Lifestyle: Lighting a Cigar

Part of the pleasure a man gets from smoking comes from the ritual of lighting the things, which takes a couple of minutes if it's done correctly. That ritual begins with a cutter. A guillotine cutter makes a slice across the head of the cigar just above the cap line to disperse the smoke and minimize the potential for bite.

Once cut, the cigar is lit, preferably with an odorless butane lighter. It can be lit with matches but that's a more cumbersome process. Either way, the cigar is held in the hand at a 90 degree angle above the flame, and rotated until all parts of the foot are evenly charred.

Then the cigar is placed between the lips and puffed, with the flame still under the foot, until the flames jump up. At that point, the ritual is complete and the smoking begins.

And that's how a cigar is properly lit.

Judging the Fit of a Shirt

Things that determine whether a dress shirt fits properly:

• A half inch of shirt collar should be exposed above the collar of your jacket.
• You should be able to fit two fingers between your collar and neck when the shirt is buttoned.
• The shoulder seam (the seam between the body and the arm) should be at the end of your shoulder.
• The shirt body should be smooth and unwrinkled across your chest and there should be no pulling at the buttons.
• The cuff should reach the bottom of your thumb when your arms are at your sides, and there should be enough cloth in the sleeve so it remains there when you lift your arms straight in front of you.
• The shirt should remain tucked into your trousers when you lift your arms over your head. This usually requires at least six inches of tail inside the waistband.