Fabulous Friday - Anything But Casual

Dress for success, and dress to impress. That's what our stunning and adorably well-dressed fellow did for us on the T today! We'd like to point out what makes his attire so elegant and classic: a paler-than-robins-egg blue dress shirt, paired with a bold golden-yellow polka dot tie and a pocket square featuring geometric patterns in bold earth tone colors. Wow!

And with the passing of former Boston Mayor Menino there's a lot of discussion about renaming places in his honor, and our HOTT Crew would like to propose something that could make for a most impressive monument. As Mayor Menino was famous for delegating power to individual neighborhoods wouldn't it be nice if each Boston neighborhood chose how to honor him in their own neighborhood! Each neighborhood memorial could reflect how that particular neighborhood felt about him and how he greatly improved their lives.

We think making Menino memorials a hyper-local decision would be a fabulous way to honor his 2 decades of service as Mayor, and the sum of the parts would be far greater than renaming one particular place. Let's do it!

Location: Red Line at Kendall/MIT
Imagined Profession: Wardrobe/Fashion Consultant
Photographer: FT

Legally Blonde

Our viking-esque hottie graced our train with a brilliance and poise that made for a memorable trip. And the coif of the hair, with its undulating waves of golden colors, is quite magnificent!

Location: Red Line at Porter
Imagined Profession: Antique Restoration Consultant
Photographer: GB

We Like Our Men...

...like we like our whiskey. Aged and mellow!

Our fit and trim handsome man today knows his fine physique is as flattering to his clothes as his clothes are to him. Just look at how his pants cling seductively to his frame! And he wisely chooses a simple, classic, yet elegant plain white dress shirt that lets him move segue from casual to formal with barely a change. We regret that we didn't capture a frontal view of his sports sunglasses as they were really magnificent. We adore men who actively engage in sports!

Speaking of aged and mellow, we'd like to introduce you to Catherine Russell, our HOTT Crew's favorite jazz singer. She performs "Aged and Mellow on her new album "Bring it Back" (below in video). We think you'll like her style.

And the lyrics for Aged and Mellow are delightful! Especially this part:

There's nothing a greenhorn can do for me
Cause my older daddy suits me to a T.
Now I like my men like I like my whiskey.
Oooh, aged and mellow!

Location: Red Line at Kendall
Imagined Profession: Pharmaceutical Investigator
Photographer: GB

Double Tuesday - Textured Warmth

We've mentioned the overwhelming number of black North Face jackets, and we'd like to take a moment to point out some very compelling alternatives that are most attractive and also make one stand out in a crowd.

Both of today's hotties are wearing jackets by Patagonia that are made of a polar fleece-like material, but have textured ribs that provide a most comfortable fit. And attractive, too. We like that extra attention to detail (even if it doesn't quite show up in a picture, it is very noticeable in person).

Location: Green Line at Kenmore and Park
Imagined Professions: Top, Marketing Analyst for Zipcar; Bottom, Sales
Photographer: GB

Magnificent Monday - It's All About the Sweater

Fall is a wonderful time of year because that's when men begin to display their fabulous sweaters! Here we have a strikingly debonair gentleman showing the the fashion forward features of a zip-up Mock Neck sweater. The delicious cream and ivory coloring of the sweater pair so well with our gent's khakis. And take a look below at our hottie's footwear!

Our man is a fashion template from head to toe!

Location: Red Line at Harvard
Imagined Profession: University Administration
Photographer: FTH

Illuminations

Our hottie may be illuminated, but our HOTT Crew is exhausted from our whirlwind trip to Manhattan! But more on that in a moment. Our stunning gentleman above knows how well he looks in a creamy-white shawl-collared wool sweater. It's stunning on him, and even more stunning lit up! We think this is an ideal sweater for the classic and chiseled good looks of our gent du jour!

And what were we doing in Manhattan?

Our entire HOTT Crew were guests of our dear friends Dodie and Mave (who spent their early careers as financiers for Broadway productions). We were honored that they took us to the renowned singer / Broadway actress Barbara Cook's birthday party! The star of the party was Barbara Cook, of course, as she celebrated her 87th birthday. But there were other (ahem... lesser) stars in attendance such as Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald, Renee Fleming, John Pizzarelli and so many more who were great fun to mingle with. Life is always exciting with Dodie and Mave!

