Gloves have been around for thousands of years. From armored gauntlets to work gloves, men have been protecting their hands for as long as they’ve known how to do so.

Being the dead of winter means we’re right in the thick of glove season. Of course, our needs are different now than they were fewer than ten years ago, let alone 50 or 500. Most men today carry around some sort of touch-screen device. Smart phones and tablets are nearly ubiquitous, and normal gloves fall short when it comes to being able to use our everyday hardware.

There have been multiple attempts at solving this problem over the years. I’ve purchased knit gloves with little slits in the thumb and forefinger and read about gloves with metal in the fingers that’s supposed to interact as well as a man’s flesh. All of these options have either left something to be desired functionally or aesthetically.

With this problem in mind, I was very excited to hear about an Italian company named Fratelli Orsini. They use a special coating on their leather that makes it look, smell, and feel as if there’s nothing different, but that allows it to respond to a touch screen just like a man’s skin does.

With their hand-made gloves created from Italian lambskin, cashmere, or North American deerskin, this company would already be well-poised to succeed. But their willingness to take their product a step further to fill their customers needs with modern technology is what could make them a game changer.

I wanted to learn more about their gloves and how they work so I reached out to them via their website. After a few back-and-forth questions and answers, they offered to send me a pair to review. I asked for their driving gloves in a tan leather. As tempting as the cashmere-lined winter gloves were, I tend to wear driving gloves year round – so I figured I’d get a lot more use out of these as a trial pair.

From the day they arrived these have been my go-to gloves. The touchscreen leather works as well as stated. I’ve never had it catch or have my phone fail to react. It’s also a big advantage to know that I’m not limited to using just one or two fingers like with most smart-phone-friendly alternatives.

The leather is soft and comfortable on my hands, the fit is great, and they’re much more durable than other driving gloves I’ve owned in the past (not that I’ve had to lay down a bike or anything in them… yet). As can be seen in the photos, there are plenty of perforations that help prevent a man’s hands from sweating, ensuring a firm grip on a steering wheel or pair of handle bars.

While I haven’t had any prolonged use of their winter gloves, I’ve had the opportunity to try a pair on and they’re extremely comfortable. After experiencing a cashmere-lining, I don’t think I’ll go back to anything else.

The only thing missing that I wish had been a part of the experience is an MTM option. My fingers are disproportionately short for the size of my palm, leaving me a bit too much room in each glove. Fratelli Orsini’s sizing is based only on palm width. While offering MTM versions would obviously increase the price, men like me would be happy to jump on it.

At $100 they aren’t cheap, but they aren’t prohibitively expensive either. These are a one-time investment that will last for years to come.

I know first hand how easy it can be to get cynical about setting goals for yourself in the new year. The gym this week has been full of resolutioners that I’m hoping will all have given up and quit so I can go back to a regular routine and not have to compete for the free weights.

But if we ignore the hype, the marketing, the failures, and all of the other negative aspects of reinventing ourselves at the beginning of each year, we can see the original intent. A man should constantly be striving for improvement. There’s something inherently ungrateful about satisfaction with where we are. It implies that we’re content with our results moreso than with our abilities to get results. One is a focus on things, the other is a focus on who we are as men.

While I have my own list of personal goals I’m still setting and developing, I have a few for the site I’d like to share with my readers. I’ve heard pros and cons to publishing goals. Some argue it gives us the satisfaction of feeling like we’ve accomplished them before we actually do so. I however, feel that making you all aware of my goals makes me more accountable to accomplish them. So here’s what I’m planning to make happen this next year.

Focus more on the “Masculine” of Masculine Style

As I’ve mentioned before, there’s only so much that can be said about dressing classically. The rules and guidelines have existed for years with only minor tweaks and variations. Other style-focused blogs will tend to go in one of two directions – either a focus on what’s fashionable and trendy, or going into nitty-gritty details that appeal more to men who consider clothing as a hobby than just an everyday part of life.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been tempted and have even dabbled in both of those approaches. I also will continue to do so. Just because a man wants to dress timelessly doesn’t mean he can’t or shouldn’t capitalize on a trend when it’s in his best interest. Nor does a man’s comparative lack of passion for #menswear mean he won’t benefit from a deeper understanding of what goes into his clothing and why it looks the way it does.

