SCALPEL SHARP

Playing smart-ass surgical intern Alex Karev on Grey's Anatomy doesn't require much training for Justin Chambers. "It's fun playing a character who says whatever he thinks but everyone else is afraid to say," he says, acknowledging his character's scalpel-sharp tongue.

When he's not decked out in his hospital scrubs, the 36-year-old father of five cleans up nicely in a suit -- though that's not so surprising, since he used to be a professional model for Calvin Klein and Armani before starring in the ABC hit series. "I love wearing suits," he says, noting an affinity for the two-button variety and a '60s slim cut. The sharp lines of Dolce & Gabbana are a particular favorite. "The Italians always do a great job," says Chambers, whose credit list includes Liberty Heights, The Wedding Planner, Hysterical Blindness, and 2005's The Zodiac.

National allegiances aside, Chambers also believes in the value of simplicity. "Less is more, that's for sure," he says. "And if you like something, just keep it. Don't worry about what's trendy, because it's really about what you like."

His favorite timeless essential? A vintage navy blue wool peacoat that he's owned for 15 years. "It looks like it did the day I got it," he boasts.

Still, Chambers admits he spends more time focusing on acting and his off-duty roles as a father and husband than on what he wears. "I don't put that much thought into it. You become numb to it, too, after being in the [fashion] business for so long."

After all, it's not brain surgery, right?

THE PANT TRAP

 

WEAR PANTS THE RIGHT WAY. WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT LENGTHS YOU SHOULD GO TO AND WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID STUFFING YOUR POCKETS

 

Use Pant Pockets Wisely
Ever since pockets as we know them were invented in the late 1700s, men have been putting way too much stuff in them. "Overloading your pockets breaks the lines of your clothing and ruins a stylish look," says style expert Lloyd Boston, author ofMake Over Your Man."There should be no bulges or anything that looks like a growth on your sides." If you feel you must carry more than pockets can accommodate, opt for a messenger bag. Boston suggests checking Jack Spade's and Coach's stylish options. You can also employ your jacket and chest pockets--but don't overwhelm them, either. Lumpy will never be fashionable.

Avoid Looking Like You're Waiting for a Flood
The wrong pants length could send the message that you haven't yet recovered from the great Mississippi floods of '93. Note: Your pants should "break" (make one little fold) in front, leaving just enough fabric to cover the tops of your shoes. In the back, the hem should fall just above where your heels meet your soles. This keeps your socks hidden while you walk. According to Alan Flusser, author ofDressing the Man,jeans and tuxedo trousers should never have cuffs. Short men only look shorter when sporting cuffs, so keep the depth to 1 5/8 inch for men under 5'10" and 1 3/4 inch for taller men.

Hide a Bubble Butt
I'm glad you assed--I mean asked. Your first priority should be to avoid pants with a high waist. The extra height makes your butt look extra long. Burn any pants that are fitted around your rear or the top of your legs, unless you want to draw more attention to your backside. The most flattering cut is a loose-fitting style with a straight or boot-cut leg. Tapered ankles will make your rear look wider. For cool weather, invest in a three-quarter-length jacket that will slim your silhouette and hide your behind.

Should Flat-front pants Be Creased Down the Middle?
As you bought them, so they should remain.

Where to Wear Your Pants -- Hips or Waist?
The schoolboy trend of low-riding trousers has crept into men's fashion, but not to a boxer-baring extreme. "The standard dress style actually places the bottom of the waistband on the top of the hips, and the more casual style--or party style--is more like around the hips," says James Jurney, owner of the cutting-edge New York City boutique Seize sur Vingt.

Beyond the trends, remember that proper tailoring can be used to accentuate the positive aspects of any man's frame. If you have short legs and a long torso, wear the waistline a little higher. If you have long legs and a short torso, wear it lower.

Make Khakis Work for You
Many of the classics of male style--our much-loved khakis included--have military origins. A British officer, billeted in India during Queen Victoria's reign, had the stain-hiding idea of dyeing white uniforms with a mix of curry powder and coffee. The resulting color, khaki (from the Hindi word for "dusty"), christened these pants, and some Hall of Fame trou were born.

