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A not-so-casual male

Ever page through men's apparel catalog International Male and ask, Who wears this stuff — and where do they wear it? We've often wondered what would happened if we donned some of the cataloger's more garish getups, and now we know, thanks to an intrepid reporter for Radar magazine. An article in Radar's September/October issue details how the writer put International Male's togs to the test on the mean streets of New York. Among his ensembles: a pastel rainbow pinstripe seersucker suit (worn to Yankee Stadium of all places), a ruffled poet shirt paired with tight black leather trousers, and a black sparkly cape. Surprisingly, no one beat up — or really even hassled — the Dapper Dan; in fact, he said he received much better service in the posh boutiques of the Upper East Side wearing the poet shirt than he does in his pedestrian clothing. So we guess it's safe for us to order that London Opera Trenchcoat we've been eyeing.

Mailers join forces to arm troops

It's not easy for U.S. troops to get decent knives while serving in Iraq, but Sevierville, TN-based Smoky Mountain Knife Works is helping to change that. The cataloger's Knife for a Soldier program, founded this past June, lets customers buy knives for soldiers at a discounted price or donate money for knives that will be shipped to active soldiers. Smoky Mountain has a network of partners helping with the program: Ten of its suppliers are providing two types of knives at a reduced cost, and United Parcel Service is donating its services to ship the knives to Brigade Quartermasters, which sells military and law enforcement gear and apparel. The Kennesaw, GA-based Brigade Quartermasters includes one of the donated knives in each order shipped to an APO, along with a letter and the name and address of the donor. Smoky Mountain CEO Kevin Pipes learned about the soldiers' lack of good knives from David Randolph, a friend's brother who had served in Iraq as a second lieutenant in the Army National Guard. Randolph, who returned to Iraq under a government contract to help clear Iraqi missiles and bombs, was killed in November 2004 when his convoy was attacked in Fallujah. For more on Smoky Mountain's knife program, visit www.knifeforasoldier.com.

DeSantis says, watch this

Gentlemen, when you're dressing for success, do you ever wish that your shirt cuff showed off a little more of your watch? Men's apparel cataloger DeSantis Collection is now making its Watch Cuff option available for all its custom shirts. The Watch Cuff — for which DeSantis has a patent pending — has an opening in the sleeve cuff that exposes and frames the watch face. The Boca Raton, FL-based mailer has been offering the Watch Cuff design for a few seasons but only to select clientele; it made the option available to all this past May. You may not be interested in tailoring your shirts to expose your timepiece, particularly if your tastes — and budget — run more Timex than Touneau. But for the flashier fellows out there, we guess if the Rolex is real, you must reveal.