I'm curious about all the young male actors out there wearing mustaches these days. And when I say mustache, I mean mustache ONLY. Not a goatee, not a mustache as part of a beard -- I'm talking about the stand-alone variety. Are these mustaches a way of subverting pretty-boy looks, or are they a display of personal style in an increasingly homogenized world? I also wonder why this look hasn't infiltrated the mainstream -- I had no problem filling this blog with photos of today's hottest actors sporting a 'stache, but I very rarely see anyone actually wearing one in "real life." In fact the only guy I know who has a mustache is my friend Douglas Friedman, who has had one forever -- it's his defining characteristic, just like Tom Selleck. In fact, he looks pretty much like Tom Selleck all around, which is how he pulls it off. The issue for me is that, while I do like all the cute young actors in their mustaches, I actually prefer them worn in a more earnest, sincere way -- a lifetime commitment, as opposed to a fleeting trend. Where are the Sean Connerys of today? Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Actor James Franco's mustache adds intrigue to his otherwise boyish look. 2008. (Photo: Getty)

Over time, Sean Connery's mustache became crucial to his iconic presence. Deauville, France, 1967. (Photo: Getty)

As far as dudes with mustaches go, Jason Lee seems most at home with his. 2007. (Photo: WireImage)

British race car driver Graham Hill had a look that doesn't really exist today -- its kind of Inspector Clouseau meets Errol Flynn. 1960s. (Photo: Getty)

Orlando Bloom in a short-lived mustache. I like it better than his previous long-hair look. 2007. (Photo: FilmMagic)

Michael Caine in 1977. (Photo: Getty)

It seems that Ryan Gosling is going more old school than hipster here. He kind of looks like a bank teller in an old Western -- in a good way. 2007. (Photo: WireImage)

Civil Rights activist H. Rap Brown looks undeniably cool in his classic suit, sixties shades, and straight-forward mustache. Atlanta, Georgia, 1967. (Photo: Getty)

Looking back at photos from the last decade, it seems that Sean Penn, here in 2003, was the instigator of the recent mustache phase among actors. (Photo: Getty)

English rugby player Martin Cooper. 1975. (Photo: Getty)

My friend Douglas, who by now must be bored with comparisons to Tom Selleck. Cartagena, Colombia, 2008.

Tom Selleck in his finest form. 1981. (Photo: Getty)

It's hard to figure out what to wear this time of year. One day you're in shorts thinking summer is here, and the next you're dramatically underdressed and running across the street to find some sunshine. Taking a cue from temperature-varying sports like skiing and hiking, the best solution to this problem is to dress in layers. Throw a light sweater on between your shirt and your blazer; add a scarf over your T-shirt and put a cardigan on over that; or, as one guy I saw did, wear a shirt and tie with a sweater over that, with a cardigan over that with a sweatshirt over that. I'm sure that sounds crazy, and I acknowledge that you would need an accomplished sense of proportion to pull that off, but trust me, he did.

Aside from matters of temperature, wearing layers can also be an opportunity to show more sides of yourself through your clothes. My favorite example of this is a photo of Richard Gere from 1980. Had he been wearing only the denim shirt and tweed blazer, he would have looked like your average prep school throwback. But with the addition of a pink zip-up sweatshirt, he looks sportier, younger, and less predictable. Wouldn't you love to give a first, second, and third impression all in one look?

It's hard to believe that this guy has four tops on and still looks good, but he does. Mott Street, NYC, January 2008.

As classic as they are, I feel like there came a time in the last decade when (at least for some) loafers fell out of style -- too old-guard, too stiff, too conservative -- and there was the perfect replacement waiting in the wings: the driving shoe. As brilliantly popularized by Car Shoe, Hunting World, and of course Tod's, driving shoes are significantly more sporty and laid-back than their more formal and businesslike counterpart. They replaced loafers for every occasion -- for the office, for the weekend, for church. In fact I bought all our male family friends Tod's driving shoes in black patent leather with grosgrain details to wear with their tuxedos -- they were like an updated version of the black velvet evening slipper. But recently I've noticed the more formal loafer making a comeback, albeit in a more inventive new context. Perhaps inspired more by Michael Jackson's ironic embrace of loafers than the more predictable Wall Street types, many New Yorkers pair the formality of loafers with a more personalized look -- they wear them with scruffy jeans, beards, even Rasta caps. Who knew I'd be singing the praises of Michael Jackson two weeks in a row??

Gary Cooper, with his wife, Sandra Shaw, wears his penny loafers in the most classic context. Southampton Beach Club, N.Y., 1945. (Photo: Getty)