THE GERM-FIGHTING GYM TOWEL

Even the cleanest gyms in town can be breeding grounds for germs and cooties. So how can you protect yourself from the microscopic critters working out with you in the weight room? Start by exposing a bit less flesh.

Don’t believe us? Well, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, barriers like clothing or towels between you and shared surfaces (like gym equipment) can help decrease the risk of getting a staph or MRSA infection.

That said, we’re thinking we’ll start wearing a long sleeve tee shirt and workout pants instead of shorts and a muscle tee.

Next, we’ll top it off with the Safe Side Towel – a special workout towel has "gym" printed on one side and "face" printed on the other so that you won’t wipe your face or body with the gym side. Pretty clever, eh? Made from bamboo blended with a little cotton, the Safe Side Towel is naturally antibacterial, antifungal, eco-friendly, soft and absorbent – so the question then becomes, how many would you like to order?

To pick up a few, click to: http://www.athleteoutfitters.com/

COCKTAILS THAT CARE

These days, you gotta have a gimmick, and if it’s an eco-friendly one, then so much the better. Though we’ve rarely met a cocktail we didn’t like, we were even happier than usual to find ourselves face-to-face with a bottle of Modern Spirit’s TruVodka, one of the most eco-friendly alcoholic treats around.

How so? Well, they make the stuff in small batches, from good stuff like organic, locally grown ingredients. Then they wrap it up in recycled, recyclable or biodegradable packaging – all very admirable, but the real kicker is that for each bottle you buy, Modern Spirits will plant a tree.

To do that, the company works with non-profit groups like Sustainable Harvest International to plant new trees in tropical zones (where they are cut down in the greatest numbers) with the goal of passing on a better planet to the next generation.

Is that cool or what? In fact, we’re liking this idea so much, we’re going to dedicate ourselves to creating a small forest – over the next couple of years of course. Care to join us? Click to: http://www.truvodka.com/

BETTER SWEATER DRESSING

When a suit’s not required, most of us spend a fair amount of time in sweaters. Sweater dressing is easy, practical and looks good – it’s a no-brainer – but it’s a thin line between wow and whoa, so you need to know what to keep in mind.

How to do the sweater better this fall? Start here:

At the office: If you work in a business casual office, a dressier v-neck or crewneck sweater with a shirt and tie works well with or without a jacket. For a quirkier yet stylish office look, try a cardigan with shirt and tie. At the office, your best bets are sweaters in solid neutrals or classic colors like gray, brown, beige, and navy. Your sweater fabric should be upscale as well – meaning absolutely no sweatshirt fabrics or polar fleece. Instead, look for lightweight and streamlined fabrics, like cotton, wool, cashmere, either on their own or blended with other fibers to help maintain the sweaters’ shape.

At the game: Bust out the flannel and fleece it up – don’t hold back. You’ll need the extra warmth as outdoor sporting events in the fall can be astonishingly cold. If you want to upscale your look a bit – hey, you never know who you might bump into at the stadium – then try a beefier knit with a lot of texture for a more pulled together look. Our suggestion? Our very own Perry Ellis Raglan Sweater at http://www.perryellis.com/Sweaters/Raglan-Sweater/invt/49fg8211ps&bklist=icat,4,shop,pemen,pedmsweaters

For Sunday Brunch: Try a sweater with graphical interest like faded Argyle sweater or the sporty yet pulled together pip-mock sweater, which are, conveniently enough, available at Perryellis.com. The V-necks on both sweaters work particularly well on fellows with a slim or athletic build.

From now till eternity: Words to live by – avoid seasonal or holiday motif sweaters. Even David Beckham couldn’t pull off that now infamous reindeer print cardigan last winter, and chances are you won’t fare much better this year. Our advice? Stick to the simpler classics, meaning solid colors, color blocks, argyles and cable knits. If you must have a pattern, just be sure to keep checks and plaids on the subtle side. Then just for laughs take a look at http://www.uglychristmassweaterparty.com/ , which is dedicated to honoring and celebrating sweaters-gone-horribly-wrong.