The rules: Khakis are your wardrobe's multitool--in a pinch, they can get you out of nearly any fashion emergency. Impromptu Sunday brunch with her parents? Add a dress shirt and shoes and you're set. Night out at the beach? Leave your flip-flops on and pull on a crisp T-shirt.

But khakis are barging into formal events where they don't belong. They're perfect for a neighborhood cocktail party on the deck, for parent-teacher night, or when you're tieless and wearing a blazer. But they are not for moments when you're trying to impress people who might give you money.

Don't let khakis become your default pants for every occasion just because you don't own anything better. You can wear khakis year-round (stick with darker tones and heavier weights in winter), but they're a summer staple: less restrictive than jeans, infinitely more attractive than shorts.

Pick a moderately priced flat-front pair (pleats are so 2002) that fits low on your hips. Choose boot-cut legs for a more modern look, and a thin plastic tread in the waistband to grip a tucked-in shirt.

How to Buy a Nice Pair of Wool Pants
If you're over 40, the phrase "wool trousers" may give you sweaty-in-church flashbacks. Well, times--and fabrics--change. Wool trousers are now available in every conceivable weave and weight, from heavy flannels to light summer wools that are as cool as Glavine with the bases loaded.

The rules: Buy high-quality wool trousers and pair them with sport coats, blazers, or casual jackets. Wool drapes beautifully and will add an immediate sophistication to your look. Check for these signs of quality, says clothing expert Andy Gilchrist, of askandyaboutclothes.com.

· X-stitching pattern on the buttons, indicating that the pants were hand sewn.

· Lining in the crotch.

· Extra fabric inside the crotch and seat--to allow for alterations.

Don't Wear Cargo Pants if You're Over 35...
Cargo pants are a gender favorite. Wearing them implies that we men might, at any moment, drop the remote and start loading, well, cargo. Hey, somebody's got to get those people food and blankets!

The rules: We resist making age rules about clothing. But cargo pants are best on men under 35 and over 6 feet tall. The pockets shorten your leg line. And never put any actual cargo in those thigh pockets. They're for decoration, not for stashing the rest of that rye bagel.

DENIM DONE RIGHT

SIMPLE SWAPS CAN TURN JEANS FROM A SARTORIAL AFTERTHOUGHT INTO THE ANCHOR OF ANY LOOK. HERE'S HOW TO WEAR YOUR BLUES WELL, NO MATTER WHAT THE OCCASION

THE WEEKEND:

Your downtime denim should shield you against rainy-day-project snares, but should also snag the attention of that woman trolling the paint-chip array at Home Depot.

The upgrade: Weekends are for relaxing, not letting it all hang out. More than half of all women we surveyed said wearing baggy jeans is the biggest denim blunder men can make. The key to finding the right fit is matching the shape of your legs to the funnel-like taper of the jeans. Every brand is different (see "Find the Right Fit," page 8) but you can calibrate your stems by slipping into a straight leg fit first. Too snug? Try a relaxed fit, best for guys with athletic builds (read: you rack up a few 45-pound plates for squats). If you're swimming in the straight legs, try a slim fit.

Watch out for: Details. Distressed or faded finishes are forbidden during the work week, but lighter rinses and natural-looking whiskering are making a return. Finish the look by layering T-shirts, sweaters, and outerwear to match your pants.

Check out: Howe, Lucky Brand, Chaps, Armani Exchange, Diesel

What to wear.

Johnny Cash understood it. Black is mysterious and dangerous—and goes with just about everything you own. What's not to love? If you're looking for confidence, black imparts authority and power as well as a level of sophistication. Cash once sang that he wore black to symbolize the underdogs of the world. But he was aware, no doubt, that it's also the color of cool.

 

(ABOVE: Ralph Lauren Black Label suit ($2,150), shirt ($325), and tie ($95), (888) 475-7674; DKNY trench coat ($400), (800) 231-0884; Cole Haan shoes ($250), (800) 201-8001; and rocket to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat in the 315-horsepower2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt. It's one of the best values in performance driving, and as cool as McQueen. ($32,500))

Bend it like Beckham..

