I’ll start by owning this one… cigar smoking is absolutely one of my guilty pleasures. 😎 I know it isn’t for everyone, and I certainly don’t pretend that it is. For me, though, cigars have become about much more than simply smoking tobacco. I love the history behind handmade cigars—the agriculture, the blending, the craftsmanship and the generations of people who have learned how to create them. But I’m equally fascinated by the history of the gentlemen who smoked them. Churchill is obviously one of the most famous examples, but cigars have been woven through politics, literature, business and culture for centuries. And perhaps most importantly for me, enjoying a cigar forces me to do something that I’m frankly not always very good at: Slowing down. A good cigar can take an hour or two. You really can’t rush it. I sit down, put the phone away for a while, have a strong coffee or a drink, think, read, talk with someone, or sometimes just do absolutely nothing. In a life that seems to move increasingly fast, I’ve come to really value that ritual. So when I was planning my London trip, one stop that was very high on my list was James J. Fox on St. James’s Street, where I arranged a private Cuban/New World cigar class for my friend and me. The history of the place is pretty incredible. The business on St. James’s Street traces its roots to 1787, when Robert Lewis began trading fine tobacco there. James J. Fox itself was founded in Dublin in 1881, expanded into London in 1947, and eventually acquired Robert Lewis in 1992, bringing the two historic tobacconists together. Among the customers associated with the St. James’s Street shop over the generations were royalty, Oscar Wilde and, most famously, Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill’s relationship with cigars began early. During his 1895 visit to Cuba as a young army officer and correspondent, he developed what became a lifelong affection for Havana cigars. He later became so closely associated with the large cigar format that we still casually use the word “Churchill” to describe that style of cigar today.

Today I decided to get off my you know what and dress up. I haven't been on it in a while but I'm bouncing back. And every time I dress up, I feel good about myself. And yes you do think differently. You seem to have a better focus of your day. Even where you see yourself future tense... As men it is important we take care of ourselves and maintain our look, style and stature of who we are as men. I recommend for ALL MEN to return back to the days of The Distinguished Gentleman. They days where wisdom, style, elegance and class was the standard of a man. A real Distinguished Gentleman at that.... #TerrificTuesday #RMRS #GentlemanStyle #OutfitOfTheDay

Discover the untold history of the penny loafer: https://gentl.mn/penny-loafer-history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTZ_nUQC6DA