As we journey through life, we find that there are things we just can’t live without, as they make life easier and more enjoyable! Today, I’ll be sharing 12 of my essentials, beyond classic menswear.
This post is not sponsored, and 100% my own opinion. No one paid for anything here or did us any other favors. So, you can trust that what I say here is true.
1. Internet
The number one thing on my list may seem mundane, but I put it there for a reason and it’s the internet. The thing that impresses me the most about it is the vast access to information in a very easy way.
I was born in 1984 and so, I had the privilege to actually grow up in a time when there was no internet. So, I know what those pre-times actually used to be. I grew up in a small town in Germany. When I looked out my window, I could see the cows eating and, sometimes, I’d even feed them.
If I wanted to learn something about something, such as clothes, for example, I had to go to the local library and maybe find that one book they had about the topic and, otherwise, I had to drive to the next bigger city, maybe find a store, but finding information or like-minded peers was really cumbersome and a lot of work before the internet.
On a personal note, the internet really helped me stay in touch with Teresa, who I met in 2006 in the US, and we had a long-distance relationship for two and a half years, so it really helped us stay in touch.
If you go back to the 80s, when my father emigrated from Brazil to Germany, he had to save up his five Deutsche Mark coins, then go to the phone booth and call his family for 10 minutes, all the while putting in coins into a slot and that was it.
When Teresa and I were apart, we had Skype at least and then, we would save up for plane tickets to go back and forth and that’s where all of our money went.
Also, you wouldn’t be reading this post right now without the internet and the Gentleman’s Gazette, as it exists today, wouldn’t be around. So, I’m really grateful for the internet.
Just like with anything in life, though, a big strength is also a potentially big weakness, and a blessing like the internet can also be a curse. If you haven’t already done so, watch the documentary The Social Dilemma; I think it’s on Netflix. Basically, the internet and social media, in particular, can be quite addicting.
So, for me, personally, that means I really keep a check on my Instagram and my Facebook. I don’t have notifications on my phone. I check them out maybe once a month or once every two months if I’m very intentional about it and I want to list something on Facebook Marketplace, for example, or I want to look up a particular friend.
Otherwise, I try to focus my time on my family, maybe play a game, or read a book to my daughter, and keep myself anchored in the real life, while using the internet to reach other people, learn about men’s clothing, new and upcoming brands or trends that I, otherwise, probably would miss.
2. Electric Shaver
Another thing I can’t live without is an electric shaver. This may come as a surprise to many of you because, if you’re a follower of the Gentleman’s Gazette, you know that I love the double-edge razor. To fully understand why the DE razor is so good, you can check our previous guide on DE razors.
Hands down, a double-edged razor is fantastic, but the downside is: it takes time. I figured out that the way to cut down on that time is to use the electric shaver in combination with the DE razor, so you get rid of all the stubble with the electric shaver and then have one or, at most, two passes through with the DE razor. You get a perfectly smooth result in a faster time.
Of course, you also have to invest more in gear. As far as electric shavers go, I have two of them. I have one from Braun, which is kind of a straight-blade electric shaver, and then one from Phillips with three individual heads that are combined. I like the Phillips more. I think it has a better job. I get a closer shave. And even those electric shavers can be used wet or dry.
Wet gives you a better result, gives you a closer shave. It’s better for your skin. There’s less irritation. Dry gives you an inferior result, but it’s the fastest. You don’t need shaving cream and lather anything up. It’s just a quick dry run, taking you one minute tops. Is the quality great? No. Is it good enough for most times? Probably.
So, at the end of the day, if I had to pick one shaving item, it would be the electric shaver over the double-edge razor because, in my life right now, time is of the essence and I’m not in love with the shaving process.
For other people, it’s time to relax and unwind. In that case, by all means go, with the DE razor. If you just want the best quality, go with the DE razor or a straight razor.
So, the big question is: why do I shave in the first place? Well, I like the look. But, more importantly, my wife loves the feel of it. And as you know, happy wife, happy life.
3. Got2B Hair Gel
The yellow Got2B Hair Gel is also among my essentials. I have really thick hair and poofy curls and, without any product in it, it looks like this. I know it’s hard to believe if you see me right now with slick back hair but, au naturale, it looks very different.
In order to tame my hair and get the look I want, I tried numerous hair products, and Got2B is like this glue. It’s like this white paste. It’s pretty cheap. You find it at every drugstore, but it works for me, unlike all the other products where I just didn’t get the hold I wanted or the pomades that pomade acne.
