“I started out making smart made to order ties for me and my friends. I used a tailor in New York’s Fashion District,” Alexander says, who lives in Soho because “if you’re a designer, you have to be here. There’s so much inspiration.”

His ties quickly became popular. “As I started getting more and more orders, I moved production to a mill in England and Charles Alexander neckwear was born. We’re on our sixth collection and our customer base is growing everyday.”

What is your inspiration for the designs?
I try to create designs that go with what men wear. I tend to lean toward purples and blues because I find that men look great in these colors. Nowadays so many designers focus on being “different” and “unique” they lose sight if that fact that their pieces are supposed to be wearable.

Charles Alexander neckwear been around since 2008 and we specialize in handmade English neckwear. We work with a mill in England that mills our silk exclusively for us. We are in four stores right now – two in New York, one in Australia and one in Canada – but we primarily sell online. Our tailors in England have been constructing handmade neckwear for over 50 years. Our entire line is completely handmade and of the highest quality.

How do the fabrics feel?
Flawless. Our silk is milled in England by hand exclusively for us. I personally inspect every piece by hand before we hand off the silk to our tailors to build the tie. Our silk is so well constructed it’s virtually snag-less.

What male icons do you imagine wearing your ties and why?
Prince Charles. He is one of the best dressers on the planet and I think my ties would be right up his alley.

Why do you love ties most of all accessories?
I’ve always loved ties. When I was a kid I used to marvel at my father’s ties. I would look at the construction and wonder how it was put together. Ties are the most important accessory because it pulls an outfit together. You can turn one suit into many different looks just by changing the tie. This cannot be said about any other accessory.

How can a man change his look with one tie?
A suit without a tie just looks funny. A man just looks naked without it, that’s why ties will always be around.

What style is good for young men? Older gentlemen?
I find that my younger customers (myself included) prefer dotted ties, while my older customers prefer stripes. At the end of the day any style is right as long as you can make it work.

What advice do you have for a man who doesn’t know about ties?
Start slow and keep it simple! Don’t try to get the fanciest, most trendy tie you can find. Get something basic that compliments you existing wardrobe. Get something with a basic pattern and stay away from red. Once you know the rules, and you start building your fashion IQ then you can Start to get fancy.

Choose one tie to wear. A wedding?
Whatever makes your future bride happy.

Work?
My Burgundy Pindot Eastbury tie.

Drinking with friends?
My Navy Brockwell tie.

To impress a date?
Just wearing a tie to a date will show her how important she is to you.

Knight remembers her first stage makeup experience at the Royal Opera House’s Faust production. “The whole vibe of theatre is great; there is great rush when it is done and the audience loves it. Quick changes on hairspray were extremely amusing, when all the music is playing and your actor has to run straight on stage.”

She famously created a wedding look for a faux Kate Middleton for a T-Mobile video parody this past summer, but the real duchess earns five stars in Knight’s eyes. “Her skin is always glowing and she doesn’t ever go too far with make up. I like how she defines her eyes and keeps her lips nude. She is very on trend with that, I would like to do a softer version of her look with a brown smoky under eye rather than a black. I think that Kate looked fantastic on her wedding day, keeping it simple and beautiful.”

Famous or not, she says that anyone appearing on television must remember that makeup should be heaver and “definition, highlighting and shading is the key. Making the best of what you have; enhancing eyebrow shape, lips, eyes, cheekbones, lash line. Our eye is drawn to symmetry and when our faces are show this, we define this as beauty. I think that if you take care of your skin and have a good base to work on, it creates the best canvas and gives you a great advantage,” Knight says. For affordable brands, she recommends Maybelline mascara, Revlon’s Eyeliner Pen and Benefit’s Erase Paste Concealer. She also regularly uses Laura Mercier’s Secret Camoflauge Concealer and her Le Maquillage Grease Based Eyeshadow Kit, “which you can buy from P.A.M. Makeup Shop in Shepherds Bush.”

To stay safe, women can stick with pink shades. “A natural flush pink cream is great to add a glow on cheeks and if you add a little on your eyelids, it gives a great lift to your face. Also adding a tinted moisturiser to your skin gives you a great glow, I like skin to look luminous and healthy.”

After the Burton film wraps, she says, “I would love to work abroad again and miss the winter, and there are lots of movies being made so I am holding out for that. My dream would be to work on the Prada campaigns and do a Vogue cover. I really enjoy texturising hair too, making fuzzy blonde afros is always fun.”

For more information, visit her website at sophiaknightmakeup.co.uk.

