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Average Guys Guide To Style - First Steps To Revamping Your Style

First Steps

Consider revamping your style if:

• You own any shorts made of denim material. This includes jean shorts, cut-offs, etc.
  
• Your jeans (pants) are more than 2 years old.
  
• You own any sandals, excluding flip-flops and crocs. This includes sandals that are partially enclosed, made of leather, or have a partially covered toe.
  
• You never wear a belt.
  
• You can easily get your fist between your waist and your pants.
  
• All your jeans are acid washed, white, stone-washed, have a droopy butt, or are more than 2 years old.
  
• Your sneaker socks come above your ankles.
  
• You have recently lost weight.
  
• You feel like you could improve your style, but do not know where to start.
  
• You have not revamped your style in recent memory.
  
• You look around and feel a bit out dated.
  
• You have not been on a second date in awhile.

Step #1 - Assess Current Situation
This step teaches you how to access your current style. You will learn to sort your clothes into distinct categories, evaluate each item, and then donate items that are out of style, worn, or that simply need replacing.

Consider Donation
Consider donating items to a local charity of your choice, such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Initially, it can be difficult to let go of items you may have had for years, but if an item is rarely used or neglected in your closet, it may get daily use and be cherished with someone less fortunate. Your generosity is also a nice deduction. The ideal time to do this is while categorizing as described next.

Categorize
This step requires you to gather together all of your clothes. Start by pulling all of your clothes out of your dresser drawers and laundry. Any items that are hanging in your closet can remain there, but gather together all other clothes. You can leave items on the hanger in your closet when evaluating them.

Once you have all your clothes gathered together in a single pile, begin to short them into the categories below. Create a separate pile for each of these categories. Be sure to create a separate location for the items you decide to 'donate'.

• Shirts - Anything worn above the waist. Includes dress shirts, causal shirts, tank tops, etc.
  
• Shorts - Anything that starts near the waist and ends above the ankle. Includes cargo shorts, khaki shorts, jean shorts, mesh shorts, etc.
  
• Pants - Anything that starts near the waist and ends at or below the ankles. Includes jeans, dress pants, khaki's, sweat pants, etc.
  
• Underwear - Boxers, briefs, tank tops (aka wife beaters), socks, etc.
  
• Shoes - Anything you wear on your feet. Dress shoes, sneakers, hiking boots, flip flops, Crocs, etc.

Decision & Guidelines
Item by item, decide which to keep and which to replace and donate. Many factors will influence your decision to keep or donate items. Everything from the cost you paid for the item to your personal memories of the item and even your current budget and ability to replace it, will influence you. This will be challenging, but the guidelines below will help you make good decisions. Also, keep in mind, it is far better to have fewer articles of clothing that are in-style, than to have many that are out dated.

Key Perspectives

• It is far better to have fewer articles of clothing, than to have a closet full of outdated items.
  
• If you have not worn an item in the last year, then it is time to donate it. Someone less fortunate will use the item far more frequently.
  
• It does not matter how much you paid for the item originally or how long ago. Do not let this keep you from making an objective evaluation.
  
• It feels good to donate, knowing someone less fortunate will benefit. And, when you fill out your tax forms at the end of the year, you will see a nice benefit as well.

Guidelines By Category - What To Keep

General

• Keep anything you intend to only wear around the house. These are typically comfortable items that are worn in. But, the rule needs to be that you can not wear them outside the four walls of your home!
  
• Keep items that are in good condition.
  
• Keep anything with sentimental value. This process should be a yearly exercise, so you can always reconsider donating it next year.

Shirts

• Further sort through your shirts by grouping them into categories such as casual, dress, and lounge. Do not use too many categories. Keep things simple. If you have several similar items in each category (for example, 5 pain red shirts, or 7 polo style shirts), keep one or two of each type and donate the others.
  