This gel has no impact on my skin that I can tell. It washes out relatively easily in the shower. So, that’s my hair product of choice. If you have some other recommendations, I’m always open to trying new things.
4. A Laptop
The fourth thing I can’t live without is a laptop, and I’ll tell you more specifically which one and why. I run an internet business and I love the smartphone and the whole “mobile-first movement” and more and more that can be done in your app.
There are certain elements that you still have to do on a laptop. Because I travel quite frequently and I like to move around, having a laptop was always a big thing for me. I never had a desktop computer at the Gentleman’s Gazette. They were always mobile.
So, for the longest time now, I’ve had Dell business class computers. Why? Well, first of all, they have a really powerful suite of options including a lot of RAM and SSDs. So, they typically have at least 32, most of the time 64 gigs of RAM. So, I can have all the tabs open in the world without my computer crashing.
Dell computers have really been great workhorses for me. I use them a lot. I use them in very hot, humid conditions. I don’t always treat them nicely. They get banged up, but they’ve always come through for me.
The one thing that really drew me to Dell in the first place was their warranty. I’ve used it several times and it is excellent. If something breaks, they come to your home or to your office or wherever you may be, they’ll bring the parts, they’ll exchange it, and you have something that’s ready to go. It’s very easy for you. You don’t have to go somewhere, ship your laptop somewhere, or wait in line, and that’s the end of it.
Best of all, the warranty is transferable and so, I would always buy these laptops refurbished and I always really appreciated that about Dell.
I currently have a fully decked-out Dell Precision 7530. It’s not the newest computer anymore but, typically, they last about three to four years for me.
The big question you may ask is, “ Why don’t you use Apple?” Let me say that I really respect Apple. I like their design, and what they’ve done for smartphones and technologies and pushing the envelope. I’m also not anti-Apple and we just bought a $7,000+ laptop, which is a fully decked-out MacBook Pro M1 Max because it made sense for that position. For me, I don’t need quite that much power and what Apple doesn’t offer is that really seamless, comfortable warranty experience.
Also, I think in the past, Apple was always more expensive, kind of, pound-for-pound. Now, on the other hand, I have to say, these new MacBooks, you know, they have extremely long battery runtime, their MR Max chips, and their graphics interface, it’s really great. So, they’re more powerful. They have better battery life.
I may change mine in the future. Maybe my next laptop will be an Apple. I just wonder how long it’ll take me to go from Windows to Apple.
5. Manicure Set
The fifth item on my list is a manicure set. What I mean is not just any manicure set, but one that has decent nail clippers because I like a nail clipper; I don’t like scissors, and a pair of quality tweezers.
What, then, are the hallmarks of quality clippers? Well, it has to be robust. It shouldn’t be flimsy. I like it if it has a slim design, so I could easily store it and bring it along. And chances are you’ve seen these kind of nail clipper designs that are all over the place. They work, but they’re not particularly nice. I like really sharp clippers that are very accurate and get you exactly the cut that you want.
How about the quality hallmarks of tweezers? Frankly, tweezers to me, personally, are even more important than the nail clipper because most tweezers out there are just plain bad. They’re cheaply made and, when you need them to get something small out, they often just don’t work.
When you have a splinter and it’s painful, you want to remove that thing quickly and easily, and not have to poke around in your wound for hours. I have wooden fireplaces and so, I regularly get a splinter here or there. But, with a sharp pair of tweezers that are perfectly aligned, I easily get at the splinter every time.
Because I love quality clippers and tweezers, I combined them in a little travel manicure kit with a file and a cuticle clipper in something that’s TSA-approved, and you can find it in the Fort Belvedere shop.
6. Wardrobe
The sixth item on my list of things I can’t live without probably won’t surprise you because it’s my wardrobe. Yes, I admit it. I’m a clotheshorse and my closet and collection is way bigger than my wife’s.
You could say, “Well, do you really need such an expansive wardrobe?” and, frankly, if I’m really honest, I don’t need 98% or 99% of the things I own. And if you think about it for a minute, chances are you could get by and live without 99% of the things in your life too.
But, to quote Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society, “…medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But, poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” In my mind, the essence of that quote can also be applied to things.
To me, having an ever-expanding wardrobe that is filled with different textures, materials, and garments of different formalities just brings me great joy.
