So you’ve just moved into the new place. Possibilities and opportunities abound. Your blank canvas is screaming at you to fill it, and first impulse is to just get the shit away from the door. After you have moved all the boxes in and the task of unpacking and reassembling your life comes knocking, we say check your toolkit, because unless you have these essentials, be prepared for a serious pain in the ass.

Take a quick look inside the closet of any of your female friends or relatives and you will surely stumble upon the infamous “little black dress.” After all, every girl and woman owns at least one. There is no doubt that this age-old garment’s greatest advantages are its eternal elegance and unique utility. But what about us?

This is the time of year when the changes start to occur. For the past six or seven months, most of us who wear a tie to work from nine to five wear dress shoes almost always, with the exception of possibly the weekend or our nightly run (if you’re not comfortable with a pair of dress shoes, you need to be.) Though with the passing of Easter and the warming of the waters, we have many more opportunities to get our ankles some air, and often times a more casual route is the way to go.

There is nothing quite like a well-timed cocktail to relax and refresh in these hot, sticky summer months ahead. Sure a cadillac margarita on the rocks is hard to beat, and the perennials like the classic mojito and mai tai will always hold their own, but Freddie has his own favorite, ready to cool down any heated summer situation. This drink, as with many greats, is as much about the details as the liquor, and is incredibly simple to knock out of the park.

Freddie has always been a fan of hats. Whether its a perfectly worn in baseball cap during a day at the beach or a crisp felt fedora out on the town, a well made hat would not go unnoticed in his hands. This month’s DVD release of the Chicago-loving, gun-wielding, historically inaccurate Public Enemies got us thinking, and got us a phone call from Freddie. “Those hats are from Optimo,” he said. Knowing that director Michael Mann was an accuracy buff (interesting, considering there were more than a few falsities in the story), Freddie knew the hats were made in Chicago, probably at the closest source to where Dillinger would have gotten his. This means only one name, Optimo Fine Hats.

Being chivalrous is something of a “lost art” these days, but there is something to be said for a few timeless courtesies that, when put into your daily routine, can really set you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Ever hear of a band that comes along that’s great, doesn’t end up getting their full due, and no one can quite put their finger on why? Maybe they lack commercial appeal, but they certainly don’t lack talent. We believe this is a fate that may be awaiting Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, but it’s not too late, and there’s still something we can do.

Opening a bottle of Champagne is a skill that seems a given, but is all to often executed incorrectly. Here we’ll show you how to do it the right way.

Jeans are like nipples; everyone’s got a pair. The only problem is that in today’s high-fashion world, finding a good pair jeans is harder than finding a parking spot in Manhattan. For this reason, we choose to salute an original. Levi Strauss changed the world when he pieced together a few yards of denim to create the first pair of “blue jeans” in the 1870’s. Throughout the time since, there have been literally thousands of jean companies that have come and gone with the tides, but Levi has staying power …

Taking the time to pen your feelings of gratitude is a healthy and enjoyable process, and almost everyone loves the feeling of knowing you spent the extra time to thank them.