A few months ago, I was rolling with my Corporate friend and he had to go to South Coast Plaza to pick up a suit and some shoes. I told him he should just go Custom with my tailor, but him being a Corporate guy, he is kind of a cheapskate. But that is neither here nor there, and I decided to roll with.
While he grabbed an Armani suit (which was actually not bad, nothing compared to the handmade craftsmenship of my my tailor though), I decided to dip into Gucci and picked up a pair of Gucci Slides (pictured above, although the ones I grabbed were dark brown), even though I prefer handmade shoes from London these days.
So far I have been happy with the purchase.
I have swooped a fly girl everytime I have worn them so far: I went 1-0 in Los Angeles, 2-0 in Palm Beach, FL, 2-0 in Buenos Aires and 2-0 in Miami Beach. Decent.
(Side Note: I am only counting nights where I swooped a fresh girl. I am not counting nights I wore them and swooped a girl I already swooped. I don’t want to “pad” the record, so to speak).
The price tag? 5 bills. But knowing what I know now, I would have easily paid double.
I would strongly recommend picking up a pair or three, although I think they are discontinued. I anticipate they should work great for summer in coastal Spain at the topless beaches and for The Del Mar Racetrack.
Keep in mind though, I am not sure if these Gucci Loafers were 100% of the reason I went undefeated. It is really kind of hard to track. Furthermore, I have been feeling great lately (minus a health scare), traveling, making mad CASH, sparring heavy, and I have been doing it all in Custom Suits. So you could say I am on a roll, and I don’t mean E-tabs either.
These days, I can pretty much tell any top flight actor, musician or athelete to f*ck off with lifestyle.
I am a pretty big advocate of the International Playboy lifestyle choice.
I am mildly surprised more people out there aren’t embracing it.
“How I see it
Anything you wanna be you can be it
If your mind can preceive it
And your heart really believe it
Then you half way there and all you got to do is do it
And if you give it all you got there ain’t really
Nothing to it” – Dead Prez
Many people out there hate on the “Act as If”/”Manifesto Destiny” method of living one’s life. I guess people just don’t like when you try to better yourself and people don’t like change.
“Everybody look at you strange say you changed
Like you work that hard to stay the same “ – Jay-Z
Well, I am here to say that “Act as If” works. Here are three examples:
Hollywood Agent
Back when I was in college, I took a younger kid under my wing and showed him the ropes. He was a cool kid, and reminded me of myself, so I kind of made him my “little brother”, of sorts. He was really into Hollywood and moved up there right after he graduated.
He got a job in the entertainment industry in talent. He always acted like he was going to be a big shot in HWood. I remember when he first started doing it, people used to hate on him.
Later I heard he became the youngest Agent ever at one of the Majors.
Where is he today?
He now represents one of the actors that I respect the most in the world (and I have respect for very few of them) and is the heir-apparent to run Hollywood. I don’t even have to mention the quality of girls he swoops today.
(Interesting Side Note: Over the last few years, we have been hanging out again here and there. Since he is now the man in Hollywood, he sometimes tries to flow me attitude. I have to slap him down real quick every time. After all, I showed him the ropes when we were young proto-type G’s on the rise. He might be the Prince of Hollywood, but when we are in the same room together, he is still #2.)
CEO
I knew another kid in college who was always a little more serious than the rest of us, who were mostly into partying, drugs, traveling and surfing. He got dissed a lot for studying and being organized; things like that. He was a pretty good surfer also, but not near the best.
Where is he today?
I recently re-connected with him. He is now CEO of a major Surf Company (everyone knows what it is). He made it happen.
“If you follow your dreams you can accomplish anything
If you always do your best then your destiny is king
Of the world” – Dead Prez
Want another example of “Act as If” working?
I would be a prime example (and I don’t mean Prime 112 in Miami Beach either).
For as far back as I can remember, I have always acted like an International Playboy. Even when I was a teenage two-bit Bean flipper.
I would talk about Custom Suits even before I had them. I would talk about Big Bankrolls even before I knew what one was. I would talk about swooping models, even back when I was swooping models. (That last one is a bad example).
International Playboy to the fullest, Oh my Brothers.
Act as If.
“And what you get is what you see
In your mind visually
And manifest physically
If you stick to it shit’ll work out terrificly”
Life is like twistin’ a blunt, it’s how you roll with it
Just figure out what you want and go and get it
anybody tryin’ to stop you
For tryin to do for you That’s your enemy dun
The sun be right up in your crew” – Dead Prez
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
Luckily, I got a guy in New York that I know, so everything worked out great.
However, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a Cobbler on Lock.