However, my focus has always been about the exploration of clothing as an expression of masculinity. As a result, my audience is different from most other style blogs. If I want to dive deeper into the aesthetic effects of maleness and masculinity, I also want to better understand what it means to be a man.

Many of my new posts will be musings in this regard. I don’t write from an authoritative perspective, because I’m not a master of masculinity. Rather, this will become a place to explore philosophy and build on the self-improvement that comes from attempting to be a better man.

As a result, I’ll be expecting more comments and conversation on these posts. Which leads me to my next goal.

Respond more quickly and more often to comments

This is not a strong suit of mine. I read every comment that comes up on the blog, but, if I’m not in a position to respond immediately, I often forget to do so. If I want this to be a format that better fosters discussion, I need to be the first person to take that step and respond when you guys reach out to me.

Site Redesign

It’s long overdue. When this was just a fledgling blog, the theme I chose was a great option that omitted everything that would distract from the content. However, as things have grown into a business and a more in-depth approach to the subject, this same layout has become a perfect example of sacrificing function for the sake of form.

Plan on a design that will still be minimal, but will also allow for better navigation and more structure.

Finish the Staples series and create an eBook

I only have a few of these left to do. The big delay in finalizing these last posts has been finding companies to sponsor each staple and to work out time with a photographer. While earlier on I was able to write these quickly and just use cell-phone pictures my wife shot, this has become my biggest draw and deserves more professionalism.

Once I have the final Staple post finished, I’ll be going through and re-writing them, along with taking professional photos for all, and compiling them into an eBook. This will be a great way for me to get new readers and an easy way for both new and existing readers to know which items they should have in their wardrobes.

Expand into writing about fitness and grooming

These are two areas where I have seen (or at least am starting to see) a lot of personal growth. I’m no expert in either of these fields, so this may involve guest posts or just a ton of research on my part throughout the year. Expect posts on diet, exercise, hair cuts, smells, etc. I’ll never be the metro guy who moisturizes each night and gets manicures, but there’s a minimal level of grooming each man should take advantage of to present himself in the best light possible.

Increase blogger outreach

The plan is to have this be something that goes both ways. Meaning I’ll have more guest posts and interviews with bloggers here, along with outreach to blog for other sites and work with podcasters.

Increase newsletter scope and frequency

Right now I’m putting out a newsletter about once a month. While I don’t want to spam your inboxes, I do want to reach out more frequently. By the end of the first quarter, I hope to have a rhythm that will allow me to send one out every other week.

One thing many of you may notice is missing from this list is “write a book.” This is still a long-term goal, but not one that I can feasibly see happening this year. As Beckett & Robb continues to grow, my responsibilities within the company expand as well. We’re at that unique stage where there’s more work than there is enough staff to handle it all – so each one of us is responsible for multiple things. Pair that with my family (which will see an increase of one by March) and my own fitness and personal goals, and you get a picture that doesn’t have enough room for a full book. I don’t want to just crank something out for the sake of doing so. It’ll happen. It may even happen this year, but it’s not a reasonable goal for me to set right now.

Essentially, I feel like the last two years have had a great focus on the bullseye of my target. It’s not perfect, but I have a good base that can still see some fleshing out and refinement. However, I now have the opportunity to expand out by a ring or two, increasing the scope by which both masculinity and style are perceived by men of the world. I’m looking forward to this year.

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is packed full of family events. Unfortunately, the dress code for these types of events can be difficult to navigate.

This increases as a man has more and more dinners to attend. It’s not unheard of for some families to try to juggle three different meals, with three different groups of families, all in one day.

And to take it even further, each dinner or get-together may have an entirely different feel. Here’s an example from my own life.