And a special thanks to our friends TJ & Maxx who took care of Dodie and Mave's many pets so that we could all attend this special event!

Location: Green Line at Haymarket
Imagined Profession: Executive Assistant
Photographer: FT

Wine Throwdown

We love men who sport a classic look that goes beyond the prep scene we see so often in Boston. Here our handsome gentleman hottie makes use of a rainy day to dress in a style reminiscent of a polo player. Classic and perfectly fitted khaki's tucked effortlessly into his dark Wellies (themselves reminiscent of riding boots). Arms insouciantly folded across his chest. He was a delight to behold, and made us want to open a fine bottle of wine to savor whilst observing him.

Speaking of wine, we notice our fellow renowned blogger BosGuy has discovered French wine! In particular a Clos des Fees Les Sorcieres. And a lovely wine it is, as we've enjoyed it with meals at The Abbey in Brookline and Cambridge. It's best drunk at a temperature of 58F to 60F (stick it in the fridge a half hour before serving).

BosGuy's review here: http://bosguy.com/2014/10/24/le-clos-des-fees-les-sorcieres/

Of course our HOTT Crew just returned from France with two large suitcases filled exclusively with wonderful French wines. Our HOTT Crew's favorite is a Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 2008 (below in our HOTT Crew's test kitchen)

A juicy feel on the palate with pepper, plum, blackberry and cherry fruit laced with tobacco leaf and green olive notes. A delightful kirsch edge hangs on the finish! Somewhat pricey at $265 per bottle stateside, but we bought a case at the vineyard in France and paid in Euros, so it was as if it was free! Euros aren't real money, are they? If you do see a bottle at a wine shop in Boston don't hesitate to pick up one, two or a dozen bottles!

Anyway, perhaps our HOTT Crew needs to get together with BosGuy and Sergio to have a wine throw down of the best of our cellars!

Location: Green Line at Park
Imagined Profession: Art Gallery Manager
Photographer: GB

Fabulous Friday - Who, Me?

Yes, you! You handsome man! You made our day as we navigated our way home in blinding rain and raging winds. A welcome sight for weather-weary travelers!

Location: Red Line at Central
Imagined Profession: Director, Business Development
Photographer: FTH

Il Pleut Comme Vache Qui Pisse

Our HOTT Crew learned some fun French phrases whilst cycling in Provence. Once, during an arduous 7 mile ascent through the Gorges de Venasque to the Col de Murs (a high mountain pass) in torrential rain our DuVine Adventures guide taught us the French equivalent for "raining cats and dogs."

Il pleut comme vache qui pisse!

It's raining like a pissing cow!

And that's exactly what Boston has been experiencing the past 18 hours. Torrential rain. Blasting sheets of rain. Torrents of water everywhere. So when we spotted these washed-out gentlemen aboard our train, in front of a rainy-day advertisement mentioning Paris, no less, we couldn't help but be reminded of that very descriptive French phrase, "Il pleut comme vache qui pisse!"!

Location: Green Line at Northeastern
Imagined Profession: Scuba Diver
Photographer: FT

He Spoke French

He spoke French, and captured our hearts. And what delicious eyewear! And the jouged sleeves and the cashmere sweater were a wonderful American Traditional touch on such a fine European gentleman.

Location: Red Line at Kendall/MIT
Imagined Profession: Visiting Scholar
Photographer: FT

Double Tuesday - Sweat Lodge

An extraordinary find at North Station! Two men in very comfortable sweat pants. Both handsome gents and most delectable!

Location: Orange Line at North Station

Imagined Professions: Left and Right - Assistant Coaches

Photographer: Undercover RM

Magnificent Monday - He Wore a Wedding Ring

And as a friend near and dear to us says, "Not my problem!". It's the first truly crisp autumn day, and what a treat to find a handsome man so magnificently turned out. From the North Face luggage to the designer scarf with European-style stripes to the crisply coiffed hair style with hints of auburn and gray. And have we mentioned his delicious facial hair? Oh he was a fabulous find on this brilliant day!