Just yesterday, I dropped off four pairs of shoes to my guy for his old world craftsmanship and hung out with him for a while to hear stories of the old country. I even spoke a little Italian to him. (For style points, of course.)
The result:
Tax free purchases (paid in CASH of course) Pro-Bono Shoe Shines Multiple Pro-Bono hole punches in my belt (I have been really getting into tip top shape spending time at the newly re-opened Legendary 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach and Sparring in Bogotá)
Plus I got to hear some stories of back when America was great (pre-skinny jeans, pre-glittery shirts, pre-Bottle Service, pre-smoking bans, you know, back when there was freedom) and support a dying art in a country that forgot what quality is.
Anyone who reads The G Manifesto knows I don’t get impressed easily by modern day nightlife in general or modern day nightclubs in particular. Especially in America which has been on a heavy downward slide (in fact, if I was the owner of even some of the best American nightclubs I would commit suicide because of the pathetic product they are serving up). In Bogotá however there are a couple of places that impressed the hell out of me:
Andres Carne de Res
The New York Times called Andres Carne de Res “profound, spellbinding, beautiful, tumultuous, confusing and fattening all at once“. I am not sure about the “fattening” part, but it’s a pretty accurate description. Andres Carne de Res does that thing that seems to be impossible to do in America: combining a great restaurant with a great nightclub. Even more amazing is that is does both at the same time.
Here is how the place breaks down:
- Five or Six floors with a couple of “half floors”
- holds 1200 people ( I did some math in my gulliver and the place is clocking un-Godly dough)
- Way more girls than guys
- Insane meat grinds
- Great Service (It is incredible that this place even functions with all the mayhem and food service, but it does)
- Open super late
- Mindblowing energy levels
- Performace art
- Everyone, and I mean everyone is dancing non-stop
Fly girls, steaks served at all hours, crazy dancing? I think I found heaven on Earth.
(Side note: the original is outside the city in Chia. I didn’t go, but it is supposed to hold 3000 people. I can only imagine how dope that place is.)
Salto del Angel
Kind of similar to Andres Carne de Res only smaller and the food isn’t quite as good.
Insane Vibe, dancing and fly girls though.
Your life wouldn’t be complete without at least 20 nights in each of these places.
And swooping mass amounts of fly Colombianas while you are at it.
Good article on the Cocaine and Banker scene in Hong Kong:
Out on the streets of Central, barmen and the public relations staff at nightclubs even dole out free cocaine to regulars and models, keen to get the party started at the weekend.
“That’s the way the clubs work,” says one industry insider. “They dish it out for free because they want the attractive people in there, so that the men will go in and spend money. They give the models coke to get things going.”
“I know guys who hit the clubs, pick up these models and then go back to a suite at the Four Seasons and keep partying all weekend, fuelled by the drugs,” he adds.
I always thought I would do well in Hong Kong. Just added to my travel docket.
Good news, Custom Tailors Enjoying a Boom:
Custom-made clothes—which were popular in the ’50s and ’60s—are making a big comeback in Europe.
“People have come to realize that the expensive designer suit they are used to buying is made to fit a thousand other people,” says Rome-based tailor Luigi Gallo, who has been in the trade for more than 30 years. “In addition, they’re paying a huge price for that logo sewed into the jacket.”
Business is thriving as well on London’s Savile Row, where an average of 10,000 hand-made garments are sold every year. The Row has seen a steady increase in business in the past five years despite the economic downturn. In 2010, order books swelled more than 10% from 2009, says Mark Henderson, founder and chairman of Savile Row Bespoke, a group of 14 companies formed to protect and promote the art of hand-crafted tailoring on Savile Row.
Mr. Henderson said he’s convinced the recession has made people question the true value of things. “People have started to look for real quality,” he says.
Steady increase in business in the past five years? Interestingly enough, that is about how long I have been yapping about the value of the Custom Suit.
I think Savile Row owes me a thank you card. Or at least some pro-bono pocket squares.
A good article on 25 Guys to Avoid on Wall Street. Some of the best ones:
8. Avoid the guy who offers his clients ‘a very special opportunity’ to invest in anything. He has a problem with cocaine.
10. Avoid the guy who throws his phone across the trading floor whenever his positions go south. He’s an angry dude, and the more time you spend with him the more reasons he’ll find to dislike you.
11. Avoid anyone who tells you that you should relax and have a couple of drinks—at 9:15 on a Tuesday morning. You’re not cool enough to hang out with this guy.
12. Avoid anyone who won’t relax and have a couple of drinks—at 9:15 on a Thursday night. They’re not cool enough to hang out with you—and ultimately they’ll resent you for it.
