2010 Grammy Awards- BEST/WORST OUTFITS
Well…what a great show last night! There were some great outfits…and some totally inappropriate outfits…first, let’s take a look at the official invitation sent to all who attended…
Official InvitationNote the Dress Code found on the fourth line from the bottom: Black Ti
Next, let’s give props to a few who didn’t follow the rules of dress entirely but certainly showed a lot of individuality, creativity, and pushed the definition of “Black Tie” to the acceptable limit…
USHER
Usher pushed it a little…but his jacket and vest are clearly not regular suit pieces because of the piping…let’s think of this as a “millenium tuxedo”. The shirt is a little casual…but coordinates with the tie…an A for effort and creativity.
JOHN LEGEND
John chose a very dressy gray sharkskin with some great accessories…vee-neck with some great details, a cool tie, etc…this is a very, very dressy outfit…not quite “black tie”…but it’s as close as it gets without being black tie…nice effort, John!
BEST DRESSED GUY:
BEST DRESSED-NICK JONAS
Nick had some great fashion advice…and won our best dressed award in a black peak lapel tux with a traditional black bow tie.
Very elegant and appropriate for a black tie affair!
WORST DRESSED GUY:
WORST DRESSED-TRAVIS BARKER
Blink-182′s drummer, Travis Barker, was just inappropriately dressed. His outfit shows absolutely no respect for those who were honored.
AND…Who was the BEST DRESSED WOMAN AT THE GRAMMYS?
Taylor Swift
Talented winner also was a sure hit in her outfit. Very dressy gown! Congrats, Taylor all the way around.
Wow…is veal parmiggiane de vitello veal or pork?
My very knowledgeable mother-in-law (and a great cook…) has said for years that a lot of veal parmiggiane is more often than not pork. I, of course, said “no way…I’d know the difference!” (the more knowledgeable son-in-law!)
Well…my beautiful and talented wife made something parmiggiane tonight…she purchased some thinly chopped pork. The resulting “parmiggiane” was not only delicious but there is no way I could tell it wasn’t veal…and the pound of thinly sliced pork cost less than $3.75! No way the comparable veal would have been so inexpensive.
Something Parmiggiane!!!
So…try some pork for a great parmiggiane. Here’s the recipe of tonight’s main course:
One pound thinly sliced PORK! (You can substitute chicken and it’s delicious…but the consistency is a little different.)
Mix two eggs in one bowl. Put some Italian-seasoned bread crumbs in another. Add other seasonings to taste…we like some crushed red pepper, for example. Pound each pork slice out a little…use your mallet, an antique cast iron iron, etc….coat each slice in the egg mix, then the bread crumbs. and set aside.
In your skillet, brown the pork and set aside.
In the same pan, saute some onion chopped finely first…let’s say three slices of onion diced, once this is translucent, add a clove of garlic either diced or thinly sliced, once the garlic is soft, add one slice of either prosciutto or one slice of salami diced and one small can of chopped tomatoes. My wife used a 14.5 oz can of Hunt ‘s Petite Diced 100% natural tomatoes. (I don’t think this dish is about the tomatoes…there are lots of other flavors.)
Little trick…if the pork left too much in your skillet, you can always de-glaze the pan with a small amount of leftover wine…1/4 cup at the most…but be careful…the wine may impart a small additional flavor…for this dish, I’d use a leftover Pinor Grigio…something with little flavor…but I’d not hesitate to use a little leftover Chianti, etc. The wine should be room temperature or you might experience some nasty splattering…I suggest you drink a little of the wine beforehand, while cooking, and use what’s warmed up. This is efficient use of your wine as it serves several purposes.
Set your oven at 325 and pre-heat. When your oven is ready and the pork is browned, place the slices in a shallow baking dish, top with a thin slice of provolone, cover with the sauce, and cook for 15 minutes.
The result should be delicious. Let me know if you’d know if it was not veal. For those of you who don’t eat veal…like my youngest daughter…this is a great alternative! Serve separately with a salad and your favorite bread or over your favorite pasta. Let your appetite be the judge on how to serve.
Mangia!
Please comment on this blog or offer your suggestions. There are so many neat ways to eat inexpensively…let’s share our ideas.
Thanks.
Vinnie Rua
What Collar Should I Wear?
What is the rule on the type of shirt collar one should wear?
The most important “rule” is wear one you like…that fits and isn’t too tight!