David Beckham  May be a team player, but when he sheds his England (or galaxy) uniform, he’s his own man

Some days that means throwing on a T-shirt and a pair of dVb denim jeans (designed by his wife, Victoria) for his casual Southern California environs. Other days, Beckham might go with a three-piece suit and bow tie to mingle among fellow A-listers. Confidence is the key to pulling it off :
“I know what I’m doing,” he says.

On the field, he’ll draw  the attention of the defense and then kick the ball to a suddenly wide-open teammate. Which shows you how drawing attention to yourself can sometimes work out for others. Becks is a star, but that allows him to divert attention to charities such as Malaria No More and Harlem Youth Soccer.

The London native’s best accessory is his old-fashioned politeness. Although he and his tightly knit family are now Angelenos, you won’t be reading about any Hollywood meltdowns. “To be someone kids look up to is a great honor,” he says earnestly. “What matters is how you carry yourself, off and on the field.”

Wimbledon fashion: Nike outfits dominate the courts

t looks like tracksuits and cardies have been banished to ancient history and filed beside Henman mania.

Wimbledon's elite gave fans something other than tennis to talk about with a range of outfits that threw out the old form books.

Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams paraded the new looks - all from Nike.

Federer, 27, was very Officer and a Gentleman in his military jacket but the waistcoat gave a slight air of a Costa Brava cocktail waiter.

 

The star said: "It's more contemporary while still looking clean and sophisticated."

Nike would like Federer to add it is "a modern interpretation of a classic military silhouette from 1965" but they had to say it themselves.

Russian Maria, 27, wore a belted jacket based on an old military style from Russia.

Her white and gold bag was customised with her initials, like Federer's, and decorated with a Wimbledon streetmap design.

Serena, 21, wore a mini mac styled like a double-breasted English trenchcoat. She said: "It is not athletic attire. But it is ladylike and I am very ladylike."

We can't fault her on that.

SHARPEN YOUR EDGE

 

From my seat on the plane, headrests seem to sprout hair. I count two comb-overs, a collection of mops in the brown-gray scale, and one spiky do, a waxy nest of hair horns. This is how the barber must see the world: as a jumble of potential haircuts and shaves, our heads and faces nothing more than his canvas, a living array of raw material.

How the barber has fallen. His leatherette chair is largely empty these days; he's being done in by cheap chains, unisex salons, and the 17-bladed razor. The barber's pole, once a symbol of men's fashion, society, and health (barbers were the first surgeons, the striped pole representing the clean and bloodied bandages used in bloodletting), now seems like a nostalgic relic. Or worse, it seems a beacon for the cheap and the old, a place for the discerning man to avoid. In 1962, there were 180,000 barbershops in America. Now there are about 100,000, even though the U. S. male population has grown by more than 50 percent.

Suburban kids like me, when it was time for a trim, accompanied our mothers to pastel-colored salons, put up with the acrid smells, and flipped though issues of Us Weekly while we waited for gum-chewing stylists named Jenny and Donna to tell us about their boyfriends while they worked. But the barbershop was a rare locale, the kind of place that helped ground us in our maleness without violence or competition. This face, this beard, this community (and occasionally, this dirty joke). I'm on a mission to rediscover the barber, and to find the enduring dignity of those masculine sanctuaries that still insist on hair-care establishments being like bathrooms: one for the ladies, one for the gentlemen.

And so, London. After all, we brought our shaving bowls along with our buckled shoes when we set out from Mother England. My first stop was to be the Barber-Surgeons' Hall, home to the Worshipful Company of Barbers, one of the oldest guilds in London. But then came the brush-off : Their members are surgeons now, you see, and have no association with the "lowly trade of barbery." (That's a quote.) "I'm afraid we just can't help you," the spokesman demurred. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't use my name."

