Style Share: An Assessment

It was just over a year ago that I came up with the idea for Style Share on a whim after going to an estate sale and finding an abundance of treasures, many of which I didn't end up purchasing (and somewhat regretted later). I had lots of different reasons for starting the project, some of which I'll discuss below, as I reflect a bit on the past year of giving stuff away.

My first reason for starting the project was a philanthropic one; I wanted to spread the joy a bit. At the time I came up with the idea, it seemed like I was stumbling upon trove after trove of great stuff, and while there have been months where I've had a hard time coming up with items to give away, most of the time I've found enough great stuff to both add to my own collection and hopefully add interesting items to the collections of others at the same time.

The numbers break down as such:

• Number of Style Shares: 11
• Number of items given away: 34 (30 ties, 2 shirts, and 2 hats)
• Number of returns: 19

Despite an initial desire to open a shop with some of my extra items, I eventually settled on the free idea for a couple reasons. One is simply because nobody else was doing it. A good portion of style blogs on the internet have associated shops (which is nothing against them, as I still may do one), but I wanted to see what the act of giving something away would prompt.

At the same time, for somewhat selfish reasons, I knew that it would be a lot harder for me to generate content on a regular basis with having a child come into my life this past year. In that regard, Style Share was my way of bringing in some crowd-sourced original content for the site when I didn't have my own time to keep it updated regularly. I figured it was sort of a win-win situation. I got content (and in the case of a couple gents who run their own style blogs, so did they), and the recipient got something small out of the deal.

So, what have I learned from it all?

When I first started, I figured that the return percentage (which is at roughly 56% right now) would be a little bit higher, but I guess I can't argue too much with over 50%. People get busy and I know as well as anyone that sometimes it's just kind of hard to stop for a moment to get a decent picture. Frankly, it's not much out of my pocket, and I'm not going to sweat it. All told, the 11 giveaways have probably cost me a couple hundred dollars or so, which . Then again, I've found things like this couch for probably 1/20th (or less) their actual value, so I can't really get too mad.

As always, thanks to everyone who has played along so far. Look for another entry to hit the streets in the next couple days or so...

2011 in review

As I did last year, I've decided to devote an entire post to my favorite finds and posts from the past 12 months. Not only is it fun for me to go back and look at what I've written in that time, but for newer readers to the site, it serves as a good entry point to find what are hopefully some of the more interesting entries.

Favorite find (sport coat): This would probably be a tie between this vintage cotton velveteen sport coat (which can been seen a little better here or here) and a beautiful glen plaid sport coat that I never managed to get photos of. I will remedy that situation as soon as the weather cooperates.

Favorite find (sweater): Okay, so I won it in a contest, but this amazing Pendleton sweater (which is one-of-a-kind) made my day, and has gotten a lot of use. So. comfortable.

Favorite find (pants): It's taken colder temps, but I've been wearing the heck out of these great black and white wool herringbone trousers.

Favorite find (shoes): Pretty much a bust year for finding anything decent in my size, and therefore my favorite pair also defaults to the vintage Johnston & Murphy captoe oxfords pictured above. They're made very well and I'd actually put them on a par with the Allen Edmonds that I've owned.

Favorite find (ties): I picked up a lot of interesting ties throughout the year (and gave some of them away), but the best single stop find of the year had to be this tie bonanza, which hooked me up with 5 Brooks Brothers and a bunch of other great stuff in one swoop.

Favorite find (accessories): Sure, they're nothing amazing, but these vintage cotton handkerchiefs have gotten tons of use since finding them.

Favorite find (furniture): This one is a no-brainer. My wife and I were looking for a couch, and serendipity called, placing this amazing vintage piece in front of us for just slighty more than a Benjamin.

Favorite non-clothing-related post: Duh. Although, this post about my wife makes me smile every time I read it.

Favorite style-related post: In terms of photos and overall look, I feel like this wedding outfit and this brown, blue, and red combo were some of my best.

Most interesting string of events: Behold, the power of the internet! This post summarizes a trip that an article of clothing went on across the country.

Favorite series of posts: For the second year running, this one goes to Style Share. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I again thank everyone who has participated. A runner-up might be Yay or Nay which has gotten some great responses and inspired some fun discussion.

