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Beauty the Guide

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Actor Simon Baker and Givenchy make a case for the return of gentlemanly behavior

GENTLEMEN'S CLUB

 

"I wouldn't say chivalry is dead, but I think it is a bit lost." - SimonBaker

 

IN THE AGE OF cyber dating, virtual offices and TMZ, is chivalry dead? Is the simple act of giving up your seat on a crowded subway for a woman, holding the door for a stranger at a busy restaurant or keeping an elevator door open in a business tower a thing of the past? "I wouldn't say chivalry is dead but I think it is a bit lost," says Simon Baker, star of the CBS drama The Mentalist, wearing a trim two-button chocolate brown Givenchy suit, has just entered The London Hotel in West Hollywood. He stops to thank the doorman for holding the door open, greets the concierge and smiles at the desk clerk. "What I love is the response you get from people when you do something kind for them. It's almost like they are taken aback. They din't know how to react when someone does something selfless for them."

Notoriously private, Simon has agreed to meet with a handful of journalists to explain his role as the face of Givenchy's latest fragrance called "Gentlemen Only." It's a masculine, woody-aromatic fragrance based on a trio of classic notes: vetiver, patchouli and cedarwood. It's the kind of scent you'd expect modern-day Mad Men advertising executives would wear. And the entire concept is based on a new generation of gentleman.

 

FIVE WAYS TO RECOGNIZE A MODERN-DAY GENTLEMAN

1. When he's with you, he doesn't check his Blackberry or send text messages.

2. He knows how to say "thank you" in four languages.

3. He keeps a tuxedo in his wardrobe and knows how to bow a tie.

4. He is always punctual.

5. He knows how to prepare one gourmet recipe.

 

GIVENCHY CENTLEMEN ONLY

An elegant woody fragrance.

Notes : Green mandarin orange, pink peppercorn, nutmeg, birch leaves, cedar, patchouli and vetiver

Eau de toilette spray : 50 ml, $67, and 100 ml, $88

 

"The whole concept of private social clubs has become huge in London," says former Jimmy Choo Creative Director Simon Holloway. "They are very exclussive and if you are accepted, they come with strict codes of behaviour." He says it's like a return to the Gentlemen's social clubs of the '50s ans '60s. Judith Ritchie, Beauty Director for L'Officiel, agrees. She says exclusive clubs like No Comment are all the rage in Paris as well; "These are members of the finest families in France. And there is an elegnce to the way they live."

It's no surprise that Givenchy would herald the return of the gentleman. Hubert de Givenchy was one of Europe"s most elegant figures for decades. "He looks much like Cary Grant with blue eyes - tall and tatuesque," says Givenchy Master Perfumer Francoise Donche. "He's always so elegant and humble. You have to remember that at one point, he dressed half of Europe's royal families." And while Mr. de Givenchy is enjoying his retirement now, he is still seen from time to time in Paris - with the same signature haberdashery.

There is no doubt he'd approve ot the House's new cologne. "This is a very masculine, authentic scent," explains Donche. "Seventy percent of the formula is built around those three notes. I find there is too much gimmickry in fragrance today. Exotic ingredients in fashion today can become muddled." She says the current economic and social upheaval in Europe has led men to change their fragrance-buying havits. "They are looking for masculine fragrances that reassure them and make the feel more confident. They don't want unisex ersions right now." Perhaps Gentlemen Only offers the scent of reassurance and confidence in a constantly changing world.

 

SIMON BAKER : THE INTERVIEW

 

"My character, Patrick Jane, is a con man who practises slight of hand, so I thought the idea of wearing a waistcoat lent to that nicely. I took the idea from Charlie Chaplin's character." - Simon Baker

 

MARCELLO MASTROIANNI was the actor I most admired growing up. The guy was just so cool - even when he was being humiliated in a movie. Jean-Paul Belmondo was also innately cool. I looked to European actors for inspiration. I think part of the appeal wa that I was Australian lad watching a foreign film subtitles.

THE THREE-PIECE SUIT look that I wear on the show is something I came up with myself. My character, Patrick Jane, is a con man who practises slight of hand, so I thought the idea of wearing a waistcoat lent to that nicely. I took the idea from Charlie Chaplin's character. The costume designer on the show has all the suits made.

I THINK THE CONCEPT of the gentleman is timeless. When I was growing up, the only way to become a gentlman was to be born in to an aristocratic family, but these days anyone can become one. For me, it's aspirational. As a child, I was taught respect, manners, courtesy, humility and that was the way you approached life, what you aspired to b. I think that now, the idea of fashion and masculinity succesfully meld together.

MY GROOMING REGIME is very streamlined. I don't take a lot of time to get ready in the morning - say 15 minutes. As butch as I seem, I spend most of my day in a lot of makeup. So I'm careful to clean my skin and moisturize at the end of each day.

I LIKE CLASSIC DESIGN with a healthy dose of rebelliousness and audacity. I like to look presentable. There's a sense of self-pride when you dress well. A man should wea his clothes, the clothes shouldn't wear the man. He should find clothes and fragrance that underlines the essence of who he is. A scent that represents him in the manner he wants to presented in.

THE MOST MEMORABLE SMELL from my childhood is zinc cream. I grew up in Australia and we always wore zinc cream when surfing. To this day, the minute someone removes the lid on a tube of it, I'm immediately reminded of my childhood. It's the same with Veggie Vita-Weats.

WHEN I'M NOT WORKING (wich is rare these days), I love to spend time with my family. My kids love to play tennis. And my youngest son is into making stuff so we spend a lot of time in the garage taking apart thing. I love it.

I ADMIRE HOW ACTORS like Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart dealt with press and thei image. It was a simpler time back then and actors could present an image of ease, elegance and grance. Wha I particularly likes about Jimmy is that he felt authentic all the time. You always felt that he was being true to himself. That's something I really appreciate. But I don't fall for nostalgia. I never try to mold myself after anyone.

I FEEL CHIVALRY is a little lost these days. If you accidentally cut someone off in Los Angeles, they hang out the window and swear at you. But if you offer to help someone, it's remarkable the reaction you get. It's so not expected.

BEING INCLUDED in People's Sexiest Men list doesn't mean a thing to me. It has nothing to do with me. I don't show my wife, wink and say, 'Ready for bed?' All I can say is I'm glad this didn't happen to me when I was 21.

THE BIGGEST LESSON I've learned in Hollywood is fame is fleeting. I've been in this business long enough to know that all of this is fleeting. What's important is that I'm comfortable with myself - that I've been straightforward and honest with everyone.

GOOD MANNERS are very important to me. And I think Canadians and Australians are a litte more polite than Americans. If a Canadian says he's sorry, he looks you in the eye and eans it.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I've learned so far in life is to be patient. I kind of feel I spent most of my twenties being impatient. Now that I'm in my 40s, I'm more accepting of the quiet times. It's okay to be patient.

Ecrit par Totallyfan 
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