Purging Your Closet

***Guys! I told you we hadn't forgotten about you! Chris is still in process of preparing his next post (it's going to be an epic series) so I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long. I wrote this post for Southern Creative but figured guys could totally benefit from purging their closets too. So, here it is. Enjoy!***

Yesterday I decided to go through my closet and dresser and purge them. I have loads of clothes and accessories that I haven't worn in months or even years. So, I decided to take my sister and her friend Julie's advice... sort of. Cate and Julie started a project called Twenty Pieces where they are going to live for a year with only twenty pieces of clothing. Now, this is what I call totally nuts. I will admit though that they had a good idea, so I modified it. After about two hours yesterday I filled an entire trash bag of clothes that I would be giving away and a whole other one full of clothes that had seen better days and needed to be laid to rest. I actually love doing this. It feels so good to clean out your closets and be able to close your drawers. 

I strongly encourage you to go through your closets and decide what needs to go. It's a great feeling besides the occasional mourning over something you once loved and are convinced you will love or wear again. Sometimes you can even make some money doing this. There are places that will buy your lightly-used clothes from you! I just give them to girls at my church that are about 10 years younger then me. It's kind of fun seeing my clothes being enjoyed still. 

This is not just a girl thing! Guys, you are often in need of this too. 

The goals: 

 1). Be selective! Get rid of anything you haven't worn in 6 months, or anything you don't fit in. If it looks like it has seen better days, toss it. If you have worn the same white t-shirt for 6 months, toss it and get a new one! White doesn't last that long. 

 2). Keep only what works. If it doesn't look great on you, you won't (or shouldn't) wear it. Keep your shape in mind and if you need to try it on again and be brutally honest with yourself. 

 3). Have fun! This isn't a chore, it's an opportunity to free yourself of some extra clutter.

If you are interested in going hardcore on this, check out www.twentypieces.org and let Cate and Julie guide you through the process. 

Have fun!

Ask Ellie Part 1

Alright guys, I told you I wasn't abandoning you! Welcome to the first installment of Ask Ellie! Here I will answer all your clothing/fashion questions. No question is too small, and there is definitely no such thing as a stupid question. Hopefully this will encourage you all to write me and ask me more questions!

Q. Is it ok to wear black and brown together? If so, how and when. - Stan, age 27. 


A. Yes. It is absolutely ok to wear black and brown together. Actually, black and brown together is something I really love. Pairing black and brown can be tricky though since you have to pay attention to shades and tones. Just make sure that the brown you are wearing has black tones in it (chocolate or rich browns have that). There aren't really hard and fast rules when it comes to black and brown, so it is going to just take some practice eyeballing what looks right and experimenting with different tones. Hope that helps!

Q. How do I pull off hats and make them look less feminine? - Francis, age 22.


A. It's all in the style. Clearly, if you're wanting to wear baseball caps there's nothing you really have to do to butch those up. But you are probably thinking more about fedoras or newsboy hats. With fedoras, I would say wear them with a more casual look like jeans and a t-shirt, think folk/indie rock star. Newsboy hats are way tougher to make look like you didn't just get out of rehearsal for your production of Newsies. A lot of it simply comes down to confidence. If you're going to wear hats, wear them with confidence. When you're confident in your fashion choices it makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, hats are just going to be more widely "acceptable" or used in different areas of the world and the U.S. If you're in England hats are all over the place. If you're in California, not so much. So this is really when it comes down to the fact that if you want to wear hats, wear them and rock them.

Q. What's your opinion on tucked vs. untucked dress shirts? Especially with a jacket. - Chris, age 22.


A. If you are wearing a suit or dress pants it is absolutely necessary that you tuck in your shirt. No exceptions. However, if you are wearing a dress shirt with jeans and a blazer, then it is totally fine to wear it untucked for a more casual look. If you are still trying to look more put together and dressy then tuck in the shirt and wear a belt with your jeans that matches your shoes. So, with jeans you can wear it either way. With a suit or dress pants, absolutely tuck it in. Have fun!

You Haven't Been Forgotten

Don't worry guys, we haven't forgotten about you. A great post is coming your way from our guest writer Chris Stetson. Good things come to those who wait, I promise!