ROCKING OUT IN BROOKLYN

We plan to be the first ones in when the doors open for Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present, the traveling exhibition that touches down at the Brooklyn Museum on October 30.

Who Shot Rock & Roll is the first major museum exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the forefront, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock music.

Featuring roughly 175 images, the extensive exhibit shines a light not only on some of the world’s most famous rock legends, but also celebrates the photographers who created some of the world’s most iconic images (for example, the shot of Jimi Hendrix with his flaming guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967).

On view will be behind-the-scenes shots of Ike Turner, Little Richard, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Tina Turner, and Amy Winehouse to name a few -- all seen through the lenses of high-profile photographers such as Mick Rock, Richard Avedon, David Gahr, Pennie Smith, Jean-Paul Goude, Henry Diltz, and Max Vadukul.

The exhibit runs through January 21, 2010 – but if you can’t make it to Brooklyn, you can pick up a copy of “Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History” the companion book to take you on a magic carpet ride through the last 55 years of rock and roll imagery.

TIE CARE 101

If you’re a neck-tie wearing guy, chances are you have a couple of favorites in heavy rotation, which is all well and good because most ties can last for years if you treat them right. How to give your ties a long, happy life? Here are a few pointers:

Hang it up, bro: Though they seem a little old school, it’s hard to improve on the tie rack – so use one to hang up your ties. While ties on hangers are OK for the occasional overnight, they’re definitely not a good idea for longer-term storage. A bunch of ties wrapped round a hanger will almost invariably get tangled up, slide off, hit the floor and commence wrinkling activities, so again, might we suggest a tie rack?

Knots so much: As soon as you come home, take 10 seconds to unknot (not pull apart) your tie to help it look better, longer. Don’t have 10 seconds? Then leave your tie knotted and lay the groundwork for permanent creases and wrinkles – just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Hit the road, Jack: If you and your ties are hitting the road, there are a couple of ways to take them along for a virtually wrinkle-free ride. The gold standard for crush-proof, wrinkle-free ties is the classic tie case – it’s like a wallet for you ties. Next option: fold ties loosely and store them in the pockets of the suit jackets you’ll be traveling with.

Another option? Use your shoes as a carrying case – gently roll up your ties, lightly wrap them in tissue or clean socks and lightly tuck them into the mouth of the shoe (not jammed into the toe). Just keep it to one tie per shoe, and no matter which method you use, be sure to hang the ties up as soon as you arrive to keep wrinkles at bay.

Give ‘em some air: Chances are you own more than one tie, so change ties daily – never wear the same tie two days in a row. Just like your shoes, tie fabrics need a little time to breathe, let the wrinkles fall out and restore their original shape.

Waiter, is that a tie in my soup? Stains – they’re the sworn enemy of the tie. How to avoid them? It’s called a napkin, so get to know ‘em and wear ‘em high on your lap as possible but stop short of the napkin-as-bib look. You can also try wearing a tie tack to help keep the silk out of your soup. If you still manage to stain your tie despite your best efforts, get it to the dry cleaner as quickly as you can – and be sure to tell them what caused the stain so they can treat it with the appropriate antidote.

TRACY MORGAN, MAD GENIUS

If you’ve enjoyed comedian Tracy Morgan’s endearingly whacked-out performances on “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live,” YouTube and beyond, you’d probably agree when we say that Morgan is either off his rocker or off his meds.

Be that as it may, he’s also something of a mad genius. So we hope you’ll excuse us this weekend, because we’re taking the phone off the hook and spending some quality time with Morgan’s just-released (Oct. 20) book “I Am the New Black,” his warts-and-all autobiography.

Chronicling his rise from the projects of Bed-Sty, Brooklyn to television stardom, amidst battles with alcohol and diabetes and a disintegrating 20-year marriage, Morgan tells all, in his trademark take-no-prisoners style. We listened to a free excerpt on Itunes the other day and were instantly sold. To listen to an all-too-brief excerpt, head to Itunes for the free download and listen up.