I know most men do not put much thought into choosing the wallet he uses. After all, its just something that carries your cold hard cash. But to me, the wallet is arguably a mans most essential accessory and the wallet he carries says a lot about him and his personal style.

So regardless of youre buying a wallet for yourself or as a gift, you should really take your time to pick a good one. Itll accompany you for many years to come.

Women are clearly spoilt for choice when it comes to handbags and small leather goods. Every season, designers crack their brain to come up the It bag that will be the object of every womans desire.

As guys, we arent that fortunate. We dont have that many designers clamoring for our attention. But it doesnt mean we dont have choices. In fact there are mens wallets and small leather goods that never go out of style.

I find these timeless classics very appealing because theres always an interesting story behind its success. They may not come cheap but theyll certainly elevate your status in the style department.

Meisterstuck by Montblanc

Montblanc turned 100 in 2006 and there are many reasons to celebrate. The success of the legendary Meisterstuck fountain pen launched in 1924 helped Montblanc become the de-facto market leader of fine writing instruments.

Today, Montblanc is more than just a maker of fine writing instruments. The company has launched its leather goods, its fine watches, eyewear, fragrance and even jewelry.

Montblancs foray into leather goods started in 1935 when it acquired a producer of leather ware in Germany. Riding on the success of its Meisterstuck fountain pen, Montblanc launched the Meisterstuck leather collection.

Using black calfskin fitted with its signature star logo, Montblanc creates a masculine line of fine leather goods that is an instant hit with its predominantly male clientele.

Must de Cartier by Cartier

Well-known for its jewelry and fine watches, Cartier is one of the top luxury brands in the world and its products are associated with very, very high price tags.

1974 was the year Cartier made a comeback in the world of leather goods with the Must de Cartier line. The color burgundy, with a slight raspberry hue, was chosen as a logical continuation to the Cartier red for this must-have collection of fine leather goods. Burgundy soon became the new black.

The influential Bordeaux color, the iconic double C logo, and the distinctive gold hardware make the Must de Cartier line a timeless classic.

But to be honest, Must de Cartier is not for the weak-hearted. Not every guy feels comfortable carrying a burgundy wallet with gold adornments.

Monogrammed Canvas by Louis Vuitton

With more than 100 years of history, Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas must be the classic of all classics. And no matter what Louis Vuitton does to the monogrammed canvas, it still sells like hot cakes.

They splattered the canvas with graffiti. They planted red cherries on the canvas. They painstakingly sewed the motifs on denim. And they got Takeshi Murakami who reinterpreted the motif in brilliant rainbow colors. It seems like you cant go wrong with the monogrammed canvas.

Unfortunately they dont have a good selection of mens wallets in monogrammed canvas so your choices are rather limited.

Pocone Nylon by Prada

It was in 1978 when Miuccia Prada took over the dusty luggage business from her grandfather. Under her helm, Prada became a luxury powerhouse with far-reaching influence in the world of fashion.

The world took notice when Prada made a handbag out of black waterproof Pocone nylon. Fitted with its distinctive triangular logo plate, nylon never looked so good. Miuccia Prada single-handedly made nylon luxurious.

Of course, Im not expecting you to carry the popular nylon handbag. Prada does make nice nylon wallets trimmed with cowhide for men. Although its now available in many different colors, black is always a classic.

Woven Leather by Bottega Veneta

Once a second-tier brand in the Gucci Groups stable, Bottega Veneta has become the groups rising star. With its ultra-exclusive and elitist appeal, Bottega Veneta is poised to become the next Hermes.

Recreating the brands popular woven bags from the 1970s, Bottega Veneta beats the trend of logomania with its handcrafted leather goods made from the finest napa leather.

And consistent with the brands slogan When your own initials are enough, you wont be able to see any logo on the leather goods. But the beautifully woven leather, which ages very well with use, should be enough to announce that youre carrying a Bottega.

Line D by S.T. Dupont

S.T. Dupont is so well known for its lighters that its easy for us to forget that Simon Tissot-Dupont founded the company in 1847 making leather briefcases for diplomats and businessmen.

The classic Line D collection of fine leather goods was launched in 1985 and featured the Dupont D logo in gold on black calfskin. In recent years, they also offer Line D fitted with the trendier palladium hardware. But whether its in gold or palladium, Line D still looks as timeless as ever.

Burberry Check by Burberry

When we think of Burberry, we invariably think of the red, camel, black and white check that has become synonymous with the brand. Its hard to imagine that the Burberry Check actually has a humble beginning. It was introduced in 1920 as a lining to the iconic Burberry trench coat.

Burberry is enjoying a revival in recent years - all thanks to its creative director Christopher Baileys modern interpretation of the classic check, CEO Rose Marie Bravos dynamism, and Kate Moss star power. You just cant go wrong with such rich Brit heritage.

