A (temporary) farewell

You might have noticed this blog has been dark for a while.  Well, I've started using my other blog (afistfulofstyle.tumblr.com) as my primary platform.  Blogger just didn't do what I needed it to do.  So if you're following us here, start following me there.  I update way more regularly.

But!  Don't worry too much.  Ashley wants to start developing a mens accessory line, if and when that happens we'll be using this site to promote that and write in a more "together" mode.

Thanks for sticking with us this long.

Best,
Alex

Thrift Shopping Vol. 2: De-constructing a major score

I have a horrible confession to make.  I posted that primer on thrift shopping in a slump.  I felt like (note to self: learn a sports players name) doing some thing involving sports (note to self: learn about a sports scandal), and then lying about it.

But then things changed.  We hit up goodwill and spent $70 on a pretty epic goodwill haul.  Check out what patience and that stupid advice I gave last week will get you after the jump...

Primer: Thrift Shopping

The big 2

Thrift shopping is one of the most debated topics I've run into on the blogo-tubes.  There are entire blogs (awesome ones I might add) that can give you some excellent advice.  But I also think thrift shopping is one of the most wrongly approached topics out there.  There are numerous advantages to thrift shopping, but essentially the only one that gets any play is that you can score top tier brands for a bargain basement bottom line.

Now, this is a very nice thing, but it eliminates what I think is the true crux of thrift shopping.  It's the only absolutely democratic shopping you can do, where Old Navy and Oxxford hold equal sway.

Not that I think I'm the greatest or anything, but I will try and give you the best advice that's ever been given on the subject.  This primer will help you grasp the basics so you can thrift not only like a pro, but like the forward thinking visionary you know you are (or aspire to be) in 5 easy steps after the jump...

Fox News hates gender | A Fistful of Style

Fox News hates gender | A Fistful of Style

I'm doing this all backwards! But I think this is worth reading (even leaving aside the fact that I wrote it)

Crayons, Punk Rock and New England: Drawing inspiration

a big box of inspiration

I recently got asked on my other blog (of course I have another blog, how else would I promote this blog?  facebook? It's not like I have twitter!)

Anyway, the question was "what inspires your style?"  So of course I just sort of wrote down the first 5 things that popped into my head.  Here's what it was.

Crayola Crayons, Punk Rock, Geometric Forms, New England Weather and the people I surround myself with

So I thought... why those?  And how do they?  What stupid bullshit did I just ramble out now?  But then I thought about it some more and it's pretty much dead on.  Delving into your wardrobe and finding things to inspire you, after the jump...

Putting your own spin on it

So I know I've been talking a lot about defining "your style" and giving some nebulous tips.  So I thought I'd make this one really practical and specific.  This look was a big hit in and around Portland today, David Wood called me a man after his own heart (also, a bum in Monument Square took 15 minutes to tell me and Ashley how "awesome" we were).  In any event, after the jump I'll talk inspiration and how to tweak things to fit your personal style instead of looking like a carbon copy of a magazine/historical picture...

Look better NOW (or in a week or so): 5 idiot proof (and free) ways to look better for spring (and the rest of the year)

Any day now this shit will be GONE!

So now that it's (please god, please) actually spring, I thought it's time for some more content.  And after my "manifesto" I thought I'd follow up with ways to look better without spending a single dime.  Though to be fair, after you do these, you'll probably want some new clothes.  ABSOLUTELY FREE advice after the jump...