Most commented-on post: This post about a crazy patchwork jacket was one of the aforementioned Yay or Nay posts, and it took on a life of it's own awhile after I posted it. After a bit of spirited discussion, everyone seemed to agree to disagree and it settled down.

As I mentioned the previous year, I'm certainly no style expert, and while their are certainly posts that could be deleted in order to save some face, I prefer to keep everything as a living document of the process. Along the way, I just try to have some fun, learn some things, and meet some nice people in the process. 2011 was no different and hopefully 2012 will be more of the same.

Everything changes

Almost a week ago, exactly one day before she was scheduled to be induced, our baby girl decided to make her way into this world on her own terms. Other than her large size, the birth process went about as well as expected. My wife was a champion of champions, and we couldn't have asked for any better stream of help from the different hospital staff. In short, everything went better than expected and we're incredibly thankful and happy for that.



I'd like to introduce everyone to Matilda. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces, and 21.75 inches tall and has been keeping us busy for the past few days as we learn a lot from her and she teaches us a lot about ourselves.

It's been an amazing journey so far, and I'm excited about what the future holds for us and our little family.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent their best wishes and positive thoughts. It means a lot to me.

Note: As mentioned in previous posts, new content may be a bit slower in arriving, but this blog will definitely continue. If all goes as planned, I'll have a new Style Share in early-to-mid May and several future posts will likely feature father/daughter outfit coordination. :)

Post 100: An ode to my better half

For my 100th post, I had an entry written that made some reflections on this blog in general and some other navel-gazing junk. The gist of it all was that despite adding to the overall bloat of the internet with yet another self-indulgent men's style (and whatever else) blog, it made me happy writing it.

And really, that's what it's all about.

Instead, I've decided to talk a little bit about my wife for this 100th post, who, if I go back to the beginning, is the reason this blog even exists (for better or worse). She's influenced and changed me in more positive ways that I can possibly write in this entry.

So, I'll limit her influence to things that pertain to this blog. If you jump in the wayback machine, one of the first entries was a really brief rundown on my style interests to date. If you want to skip clicking that link, the basics are; I jumped around from one thing to another, and when I first met my wife I was kind of a aesthetic ascetic (with one memorable pair of shoes held together with duct tape).

If you can imagine it as a movie scene, picture a beautiful young woman walking into a room wearing vintage clothes with the faint scent of vetiver drifting off her while a gawky, awkward fellow shuffles and stammers and tries to somehow catch her attention. Amazingly, he does so, and after a long distance, over-the-internet fueled courtship, they finally get together. To add one more cliche layer to it all, the fellow realizes that when you have someone to dress nicely for, it becomes even more fun to do so.

I should mention that in addition to thrifting and a love of vintage clothes, my wife is also into textile history and preservation, and even has her masters degree in the subject. She's helped teach me to distinguish different fabrics by how they feel and even showed me how to determine unknown fibers by lighting them with a match and watching how they burn (and how it smells when they do so).

And really, as I mentioned above, that's the least of what she's taught me. We met just over 10 years ago and have been pretty much inseparable since. We have a happy house with two dogs, a big garden and a baby girl on the way.


She also puts up with all my silly habits, including writing this little blog, so the least I can do is dedicate #100 to her. The few of you who read this blog already know how awesome she is, and the rest of you will just have to take my word.

If you need further proof, check out this photo of her as a 12 year old. And no, her outfit was not a school uniform, that's just how she rolled.


Better half, all the way.

2010 in review

I started this blog just over a year ago, and in the year of 2010 I made exactly 80 posts. I had barely any traffic for quite a few months, but in checking my stats lately, I've noticed that readership has slowly and steadily been ticking up.

For that reason, and because I thought it would be fun to read back through some of my old entries, I've put together this 2010 in review to highlight not only my favorite finds of the year, but some of my favorite (and a couple least favorite) posts.

Favorite find (jacket): In terms of fit and quality construction, it would be hard to beat the camelhair and slubbed silk jackets I found one Sunday late last winter. Bonus nod goes to this crazy Hickey Freeman jacket.