“The original idea was invented by a cosmetic dentist. So when a set of nails is created for that client they will fit no one else but her, just like a dental veneer. The client has control over where, when and how long she would like to wear her nails. She also can have multiple sets: shorter for her work environment and a longer set for weekends and special occasions,” says Katie Saxton, President of Custom Nail Solutions.

The nail sets are available in five lengths: Sport, Active, Fashion, Glamour and Stiletto.

“For the corporate women the shorter lengths Sport or Active with a simple top coat or sheer would be appropriate for a professional environment. The longer lengths are very fun and glamourous. You may apply any color or brand nail polish, apply nail art or nail wraps to your custom fit nails,” Saxton says. “When you are done with that look it may be removed with nail polish remover.”

Custom Nail Solutions retails for $139.95 US. For more information, visit CustomNailSolutions.com.

“We look outside and get inspired by our surroundings. Although a small hotel as far as rooms are concerned (123), the food and beverage operation feeds 2,000 people daily. Maintaining this kind of volume here is both challenging and stimulating. Our windows are 20 feet high in the dining room. How can we not get inspired? Rot iron chandeliers, floor to ceiling windows, sugar pine beam rafters in the ceiling and walls – it all creates a feeling of being in the mountains,” he says.

“We use a mix of old and new world cooking technologies in the kitchen. We utilize sous vide and combi-oven technology, as well as the classic preparations of roast, stewing and braising, sautéing and frying. Because we base our menu off of what’s available seasonally and locally, dishes change all the time, but I’d say our Roast Prime Rib of Beef could be considered a signature dish, as it is always a great seller. Some of our clientele come from a continental dining era and this allows them to reminisce of days gone by.”

“I love tomatoes! We have a very small local farmer that has her farm at 3,000 feet elevation. We do not see any of her tomatoes until well into August and she is able to pick well into October. Since her plants struggle some, the fruit that they bear has a higher brix (sugar content).”

“I arrived in Yosemite in 1989, never touching food as a profession before. Checking into the human resources department, I was given a choice of cooking hamburgers in a fast food restaurant, or to work as a housekeeper making beds. The choice seemed natural. I love to compete in culinary competitions, from small contests to the grand Bocuse d’Or USA.I won the prize for “Best Meat Dish” at the Bocuse, which was a huge honor.”

It hasn’t all been a fun ride. 22-year old Young began playing tennis as a toddler and more seriously at 14, when he had to decide between baseball and the former as a career choice, though he encountered ups and downs on the ATP rollercoaster. “I’ve gone from top 100 to 40th in the world. It happens when you play on the tour one year and don’t win any matches,” he said, recollecting memories of his career so far.

“It’s new territory. I am getting into a bunch of tournaments I was never in before. Hopefully, the Olympics later this year. The whole month of August, that’s all you see on TV,” he said. If he retains his current ranking, Young will be in the top four American seeded players, qualifying for the United States’ Olympic team process.

On court, Young has the makings of a true top 10 tennis player – he, like Federer and others, has begun thinking about every aspect of his game, from his physical reflexes to mental characteristics.

“It was a tough loss for me [at the Australian Open]. I thought I was going to win the match because I had beaten Lukas Lacko previously at the US Open last year. It’s probably more mental than anything. I try to figure it out in my head. Strength? Probably, I really like my forehand and weakness, I work it out, making everything better, probably mental or just getting my emotions better,” he said.

Off court, Young, who lives just 30 miles south of Atlanta in Peachtree City, enjoys going into the city with his friends.

In his everyday life, Young, whose favorite recent movie is Limitless, dresses in his own blend of high and low fashion. “I really like Armani stuff. I like a lot of it. I just got some Armani shoes. I like jackets, leather jackets quite a bit. I like just designer stuff. I like the normal stuff also. I like a mixture of things.”

When he returns from a night out though, he wants a tranquil atmosphere. “The weather for me for Chicago was better,” Young, who is originally from Hyde Park in Chicago’s Southside, said. “For tennis, I can practice 10 to 11 months outside of just three in Georgia. There’s just so much land and it’s open. The people are kind of laid back and relaxed. It’s great. It’s just easier. The people I’ve met are real. In Chicago, I couldn’t get the living in the country feel I can get here.”

Young describes the tennis tour lifestyle as “pretty boring. It’s the hotels to the site to the hotel, the hotel to eat and back to the airport until the next stop. I don’t get to do much sightseeing in these places.” But, he added, “I’m enjoying it right now…right now, I’m focusing on my tennis.” Marriage, or settling down in general, he feels, “is way down the road.”