Location: Red Line at Harvard
Imagined Profession: Fashion Consultant
Photographer: GB

Flirtation

So many fine men on the T during the Head of the Charles Regatta! And we were lucky to capture this ebullient fellow texting away on his iPhone. As he typed a big dimple-inducing grin would burst forth, and we imagined he was flirting with someone via iMessage. Whoever was on the receiving end of his messages must be a very lucky person!

Location: Red Line at Central
Imagined Profession: Educations Services Manager
Photographer: GB

Perspectives

Our 1,000th post! We enjoy capturing the nuances and unique perspectives of hotties, but what our viewers don't get to see are the behind the scenes shots of how we go about doing it. So above is our "blog ready" version of prep/hipster. And below...

...is how it looks as it's being taken!

And now we'd like to make a public service announcement. The main data hub for our HOTT Crew, a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, suffered a debilitating illness on final restart from an upgrade to Apple's new OS, Yosemite. But we keep on chugging because we make weekly clones of the MacBook Pro!

So don't forget... keep backing it up!

Location: Red Line at Central

Imagined Profession: Fine Arts Development Associate

Photographers: FT and GB

Fabulous Friday - Mt Whitney

This gentleman hottie caught our eye on the train, and we admired his brilliantly white "Whitney Cup" sweater. Our hottie is into Polo! Oh the fun we could have with our gent in Palm Beach!

Location: Red Line at Central
Imagined Profession: Stock Analyst
Photographer: GB

Mandarin Orange

Shoes of Mandarin Orange and well-groomed facial hair make our hottie du jour (notice how we slip in some French) quite the fetching fellow on our morning commute!

Location: Red Line at Charles/MGH
Imagined Profession: Development Associate
Photographer: GB



And speaking of Mandarin...

Today is an Apple Event! Will our hearts be aflutter if Craig Federighi takes to the stage? Will our investment in Rosetta Stone Mandarin online classes enable us to understand the Mandarin language overlay on the audio (as was done at last month's event)? Our HOTT Crew is ready to listen to Mandarin!

Air Mac

Men who use Macbook Airs are so hot! The way their fingers deftly manipulate the keyboard, the magnificent angle of the display, the wedding ring.... what?!?! He's married?!?! Oh well, he's still an extraordinarily handsome gent, and who knows what toys he may be acquiring after tomorrow's Apple Event.

Speaking of events, as our HOTT Crew just returned from a cycling and culinary adventure in France we were selected to be the first to sample Rattlesnake Bar & Grill's new menu item... Duck Confit. We were thrilled that Chef Yuri, who recreates this classic French menu item for Rattlesnake Bar & Grill spent time speaking with us about this delicious new menu item.  We'll be back for more! Rattlesnake Bar & Grill is at 384 Boylston St in the Back Bay.

Location: Commuter Rail at West Gloucester
Imagined Profession: Pharmaceutical Marketing Manager
Photographer: Nippy

Double Tuesday - Double Exposure

After a wet and rainy Saturday our HOTT Crew is delighting in the brilliant sunshine and brief spate of warm temperatures. And our handsome iPhone toting hotties provide a ray of sunshine for us inside our train, too!

Location: Red Line at Kendall/MIT
Imagined Professions: Left, Healthcare IT Director; Right, Software Marketing Manager
Photographer: GB

The Freshman

We found this slim-fit collegiate hottie looking quite handsome in his slim-fit attire, perfectly poised baseball cap and stunningly well-shined loafers. Quite appropriate for student attire this autumn. And a nice welcome home for us!

Location: Red Line at Harvard Square
Imagined Profession: Student
Photographer: FT

Hotties on the Métro - The French Shrug

We love French trains. We love French men. We love French men on French trains! And here we captured a quintessentially French gentleman displaying the quintessential French shrug on our SNCF train from Fontainebleau to Paris. It's what French men do when passing the time, expressing disinterest (in both its meanings) in the present situation, or just not wanting to be involved with the tedious nature of life. We've discovered that it's best expressed by the simultaneous use of one's eyebrows, mouth, and shoulders. It's quite difficult to replicate, but Lord knows our HOTT Crew sure tried while traveling about on the subways!

And alas, our HOTT Crew finds it's time to fly home. French Shrug!