16. Avoid the guy who tells you, “Seriously, all I do is work and then go home and lift.” He’s telling you the truth—and he’s as dumb as a stone.
21. Avoid the guy who can drink all night, take a shower, and come into the office as crisp as a $100 bill. He’s got an oxlike constitution—and it will be fatal to your career to try to emulate his example.
It’s no secret that I spent a tour of duty in the financial world. I like #10. However, I didn’t throw my phones across the trading floor. I would just smash them. I led the league in broken phones.
I also like #21. That was me. I would come into the office minimum two to three days a week on no sleep after a night of partying and swooping fly girls. And it did ruin other cats that tried to keep up with me.
One of the greatest aspects of living The International Playboy lifestyle is there are times when you have tons of excess liquid capital. (Side note I: Being an International Playboy is great work…if you can get it).
And the best thing to do with that excess liquid capital?
Just playing, the best thing to do is take a break from the frenetic nightlife of Zona Rosa and Parque 93 and is buy Jewelry for MOM. (And of course, Giving back to The People).
Since I so happen to be in Bogotá, Colombia, that jewelery is going to consist of Emeralds from the world famous Chivor Mine. (Side note II: It is easy to get ripped off if you don’t know Emeralds. Thankfully, I don’t happen to fall into that camp).
You should do the same. MOM deserves it.
Her smile and the joy that you bring her easily pays for itself.
If you are lucky in “The Life” and have the pleasure of swooping a fly Colombiana and she invites you to a big Colombian Family Gathering, jump like House of Pain at the opportunity.
The other night I went over to the palatial casa of the family of a fly Colombiana that I am having a Mini-Relationship with. It was dope:
We walk in, and there are 6 different women cooking in the kitchen; La Madre, Hermanas, Primas, Abuelas, Sobrinas etc. My girl tells me to sit down with her 2 Suited Down Primos and El Padre and jumps into the fray in the kitchen.
The women continue to bring me non-stop cervezas as I kick back and rap out with the other 3 men present about football, boxing and biz. I don’t have to lift a finger.
Little primas jump all over me until I tell them to chill out as I don’t want them to wrinkle up my Custom Suit or spill Postobon Manzana on my luxurious fabrics.
We then feast on mindblowing Ajiaco, Bandeja Paisa, Morcilla, Chicharrón, and mad Arepas. Mad Aguilas.
We have like 16 women catering to our every need.
This is how Life should be.
And its quite a sharp contrast from American girls that can’t cook their way out of a brown paper bag. And I don’t mean that DJ Khaled track either.
In other prostitution news:
Sen. Reid calls for ending legal prostitution
Sen. Harry Reid called for the abolishment of Nevada’s legal brothel trade Tuesday in a speech before the Legislature.
“So let’s have an adult conversation about an adult subject,” Reid said. “Nevada needs to be known as the first place for innovation and investment — not as the last place where prostitution is still legal. When the nation thinks about Nevada, it should think about the world’s newest ideas and newest careers — not about its oldest profession.”
Dennis Hof, owner of the Bunny Ranch and Love Ranch brothels in Lyon County, sat in the Assembly chamber during the speech, along with nine sex workers that work at his brothels.
“We should do everything we can to make sure the world holds Nevada in the same high regard you and I do,” Reid said. “If we want to attract business to Nevada that puts people back to work, the time has come for us to outlaw prostitution.”
(Side note: To my friends that have been away in prison for the last five to ten years and are reading this now just as you got out, a little clarification might be needed. When I was referring above to “glittery shirts and super tight jeans” I was referring to how guys dress these days, not girls. And yes, I am being serious. Amazing as it may seem for someone who has been “away”, American “males” now actually wear shirts with glitter on them and splotchy designs and guys wear tight jeans. It’s true, there is only so much I can do to keep our country in check).
Anyways, I will answer some of your questions below.
Question: Are there certain cities where being suited down wouldn’t be an advantage or may even be a disadvantage?
Michael Mason: Well I know for sure it is an advantage in NYC, LA, New Orleans, Las Vegas, SF, Miami Beach, Beverly Hills, DC, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, ATL as I have come up Aces in all while Suited Down. Internationally, the list would get pretty long.
In the last year I can confirm: Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Sevilla, London, Riga, Latvia. I didn’t go Suited Down in Cartagena, Colombia which is coincidentally where I took a loss to Gabriel García Márquez.
Not sure about Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Deadhorse, AK or Surprise, AZ. Nor do I intend on finding out. Why don’t you check for me and report back? Fair enough?
