The history and etiquette of signet rings

In which G.M. Norton waxes lyrical about signet rings.

Recently, I’ve become ever so slightly obsessed with signet rings. They have an utterly compelling history involving ancient Egypt, Kings, future Kings, power and authority, villains stealing identities, friends or foe on the battlefield and family heirlooms and traditions.

So, where did my obsession with signet rings start? I point the little finger of blame firmly at His Royal Highness Prince Charles. I have a great deal of admiration for his classic style. Studying photos of him in various double-breasted suits (as one naturally spends one’s time), I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the signet ring on his left pinkie finger.

Things get steamy with my everyday partner

In which G.M. Norton gets hot under the collar.

A well-pressed shirt is one of life’s small pleasures. However, pressing the damn thing is not. At least for me, anyway. In the absence of my own personal valet (please apply within), I usually dedicate Sundays to work my way through a mammoth pile of crinkled clothes with the help of my faithful steam iron.

By the time I’ve finished my shirts for the week ahead, along with the children’s school uniform, dresses and a few bits and pieces for my beloved, my temple and feet are positively throbbing. Rather than give my jackets and trousers a quick once-over, I prefer to slump into the nearest armchair with a large glass of red.

Recently, I was contacted by Tefal who were keen to hear my thoughts on their new handheld steam brush. Having admired an industrial one at a beneficiary boutique and impressed at the whole steamy affair, I agreed to try out the Tefal Steam Access.

Picture perfect with Rampley & Co

In which G.M. Norton practices a few folds with his new Rampley & Co pocket square.

I know what you’re thinking. “Is that a painting in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?”

Well, although I am always pleased to see you, there is actually a painting in my pocket. To be precise, it is ‘The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum’ by John Martin, which is on display at Tate Gallery in London.

Review: Young Outlaws Club

In which G.M. Norton introduces to you the baddest bag bandit in town.

This week, I’m reviewing a new bag that was very kindly sent to me by Young Outlaws Club.

Now they may not thank me for this, but in complete contrast to their villainous name, I’ve found Young Outlaws Club to be a complete and utter pleasure to deal with.  

The bag that they sent me is their Monroe brown leather briefcase. Cleverly, it also doubles up as a satchel as the strap is removable.

Third birthday celebrations with Flavourly

In which G.M. Norton marks the periodical’s 3rd birthday by getting sozzled.

Another year has flown by here at Norton of Morton as this periodical has reached the ripe old age of three.

Every single Saturday without fail, at precisely 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the latest slice of Norton of Morton goodness has arrived. Of course, I like to think that this is your highlight of the week. That you gather together your loved ones and crowd around an illuminated electronic screen to guffaw at my latest shenanigans. 

Thankfully, I had something to mark this most auspicious of occasions in the form of a gift from Blighty’s number one craft beer club, Flavourly.

Review: SprezzaBox

In which G.M. Norton receives a box of goodies for the discerning chap.

Please allow me to introduce SprezzaBox to you, a monthly subscription service for the modern gentleman.

The way SprezzaBox works is you pay $28 per month (£18) and in return, you receive a box of five to six surprise goodies.

After a while, each box then becomes available to buy as a one-off purchase through the SprezzaBox website. 

An American enterprise, SprezzaBox is currently unavailable to subscribe for those in Blighty. Although I do hear that plans are indeed afoot so I thought it was worth making interested parties aware of their existence.

Review: Pretentious Pocket

In which G.M. Norton exposes himself in public and enjoys a jolly good stuffing.

Last week, I exposed myself in public. I didn’t do it just once either, but three times.

I should perhaps explain at this point that I was exposing my new pocket squares from Pretentious Pocket.

Pretentious Pocket are a New York pocket square company with attitude.

The brains behind this pretentious outfit is one Justin Ross Lee.

National Male Grooming Day

In which G.M. Norton shares his grooming routine.

To help celebrate National Male Grooming Day on Friday 21^st August, I was approached by Mira Showers to share my bathroom adventures (fear not, you will not be seeing any bare flesh). Perhaps they read about my Well Groomed Man exploits in Modern Barber Magazine. In any case, here are a few dastardly ruses that I follow to look my best.

The bathroom is probably my favourite room in the house. It’s my refuge away from the children, an area of calm from the stresses of everyday life. So to spend a few moments each day alone in my sanctuary is sheer bliss.

Fancy ties for fancy people

In which G.M. Norton gives his full backing to the Two Piece Tie. 

“Bond mistrusted anyone who tied his tie with a Windsor knot. It showed too much vanity. It was often the mark of a cad.” Ian Fleming (From Russia With Love, Chapter 25)

If 007 had this to say about the simple Windsor knot, goodness knows what his thoughts would be on more elaborate knots such as the Eldredge and Trinity styles that have popped up in recent years.

Personally, I find these type of knots very striking indeed. I love simple and understated, but I also like something a little unusual to satisfy my peacock tendencies.

On film: Kingsman - The Secret Service

In which G.M. Norton sees Colin Firth in a completely different light.

I had the pleasure of watching ‘Kingsman - The Secret Service’ recently, after a recommendation from a Norton of Morton reader.

In case you don’t have the foggiest what Kingsman is, it is a spy-thriller starring Colin Firth. The description is thus:

‘A super-secret organisation recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training programme just as a dire global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.’

The underlying message is that class is how you behave, not how you’re born.