50 Things About Me

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On an average week, I receive about 2,500 to 3,000 emails, and many of them are from readers just like you who thank me for maintaining GG, asking for advice or and how I got started. It is always a pleasure for me to answer all of these emails, but it takes up a lot of time, which I could use otherwise to create more content. Of course, I would love to answer emails all day, but it is simply unrealistic for a day only has so many hours to get work done. So, instead of answering the same questions by email over and over again, I thought it would be a good idea to create a video with 50 Things About Me. That way, you get to know me better and if you want to learn more, just post your question in the comments, so I can do a second video if need be.

Table of Contents

That being said, this is just the start for our youtube channel and going forward we want to provide you with valuable video content on a weekly basis. So make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and youtube channel so you don’t miss any of those.

Of course, I also like to learn about you! How would you answer these questions? Please share your answers to the questions in the video below, I am really excited to see what you do or prefer because styles can be so different but always remarkable.

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Here is the video transcript!

00:05: My name is Sven Raphael Schneider. I’m the founder of the Gentleman’s Gazette and Fort Belvedere, and every week I receive many questions about myself and why I started it, and Fort Belvedere, the brand, and so I decided to create a video about 50 things about me.

00:47: All of my friends and family call me Raphael. I was born in Germany, and so there’s no this concept of first, middle and last name, and only when I came to the U.S., people started calling me Sven. So if you know me, you call me Raphael.

01:10: I’m 30 years old. I’m happily married to my lovely wife Theresa. I live is St. Paul, Minnesota, and I started the Gentleman’s Gazette because I have a true passion for classic mens clothing, style and savoir vivre.

01:32: Oh! Well, most people say I’m immune to stress and I agree with that. It doesn’t really have a big effect on me. I’m very even-keeled. No big mood swings and… reliable. And I’m almost impossible to insult.

01:54: My wife would say I have a good memory. And I don’t really have favorites. I like many things, but it’s difficult to pick just one thing.

02:10: I’m a very ernest person. I would call myself stylish. And I’m very happy – always with a smile on my face.

02:23: A difficult one… It used to be orange as a child, and then it became green. Now I don’t have favorite colors anymore, I just love to combine them in my outfits. And yeah. No favorites.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey

02:41: I like brown spirits… Scotch, bourbon, and so forth, but it really depends on the season, the mood I’m in, and of course, the occasion, so I also like cucumber flavored cocktails and… It’s hard to pick a favorite.

03:05: I really dislike overcooked meats and fish… um yeah. I really – I’d rather not eat it if it’s overdone. I also really don’t like paper plates and plastic silverware. As far as dish goes, I am not a fan of macaroni and cheese. When it comes to movies I generally don’t like disney movies or science fiction.

03:39: I really dislike huge armholes on my jackets. I want small armholes so I can move and I’m comfortable. I don’t like gapping collars on my jacket. And I don’t like ties that are too long; it should have the right length and never extend past the waistband of the trousers. Other than that, I’d say I don’t like men who dress like teenagers in sneakers, cargo pants, t-shirts and baseball hats.

04:13: What I really don’t like, especially when I’m with people is cellphones – people checking cell phones all the time, and sharing stuff on Facebook. I prefer it if people focus on the people around them. I really like to entertain and have people over for dinner, and so table manners and dining etiquette are very important to me. If they’re not good, I’m not happy. One of the things that I really hate is waiting in line. No matter whether it’s at the grocery store or the movie theater, it’s just not for me.

04:54: [Laughs] Well, I would say it’s rather sarcastic and ironic.

05:03: I’m very critical – very high standards with respect to others so sometimes, it may be overbearing and negative. Other than that, I’m not the most organised person, so I would definitely call that a weakness of mine.

05:19: Red. I like full bodied, bold red wines.

05:27: Definately both. I either wear a necktie or bow tie whenever I have a dress shirt, and it depends on my mood.

05:41: Underwear! Well, [laughs] other than that, I would say, dress shirts. I wear dress shirts a lot. And if it would be just one specific thing, I would say “white linen pocket square.” It’s classic, goes with almost anything, and is great.

06:04: One of the things that people say is unique about my style, is that I always try to never wear the same outfit twice. So, even if I wear the same suit, I change the shirt; I change the tie, the boutonniere, the pocket square, the socks, the shoes. So, I hardly ever wear an outfit twice.

06:25: I love to play racquetball, and I do so weekly. As a kid, I used to play soccer, basketball and table-tennis, but I just watch it occasionally on TV. I don’t play it anymore.

06:43: Probably Settlers of Catan. (I play it with many extensions)

06:48: Oh, there are quite a few. What say, recently I acquired 25 pairs of really unique suspenders from like silk to leather, cotton at for like 20 bucks at an estate sale.

Sven Raphael Schneider in his vintage Morning Coat from the 1920s
Sven Raphael Schneider in his vintage Morning Coat from the 1920s

07:07: Oh, that’s a good one. When I started out, I bought a lot of vintage clothes because that’s what I could afford. Overall, I’d say my morning coat from the 1920’s and my tailcoat from the 50’s are my most prized vintage possessions and I wore both of them on my wedding day.