Question: Do you think there’s a big drop off in results with quality of suit. For instance, can a guy swoop girls in a $200-300 suit that looks decent and get 90% of the results of a guy in a custom made suit?
Michael Mason: I love how people always want shortcuts.
That being said, you are in luck as from my experience the answer is yes. A little story: back when I was a super young proto-type G cub, I went to a super sick wedding on top of The World Trade, Windows on the World. (Pre-911 obviously). Let’s put it this way, the cake supposedly cost $75,000.
It was West coast Newport beach/Hollywood money meets NYC Hedge fund money flush from the Internet Bubble. All kinds of competition from heavy finance cats and actors. I was a young up and coming Playboy on the Rise in a $300 suit.
Came in with so much swagger I swooped the flyest girl at the wedding right out from under everyone.
Clean KO. (Disclaimer: I was the best friend of the oldest brother of the bride. So I did have a “leverage point”.)
That was the first time I cracked the Top 100 American Playboys list.
So yes, it can be done. And done against top-flight competition as well.
Question: Who is your tailor? Who is this “mystery man”?
Michael Mason: Do me a favor. Actually, it is pretty easy to figure out. He is the best tailor in America and has a supreme clientele of famous people you know. However, I am his favorite client.
He is a super cool old-school cat that knows all the heavies from years gone by. Sometimes I just go hang out in his tailor shop and rap out with him for hours. I consider him a key member of my “team” and a great friend as well.
Question: Do you ever fear you will come off as a cheesy Wall Street Guy when you wear Suits?
Michael Mason: No. But then again, with my ethnic mix (half IRA, half ETA) and since I look like a slightly more Irish-Blooded “Manolo” in Scarface or young Andy Garcia, I get accused, more often, of looking like a high-end drug smuggler more than a Wall Street Cat. Which I have come to realize isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
(Another Side note: Seriously, if Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola ever wanted to make an epic about drug smuggling, they would be remiss in not casting me in the part of the brutally handsome young drug smuggler with South American, Miami Beach and California Connections. I would of course turn down the role. This “Life as an International Playboy” thing I got going on is way too good to sacrifice.)
Plus my suits are different than theirs.
Question: What are your thoughts on the current state of men’s fashion in America?
Michael Mason: I have said it before and I will say it again, My Grandfather always told me; “Style and Taste are for men. Trends and Fashion are for the ladies.” G’s stick with Style and Taste.
Since fashion has 98% of American men wearing either glitter on their shirts or tight jeans these days, it’s not too much of a stretch to think American fashion will have the majority of American men wearing skirts and dresses in a few years.
Is it?
To be continued…
Third Side Note: Sometimes I don’t know what is weirder; the fact that 98% of American males wear either/or glittery shirts or tight jeans, or the fact that I am the only one that seems to question this fact.
(Fourth Side Note: I have that same sports coat with the big houndstooth check that Benny Siegel is wearing above. Of course, I had to have it custom made).
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
“Let your greatest cunning lie in covering up what looks like cunning”- Baltasar Gracián (Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer), 1601-1658
“Winning comes down to two things: Taking advantage of your opponents mistakes and perfect timing” – Michael John Mason VI (Father to son boxing advise when I was a young amateur)
This year, when I haven’t been traveling, I have been spending a bunch of time in Beverly Hills, working on some big “heists”, so to speak. So after Entering The Dragon at The Wildcard and a beautiful day at the Getty, I find myself at a Private Club in West Hollywood for dinner and drinks.
Here are the attendees at the dinner:
• Entertainment CEO, who I have never met
• Oscar nominated Producer, who I have met
• My friend in the Horse world and girlfriend
• My friend who works at big corporation putting it all together
• Some young Hollywood Actor, who I don’t know
• Hollywood stylist guy (British), who I don’t know
• Two Brazilian model girls, who came with Producer guy
• And Your humble author, AKA Your favorite International Playboy’s favorite International Playboy
It promises to be a pretty vague affair, and I have no real purpose being at the dinner, I was just invited by my friend, the corporate cat. It’s a meet and greet with a little biz on the agenda. You know, your typical Tableaux de mode turning into a Fête galante with potential to be a Bacchanale.
It should be noted that I feel slightly un-centered, possibly because of the fact that I completely out-gunned (so to speak) at this dinner, as almost everyone, save the girls, are more accomplished than I am (at least in a mainstream sense) and have longer dough. And it doesn’t exactly comfort me when I start having flashbacks of knuckle-ups “on the cobbles” with big Russian guys with bald heads and leather jackets, from a few weeks prior, either. It also should be noted that I have been increasingly been finding myself in these types of situations as I move up The Layer Cake of life.
