Thursday, April 12, 2012

Man-Capris and Monaco

Some places have an unmistakable charm to them.  Today we travel to Monaco near the French border.  It's a beautiful and expensive little country along the Mediterranean sea.  We stopped here for a brief visit in 2005.  And it was okay to visit.....briefly.  It's overpriced and in my opinion, not all that...unless you like to gamble and spend money.  My two topics today are about what I was thinking about on this day in Monaco....Man-capris and Fragonard.
The Mediterranean sea winds made for a beautiful outing and great visit that day.  So I have a question.  Really several troubling thoughts that passed through my head during this trip. What is wrong with a man wearing "Man-Capris"?  They are normal capris pants that are worn by both men and women in Europe.  They are highly accepted in society....until you reach the United States.  Then you are ridiculed and laughed at.  Put these pants on for work at a high school and you'll hear the snickers and stifled laughs from teenagers all over.  Well if I cared, I would be self conscious, but instead I laugh as well at their own reactions.  It's actually quite funny.  I've learned to build a thick skin and let things bounce off of me. And that in its own right teaches kids that it's okay to be who they want to be:)  So back to my topic....what IS wrong with Man-capris?  What is not to love about them?  Extra pockets for all kinds of things.  A little protection from the sun below the knees. Did you know that skin cancer many times is found to develop behind your knees?  Think about that one.  They are light weight.  When you sit down, you know that everything is covered properly.   They look great.  Now put them with "Mandals"(men sandals) and you've got perfection.  Well maybe not.  Again another American taboo.  That's even worse!  Hahaha....ahhhhh it's funny how culture changes from one place to another.  Today my mandals and mancapris sit and wait for me to unveil them again......and I vow that I will.  I wore my Mancapris and Mandals for the first time in Monaco....proudly.
We went to Monaco after a morning visit to Fragonard.....almost every person's dream.  But I didn't know about it.  So why did I spend lots of money there at this expensive perfume store in France?  Well I'll tell you.  There were Germans....and Italians.  Some of the most brutal and aggressive women I have ever seen in my life.  Some of them had hair growing on their upper lip.  They were drooling for a certain cologne and perfume.  As soon as this picturesque perfumeria opened up, the Germans and Italian women rushed in and nearly knocked me over to get to whatever it was that Fragonard was selling.  There was some fighting between the ladies and within minutes the perfume was gone!  I laughed because it reminded me of chickens fighting over a cob of corn.  But the smells made me think of my sisters and mom and I too gave into the need for buying something special for the ladies in my family.  And so I did.  If there's one rule to remember.....France sells wonderful things so bring extra money with you. That day I purchased 200 dollars worth of perfume.  And it was money well spent because my Mom and sisters loved the gifts.  The pictures of Monaco are "meh".  Beautiful landscapes but the city/country is okay.  Worth a visit? Depends.  I will never go back again.  But we headed north that day into Italy and that was worth it. Stay tuned for more.....

21 comments:

  1. My wife wears them and so does my brother-in-law, but there is only a short window of time to do so in Sweden.

    I remember back in the 1970s I use to love Grapvine shorts. You know, the very ones Thomas Magnum wore in Hawaii ? I made the mistake once of taking some Britiah friends to Mexico in the late 70s. Mexico was still pretty much reserved even then. I remember how most in the hispanic culture resisted even the hairstyles of the long past by that time hippie movement. Men in Mexico never even wore short pants period, let alone those athletic styled Grapevines.

    So I got alot of whistles and stares down there in Tecate. I still love and miss wearing short pants. Or rather I should truthfully say that I miss the environmental climatic reasons for wearing them.

    On the perfume front, what I have noticed over the years when it comes to any makeup and accessaries, it is not so much the women trying to attract the man as it is with them competing against each other. That goes as far back as the 1950s as I can remember. These days I haven't seen many men interested in what shade of lipstick the woman has or the cologne she wears. Oh well, my wife is allergic to them anyway.

