The X-Stylez: 100th Blog Post: A Personal Letter from the Blog’s Creator

Wow, 100 blog posts! I couldn’t be any happier yet more appreciative. I actually started this blog in September of 2010 when I initially got the idea of an All-Male Fashion Blog. I have always been an avid blog and fashion magazine reader, but as a man I felt that there was a need for more male blogs that not only highlighted mainstream fashion on the runways but also one that would give tips and guidelines for everyday affordable menswear. Yes Tom Ford and Prada have GREAT male fashion, exceptional even, but the average consumer is not wearing or can afford those designers' pieces. However, seeing top fashions and trends allow us creatively to find looks for less within own personal style inhibitions. I really dislike when I hear men are not as into fashion as women, because in my line of work as a wardrobe stylist I continually hear the needs and wants of men who desire to be as fashionable as their female counterparts but often times just don’t know where to start shopping or compiling the look they have in mind.

[Back on Track] So a little over a year passed and due to procrastination I had no updated blog posts. It was continually on my mind daily (Oh I should blog about this, oh this would be great to write about), but I’m not sure what it was, I just wasn’t moved to put my thoughts out there. I often talked to friends and clients about my ideas and potential blog posts, even set up to style and shoot several photoshoots throughout 2011 for my blog's content, but still no posts. About 2 weeks before the New Year I made a resolution that 2012 would be my year! I decided no more excuses, no more fears, I’m going to put my blog out in the atmosphere in the beginning of the year and I’m moving to New York City! [ACCOMPLISHED]

Around this time the H & M collaboration with Versace was coming out and I knew that I could grab an audience not only through self-promotion, but through internet searches and indeed the statistics on that blog post were phenomenal. After getting that dose of accomplishment I knew I could do it. I just wanted one, one person that would read my blog and find it helpful. Initially I knew I couldn't compare to the GQs and Street Etiquettes of the world, but I still wanted an avenue to voice my opinions on male fashion.

With this mindset I enlisted the help of a dear friend and fellow blogger Kim of KPFusion to help me construct a more visually appealing and user friendly blog template (Thank you Kim!!!). I started the launch of this blog on January 1 of this year and it has grown beyond my imagination. With only a little shy of 6 months, to date I have 35,655 page views with readers not only in the United States, but an audience reaching The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Indonesia, Germany, Thailand and India (WOW—TRULY GRATEFUL).

Probably two of the highlights of this entire "blogging experience” was getting a retweet from P.Diddy [Pretty Dope]

and interviewing top fashion and celebrity designer Chris Benz [Check out the interview here]

I say it all the time, “I’m just a little Southern boy trying to make it in the Big Apple”. I’ve been very blessed by gaining new followers from fashion week events, self-marketing and really just mouth-to-mouth promotion. Everyday I see a new person finding out about the blog through social media and I’m just blown away. Thank you all so much for reading. Now that I know people are paying attention, I promise to crank it up a notch to do more in-depth posts, trend weeks, blogger spotlights, street style captures, looks-for-less, giveaways, etc. I have a lot of amazing things in store that I can’t talk about just yet, but stay tuned.

My vision is for this blog to be a collective database of fashion files (The X-Stylez...get it?) that men can use as a resource for inspirations when putting together an ideal outfit to just being updated on what the world of fashion has to offer us.

Thanks for reading and tell a friend to tell a friend. Also be sure to subscribe to The X-Stylez Blog by becoming a member (located under archive column to the right of your screen) and to follow us on twitter and friend us on facebook.