A skinny tie can change the whole proportion of your look. You could wear a navy suit, a white shirt, and a striped tie and appear like just about any other banker or politician out there; but if you wore that same suit and shirt with a skinny striped tie, suddenly you'd look updated and cool. I came across some good tips on the Internet from men who wear skinny ties. They say these ties look best with a fitted shirt and thin lapels. In addition, I've seen men on the street wearing their skinny ties with cardigans, forgoing the lapel altogether.

You may think that skinny ties are a fleeting trend, but scroll down to my photos to see that they are not. Skinny ties have been worn to great effect by musicians, actors and even confirmed prepsters (see Michael J. Fox) in every decade since the fifties.

My friend from college Kevin Sharkey updates his traditional look with skinny striped tie. Bryant Park, NYC, February 2008.

Sidney Poitier, rocking a look similar to Kevin's, albeit in 1970 (Photo: Getty).

This guy is actually wearing a cardigan, instead of a blazer, with this skinny tie. Madison Avenue, NYC, May 2008.

Clint Eastwood (with his wife Maggie) attends the premiere of Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Chinese Theater in a tuxedo with a skinny tie. Hollywood, CA, 1961 (Photo: Getty).

For groovy guys on the street today, a skinny tie and cardigan seem to go hand in hand. Madison Avenue, NYC, May 2008.

Mick Jagger manages to bring the skinny tie back to its cool, slick sixties origins. Circa 1980s (Photo: Getty).

This guy has all the right details -- the skinny tie, the thin white suspenders, and the jacquard pattern in his white shirt. Bryant Park, NYC, September 2007.

Malcolm X in an authentic sixties skinny tie. The glasses are working for him too. 1964 (Photo: Time & Life Pictures).

The ridiculously handsome James Marsden in a very "of this decade" version of a tux look. Roseland Ballroom, NYC, 2007. (Photo: WireImage)

Actor Robert Conrad playing the ukulele in an extremely skinny tie in 1965. (Photo: Getty)

Synthpop musician Thomas Dolby channels a similar look in 1984. (Photo: Corbis)

This is probably the best outfit Michael J. Fox (or is he Alex P. Keaton here?) ever wore. 1984. (Photo: Corbis)

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)