He donates to the United Way and said running a business and personal charity lie in his future versus the spotlight. “Hopefully, my tennis gets to a point where I can make a cameo appearance in a movie. That’d be great. But to be a full blown actor, I am not really good at faking. In 15, 20 years, I’d like to have my own business in whatever it is.”

For the time being, “I like a house with a lot of grass. Right now, I enjoy the look of the house for sure. I’m still figuring stuff out. The extent of me doing things like bedding, the way it looks and the color as far as the house and making it special? I don’t do a lot of planting. I’ve maybe planted two flowers or so in my life.”

As an alternative to gardening, Young spends time with his two cats, a little girl named Zoe and a boy called Spike. “I enjoy hanging out with them quite a bit,” he said, along with his parents. “I have a close relationship with my immediate family. I don’t have any brothers and sisters.”

What’s on his secret wish list? A car collection, of course. “I really like cars a lot. I enjoy looking at them. I have a Corvette. I really like it; it’s fast. I would love to collect cars or race them. I would really like to try that one day. I spend most of the time in the car.”

He grew up admiring Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, but Young’s words of wisdom work for everyone: “If you have a coach or someone advising you, you should really listen. You can never know everything. You can always get better. When someone is advising you from the outside, they can actually see more than you, so never close your mind.” As he continues winning and rising in the ATP rankings, he also has many more Nikko specials in the coming years…

Where are you today and what are you doing?

Currently, I am in Bordeaux, France playing a warm-up tournament for the French Open.

You had a recent success against Mardy Fish in Houston. How does that make you feel?

It feels great to beat a top 10 player for the first time in my career. To be able to play so well in Houston, my hometown, made the accomplishment even better.

Guys younger than you are struggling to remain afloat and you’re still just under the top 100 at age 34. What do you think it means for the old generation of people who think a tennis player’s career is over after age 25? How do you keep it going?

I think as long as you are healthy, have the motivation, and the talent, there is no reason why you can’t be successful no matter what age you are. I have the same work ethic now that I had when I was 18. I am just smarter and more experienced with my nutrition, recovery, and training methods.

Are you also going to surprise us by doing a top 50 jump? Where do you plan to go from here?

My ultimate goal is to break into the top 50. For now, I would like to get inside the top 100 so I can be main draw in the US summer hard court tournaments.

How are you going to amp up your court presence now that everyone knows you can bring it and win? 5’8″ isn’t short in real life but is for pro tennis. However, while the tall players do get their good press, what are the many advantages of shorter height on the court that people may not know about?

Speed is definitely an advantage, so I have to use my speed on defense, but more importantly on offense by taking time away from my opponent. You can do this by taking the ball earlier in the rallies, the way Andre Agassi did.

You have amazing muscle tone and your wife worked a lot in the fitness industry. What secrets do you have to people who want to get a more developed look, whether for sports or aesthetic reasons? Does your wife ever help you with your workouts?

I think it is important to cross train and also do interval training. This increases your heart rate the quickest and most important speeds up your metabolism for the rest of the day.  For getting a toned physique, the best way is to eat 4 or 5 small meals a day. This keeps your metabolic rate high constantly burning fat and fueling your body.

What is your average off day, workout routine like? What do you try to focus on most?

I really enjoy working out, including running, lifting weights, sprints, etc.  When I take days off from the tennis courts I still go to the gym. I like the “workout high” feeling after an intense gym session. Any exercise that gets my heart rate up and my lungs breathing heavily I like.

What is it like training in Houston as opposed to the Florida area like everyone else? And what is it about Texas in general lately?

Houston has great training facilities. I train at both GTAC and the Houston Racquet Club.  My coaches, Niclas Kroon and Peter Lundgren, are at GTAC. I am able to play on all surfaces in Houston which is a definite advantage to Florida where there is limited access to indoor courts. Also, in the summer it is extremely hot which enables me to get in stellar playing shape.

Do you have any advice for kids who want to be pro tennis players later in life? Especially about keeping it up – how do you feel confident in yourself time after time when it can be so hard to best yourself up over any failures?

Being a pro tennis player is an extremely difficult lifestyle. Only the top 100 players play in the ATP events and Grand Slam tournaments. It can be very lonely if you travel by yourself, expensive if you travel with a coach or companion, and you have to be very strong mentally as there is only one winner each week. Therefore, you are losing a lot. However, there are many great things. It takes hard work, perseverance, a good attitude and love for the game to be able to be successful. The ability to travel around the world and play a sport that I love and get paid for is phenomenal!

What do you do for fun when you aren’t playing tennis?