In fact, I have this thing going with myself that I never wear the exact same outfit twice. Yes, I may pair the same shirt, jacket, and pants. But, then, maybe I change the sock, my ring, my belt buckle, or something else, an accessory, my cufflinks, my pocket square, and it’s just fun. I like experimenting, I like trying something new, and I consider it to be part of an expression of my personality and that’s why it made my list.
7. Blue Ikea Bags
Item number seven on the list are blue IKEA bags. If you’re from Europe, from Sweden, you call them “ee-KEA.” In America, they call them “ay-KEA.” By the way, if you want to learn how to pronounce brand names properly, check out our guide to pronouncing luxury brands. We also did one for brands of watches.
Speaking of IKEA bags. These cost $2 or less. They’re extremely sturdy, they’re foldable, and I don’t know if they have a weight limit. So far, my muscles have always been weaker.
Even though they’re plastic bags and, generally, I’m not a fan of them, these are great because they’re reusable and so I bring them along when I go grocery shopping, so I don’t need to rely on those throwaway grocery bags. I also use them to carry loads of clothes to my alterations tailor. I always have a bag or two in my car in case I need to carry something or grab something or if I see an interesting estate sale that I can’t stop going to.
8. Prescription Medications
Prescription medications are next on my list and, frankly, up until this point in my life, I never had to take any medications frequently or regularly. Fortunately, I’m also one of the lucky people. I hardly ever get sick, you know, once every few years. I don’t have headaches, I don’t have heartburn or any of the other ailments that people have.
However, just recently, I had another blood clot. I had one about six years ago. I had one now again. We don’t know why it occurred. All I know is that my dad had multiple blood clots and a stroke and so, he is on permanent blood thinners. And I’m also still in blood thinners now to make sure the clot doesn’t go into my lungs and my brain and kills me. So, because of that, it literally is something that I can’t live without right now.
That aside, I also have high cholesterol in my family. My grandpa had it, my mom has it, and it’s something that has been showing up in lab results of my blood in recent years.
A way to counteract that is by diet and exercise. I already do a lot more exercise than what’s recommended, and I would say I eat healthier than probably 90% of Americans because, my wife and I, we’re big foodies, so we like to cook, we like quality ingredients, we like freshness, and I don’t like fast food.
That being said, eating rich foods that are buttery and steak with lots of saturated fats are bad for your cholesterol. My first course of action will be to try to really clean up my diet to a degree where I feel it’s healthier than what I’m doing now. But, at the same time, I’m still able to enjoy something. I’ll have another blood test and see what the results say and then go from there.
9. Mattress
The ninth thing I can’t live without is a quality mattress. When I first moved to the US, Teresa and I slept on a double mattress and, very quickly, we would both always end up in the middle with our arms on each other. It was quite uncomfortable, we didn’t sleep well, and so, we got a different mattress with a “European pillow top.”
I was from Europe and never heard about that at the time. But, what it was was actually a thick kind of sewn-in-layer foam pad. Turned out, it was terrible and not even two years in with the same issue. We were just sleeping on top of each other.
A few years and many mattresses later, I can now say that a customized mattress that we got from Helix is really good. My side is optimized for my height, my weight, and my sleeping habits. The other side is optimized for Teresa’s sleeping habits, weight, and so forth, and we both get the sleep that we want. Also, every time we come back from travel, we always rave about how great our mattress is.
A few years ago, I saw this Swedish company called Hästens, which has very luxurious mattresses and I think their prices start at $15,000 and go all the way up to $60,000 for a mattress, yes. And I haven’t tested that one so I can’t speak of it. I’m sure there may be something better out there. I just haven’t found it yet.
The $2,000 that we have is really great, though. We had it for about five years now and it’s still going strong. Of course, the king-size helps because you then have the space that you need, but we can still tell it’s not sagging in the middle, which is exactly what we wanted.
10. Camera
The 10th thing on my list I can’t live without is a quality camera. My dad’s number one hobby is photography and so, from an early childhood age, I was exposed to photography. I learned and picked up things on composition. I understood what ISO was and shutter speed and aperture and so, I was just more into it.
It was still my dad’s number one hobby, so I also looked for other things to do. When I started the Gentleman’s Gazette, though, it was, of course, important to have good photos and so, the first camera I bought, after I had a desk and a laptop, was an Olympus. That was all I could afford, but it served us well for the first few years.
Later on, I upgraded to Nikon D800 because we took all of our pictures for our product photography ourselves. I didn’t hire a photographer yet. Then, I got I think a D810, D850, and then we switched to Sony. And today, we have a Sony α7R high-res camera, great for product photos.