    I do remember liking the perfume called "White Shoulders" which was an Avon product that a former girlfriend of mine use to wear. Remember the days when you first met and dated a gal and refused to wash that shirt because everytime you got a whiff of that scent it reminded you of her ? *smile*

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    1. I remember that time as well. Mexican people believed that men who wore shorts were all gay. And that was only 10-15 percent true. But since then, the times have changed there because of soccer. Now it is more common to see them wearing grapevines over the American population....times have changed, but the most American guys will still refuse to wear these:)

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  2. Lol... I must agree with everything you wrote in your post. :-) and for the Fragonard I was unable to find any at the time, in Paris and had to buy some over the Internet for my boys, believe me or not...

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    1. :) Oh I believe you.....there were a lot of men there as well. Pretty cool place to spend a lot of money:)

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  3. OMG Kreeeeesh! This is 2005 and you still remember what went through in your head during those times! And i laughed about the scene to get into the perfume "like chickens going for a cob of corn", that was very well said. But i visualized the hassle that even almost knock you off or anybody just to get to the perfume. And you are big huh! If i am the one in there, i will be toppled off! It acted like a very potent potion, oh now i am curious of the brand, haha! Can you tell me that? LOL

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    1. :) Andrea, I have one of those photographic memories and it's the reason why I take so many pictures. My doctor has informed me that I am shrinking....I am shorter than I was in 2005 by a quarter of an inch. It's happening so fast:) I don't remember the specific names of the cologne and perfume. I did get one of the better ones but I can't remember that either:) It was in French and unfortuneatly, French does not stick in my head well....I need wine for that to happen.....lots of it:)

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  4. Wow, gorgeous scenery and lovely photos. To tell you the truth, I have never seen a man in capris. I have to start checking out what the men are wearing. Fun post, have a great day!

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  5. Każdy powinien chodzić w to ubrany, w czym mu wygodnie i nie powinno to być powodem śmiechu. Prezenty pachnące były z pewnością bardzo miłe.Monaco też widziałam, jest piękne, ale drogie. Pozdrawiam.
    Everyone should walk in it dressed, in which he was comfortable and it should not be a reason for laughter. Scented gifts were certainly very miłe.Monaco also saw a beautiful but expensive. Yours.

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  6. Really great to read!
    We feel the same about Monaco.. its ok for a day..
    Many greetings!
    Yvonne & Raphael

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  7. well, you go with your mancapris wearing self! :) you can keep the expensive perfume, though.

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  8. Very nice photo's......and nice to read.

    Greetings, Joop

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  9. The only thing close to mancapris in America includes a belt around the knees and butt crack.

    I don't wear capris but certainly believe in comfort. Typically wear skirts and have seen a few in manskirts.

    Don't think Monaco is even on my list.

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  10. I say, "Be who you are proudly!". You are a brave man though to venture out in an American high school. Cheers, to you. :) I loved all your descriptions in this post...especially the ladies at the perfume store.

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  11. Hey, I know a guy here who likes to wear kilts. I think you must be one of them, what do you call it, metrosexuals? My motto is "If it feels good, go for it!" which sometimes gets me into trouble but oh how much fun I have doing it! But I must know, do you shave your legs, too? :-)

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  12. I wouldn't:) Shaving your legs is a taboo in my books:)

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  13. Ah Monaco, I remember it very much. I thought that it was time to leave it alone. I didn't like it. But, I was about to enter Italy, that had stay a 3 years, and I wish that I was still over there, ahha.

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  14. I applaud you for being the person you want to be and ignoring those who would taunt and tease. Their the fools with blinders on.

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  15. Hmmm...I can only imagine the wonderful scents in the perfume shop. I will be looking forward to Italy! The only travel I take is through your blog. ;)

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  16. I love your posts, Chris... You are so lucky to have been able to go on that fabulous trip back then... I will probably never get there --but I enjoy seeing the areas from your eyes.

    I don't know why capris for men aren't worn in this country much... Weird!!!! But--I do know that many men wear sandals--including my sons. Why don't you start a "Capris for Men Campaign" ---and maybe they will catch on here!!!!! ha

    Have a great day.
    Betsy
    PS---Glad to see a photo of you.. Hadn't ever seen one!!!!!!

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  17. I love your descriptions Chris and the photos are wonderful. Must admit, much to daughter's disgust :), I wear what I want to these days.

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  18. Your travels are interesting as always. Looks like a great trip with friends where ever you went!

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