Whatever. The real history of the barber isn't in a clubhouse anyway. It's open for business, in places like the grand district of Mayfair. There, among palatial hotels and bespoke tailors, stand the so-called three T's of English barbering: Geo. F. Trumper, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and Truefitt and Hill. These shops have pruned privileged pates for a combined 500 years. The oldest, Truefitt and Hill, is offering me an apprenticeship (and an appointment). But if I'm to learn anything about the barber, I'll need a host of experiences, so I plan to make a few stops on the way there.

THE RULES OF SCENT

Apply Cologne Close to Your Heart
Perfect after a triumphant fifth set or before anything else. "Apply cologne on the places where you can feel the beats of your heart," advises Rochelle Bloom, president of the Fragrance Foundation. This means wrists, the sides of your neck, over your ticker. The throb adds impact to the scent.

Keep It Light
"If you're constantly smelling the fragrance, you've applied too much. People should have to get close to you to say, 'Gee, you smell nice,' " says Bloom. A couple of spritzes or splashes is enough.

Don't Clash Scents
You don't have to use every variation on a fragrance—cologne, aftershave, body wash, deodorant, says Mikel Cirkus, creative director of Firmenich, an aroma manufacturer. One at a time is fine. But make sure the other products don't clash with the scent you choose.

Make It Last
Dry skin? Apply fragrance more often. Oily skin holds scent longer, Bloom says.

Wake Up with a Midday Splash
Cologne can beat the 3 p.m. slump, says Mary Ellen Lapsansky, executive director of the Fragrance Foundation. "A quick splash midafternoon is a psychological pick-me-up and keeps you smelling wonderful."

Wear Different Scents for Different Seasons
Heat intensifies any fragrance, and scents are stronger when combined with sweat, says Bloom. That's why an aromatic or citrus scent works in the summer; you can go heavier in the winter.

Follow in Her Dad's Footsteps
"If she loves her father and he wears a certain scent, try it," says Michael Bastian, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman. Yeah, this is deep psychological water, but if it helps her feel safer . . .

SHARP OBJECTS CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN

"The low-grade friction from shaving stimulates collagen production and smoothes the skin. That's one of the reasons men typically have far fewer wrinkles than women do," says Kenneth Beer, M.D., a dermatologist based in West Palm Beach, Florida. The key qualifier: low-grade friction. Researchers have found that as little as a quarter of shaving debris can be hair; the remainder is sloughed-off skin cells. A rough cut removes cells that aren't ready for eviction, causing irritation, says Dr. Beer. Your job is to ensure a smooth transaction. Here's how.

Take Your Time
It's always best to shave in the shower or right after you step out—the heat opens your pores and loosens your beard. A 2007 study in the Journal of Materials Science revealed that moistened hairs require 30 percent less blade force to cut than dry ones do. Minutes matter here: Stubble (and the skin beneath it) needs at least 3 to 4 minutes to absorb moisture. Less pressure means less pulling, which can reduce agitation of the hair follicle and create a cleaner cut along the middle of the hair. That translates to fewer ingrown hairs.

Lube Up
A preshave oil does more than just help the blade glide across the skin. The lube helps plump up dead skin cells with moisture, pushing them away from the face and leaving them exposed for cutting. That means smoother skin, fewer ingrown hairs, less razor burn, and a closer shave. A few drops of preshave oil is all it takes. Prepping with a hot washcloth on your face can further prepare your skin and hair.

Brush Your Beard
Stop slapping on shaving cream with your fingers and switch to a shaving brush. Circular motion raises the hairs and exfoliates. "Shaving with a brush is the easiest and fastest way to prepare your skin and facial hair for a close and painless shave," says Danielle Malka, founder of the grooming retailer E Shave. You make lather instantly as you swirl the brush against your face, lifting beard hair off the skin. "Leave the cream on for 30 to 45 seconds and your beard will come off far easier," says Russ Studivant, owner of the Friendly Barber Shop in Carboro, North Carolina.

Work the Angles
For an especially close shave, go with the grain, then lather up again and mow gently against or across your whisker weft.