FT conveniently leaned forward so we could capture a pic of this handsome gent at our gate at Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport as we awaited boarding for our Icelandair flight to Keflavik.

After a 2 and a half hour flight to Iceland GB was in heaven as he could stock up on his favorite dessert treat.... Snudur! GB went to graduate school in Reykjavik (Master of Arts specializing in Icelandic Sagas) and learned to love these unique treats. Kanilsudur are cinnamon flavored.

And the proper way to wash down a snudur is with another Icelandic specialty, Skyr! Skyr is an Old Norse form of cheese, and in Iceland you can even get it in drinkable form. How fun!

At the Keflavik airport we spotted these two fine dandy men waiting for their flight to... Boston! Aren't they cute!

Icelandair had fabulous service to and from Europe via it's convenient hub in Keflavik. And our HOTT Crew delighted in the stunning wines served aboard our flights. Here's a toast to a fabulous trip with DuVine Adventures!

But wait, there's more! Icelandair serves spectacular French champagne! A toast to Dodie & Mave who hosted us in Paris!

Everything was so relaxing about our adventure in France. And our flights on Icelandair lulled us into a soothing blissfulness as we watched the sun set over the coast of Maine.

Our trip has ended, but new adventures await! Stay tuned!

Fabulous Friday - Le Bel Homme

Gare de Lyon is our favorite train station in Paris. The men are simply stunning. And they LOVE to pose for us! Here our ever so chic Euro gentleman hottie waits for an arriving TGV that apparently is delivering someone very special to him. We think he's rather special!

And what is our HOTT Crew up to today on our last full day in Paris?

We're spending this gloriously sunny day at Les Deux Magots Café on the Left Bank of Paris!

Endless orders of carpaccio, foie gras and Cotes du Rhones wines! We're in heaven!

Waiters in Paris are adorable in their traditional waiter uniforms!

Ernest Hemmingway, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir (we love that name!) all spent many hours here dining just as we are now. The two figurines (magots) are inside the restaurant, which is usually uncrowded on sunny days when most, like our HOTT Crew, prefer to sit outside to dine on the sunlit sidewalk and watch all of handsome Parisian men parade past our tables.

Hotties on the Métro - Le Train Bleu

Ah, Paris! City of lights, city of elegance and men in long scarves! Moments after arriving at Paris' Gare de Lyon (on our TGV from Aix-en-Provence) we spotted this trim and stylish Parisian dressed for winter, despite the 70F temperature outside! But what we were really anticipating was the surprise package our friends Dodie & Mave arranged for us in Paris. And much to our surprise we discovered...

...Dodie & Mave themselves! Not content to make an ordinary entrance in Paris, Dodie & Mave staged a 2-woman haute couture fashion show staring themselves, of course, and staging it at Paris' most famous venues. We especially enjoyed when Dodie flashed a man on a park bench (see video above). Classy, Dodie!

Much to our delight Dodie & Mave whisked our entire HOTT Crew off to the exclusive Le Train Bleu restaurant for a fabulous haute cuisine experience.

 Le Train Bleu's interiors were simply stunning, with elegant murals on the ceilings depicting the most popular of the French Mediterranean's destinations.

We're wine aficionados, and appreciated the extensive collection of France's finest wines. 

We're especially fond of foie gras (above, left) and géante profiteroles (above, right).

What awaits our HOTT Crew tomorrow in Paris? 

Hotties on the Métro - Peek-a-Boo!

Our @DuVine adventure comes to an end, and a new adventure in Paris awaits our HOTT Crew. We're so pleased to get this stylish gent's pic, gloriously attired in his fashionable Parisian slim-fit suit. And a bonus of a hottie behind him peeking a look, too!

As our HOTT Crew arrived in our final cycling destination, Mane, we were treated to stunning visuals of the Provencal countryside!

Our last kilometer was a veritable grand finalé, a quintessentially French drive lined with Plane trees!

Our hotel was in a converted convent and contained a L'Occitane Spa. Perfect for our well-exercised muscles!

At dinner our DuVine Adventures guides toasted our cycling successes!

Spectacular cycling, incredible meals, phenomenal wines, and the desserts! Our HOTT Crew were treated, and lived, like royalty!

And now off to Paris to see what surprise our friends Dodie & Mave arranged for us!