Stimulating Ideas: Claudia Schiffer and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reenact Buñuel’s Belle de Jour in this month’s GQ. So that’s why foreign film is important. [Men.Style]

The Wait is Over: At long last, Zubaz pants are back in vogue. Huzzah! [Star Tribune]

“Sock-Gate”: England’s Health Secretary has a lot to learn about proper foot care. [Peterborourgh Today]

Big Game: Join a denim hunter on the trail. [PSFK]

Down Market: The gathering financial storm probably won’t make it easier to get dinner reservations at New York’s better restaurants, but at least your waiter will have a MBA from Wharton. [NYT]

A Pinch of Saffron: Look, we’re as confused about aesthetic and practical value of these “T Takes” mini-movies over at The Moment Blog as the rest of you. But this one here has Saffron Burrows, so… [The Moment]

Dapper Data: We’re backing up to this leather-bound hard drive. [Crave]

Poking Holes: A blogger vents his three-button rage. [Permanent Style]

Spring Scrum: Enjoy this preview of Ralph Lauren’s latest Rugby collection. [Rugby]

Il Bue Che Dice Cornuto All’asino: Italy bans Tom Ford ad because of their long tradition of high-minded, unporny public discourse. [Radar]

The Distinguished Gentleman From Milan: In related news, Santo Versace, business manager of the family label, has joined Italy’s Parliment. [WWD, 2nd item]

“Masturbation Cuts Cancer Risk”: Well, in that case, maybe we’ll try it some time. [BBC]

Slip Ons: Socks for men without shoes. [Men’s Vogue]

Ripped From the Headlines: Our very own Jared Paul Stern is set to be detonated in effigy in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order.” We couldn’t be more proud. Also, Chung-chung. [NY Daily News]

Ring of Fire: Like a ribbon ‘round your finger, this accessory will remind you of appointments or anniversaries or burn you in the process. [Uncrate]

Beggars and Choosers: A probing piece about the difficulties of funding and presenting at Fashion Week. [Papierdoll]

Monroe Doctrine: The Marilyn sex-tape fantasy goes “pop” in 1,460 words. [Defamer]

Members Only: A jacket checklist for these windbreaker months. [Refinery29]

We don’t anticipate doing much sailing this summer. As for wearing deck shoes…that’s another matter entirely.

We are the Market turned us on to this line of deck shoes from Journal Standard. They also come in gray, burgundy, and royal blue, giving them a decidedly New England-y range of colors. (We’d pair them with some Nantucket Reds, but that’s just a matter of taste.)

More on the summer shoe»

Man’s Best Friend: We’’re referring to the new Lotus Evora, of course, with a slick interior at last… [Uncrate]

Bloggers Dismayed!: All around the globe, bloggers are typing away about the downfall of RedLasso, the once brilliant blogging tool that is being dismantled by superpowers NBC and Fox. A sad, sad day. [New York Times]

Control Your Temper: Thin lapels finally get a chance at an Emmy. [A Continuous Lean]

Who Whoulda Thunk It: Apparently the socks you choose to wear with your suit says a lot about your fashion sense. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

World’s Funniest Man: After Dave Chapelle’’s crackup, it seems like Judd Apatow was destined to take over this title. Here’s a brief interview with the 2nd coming. [Defamer]

There’s a lot of past out there, and if you’re digging through it looking for quirky accessories, there’s a lot to choose from. So choose wisely.

In that vein, FashionIndie is taking the lead predicting sock garters as the next big trend. We’ll admit they go well with a bowtie, but we just don’t see this happening. Elastic technology has come a long way in the last 80 years, so it’s a lot of straps with no real purpose.

And, unfortunately for this gentleman, they’re usually worn under the pant leg.

Finger on the Button: All the Obama buttons you ever wanted to see in one place. This is what thrift stores will look like 50 years from now. [BoingBoing]

Ford v. Walnuts: Tom Ford and Paulie Walnuts: Separated at birth. [Men.Style]

Garters on the Rise: Argyle makes a strong showing in this rundown of winter socks. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

Take Five: Winn Perry’s five tips for looking good. (None of them involve tanning.) [Portland Mercury]

Stuart Little: In this case, it’s Paul Stuart, but we will go to any store that devotes this much space to socks. [NYTimes]

Big Pharma: We still don’t like Damien Hirst. [HintBlog]

Engineering!: A chat with Engineered Garments’ Daiki Suzuki reveals a healthy obsession with flannel vests. [TimeOutNY]

The Ruling Party: Esquire’s rules for dinner party guests will not tell you which one is the fish fork. [Esquire]

Of course, if JFK isn’t quite your speed, there’s always more recent royalty to pick through. For instance, the king of pop.

Michael Jackson has fallen on hard times lately—after all, lawyers ain’t cheap—and he’s putting a few of his less essential purchases up for auction. The result is a peek behind the scenes at one of pop culture’s strangest creations, sequins and all. For a good chunk of the 80s, the glittering epaulette look was the coolest thing anyone had seen. The plastic aviators may be the only thing that survived.

We sift through Michael Jackson’s leftovers»

We like our socks black, cotton, and plentiful. And unlike most items, we’re open to getting them through nontraditional means.

Blacksocks.com (hat tip to Crains) just launched what can only be described as a sock club for men, pledging a package of three pairs, three times a year.

It’s not a bad plan, and the frequency can be tailored to your own needs…but we wonder if this is a bit too much of a commitment. After nine pairs of dour Peruvian cotton, who’s to say you won’t be yearning for a bit of color?

He’s put his name on everything from cameras to great coats, but there may be no item better suited to Sir Paul Smith’s sensibilities than the sock. At the very least, they’re a pretty good place for stripes.

This pair just landed at Bureau Belfast, and it’s a fine example of a dandy-ish sock, done well. Conventional wisdom suggests matching them to your pants or, failing that, your shoes, but if you’re going to take the road less traveled, this (or this) is a pretty good place to start.

These socks from the UK’s Smart Turnout add an extra element to the comfortingly twee world of colorful toesleeves: The stripes are code for the British Adjutant General’s Corps.

It’s the same trick tradition-minded Brits usually play with ties and scarves—check out J. Press for the stateside equivalent—but it usually doesn’t reach to socks for the simple reason that nobody’s supposed to be able to see them, or at least not well enough to get a read on the color. But now that high cuffs have made them more visible, this idea might be ready for its moment.