Logan Wong is the founder of Mensfolio, a company that specializes in men’s wallets and small leather goods. He is also the editor of the Mensfolio Blog.

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The earliest mention of the watch was in Shakespeares play As You Like It. In the second act of the play one character produces a sun-dial from his pocket and muses about the time. Though at this time in history a true, portable timekeeping piece would have been too much of a hassle. Coming up with a powers source for the watch was impossible at this time. But in the 1500s Peter Henlein from Germany created the first pocket watch. And from that point on portable timekeeping was part of the norm.

In the early 1600s, form watches came into being. Cases shaped like animals and objects and religious themed watches were the most popular. But cheap, portable clockswatchesdidnt really come into wide spread use until 1780 when Abraham Louis Perrelet invented the self winding movement.

Watch making enters its prime period in the years that followed. In 1791, J.F. Bautte founded the watch company that would eventually become Girard-Perregaux. In 1820, Thomas Prest registers a patent for the self-winding watch. In 1833 Antoine LeCoultre started his own watch making business that would eventually become Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Other big names and when they were founded:

Minerva founded in 1858
Heuer founded in 1860
Zenith founded in 1865
Movado founded in 1881
Rolex founded in 1905
Citizen founded in 1918
Seiko founded in 1924

But probably the most innovative and best-selling watch of all time is the Timex. Timex created the Waterbury pocket watch in the 1880s and made affordable timekeeping a mainstay for the average man.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the watch industry’s first and most successful mass marketer, Robert H. Ingersoll, worked with Waterbury Clock, a partner of Timex, to distribute the company’s Yankee pocket watch, the first to cost just one dollar. Twenty years later, with nearly forty million sold, the Yankee became the world’s largest seller and the watch that made the dollar famous. Everyone carried the Yankee: from Mark Twain to miners, from farmers to factory workers, from office clerks to sales clerks. Throughout the rest of the 20th Century, Timex conquered the low-end market selling 500 million watches by the end of the 1970s.

And the watch market has continued to grow and expand in the following years. With the introduction of the digital watch in 1972, watchmakers had brand new roads to explore in the area or portable timekeeping. It is now not so uncommon to find watches that can do everything under the sun from reading the wearers heart rate to playing music. But telling time is still the number-one priority.

So whether youre more interested in the fashion statement your watch makes (Rolex, Heuer, Seiko) or the practicality of your watch (Timex, Casio, Citizen), there will always be numerous choices out there.

Hey, anyone know what time it is? I think Im late.

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Allen Shaw is a successful author who provides tips and information on brand name watches and watches in general. I am the news director at USA News Network and have been working as freelance writer for 2 years. I’ve been published in a few magazines, newspapers and websites and my specialty up to this point has been movie and music reviews.

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Whether you live in a warm climate year round or you are just trying to survive summers heat till autumns cool arrive the following quick and easy professional style tips will keep you cool and have you looking professionally chic in any heat.

Wardrobe

Select fabrics that are natural / man-made blends that consist of at least 51% natural fiber, such has a 55% cotton 45% polyester blend. This will give you the coolness of a natural fabric without the wrinkles. Choose jackets with sleeves. They are cooler than full sleeves and more professional looking than short sleeves. Light and bright colors works well in warm weather but do not use loud bold color combinations and prints. Dress in layers to adjust to the high heat outside / air conditioning inside temperature changes you will experience. A sleeve jacket over a sleeveless shell or a summer twin set is are excellent solutions for temperature changes. A cool alternative to pantyhose are thigh highs they allow air to circulate better then pantyhose and will keep you cooler. Wear slightly larger jewelry it will give you a more polished look. Instead of a simple pendant on a chain try a triple strand of pearls. Avoid plunging necklines, extremely short hemlines, sheer fabrics, cloth handbags and briefcases, open toe shoes, sandals and flip flops.

Make - Up

Opt for a lighter make-up routine. Heavy make-up in high heat can clog pores and lead to breakouts. Before applying your makeup rub an ice cube over your face. It will help makeup last longer and prevent smudging. Use waterproof cosmetics. After applying your makeup brush your face with face powder it will set your makeup and prevent shine.

Hair

Wear your hair in a simple flattering yet professional style. Hair grows faster in warmer months so be sure to have your hair trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks. With hot weather comes limp and frizzy hair. To correct this problem use only hair products designed specifically to treat your hair type and problem. If you pull your hair back be sure to use only quality accessories. Avoid using plastic clips and rubber bands they will detract from your professional image.

Eileen Hammel President of Smarter Image,and Smart Skin Care - Smart Cosmetics by Smarter Image is a Nationally & Internationally Recognized Beauty and Image Expert. http://www.smartskincaresmartcosmetics.com/

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