I am always playing tennis…just kidding. I enjoy going to the movies, or watching movies at home. I like nature a lot, so going to parks or to the beach to watch the ocean are activities I enjoy.  On long flights and down time in the room when I have it I like to read. I just started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Do you have any movie, music or entertainment recommendations for tennis fans?

I am a big fan of U2. I saw them in concert and it was amazing. I enjoy all of the classic warrior movies such as Braveheart, The Last Samurai, Gladiator, 300, Rocky, etc.

If people can think of one inspirational thing to take away from e-mail chatting with you now, what can you tell them about life and tennis?

Tennis, just like in life, a person has a lot of adversity to deal with. Things don’t always go your way or you can’t control a lot of things. It is how we deal with this adversity that ultimately decides our future based on our actions and emotions. The most successful people are those individuals who can adapt and deal with adversity the best.

I looooove black olives! As a kid and now, it is my favorite topping!

Last year, I was asked by someone I didn’t know well and spoke to for an appointment, “Why aren’t you at SXSW?” My parents have a place in Austin, so surely I could go make a quick trip. Right?

My answer was the same as this year. I am not interested in going to a festival that has lost its spunk. Everything about SXSW is anti-Austin, pro-corporate, technology-related, et cetera, et cetera. The festival was once a place where you could stumble upon a younger Amy Winehouse making the rounds as she developed her persona in the United States. This year, you can catch some guy named after weather discussing who knows what: The Office’s Rainn Wilson taking the conference stage for a reason beyond my understanding. There’s also the Gawker founder going on stage and a bunch of people pimping their new products. Nothing about that to me says, “This show is going to bring you the new, undiscovered Jimi Hendrix.” The indie idealism has been sucked out of SXSW. It probably got this way around 2010.

I may at some point eat my words by going sometime in the future. I want to say however, if and when I do go, I would knowingly participate as someone knowing it isn’t a truly indie festival anymore but something more of a universal geek squad convention. I’m all up for that for Comic Con type events. Can we all call it as what it is? Please. As a publication once said years ago, you knew SXSW was over when Perez Hilton and the Facebook founder showed up with parties. I don’t have a problem with it being that way but rather how the media and those attending pretend like SXSW is so indie-über cool, when it became another animal. I guarantee you, most hipsters are skipping it for Coachella nowadays.

The real sign of a movie being so-so, falling flat? When you begin questioning mundane points that have little to do with the storyline. Why would Rachel McAdams do this a few years after her Notebook performance? How and why is Diane Keaton here? Why is that “hot” guy, who looks like any typical guy you might see out in Manhattan, the movie’s heartthrob?

My big question: why was this movie ever pushed out to theaters versus Lifetime? I could see it working for that outlet. For a made for television movie, it works. Not so for a theatrical run. It doesn’t have a strong climax. You sort of end up feeling sorry for Harrison Ford’s demanding, fallen newsman star, when you ought to be falling into the cutesy crush storyline. The producer girl should have spent more time learning who these people are on her staff. She goes a different route, rolling out news turned viral YouTube footage.

Rachel McAdams acts similarly in this movie like she does in The Notebook when telling Noah she waited seven years for him. SEVEN YEARS FOR YOU NOAH! It, from a moviegoer’s standpoint, looks like she didn’t put forth her best efforts here in bringing a character. Diane Keaton is acting like she did in the Jack Nicholson movie I cannot name as I write this. Something that came in 2002, what is it, what is it!? Something’s Gotta Give. That movie! These people, with the exception of the bearded producer guy and Mr. Ford, roll out of bed here. Ironically, part of the movie’s basis is how Ford returns to daytime time for money’s sake. Is that life imitating art for any cast members, or am I letting my mind run away with itself?

Rachel McAdams is supposed to play every dumb girl believing she can do it in corporate American news media. Thanks to movies like these, I now understand why I, and other young women, cannot find all the work we need in journalism. And I’m talking back when I was 20, 21 years old, all done with college and Miss Know It All, before I ever started doing dog books, going by a man’s name and that sort of thing. I had a clean, cheesy slate; still, not much work.

I recommend this movie for any bored in the middle of the night. When you’re down and sick, bored, heartbroken, I don’t really know why, but you are alone and need a friend, watch this movie. You won’t need to fast forward through slow scenes like the other nameless movie I saw recently, one I thought sounded fun that I rented. Nameless, absolutely. [MONTE CARLO STARRING, OR "STARRING," IN QUOTATIONS, SELENA GOMEZ.] It isn’t terribly funny, and like the frittata dishes that Ford cooks in the movie, you wind up with a really unwelcome eggy taste in your mouth by the end.