Manners to menswear: Tips to upgrade your style

MANNERS

Be on time.

If New York is known as the city that never sleeps, L.A. could be called the city that overslept. Stop blaming the traffic for being tardy for meetings or lunch. In her book “Never Be Late Again,” author Diana DeLonzor estimates that most people underestimate how long it takes to do a task by 30% -- that includes how long it takes to drive from Hollywood to Los Feliz. And there’s always that person who texts “I’m three blocks away,” which usually means that he hasn’t left yet.

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent


To change your ways, try Get Friday (getfriday.com), a virtual assistant who will not only send you reminders like “Leave right now for lunch date!” but also handle those other tasks (scheduling and canceling appointments) that make you late. Get Friday’s fees start at about $15 per hour (a variety of monthly plans reduce the hourly fee for heavy users); it also sends texts to your cellphone. (Old-fashioned watches and computer alarms work too.)  (Laurent Gillieron/ EPA)

R.S.V.P. or R.I.P.

Party hosts shouldn’t have to follow up on invites. But thanks to no-shows and those who arrive unexpectedly, R.S.V.P. has become a four-letter word for event planners and luncheon hostesses alike. “I overbook events by 20% because people R.S.V.P. and just don’t show up,” says Chris Benarroch, whose eponymous firm oversees major film premieres like the recent chic after-party for “The Spirit.” The aftermath is even worse for the small-time hostess stuck with three leftover wheels of brie and a pile of prosciutto. If someone invites you to a shindig, be sure to R.S.V.P. ASAP and follow through on your commitment.

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Lucas Zarebinski/ For The Times)

Wearing a lampshade? Don’t drive.

This last year saw a slew of celebrities collared for driving under the influence -- so many that Sean “Diddy” Combs claimed to be launching a car service for tipsy A-listers back in March. It goes without saying that drunk driving well surpasses a breach of etiquette. And no friend should ever be put in the awkward position of having to hide someone’s keys after last call. If you plan to imbibe, call a cab or a car service at the end of the night. A taxi from the Sunset Strip to Santa Monica will run you about $35. In Long Beach, a not-for-profit organization called Scooter Patrol ([562] 577-7365) will come and ferry you home for free after stowing the scooter in your trunk. Oh, and be sure to slur, “Thank you.”

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Eric Lalmand / AFP / Getty Images)

Stop the ‘homeless or Hollywood’ hair.

Sure, the paparazzi pics of the Olsen twins with stringy, unwashed tresses make them look glamorous -- because they’re wearing Balenciaga boots and carrying Fendi totes along with Starbucks cups bigger than they are. But the greasy-hair trend is not really becoming on anyone. Avoid the “strung-out” look, starting with the hair. Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, $24 at Sephora (sephora.com), cleans without water, soaking up excess oil while adding volume and texture.

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Switch things up.

Adding a little glamour and fantasy to your nighttime style doesn’t have to come with the high price tag of Christian Louboutin stilettos or a metallic python clutch. It can happen with your makeup. Start with some unexpected color on your eyes. Too Faced Starry-Eyed Liquid Eyeliner, $25 for a set of four at Sephora, has mini-tubes of dark, sparkly liners that are easy to apply and add just a hint of edginess to your nighttime beauty look. Or go for a subtly dramatic shift by choosing or changing your signature perfume (see accompanying story).

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

JUST FOR MEN

Add a new knot.

Remember the feeling of accomplishment you had when you mastered the bowline, the sheepshank and the clove hitch knots as a Boy Scout? So why are you still tying that neck knot with the same old four-in-hand your dad taught you 20 years ago? Since so much of a man’s look is in the details, changing the style is a subtle way to speak volumes. Add a chunky Windsor knot to your repertoire and then move on to the half-Windsor or something obscure like the Shelby/Pratt.

The best part is, the only investment is time, and numerous diagrams, tutorials and videos are merely a mouse click away at sites like TieGuide.com, Neckties.com or AndyAboutClothes.com. On a related note, vow not to ring out another year without learning how to tie a bow tie (see accompanying story).

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Adopt a signature look.

Karl Lagerfeld and his high collars. Larry King and his suspenders. Robert Evans and Bono and their signature eyewear. A trademark flourish can be a sort of sartorial calling card and a memorable way to stand out from the masses. It doesn’t even need to be a piece of clothing; it can be hair ( Albert Einstein used his head, and for Salvador Dali, the answer was right under his nose) or even a color -- Johnny Cash made a career out of being “the Man in Black.”

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent


Stumped on where to start? Speed-skim a year’s worth of Esquire, GQ and Details magazines and sift out the celebrity style constants, then pick up Esquire’s new hard-bound “The Handbook of Style” (due out this month) and make your call.  (Cristophe Morin / EPA)

Stop for a shoeshine.

Have you ever paused to get a shoeshine in the lobby of a soaring high-rise office building or in an airport between connections? Neither have I, but every time I pass a shoeshine stand, with the fellow in the three-piece suit getting his brogues buffed, I think about it -- and wonder how much longer I’ll have a chance before that whole profession disappears. Freshly shined shoes are one of those details that tend to make a difference (it’s been said the first thing women notice is men’s shoes), and getting the job done by a pro is an affordable indulgence -- shelling out just a few bucks for something you could do yourself (and if you don’t know how to shine a leather dress shoe, pencil in one more resolution).

In LAX terminals 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, budget in a few extra minutes for a polish at Marvin’s Complimentary Shoe Shine stand (they work for tips). The going rate is $5 to $10.

More in Image:
• Story: 20 ways to upgrade your style
• Photos: The ones to watch in 2009
• Color you happy: Choose the best hues for you
• Learn how to tie a bow tie
• Find your signature scent
  (Dave Lauridsen / For The Times)