However, I am dressed in a sick Custom Suit: jet black, peaked lapels, one-button, side vents and interior so crimson that if we were in South Central you might have thought I was Brim or Piru. Pocket Square the color of Colombian Blow.
The conversation at the table starts off cordial and loosens up as vino consumption is increased. I stay in the cut, and only add comments where necessary and when I can add value as I am well versed in many subjects these days (not bragging, just keeping it solid gold like 1oz American Eagle coins for you). Doing this keeps an air of mystery around me, and the table really starts coming around. Entertainment CEO double takes after I drop a few gems and asks me, “What is it that you do again?”
The Brazilian model girls take notice, which, of course, is not lost on me. Also, what is not lost on me is that the weesh Young Hollywood actor guys starts hating on me. Which, of course, I ignore and continue to stay in the seam.
Surprisingly, it is actually shaping up to be a great dinner; Entertainment CEO guy is running the show and is actually super cool, Oscar nominated Producer guy spins some good tails, my horse world friend and his girlfriend drop dimes, Stylist guy busts some hilarious tales that everyone loves, the Brazilian Girls are having fun and my corporate friend is gluing it all together. It is one of those rare occurrences:The whole table is gelling.
Well, maybe not Actor guy, as he is trying to “close talk” one of the Brazilian model girls (which is a weak move) but I notice her “body languageing” him away as I am busting out a story. I spit out a little Portuguese which the Brazilian Model girls love and the actor boy hates as he does not speak any.
Feeling good now, I drop some good lines:
I use the phrase, “like that guy from Wikileaks” multiple times, and even drop this one: “Oh you mean, Rahm Emanuel’s brother?” to check everyone as the discussion topics are a little too Hollywood-centric for my liking.
Since there is a lot of name dropping (albeit legitimate name dropping) going on, I comtemplate busting out my Wesley Snipes Story, but decide against it.
When Entertainment CEO guy asks me what I think of his favorite wine, I reply, “It is rich and decadent with seamless overtones of violets and homemade country jam, and it really has a Harmonious finish…” which sends the crowd wild. (Little did everyone at the table know, save my corporate friend, is that I always use that response when asked about the wine at dinners such as these.)
Hollywood stylist guy, throws out, “Who made your suit? It’s phenomenal…”
Entertainment CEO even shoots out a, “OK, that’s it, this is the best dinner I have been to all year!” after Stylist guy, who is a true raconteur tells another hilarious story (and I am not talking about those cats that made that dope movie Cocaine Cowboys either, or maybe I am).
“Camilla” the flyer of the two models, a true Beauty of monumentality and vulnerability, follows me for a smoke when actor boy is in the bathroom.
It’s on.
She starts asking me questions as I tell tales of Mediterranean courtyards and terraces and her vibe goes from romantic expectation to dreamy absorption to erotic playfulness quicker than a Samba dance at Carnaval.
We roll back to the table and the dinner is still frolicking along at a decent pace. Some owner and GM type cats roll by as well as plenty of West Coast style Hipster/Douchebag fusion types that Los Angeles is leading the world in producing these days. They are probably actors if I am hard pressed to guess.
Actor guy, vanquished, leaves in discomfiture with a couple of Hipster/Douchebag fusion types, I am presuming in search of Beaks.
Entertainment CEO has to go home to the wife and kids and the extravagant meal kind of breaks up. Some go to smoke weed, some merge with other tables, Camilla and I split for a drink.
Back at my dope hotel (which my horse world friend hooked me up at a discounted rate, I may add), Camilla plays the part of a young girl defending herself against Eros.
I play the part of Mischief and Repose.
Camilla and I sip a glass of wine and admire the sensuous textures of my suite: marble, fur, tile, silk, flesh…
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com
Disclaimer: Some of the above characters are merged and/or changed to protect the innocent. And the guilty. But then again, if you have a brain, you knew that already.
After watching all the contestants, I picked Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete to win. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I picked the last three or four winners. But then again, I have always been a pretty good judge of beauty. I really need to start betting on this event.
I thought it was interesting that a girl from Guadalajara won Miss Universe as I have been indulging in swooping High-End Mexican girls myself lately. I need to take a trip to Guadalajara soon. I have said it before and I will say it again: Girls are like Drugs, you need to go to the Source.
I keep on saying this, but I really need to weasel a ticket to this event next year and post up at the after parties.
Update: Next time get a better host for the show. That makeup wearing, hair-band balding ponce with the headband almost single handedly ruined the telecast. I had to switch over and watch it in Spanish on Telemundo.
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com
Julieta Venegas A Dueto Con Anita Tijoux – Eres Para Mi