Favorite find (sweater): In terms of both warmth (wowza it is warm) and style, the vintage L.L. Bean sweater from a couple weeks back wins this one hands-down (pictured below with wool necktie, wool peacoat, wool scarf, and beard).


Favorite find (shoe): It's hard for me to mentally separate all the shoes found at the Golden Girls on steroids estate sale, but out of them, I've worn the brown vintage Florsheim Imperial loafers the most.

Favorite find (hat): I'll call this one a tie, as both the vintage Pendleton driving hat and the amazing Harris Tweed rain hat are gems.

Favorite find (pants): I can't believe I never got an entry written about them, but I found an amazing pair of vintage light blue pants made out of heavy oxford cloth. Yes, they're very cool. I will get pictures when I break them out of storage this spring.

Favorite find (tie): If you've read this site for any amount of time at all, you probably realize that I have a bit of an obsession with ties. If I absolutely had to pick my favorite finds, though, it would come down to either the pile I found in this tie bonanza or these three lovely madras ties, which I wore a ton last summer.


Favorite find (other accessories): They're certainly nothing high-end or seriously sought-after, but I have to admit my delight in finding these great belts (and belt hanger).

Favorite find (furniture): Okay, so my wife found it, but this Heywood Wakefield nightstand was a gem just waiting to be uncovered with a little bit of elbow-grease.

Favorite find (book): I managed to find several books on men's style, but it was an early 20th century ship log that stood out (pictured below).


Favorite style-related post: This one was harder to choose, mainly because I don't feel like I really settled into a very good rhythm in terms of photos until late-summer or so. If I had to choose, it would be this one, which also happens to somewhat show the aforementioned Florsheims.

Favorite non-clothing-related post: Without a doubt, this post. Some runner-ups include this post on owls, this one on gardening, and this one featuring pictures from the 50s of my grandparents.

Favorite series of posts: Easy, Style Share. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I again thank everyone who has participated. A runner-up might be Yay or Nay which has gotten some great responses.

Most ill-advised style post: Just to show that I'm not above making fun of myself, I direct you to this fairly eye-gouging pairing. Not sure what I was thinking on that one. Oh, and another fairly slouchy post is this one, where I'm apparently trying to be the definition of frumpy.

Sure, it would be easy enough to delete those previous posts and try to forget that they ever happened, but they're part of the process. In terms of that process, 2010 was a great year, and 2011 seems like it's already off to a good start.

Happy new year, baby.

I want to wish all the readers of this site a happy and healthy 2011. I started this blog up a little less than a year ago, and it's been a great deal of fun to write as I explore and evolve my own personal style and show off some of the interesting things I've found.

Having said the above, I've been hiding something from you and I need to tell you about it. I hinted at it vaguely in a past post, but I haven't yet posted anything about what will definitely be the biggest and most exciting news to happen to me in the year 2011.


The above picture is a profile view of an ultrasound of the baby girl who, if all goes according to plans, will enter the world sometime in the first week of April and change our life forever.

I had a long holiday break and meant to make more posts here (and even took quite a few pictures), but instead I ended up painting the room that will soon be hers and tried to make sure several other things got done around the house. There's only about 3 months to go, and I'm about 85% insanely happy and excited about what's to come, with about 15% of me still feeling afraid of all the little details and whether I'll remember everything and do everything right that I know I should. I've been reading books and trying to somehow prepare myself for it all, but know that no matter how much work I do, I'll soon be dumped headlong into something that I simply can't comprehend until the experience is actually happening to me.

I can't wait to hold the little baby in my arms that I've felt kicking me through my wife's skin for the past two months. I'm excited to see what she looks like and how she takes after myself and her mother. Most of all, though, I'm anxious but hopeful that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Heck, I've even wondered how old she'll be when she first says, "Dad... You are not going to wear that outside the house, are you?"

Again, I wish the best for you and yours in 2011.

Fiftieth post; Here's to a few more

I mentioned it briefly back in one of the first posts that I made on this site just over five months ago, but I started shopping at thrift stores back when I was in college.

At that time, I was going to school and working two part-time jobs, and by purchasing most of my clothes at thrift stores and various garage sales (including a great, yearly church rummage sale that took place near my college), I could update my wardrobe on a fairly regular basis and still stay within my budget. I could even find some incredibly outlandish outfits to wear to parties or even a (*gasp*) rave.

