The battle between manly scruff and sleek and shaven have been quite a conundrum for men this past year. Thanks to Zach Galifianakis et. co., a full beard has become more so a masculine right than an indication of primal tendencies. However much a full beard may be empowering for men, the ladies have often preferred just a tad of scruff or something clean shaven (if a girl wanted to get tangled in that much hair, she would just spend time kissing her golden retriever) and black-tie ready. In comes Baxter of California to save the day. The heritage men’s grooming label has brought us the Blue Steel “Not A Replica” Straight Razor, for a close, traditional shave worthy of your manly tunes.

Short films seem to be the choice medium for conveying olfactory satisfaction, as Chanel had recently enlisted Martin Scorcese for Chanel de Bleu, and Frank Miller had hopped on the Gucci board. Now, Dior Homme had brought on Guy Ritchie to direct a seductive short for Dior Homme cologne, starring the ever smoldering Jude Law. This five minute short features Law in his perfectly fitted Dior Homme suit, driving across town in a sleek, vintage convertible, about to rendez vous with the lovely Michaela Kocianova. Ritchie’s touch brings a little film noir, surrealist edge to the short, as we wonder who Law is conversing with– all comes clear when the audience realize, things are never what they look like.

Chic doesn’t come with sloth and laziness, and often times, being well-dressed doesn’t necessarily mean creative styling, but more so of paying attention to details and ensuring that one’s look is immaculate– no attached lint, no crease, no unsightly stains and wrinkles. Thus, taking care of your clothes is as important as picking them out! To that effect, A.P.C. has partnered up with cosmetics company, Aesop, to create a special Fine Fabric Care cleanser for delicate clothing. This superior cleansing formula is designed for handwashing delicates, and it is a concoction of Petitgrain, Lemon and Cedarwood. This is currently available for pre-order online via colette, and will ship starting September 16.

Remember when we were children, one of the funnest and forbidden thing to do was to read someone else’s diary. Thanks to the internet, accessing someone’s thoughts no longer required plotting, scheming and crazed execution. However, with a burgeon of blogs and blog rings that are growing faster than weeds on accidental fertilization in the summer, it is hard to siphon out the worthwhile  ones from those that are just thoughtless rambles. Now, the label which has redefined contemporary French chic, A.P.C., has joined in the online journal fun, and started a blog, which is called the A.P.C. Journal. And mind you, this is one blog that any fashion conscious being should be adding to their blogrolls immediately.

This is the first time fashion’s bad boy Marc Jacobs is making a foray into the men’s fragrance market, and there seems like there is no better choice spokesperson than Marc Jacobs himself (shot by the choice photographer for Jacob’s campaigns– Jurgen Teller). And yes, a naked Marc Jacobs nonetheless to really live up to the name of his new fragrance– Bang.