• Look for items with patterns, embroidery, or woven details. These are all signs that the item was made with the modern man in mind and should usually be kept. This is not an excuse to keep the shirt your mother knitted for you in High School.

Shorts

• Keep any cargo shorts that you purchased in the last 2 years and that fit well. [Link to more info on fit]
  
• Keep mesh shorts used for working out, exercising, playing sports, or lounging around in.

Pants

• Keep work pants, including slacks and khaki's. However, take an honest evaluation of whether you have to many pairs, and consult our style guide for more formal attire.
  
• Keep jeans you purchased in the last two years if they fit well.

Underwear

• Keep boxers that fit well around the waist.
  
• Keep briefs that conform and cling.
  
• Keep item in good condition. This means: No holes. No stains. No thinning of the material.

Shoes

• Comfort is key; Keep what is comfortable. This is not an excuse to keep your favorite pair of leather sandals from the 80's or your favorite pair of bowling shoes.

What To Donate

General

• Items you have not worn in the last 12 months
  
• Any item with holes or excessive wear and tear
  
• Faded items

Shirts

• Look for holes and fading. If it has a hole in it or is noticeably (and unintentionally faded), put it in the donation pile.
  
• Solid colors. Every stylish wardrobe should have a few solid-colored shirts, particularly if you are 5'9" or under. No wardrobe should include more than a handful of these, and most all should be for very casual wear. If you have more than a few that fall into this group, keep a few and put the rest in the donation pile.

Shorts

• Donate any shorts made of denim, including jean shorts and cut offs. No man should ever wear denim shorts.
  
• Consider donating any shorts that do not fit you well. If the butt is saggy or the waist is loose, then it is time for someone larger and less fortunate enjoy them.
  
• Shorts that are tight around your legs should go into the donation pile.
  
• Consider donating any shorts with no external pockets below the hips.
  
• Donate any item with holes, excessive wear, or stains.

Pants

• Any jeans that are white, black, grey, brown, or acid washed should go immediately into the donation pile. The only exception to this would be if you need a pair of 'work' pants that you want to be able to get dirty, but do not intend to wear in public.
  
• Any jeans not purchased in the last two years are ideal candidates for donation.
  
• Donate any pair with a saggy butt
  
• Donate any pair when you can easily place your fist between your waist and the pants.

Underwear

• You can not donate most items in this category, for obvious reasons. Exceptions include mesh shorts or tank tops. Use common sense in this category when deciding what to donate.
  
• Most items are inexpensive to replace, and men typically hang on to them for far too long. Be generous when you decide what to throw out, and keep in mind you can typically replace your entire sock collection for under $20.
  
• Consider throwing out any items with any stairs, smells, or holes.
  
• Throw out any boxers where the elastic band does not cling well to your waist.
  
• Throw out any briefs that do not cling well all over, have holes, smells, or are too tight around your thighs.

Shoes

• Coming soon

Purchasing Categories

• Dress Shirts - Nice shirts you would wear out on date-night, to a wedding, to work, etc. Not just shirts you wear with a tie.
  
• Casual Shirts - Shirts you wear on a daily basis, around the house, shopping at Best Buy, to the grocery store, anywhere really.
  
• Shorts - Anything that starts near the waist and ends above the ankle.
  
• Jeans - Anything that starts near the waist and ends at or below the ankle.
  
• Dress Pants - All khaki pants, dress pants for work, weddings, funerals, etc.
  
• Underwear - Boxers, briefs, tank tops (aka wife beaters), etc.
  
• Coats/Jackets - This includes fleece jackets or pullovers, raincoats, wool jackets, etc. Anything that, if worn alone, would qualify you as a 'flasher'.
  
• Shoes - Anything you wear on your feet. Dress shoes, sneakers, hiking boots, flip flops, Crocs, etc.
  
• Socks - Anything you wear between your feet and your shoes. This includes dress socks, tube socks, workout socks, etc.
  
• Accessories - Belts, rings, necklaces, piercing accessories, etc.