After I got out of college, student loan debt loomed. Thrift stores then took over as my main clothing purchase place, and I shifted into an incredibly stripped-down lifestyle for a couple years to pay down debt and then start saving for a down payment on some sort of house.

During those more spare years, I had a very basic wardrobe and rarely deviated (the same could be said for my eating habits as well). I didn't own (or even like to wear) jeans, I never wore shorts, and I basically wore some sort of slacks and a collared shirt every day (other than weekends, where I'd drop down to a t-shirt). I didn't view my wardrobe as anything other than utilitarian, and there were several years were the entire amount I spent on clothes and shoes combined clocked in at less than fifty dollars.



As I mentioned in the aforementioned linked post, my attitudes towards clothes changed over time, and meeting my wife only helped influence some of those changes.

I mentioned that I used to hate wearing shorts above, and that's largely still true. I've been pretty body and self-conscious for a long time, and I figured that by starting a blog like this, it might help me get over things a bit.

I've still only told two people I know about it, though, which might explain the small readership... :)

The other main reason I started the site was that despite maintaining two other sites, I felt like I'd become a bit complacent about my writing. Starting a blog about a subject that was completely different than what I'd written about before (and something I still feel like I'm learning a great deal about every day) seemed like a good way to keep my interest level up over the long haul.

I've tried to leave the format fairly open, as I didn't want to pigeonhole myself to strictly fashion and/or style, and it should probably come as no surprise that my favorite post since starting the blog isn't about either.

If you've read anything on here and enjoyed it, I appreciated it. I'll try to make the next 50 posts even more interesting.

So, what's your style?

Other than relatives giving me the doting, "oh don't you look nice!" at various church and school functions when I was young, the first time I remember someone commenting on what I was wearing was in junior high. It was a classmate of mine and he called me a "prep."

I can't remember exactly what I was wearing at the time (probably nothing more than a light-colored polo shirt of some sort), but I do remember that the comment was not meant as flattery. I spent my formative years in a small town in the midwest, where being good at sports and tough (yes, even in junior high) seemed to help your chances of success, at least on a social scale.

Me rocking a velour shirt back in the day

I went through high school without giving my wardrobe much thought, then went off to college in a different town and flew through different phases about as fast as I could. There were dabblings in goth (oh, dear), thrift store castaway (a mish-mash of skinny pants and horrendous print shirts, mostly entirely made of polyester) and finally the dreaded couldn't give a crap man-child phase (ratty pant 'n t-shirt, every day). That latter look stayed with me for a few years post college, as I landed with a dot-com boom-era job that allowed me to indulge sandals and 70s era t-shirts with faded iron-ons with worn army pants.

Not my everyday outfit in college, but close, sadly.

Where I've finally arrived has largely been caused by two things. First, and most importantly, I met a great gal who showed me that it's fun and yes, even comfortable to dress nice. Secondly, I got a job where I have to at the very least wear shirt with a collar every day.

The end result is a style that's not incredibly refined nor is easy to label. It's constantly morphing based on what I can find within my budget and an ever-expanding knowledge of what I think looks decent and works (although, sometimes the two still don't quite meet).

So, if I had to narrow things down, I'd say that my look is a combination of classic, contemporary, and cowboy, with a dash of kitsh thrown in for good measure. My tastes in regards to books, music, and art are largely similar, so it all makes sense, really.

Let's get this started

Over the course of the past couple years, I've found myself increasingly interested in men's style and vintage fashion. I've been cultivating a vintage tie collection for about 6 years now, but after following blogs like An Affordable Wardrobe, I decided to start my own little home on the internet to show that style isn't relegated to the coasts.

Of course, I love browsing great sites like Put This On and A Continuous Lean, but unfortunately my pocketbook isn't as large as my eyes when I view them. I'll post about style and some great scores that I've managed to find, but probably sprinkle in some material culture and other random entries along the way. It should be fun.

There's no doubt that The Sartorialist will never make a stop to my fair city, but hopefully I'll represent the flyover states to my best ability.