs a little deeper than that.

Being a gent is not something dictated by your budget or by the colour of your socks, but by your brain.

When it comes to all things gent grey is the new black and dressing the mind should always come first, the rest will follow.

Oh, and to answer your question Dave: I have no idea how long your trousers should be, how long are your legs?

Gents Things #1 Brain (Encephalon)