John went from carefree bachelor to father of four in 13 months after marrying a single mom and then quickly learning that not one, not two, but three babies were on the way. His book, Tales from the Trips, chronicles the emotional, hilarious and life-altering transition. To promote it, he began blogging, drawing up to 600 page views per day and raising the brow of Hollywood A-listers.

Rob is in touch with Central Kentucky’s feminine side. The man behind Saul Good Restaurant & Pub in Fayette Plaza—celebrating two years this month and rated No. 1 on Urban Spoon and Trip Advisor since last summer—is adding a second jewel to the crown with a Hamburg location, set to open in early April.

Rob is in touch with Central Kentucky’s feminine side. The man behind Saul Good Restaurant & Pub in Fayette Plaza – celebrating two years this month and rated No. 1 on Urban Spoon and Trip Advisor since last summer – is adding a second jewel to the crown with a Hamburg location, set to open in early April. Complete with a mythical “back story” about Saul being a jeweler who has collected gems and recipes from around the world, the pubs – which Rob owns with Chef Jeff Mayer and wife-and-muse Diane – are branded to speak to women.

Note to Charleston’s culinary aficionados: The city’s rise in foodie fame has as much to do with superstars like Darryl as it does with big wigs in white hats. Darryl is a food-and-bev fixture in town: a 13-year front-of-house veteran of the former Mary Ann’s on Meeting Street, then a 17-year stint bartending at Vickery’s (where he earned “Best of Charleston” honors four times over), and now back to the linen-napkin scene at Halls Chop House, where Darryl keeps diners happy and fine food flowing. “I love being around people. It gives me energy,” says the master waiter with an easy smile.

Sometimes it’s not only what you know, but who you know. In Alan’s case, it was a happy mix of the two that landed him a coveted spot at the Ars Sutoria School for Design and Pattern Making in Milan, Italy. “The actual manufacturing [of my handbags] is the traditional Italian way. What I’ve done is added my designs and used their methods,” he says.

Daniel was supposed to be a funeral director. "I started working at a funeral home at age 14. And I loved it," says the Greenville, South Carolina native. So why did he go into hair styling? "My dead people looked fabulous!" he says. "I knew I was born to do this instead."

Since he was a kid, Cliff enjoyed telling stories—especially if he could both illustrate them with images and articulate them with words. As a high school freshman, he decided to combine his love of writing and visuals to tell stories with film; once he’d made the decision to follow filmmaking as a career, there was no turning back. “I like the bigger than life aspect of filmmaking,” he says. His company, Genesis Studios, is a full-service marketing, film, and production company, and his new baby, Emergent Films, was created to encourage more filmmaking in South Carolina while helping train and retain film talent in the state. “We want to see more things coming out of South Carolina from a filmmaking standpoint,” says Cliff. Emergent Films will produce one feature film and one to three short film projects each year—shooting begins this month for the first feature-length work, a Hitchcockian thriller shot entirely on-set at Genesis Studios’ new studio.

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a skirt? “It was fun to do something that I would have no reason to do otherwise.”

And your favorite thing about reading skirt!? “Finding out what women think and what appeals to women.”

What does chocolate say about the man who’s giving it? “He’s focused on you,” says the artisan chocolatier who’ll turn out 50,000 pieces of Gearhart’s Fine Chocolate for Valentine’s Day. “At Christmas, guys buy for everyone on their list,” Tim explains.

Veteran news anchor and reporter for WXII 12, Cameron Kent is no stranger to storytelling. He’s written screenplays for NBC, HBO, Lifetime and the American Film Institute, as well as two crime/thriller/suspense novels. But on this, the debut of his third novel, The Road to Devotion, Cameron has taken a leap: into historical fiction and his feminine side. “They always say write what you know, and writing about two women during the Civil War is nothing I know anything about. It was a radical departure but I just felt like it was the best way to tell this story.” And the story is this: two women, Sarah, a landowner, and Jacquerie, a runaway slave from Louisiana, develop an abiding friendship and cause Sarah to challenge a lifetime of spoon-fed ethics. “This book has been different because everything [else] I’ve ever written has been to entertain, and I wanted to say something, I wanted to express something about my world view.”

What you like about reading skirt!?: “I have a copy of skirt! in my car right now. It’s been good to read and get a woman’s perspective on the world.”