07:29: I have quite a few unique items. But the most unique would be a black and then silk faced evening overcoat that goes with black tie and white tie ensembles.

07:46: Oh! That’s a tough one. I generally love to eat. I like meat, and if I had to break it down, I’d say “steak tartar.”

08:00: Wow! OK, I don’t just have just one; I have a number of them. So for white tie looks, I love the looks of Jack Buchanan and David Niven. For pattern mixing and black tie looks, I like the Duke of Windsor because he thought outside of the box. For casual ensembles, I like Luciano Barbera. And for overall suits and elegance and style, I like Alain Delon, Helmut Berger and Marcello Mastroianni for the sprezzatura.

08:38: I enjoy music. I hear lots of different kinds of music, but my number one favorite would probably be classical music.

08:50: Hmm… I’m big into movies. I like movies – all kinds of movies, especially the ones where I have to think and when there’s going to be a twist at the end such as The Usual Suspects or Matrix.

09:09: I don’t really watch TV, but in terms of series, I would say House of Cards.

09:17: Both. Black for evening wear, which I adore, and white for dress shirts.

09:27: Hmm… I haven’t counted recently, but it’s probably about 25.

09:36: With the Gentleman’s Gazette, I hardly have time to read many other blogs, but one is about photography. It’s called mingthein.com. The other one is inspirational pictures about style. It’s called voxsartoria.

09:54: Wow! Well, I purchased quite a few great things, but the number one would be a set of four Goyard suitcases, and if you’d like to read the whole story about it, follow the link.

Reader Comments

  1. Settlers of Catan… for one particular, poor but hopefully reasonably well dressed university student, you just became a lot more likable. :)

    1. Hi David, I am glad to hear that! I really enjoy the game and it’s good family time.

  2. It is kind of funny, how I would expect you to have a german accent. But no, not at all.
    Anyway, I have question for you; Have you ever considered going back to Germany?

    Also, you have made a decent amount of list of do’s and don’t’s (like for the white tie and such…). I was wonderng, if you will be going to make an e-book, containing these dressing rules (in stead of just inspiration)?

    1. Funny that you would remark on that. I do have some kind of an accent but I am not sad, it doesn’t sounds too German ;)
      I go back to Germany every year, and my wife is learning German, so next year we may spend a few months there, though with the business established in the U.S. it doesn’t make sense to move everything all the time. But of course, never say never!

      Something much better than an ebook is in the works, so stay tuned!

      1. Hehe, I think I remarked on that exact fact, because I am from Denmark my self, and people tend to think, that I clearly ave an accent – that I most likely will never get rid of. Also I think, accents bring a bit of charm or something else witht them. Personally I find people with german accents to be more liable and serious. Of course this is just a sort of sub-conscious percieving, which probably originates in the fact, that I am an european.

        I will look forward to the work, that you are referring to. I sincerely hope, that you will have a good time creating this work. I will definetly “stay tuned”, in order to catch my chance of viewing your work.

        Regards, Rune.

  3. It’s a pleasure to learn something personal about the, as I must say, very likable creator of this fine gazette. I’ve enjoyed the video a lot.
    Thanks for that one, keep up the good work and take my greetings across the Atlantic.

  4. Well done! The comment about macaroni and cheese made me chuckle.

    Congratulations on the launch of your youtube channel. I look forward to more videos.

  5. Hello Rafael —
    This isn’t a comment about your interview (although I enjoyed reading the transcript). I just wanted to let you know that the link you provided to Ming Thein is incorrectly parsed. You might want to look into it.
    Best — Robert

  6. I’ve been following your blog since I was in high school. It helped me find joy in dressing up in the morning (and evening).

    Nice to learn more about you. Especially the Settlers of Catan part. Gave me a nice laugh.

    More power to you and your business!

  7. Raphael,

    Very enjoyable. It’s nice to see or meet someone with an appreciation for classic styles and not be swain by peer pressure to change ones imige.

    I agree with quite a few of your personal choices too.

    Alex

  8. What a gentlemen.
    You are a great man Sven, keep up the good work and being yourself.
    We all are learning from you.

  9. Wonderful interview and certainly a marvelous opportunity for all of Gentlemen Gazette subscribers to get better insight on the gentlemen who is the founder and promoter of a great informative website…since I started following your blog site just a few years ago I have enhance my taste for not only classic style men’s wears but a whole host of other things in my personal life has improved as well.

    Continued success on all your work and congratulations on introducing your video site I look forward to gaining more helpful knowledge from both what the written articles and now audio articles have to share!

    Best Regards,

    Park

  10. Well done! I wouldn’t have picked you for “unorganized” judging by the newsletter and your personal style!

    Lots of fun. I’ve subscribed.

    1. Chris, I guess it is all relative. I am definitely more organized than some people but my wife is more organized than me ;).

Comments are closed.