Close Up Shop
Finish with a hydrating postshave cream to protect pores and provide a more nurturing environment for the rebuilding process beneath. Think of it as greasing the union contractors

THE LEATHER JACKET

Pattern-shy? A touch of texture, such as perforation, adds a layer of interest to a plain getup. But be selective in how you incorporate the style: Some perforated shirts look more like athletic mesh. That's bad. The tiny pinholes in a leather or suede jacket are reminiscent of the ones in driving gloves, and they -provide a nice detail. Another way to add texture: casual leather sneakers.

When to wear it:

This rich texture is subtle enough to travel the style scale, from Opening Day at the ballpark to a first date with the girl next door.

Leather goods:

Calvin Klein, Versace, DKNY, and The Generic Man all carry perforated leather.

DKNY jacket ($1,600) and T-shirt ($65), (800) 231-0884; Diesel jeans ($280), (877) 433-4373; Boss black bag ($700), (800) 484-6267; Mosley Tribes aviators ($275), mosleytribes.com

WHITE NOW

Dark colors are fine for cooler climes, but warmer temperatures call for palette-cleansing white. Instead of a bright white shirt that highlights your off-season pallor, try white jeans to shift the focus to your lower half. Saks Fifth Avenue's Jennings suggests pairing them with colorful tees or chambray shirts.

When to wear it

White is ideal for casual weekend activities, like barbecues and trips to the farmer's market. White jeans can easily be elevated with a crisp blazer and a button-front shirt, but they should not be worn during the evening, unless you're Tom Wolfe. And we wish he'd stop, too.

The white stuff Can be found at Malo, Michael Kors, Etro, and Calvin Klein.

J.Crew jacket ($350) and shirt ($100), jcrew.com; Lacoste jeans ($130), (800) 452-2678; Cole Haan chukka boot ($230), (800) 201-8001

TIP:

You can spend upward of $500 on white jeans. Our suggestion: spend less. Unlike their blue brethren, these jeans have only about a 2-year shelf life, even if you're heavy-handed with the bleach.

ANY WATCH CAN BECOME AN HEIRLOOM

Here's a surprising tip from Ted Pommer, a watch-repair specialist at Ilana Fine Jewelry, in New York City: Ignore the manufacturer's recommendation to clean and adjust a watch every 2 to 3 years. "Don't fix it if it's not broken," Pommer says. "I've worked on watches that are 80 years old and have never been serviced. They run fine; their timing is just a bit off." But you should do this.

Remember the battery
Pulling out the crown of a quartz watch will not save your battery. It doesn't stop the movement but merely freezes the hands so you can set the time. If you put the watch away and the battery runs out, it can leak and ruin the movement.

Keep it dry
Unless the watch states that it's waterproof, keep it clear of moisture. "When they say a watch is water-resistant, all that means is there's a slightly longer tube protecting the crown as it passes through the case. Water can still enter the watch. Steam can enter the watch.
And saltwater's the worst. It can eat through metal and corrode the case. I'm a pessimist--I see watches only when they're broken—but my two rules are (1) don't get it wet and (2) don't use it as a hammer."

Take it off to wind it
Winding a watch while wearing it is a bad idea. It puts side-pressure on the stem, the metal bar inside the crown, and upward pressure on the crown itself. Over time, this can cause either to break.

Set it in any direction
It's okay to move the hands backward when setting the time. Just the most complicated chronographs demand you move the hands only forward while adjusting them.

HOW TO STEER YOUR STYLE

Stand apart
Buy a one-button suit--you'll update your work wardrobe, elongate your torso, and broaden your shoulders. Pair with a bright solid or checked shirt.

See clearly
The fastest update: new glasses. Horn-rims are cool again (Oliver Peoples and Sol Moscot offer great frames). Updated aviators or tortoise-shell sunglasses flatter most faces.

Pack smartly
A well-worn leather briefcase exudes reliability, lasts forever, and looks richer with wear. Ditch the synthetics. Invest in quality.

Trim often
Stop into your -barbershop between haircuts to have your neck shaved and errant hairs trimmed. And the wonderful feeling of a hot shave is worth the extra bucks.