My wife and I grew up literally less than half a mile away from each other. We come from similar economic backgrounds, the same religious background, and obviously live in the same climate. All of those factors being equal doesn’t change the fact that our two families have entirely different expectations for holiday meals.

My family tends to function on structure. I remember when we would get together for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at my grandma’s house and resenting the fact that we’d have to wear button-up shirts and sweaters. My mom would comb our hair and make sure our shirts were tucked in. While dinner with my parents isn’t as strict as it was with the grandparents, we still fall more into the Rockwell-esque painting of Dad at the head of the table, everyone sitting in their place, table decor that is appropriately tasteful and seasonal without being overwhelming, and a feeling that’s more formal.

Contrast this with my wife’s family. While Christmas dinner is a bigger deal than the standard Sunday meal, it’s still organized chaos. My wife’s family is a group of people who treats anyone like blood as soon as they cross the threshold, so we never really know who’s going to be there for Christmas dinner. It may be her sister’s boyfriend, a neighbor lady from down the street, extended family of aunts and grandparents, or even just another sibling’s roommate. It’s not a rare occurrence for someone in the family to be at the table in sweats and a T-shirt. However, what my wife’s family lacks in formality, they more than make up for  when it comes to an inviting atmosphere and spontaneous, heartfelt conversation.

It would be silly to change clothes in the couple of hours between the two meals with our families. As important as a man’s clothing can be, I’m not one who subscribes to the idea that clothing needs to be changed as soon  as the venue does. This is especially true when both of our families live an hour away from us and each other (my parents have since moved).

So it’s in my best interest, as I’m sure it’s in many of yours, to wear something this Christmas that will be as comfortable and versatile as it can be. The principle of High/Low is our best rubric for a day like this, and here’s what I’ve come up with.

Cords: Corduroy’s origination can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt. Its name is even believed to be a poor English translation of the french corde du roi or “cloth of the king.” With roots like that, it’s a cloth that is appropriate and at home for the formal family. At the same time, this weave that was once only available to kings became a workwear staple during the industrial revolution. Cords are rugged and durable – making them ideal for a family dinner that’s more casual. Opt for them in a dark, neutral color like the brown above and stick with a wale (the size of the ridge) between eight and 14. The lower the number, the thicker the ridge and the more casual it appears.

Oxford Cloth Button Down: There are few pieces of clothing as versatile as the OCBD. These shirts are seen on men in presidential tours and on teenagers at band practice. I’d tuck it in while I’m with the more formal family and untuck it in the casual environment. It will be comfortable, warm, and breathable either way. Stick with a soft shade like white, blue, or lavender and make sure to leave the top two buttons undone.

Peacoat: A man needs to stay warm while traveling between dinners. Many families don’t just stick around inside either. The peacoat has its origination in the Navy. It’s casual enough that it can be worn while out chopping down a Christmas tree, but – if it’s well-tailored – is still dressed up enough that it will be consistent with the rest of this look as well. Navy is the most versatile shade, but versions in grey, charcoal, and camel are great as well.

Shawl Collar Cardigan: The beauty of layers is that they can be shed easily. That removability is what makes the sweater the lynch pin in this whole setup. This is what I’d wear with my family and then get rid of while I’m with my wife’s. It dresses the whole look up by having it, and ditching it keeps everything else laid back and relaxed.

Casual Watch: A simple watch with a neutral nato strap is appropriate in most environments. While dinner with a family like mine may feel more formal, we’re still not in an office or black-tie scenario. A casual watch won’t stand out in either.

Marled Socks: These are a nod to the weather. Thicker socks are going to be warm and more comfortable. The marled pattern also dresses them down. While it’s ideal for the relaxed atmosphere, it also plays well with the High/Low look of a formal one. Socks (like the watch) are such a small detail that they’re a great way to sneak in casual elements.

Winter Boots: These are a total cheater item. With real winter boots like these, it’s fairly obvious you’re going to be taking them off at the front door and not wearing them while inside. It’s a great way to avoid being too stiff with a family like mine or too formal with a family like my wife’s. They’re also the best shoes for transit between families and other outdoor activities throughout the day.