Rob has truly reinvented his career. As an archaeologist, his early career was spent digging up artifacts—and now, as president of SavannahJobs.com, he digs up jobs instead. Although it may seem like his two professions are opposites, he draws many similarities between the two. “I feel that I’m good at trouble-shooting problems, and I relate that back to archaeology,” he says. “With technology, things are changing all the time. There’s always something new to learn.” In fact, Rob’s life is a study in constant adaption all around; as the father of four children (an eight-year-old and five-year-old triplets), balancing his career with his home life keeps him busy. “Having triplets five years ago; that’s really changed my life, our lives, changed our priorities,” he says. “It’s great. It was very hard when they were little, just the logistics. But now, they’re so much fun.”

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a skirt? “When I first met my wife, we went to a Halloween party together and dressed as each other. So it reminds me of when I first met my wife. I dressed in one of her skirts for that party.”

It’s a typical day for Dr. Ganji, who this morning ended a patient’s three years of leg pain and difficulty walking by removing a blockage in his leg. “The effect is instantaneous, and I’m going to see that with my own eyes, and that gives me a lot of pleasure,” says the cardiologist with Southeastern Heart and Vascular Center, who has been interested in heart disease since the age of 15 when his father became a heart patient. His passion for heart health brought him to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the No. 1 killer of women. He advises women to be physically active, eat fruits that have an edible skin and not to overlook the warning signs of heart disease, such as shortness of breath. “When we can diagnosis it early, then the treatment is much simpler than when we diagnose it late.”

What do you like about wearing a skirt? “Like a hint of mint, it makes me cool.”

What do you like about reading skirt? “It’s about women and discusses women’s issues, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
 

At 6 foot 8 inches, Mike Geier is a big boy. But more importantly, he’s got a big booming voice. The singer and musician plays with several incarnations of his band Kingsized, around Atlanta. Kingsized does jazz standards, Frank Sinatra-crooner style songs and can sometimes be found in front of a big band set up or just as a trio at Martinis at Imax. Mike also performs with them for the Elvis Tribute show he does at Variety Playhouse twice a year and his big holiday show in December. Then, there is his wacky-party-style band Tongo Hiti, which plays at Trader Vic's every Thursday night. "We play the music we love," says Mike. "We want to play everything, and we can," he adds with a chuckle. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. But we do."

Wearing a skirt is second nature to Ian, as long as it’s a kayak spray skirt. The outdoorsy director of the Lowcountry Environmental Education Program (LEEP) uses kayaks, hikes, marshy excursions and all things creepy and crawly to teach kids about the natural world. “It’s amazing how many local kids have never even seen the beach,” says Ian, a Californian who joined LEEP in 1999. By teaching students outdoors, Ian works to break a cycle. “We can pick up trash in marshes all day long,” he notes, “but it’ll just reappear unless we teach people to care, and people don’t care about something unless they experience it.” A musician by training and teacher by choice, he’s also an advocate (lobbying for improved environmental educational opportunities statewide) and movie star—his 2008 adventure kayaking from the SC mountains to the sea is chronicled in the ETV documentary, Web of Water. 

The best thing about wearing a skirt? “Being able to move around easily au naturel.”
His favorite thing about reading skirt!? “It teaches me that women are the true movers and shakers in Charleston.”

Buck left L.A. for Savannah almost two years ago, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. He’s a veterinarian at Central Animal Hospital three days a week, and on his “off” days, he spends his time on his other career—the arts. Buck is an abstract artist, musician, and actor, and says living in Savannah has allowed him to find a way to dabble in all of the things he loves.

“I was drawn (to Savannah) by the reputation of SCAD, but also finding out that the whole town is sort of filled with creative people,” he says. “A lot of the things that I didn’t like about L.A. are corrected by moving to Savannah. I know my neighbors. I live very close to everything I do. I absolutely adored living in L.A., but it was time for something different.”

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a skirt? “I’m not sure. I think you girls have it over us guys in terms of clothing freedom.”

And your favorite thing about reading skirt!? “I don’t want this to sound negative, but I was surprised to find it so much more than a women’s magazine. I was really impressed with the way it was laid out. I like the large format; I like the kind of anything-goes subject matter and topics. I found it quite inspiring.”