1. Style Icon Number 1: Tom Waits

Known for his raspy, deep voice, which has been described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car,” Tom Waits is an iconic singer, actor, and composer. He always plays these seedy, shady characters in films such as “Down By Law” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” but is also known for his immense cult following:

Tom Waits, Photo by Henry Dlitz

Tom has been a trend setter for years, especially for Brooklyn Hipsters, with his cigarettes, whiskey, old beaten hats, and worn suit jackets. He is experimental in both his music and his fashion choices. Waits recorded Small Change (1976), which is more lyrically cynical and pessimistic than his previous albums, l with many songs such as “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening With Pete King)” and “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart (In Lowell)”.

Tom Waits, Photo by Adrian Boot

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In response to the heavy drinking that ensued while making the album Small Change, Waits said that he “tried to resolve a few things as far as this cocktail lounge, maudlin, crying-in-your-beer image that I have. There ain’t nothin’ funny about a drunk [...] I was really starting to believe that there was something amusing and wonderfully American about being a drunk. I ended up telling myself to cut that shit out.”

Tom Waits, Photo by Danny Clinch

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Style Icon Number 2: Al Pachino

Al is best known for his horrifying role in Scarface as Tony Montana and Micheal Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy. He showed a much softer side in Frankie and Johnny, alongside his former co-star in Scarface, the beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer. Throughout the years, we’ve seen Pacino evolve as an actor, taking on the best of roles and giving it his all. Trained as a Method Actor, under the guidance of the famed Lee Strasberg, Pacino developed a passionate intensity in just about every role he played.

Photo of a younger Al Pacino

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A native New Yorker, Pacino dropped out of school at 17, and took on a series of mundane jobs in order to pay for his acting classes. At the Actor’s Studio, Pacino studied method acting, which is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques by which actors try to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters in an effort to develop lifelike performances.

Al Pacino, playing Tony Montana, in Scarface

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Director Francis Ford Coppola took a risk in casting the relatively unknown Pacino in The Godfather, yet Pacino’s acting earned him an Academy Award Nomination, which he boycotted because of his anger at being labeled a “Supporting Actor.”

Al Pachino (Michael Corleone)

So “Say hello to my little friend…” with these Pistol Cufflinks:

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Throughout all of his films, the man has a certain simple, yet poignant style that we all secretly admire. Women love him and men want to be him. He has played those dominant character types that men around the world wanted to imitate, and they loyally re-played their favorite scenes on VCRs at home, reenacting many famous lines and scenes.

Michael Corleone, and his transformation

The fascination with the mafia/mob world had become exponential after Pacino’s performances. He brought the underworld and grime of Mafia life out in the open, added a touch of sophistication and swagger; namely he glamorized the life of a mobster- something no one else could do.

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Al Pacino in NYC (1992) Photograph by Herb Ritts

Stay tuned folks for more icons..

Robert Graham Soho Mermaid CufflinksRobert Graham Soho Mermaid CufflinksLet’s face it, most of us find our favorite looks and trends, not by flipping through the pages of Vogue, but through celebrities. It is undeniable. You see a nice jacket, pair of boots, shoulder bag, etc on a style icon in Hollywood, and weeks later, you can find a similar version at H&M or JCrew. That’s just how fashion works. So we’ve decided to feature some well-dressed men who roam the streets of Hollywood and New York. (But to be honest, New Yorkers will always have a better sense of style, ehm, but we’ll get to that later…)

Style Icon Number One: David Beckham

Talk about a perfect English-inspired look: early twentieth century country wear, tweed jacket, wool tie, and a flat cap. The neutral colors of this outfit are perfect for the fall season and each detail brings the look full circle. Go ahead, you can steal it:

David Beckham in a Country English-Inspired Suit

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Even on the street, coming out of the airport, the man is still styling. We love the black rimmed, Woody Allen-eque glasses, the laid-back beanie, disheveled Flannel Burberry Shirt, and even the military shoulder bag…

David Beckham leaving LAX wearing a Burberry Prorsum flannel shirt

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David Beckham, in a three-piece suit, for his appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show

We think these Blue Enamel Grid Cufflinks would look great with a grey suit and a blue tie like Beckham’s:

Blue Enamel Grid Cufflinks

Style Icon Number Two: Usher

Usher has been a style icon since the 90′s and it’s only gotten better with time. Not only can the man sing his heart out, but he brings out a classier side of hip-hop that we seldom see out there. No over-sized bling, no gold teeth, no ultra-baggy apparel. Just chic, simple, and classic:

Usher, at the Playboy Club at the Palms Casino Resort to host a party for the July/August issue of Vegas Magazine. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

And again, it’s all about the details. The leather belt, the over-sized watch, beaded bracelets, and a tilted black and brown fedora. He’s bold with his accessories and these cufflinks would look great with this look:

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And here he is seen in Europe with his ex-girl, Eishia Brightwell. Usher isn’t afraid to mix an urban look (relaxed fitted jeans and sneakers) with a floral, blue sweater. And he looks great wearing it:

Usher and Eishia in Europe

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Our “let it burn” main man was, once again, looking fresh on the streets of Berlin recently: (*Notice the rugged boots, like we mentioned in our previous post…)

Usher jeaned up in Berlin, wearing a Brixton fedora, pocket square, and rugged boots.

Style Icon Number Three: Zac Efron

So teeny boppers aren’t excluded from this list. (Is that too harsh? Well, maybe a little. He is over eighteen..). But we can’t deny it: this young man is stylin‘. With his new-found fame, sexy little girlfriend, and charming, boy-next-door looks, he’s bound to acquire a wardrobe worth mentioning.

Zac Efron

These Black and White Circle Cufflinks are new arrivals, hot out of the frying pan. They have that fresh, alluring design that reminds us of Efron’s new stardom:

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Zac Efron, Voted Top Fifteen Sexiest Men Alive, according to People.com

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Even GQ thinks he’s something special:

Zac Efron on the cover of GQ Magazine

So there you have it. Three mega-stars that have a firm grasp on what style can do for one’s image. And success isn’t normally far behind well-dressed men. And of course a publicist, stylist, and a wardrobe team probably helps– but for those of us without these celebrity commodities, know that our style tips, cufflinks, and recommendations will get you by just fine, so no worries.

Stay tuned friends.

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger shoving off his enamel glass cufflinks. Marianne Faithfull at the back. (1969)

After the fashionably tasteful moderation of the postwar years, the second half of the 1960s saw inhibitions flying out of the window to open up the horizons of creativity

Maison Bayer Enamel, glass paste cuff links circa 1960

– including among designers of cuff links. In tune with the swinging London scene, eccentricity became a must. Carnaby Street dandies—with Mick Jagger at the forefront—wore velvet and brocade, and the sassiest of them all used the men’s makeup kit—kohl and lipstick—launched by Mary Quant.

Not since the 18th century had masculinity been more theatrical. Prince Raunitz, who, two hundred years earlier had been celebrated for his wasp-waisted satin corsets and would spend an hour every morning stepping through one salon after another, where footmen would throw clouds of powder of different colors into the air as he passed to create an exact nuance, would have been proud of such heirs. His modern descendants reveled in their outsized synthetic diamond cuff links in electric colors, with chain links extending right around their wrists like bracelets.