CULTURE & FASHION
Already we are in the month of December and no doubt, in the next month or two, unless you are Bruce Willis from Unbreakable, you will feel the obligatory sore throat and running nose creeping on. Yes the dreaded signs of a cold or flu. Thankfully vitamin brand Swisse are here to help with some punchy, cold battling products of which I have been taking a little look at this past week.
In the next instalment of Christmas list recommendations for yourself or as a gift, I have been looking at the nifty little Norwegian brand Kjore Project and their beautifully crafted leather goods.
Christmas is certainly one of my favourite times of the year. Good hearty food with family, a warming whisky and the delight of your loved ones faces as they open something they were really looking for.
Here at The Gentleman Select I will be choosing and reviewing a few products over the next few weeks which you can add to your list for santa, or surprise someone and put a huge smile on their face as big as the grinch himself this festive period.
This week I tested out the Braun Oral-B Genius 9000, one of the latest electric toothbrushes to hit the market in which I must say off the bat, is a piece of dentistry tech like nothing I have checked out before. Yes this is the next in line smart toothbrush and is right up the street of any person who just loves a bit of tech. Simply put it is the most involved tooth brushing session I have ever had, intense and extremely thorough.
After a bit of standard unboxing I started by selecting from the choice of four brush heads which are enclosed, all aimed at doing their own little job. You have options like the “FlossAction” for removing plaque in those hard to reach corners and the head which I choose, one of Oral-B’s premium, the “CrossAction” with its invigorating, angled bristles. Next is the array of brushing modes, six to be precise, such as “Gum Care”, “Sensitive” and the one which I choose, “Daily Clean”, sort of an all round and balanced brushing experience which worked in well with my everyday routine.
At this point the Oral-B Genius really starts to fulfils its namesake. The toothbrush itself can be paired with a downloaded app on your smart phone via bluetooth, a process I found very easy to do and a feature which introduces a truly personalised brushing experience like no other. Immediately when I read about this feature it was something I was extremely excited to try. I loved the timer on the app which runs for the dentist recommended brushing time of 2 minutes and starts automatically once you have connected your phone and app with the brush itself. Now here is the real “genius” part, a feature only available on said Oral-B toothbrush range, something called “Position Detection” technology which shows areas which you are missing in your mouth and also let you know when its time to move on to the next section. You find the toothbrush vibrating after 30 seconds to alert you of this. I personally loved how the app also stores my historic brushing data, showing me whether I was hitting that 2 minute recommendation consistently.
Separate from the brush itself another cool feature I like is the sturdy travel case that comes along with the toothbrush which actually doubles up as charger for both the brush and your phone, very handy indeed if you are caught short whilst traveling.
Overall the Oral-B Genius 9000 is an exceptional product, and easily the most innovative electric toothbrush on the market. I would throughly recommend trying it in which I can honestly say having used it over the past few weeks instead of my regular brush, the result has been a much deeper, direct clean. The brush itself usually retails at £280, steep I know you may say, however if you act fast thanks to some exceptional little black tag deals you can pick up one for just £99.99 over on Boots website and on Amazon and bag yourself in my opinion, not only a bargain, but the best electric toothbrush on the market.
Music to our ears, and not just an engine note, legendary British car maker Aston Martin is branching out a little further with the opening of a beautiful boutique store on the famous Dover Street in London. The luxury store will feature some high end products new and old which have already partnered with Aston Martin. You can expect Hackett London, FPM, Silver Cross, Marma London and Quintessence Yachts in the most delicious of surroundings.
If you have an special event on the horizon or are simply looking to up your shoe game, then The Gentleman Select have found the exact brand for you. Gazing & Girling.
Personally since discovering these chaps through Instagram ,I have been staring and gasping over their photo stream at the sheer craftsmanship and finish on these truly epic shoes. The brand was founded in 2006 by pairing Tony Gaziano and Dean Girling who in the past worked for a variety of shoemakers before launching their own namesake brand, the pinnacle of bespoke shoe making.
What Gazing & Girling give us then is a delightful collection which is conservative, contemporary and attractive to men young and old. They have a distinct whiff of the continent in their appearance, but this is no bad thing at all and only adds to the delight of looking and wearing these shoes with your well cut suit. Tony and Dean are now joined by a team of marvellous craftsmen at their factory in Kettering near Northampton, the epicentre of it all.
You can check out some of the creations online here, however if you are willing to go that little further, I would personally head down to their flagship store on Saville Row, get a pair made to order and kick back and look at one of the most beautiful items made by man.
Earlier this month I was lucky enough to attend the first Ignition Festival of motoring to be held in Glasgow at the SECC, in which I must say, what a spectacle it was to see.
Recently, Levi’s Made & Crafted gave us their lookbook for the Fall/Winter 2016 collection, one which looks very appealing indeed.
You can expect pieces which incorporate luxurious Japanese and Italian fabrics, leather, wool and cotton are all in there whilst still taking influence from the brands home state of California. The colours we see throughout the collection are dark blues, desert like tans and fresh whites which for me look stunning in the woollen pieces.
The staple Levi’s denim jacket is in there to which keeps this collection true to its roots of what this brand does best, rugged, reliable Denim. The collection is available through the website now and in selected Levi’s retailers.
Another month passes and another delightful hommage to the BMW’s of yesteryears appears in which I for one will simply not get bored of seeing. They are absolutely epic and none more so than the Hommage 2002, a stunning tribute towards the 1973 20o2 turbo, displayed this year at the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach. The original 2002 model was seen as the pioneer for many BMW’s to follow as this particular model was the first european production car to be fitted with a turbo.
Following up on their sharp, crisp white, Blaze of Glory partnership, L.A based streetwear brand Stampd have teamed up again with Puma for a seriously cool Fall/Winter 2016 collaboration. The pairing displays the elements of Stampd’s minimal and monochrome finishings, however this time, merged into Puma’s ever popular States silhouette shoe. Further more the kicks will be made from luxurious Italian tonal suede with some lovely, discreet detail on the tongue and heel.
You can expect dark colour tones to choose from, black and asphalt specifically, in which if you want to add them to your trainer collection head over to Stampd.com now.
Given that the majority of the Crewe based luxury car makers orders probably head out to customers in the middle east, it makes sense then to have a fresh new 75,000 square foot Bentley showroom, the largest in the company, in Dubai.