It’s about half way through January, and if you’re like me, a good chunk of your resolutions have gone by the wayside.
This is a post for the guys: let’s start over (January 1st is just a date, not a mandate), and get your personal style on track with a couple basic resolutions that you can thank me for later.

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Resolution No. 37:
If I haven’t already, I will find a good tailor. And I will listen to him.

When it comes to male fashion & style, it’s very possibly more about how your clothes are tailored than what you choose to buy. The GREAT thing about thrifting is that you can find a high quality shirt for under $10, freeing up the $30+ that you might have spent on the same shirt retail to get it tailored.

I hear guys whine that they can never find stuff that fits them well, so I refer them to my tailor & have a sneaking suspicion that most of them don’t ever get around to it. DO IT already!
I promise – once you have a collared shirt that fits like it was made for you, you’ll wonder how you ever wore that slouchy ill-fitting stuff that you wore straight off the rack.
This is my tailor, Erik, wearing a suit & shirt he altered.
He truly loves his craft & is a perfectionist with every garment he touches.

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Resolution No. 52:
I will dispose of any clothing I haven’t worn in two years,
and everything that straight up doesn’t fit me.

You know, all those things your girlfriend, wife, or mom bought you and you wore once, when out with said female to show them how much you like it when it’s totally not your style? How about the classic, old roomate left a bunch of his clothes when he moved out & it’s not my size at all, but hey – free clothes. Yeah – please get rid of all that stuff. If it’s in good shape, DONATE it. Purging your closet while helping others feels so good.
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Resolution No. 70:
I will find a suit that fits me well by shopping smart.



As much as you DO need a good tailor in your life, you can alleviate a lot of your high-end fitting woes by simply knowing how to buy a suit that fits you well from the get-go. It’s a whole involved post within itself explaining how to find the perfect suit for your body type. Search the internet for some basics on how a suit should fit. In the meantime, pull out the untailored suits you already have & see Resolution #37. Please don’t wear them out again until you do.

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Resolution No. 22:
I will experiment with accessories I’ve never tried.

So maybe you’ve never been a hat kinda guy. That’s ok. What about wearing a tie when you’re not wearing a suit? It might be time to branch out a little on accessories.
The great thing about thrifting for accessories is that you can afford to experiment! Accessorizing actually ups your style points considerably when done well. Add a long scarf, or a skinny tie, a cool new belt, a bright colored pocket square or a thick leather watch band. You can find these things secondhand, and slowly work them into your everyday look.
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Resolution No. 86:
I will not fall for cheap haircuts, big-box cheapo ANYTHING, or other false bargains.

Many of you are under the unfortunate understanding that going to a stylist over a barber makes you unmanly. Truth is – there’s a marked difference in how refined you look, and how much style you have when you have an actual stylist in charge of your look versus someone who just graduated beauty school wielding a trimmer with only 3 different length combs to choose from. If you’re wanting to have an actual sense of style about you, the cheap-clips place in the strip mall is not your friend.
Whether it’s something tame or abstract – it’s all about quality over economy. You will pay more at a stylist. Get over it. When you’re paying $7 for a haircut – you get exactly what you pay for, and yes, people can tell. But don’t go to just any stylist – just cause someone’s good at cutting hair doesn’t mean they’re great at styling GUY hair. Ask around. Find that guy in your office with great hair and ask where he goes.
The beauty of thrifting is, you’re saving money while still being able to find higher quality products, unlike the big box stores where a $2 item will fall apart before you can get it to your car. There isn’t a hair cuts thrift store, sorry. But the money you’re saving buying secondhand can be spent on a haircut with actual style.
Hope this gets you on a stylish and thrifty path for the new(ish) year.
Happy thrifting, guys!

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What style resolutions are you making?
How do you spice up your wardrobe with secondhand?
. . . . .
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