We also have some other cameras from Sony, which are great, but I like that it’s a really good value proposition – there’s nice lenses, we can use it for photography, videography, and we don’t have to invest in medium format systems like the ones from Hasselblad or now, there’s also Fuji or Leica. But, it would cost a lot more and the workflow would be quite a bit different.
I still like to take my camera and take some shots, but I’m not one of those people who carries the camera with them all the time. That’s my dad.
That being said, the entire concept of the Gentleman’s Gazette wouldn’t be possible without the camera, so it is definitely something I can’t live without.
11. Music
Number 11 on my list is music. I’m by no means one of those people who listen to music all day, every day – from the time they get up to the moment they fall asleep. But, if I do listen to music actively, I really enjoy it.
Living a life without music would be quite dull. Think about if you lived during a time when there was no music recording and the only way you could listen to music was either by being part of a family that had instruments or being able to go to a concert. Crazy, right?
I really like listening to piano music and we have a player piano that I control by app, which is really, really nice. That way you don’t rely on a stereo system, but you get the true sound of a piano.
That being said, I also wanted to upgrade the way I listen to other music and so, I came across this channel of Andrew Robinson. I never heard of him before, but I just like the way he unpretentiously reviewed audio gear together with his partner Christy.
Based on recommendations, I bought an Audiolab 6000a receiver that allows me to use my phone to play music through it, which should then connect to some speakers, which I got from Klipsch. It’s by no means any high-end audio system, but definitely a step up from what I had before.
12. Quality Office Chair
Last but not least, the 12th item on the list of things I can’t live without is a quality office chair. When I started a Gentleman’s Gazette in 2010, right after I had my laptop, camera, and desk, I bought a desk chair and it was a Herman Miller Aeron. Back then, I bought it used for $300 from an interior design vendor, that was a returned item and I was just lucky because I think it cost over a thousand dollars at the time, which I could not have afforded.
Obviously, it was in 2010 and, since then, standing desks have become a lot more popular. It’s in our new office. Everyone now has a standing desk. We got the model Fully Jarvis, which got good reviews. So far, so good.
Meanwhile, my Aeron chair is still going strong. I’ll leave it at home here in my home office. But, at the new office, I think I’ll try out the Herman Miller Embody chair. I remember sitting on it way back in the day, but it would have cost, I think, $900, which was a lot more than the $300 of the Aeron, so I didn’t buy it then. Of course, I still like a good deal and there are certain vendors here who sell slightly used furniture, so I’ll check things out there first.
In any case, investing in a quality chair to me always seemed perfectly reasonable because just like in your bed, it is where you spend a lot of time each day. I sit a lot each day on a desk and sitting is not good for you so, at least, I want to have a chair that is as good as possible for me. That means I don’t overheat and sit as ergonomically as I can.
Outfit Rundown
I’m wearing a somewhat casual outfit, which consists of a shirt that is made of polo shirt material. It is from Spier & Mackay and if Spier & Mackay shirts are worth it or not, you can learn that in our value review.
My jacket is a nice Donegal tweed jacket. It is a three-roll-two jacket that has three patch pockets, which reminds me of the movie It Happened One Night. It also has a half belt in the back and side-shooting pleats, so it gives me a great range of movement. It’s a custom jacket that was not custom-made for me, but I found it on eBay for, I think $80.
My pants are a pair of vintage Ralph Lauren in a classic glen check pattern in kind of brown and beige.
My boots are from Tricker’s. They’re triple-soled, very thick, have this beautiful British tan color, which pairs well with the Fort Belvedere belt in the same color, and I’m combining it with a gold buckle.
Last but not least, I have a pocket square, likewise from Fort Belvedere, along with socks from Fort Belvedere, both of which you can find in our shop. My pocket square is blue with contrasting cross stitching that picks up the blue tones of the shirt but also harmonizes with the jacket.
My Tricker’s boots are laced with a pair of contrasting boot laces from Fort Belvedere.
Since you mentioned music as one of the things you can not live without let me expound with Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto’s” as a specific and definite genre I cannot live without. There is nothing that can compare to Baroque.
My list would have to include my glasses (I couldn’t read with them).
That should have been “without.”
Great list. I also enjoy seeing your home in some of the shots. I think that would make for a great video, seeing a tour of your beautiful home. I saw on another video you did where you painted your dining room walls malachite green. My wife and I loved it so much we’re considering doing the same.