The basic collar types are seen below and are referred to as “narrow spread”, “medium spread”, and “wide spread”. You can see that there are subtle differences in the spread (distance between the points) and even the point lengths.
Sample Shirt Collars
Now, there are some recommendations…first, collars are like molding selections in one’s home. If you live in a low-ceilinged ranch, you don’t want built-up base board molding that could be as high as 8”. The corollary is if you live in a historical Victorian with 11 foot ceilings, you don’t want small, clam shell base molding…so keeping in mind the basics of molding that Joe Matta, Master Carpenter and Founder of Masterworks Custom Kitchens in Goshen, NY taught me but rather than building a house, let’s try applying these concepts to shirt collars. Joe’s website may be seen at http://www.masterworkkitchens.com/
If you are tall with a thin neck, you don’t want a long, narrow collar…that would just serve to elongate your neck. What you should consider is a wider collar…perhaps with some length added to the points…maybe an extra ¼”…that’s all it might take.
If, on the other hand, you have a large, full face and neck, you don’t want a wide spread collar…that would just serve to make you look wider. What you should consider is a normal point collar…perhaps with some length added to the points to elongate your face.
Going back to our molding analogy, if you are wearing a jacket, your collar should bear some relationship to your jacket’s lapel. The size of your lapel is measured horizontally parallel to the floor (typically parallel to your outside pocket square pocket) from the point of the bottom notch to the inside edge of your jacket. Most traditional jackets today have a lapel size in the vicinity of 3 1/2 “. The newer, slim profile jackets…like those featured in Madmen…can be as small as 2 7/8”.
What most custom tailors would call their standard “point collar” or standard “medium spread” collar should work with your traditional jackets’ lapels. You should talk with your custom tailor about the slimmer jacket you have or are ordering to determine what collar would look best on your physique for a jacket with a slimmer lapel. Go to Individualized Shirts website for a great rendering of most types of shirt collars at: http://www.individualizedshirts.com/collars.aspx As the collars make their circular path on your screen, simply click on the collar you want to see…you’ll see lots of choices…this is one of the great features of a custom shirt…getting the perfect collar you want that complements your physique.
Feel free to contact me at vince@christopherscustom.com for specific questions you might have.
Have you tried cooking with rubs?
I love to barbecue and used to enjoy mixing new and exciting barbecue sauces. Then, someone recommended Montreal Steak…which if you haven’t tried it, is simply a seasoning one rubs onto a steak or other meat…and voila…great tasting steaks…but that’s not all.
I actually prefer Montreal Steak as a rub on grilled chicken.
Grilled Chicken with Santa Maria Seasoning Rub
My favorite rub, however, is Renaissance Rub from Nantucket Off-Shore. This is an all natural, no salt seasoning…try it on shrimp, chicken, pork, steak…experiment and share the experience! Check out their offerings at www.nantucketoffshore.com.
Grilled Shrimp with Renaissance Rub
Other great rubs are offered by www.scottsfoodproducts.com. Santa Maria Style Seasoning is great on chicken. Another rub from these guys is Steakhouse Rotisserie and Grill. I like to season a steak or pork chop with Santa Maria on one side; Steakhouse Rotisserie on the other. When using Santa Maria, go sparingly…it’s pretty heavy on the salt.
In the winter, if it’s just too nasty to grill outside, I like to use a heavy skillet-type pan with raised ridges. These are available at any store offering cooking utensils. You are basically grilling on top of your stove. These rubs work great in this manner on steak and pork chops. Chicken, on the other hand, may be baked in your oven with these rubs and come out great.
Let me know if you have a rub that you prefer. Happy Cooking!
Do You Have A Favorite Shirt But Can’t Find Another Like It?
Do you have a favorite shirt with a favorite collar and a favorite fit?
It’s almost impossible to duplicate that one favorite shirt…unless you try custom. Show your custom tailor your favorite shirt and ask him to re-engineer it.
Have you seen a TV show or a movie where you…or your significant other…liked the way a shirt looked…only to be unable to find the shirt in the store?
The Christopher’s Custom Solution: Get a photo of the collar you desire or bring your favorite shirt with you, show your custom tailor, and ask him how close he can come to duplicating your request. Without question your custom tailor will deliver a shirt that if not spot-on, is closer to what you seek than anything you’ll find in any store…without the drudgery and uncertainty of going shopping…most guys’ least-favorite past-time!
Contact me at vince@christopherscustom .com if you have a related question you’d like to pose.