State of the Blog and a Contest

As a special Christmas gift the Houndstooth Kid hit the 100,000th visitor mark (the 100,000th visitor was from Denmark). This website has had visitors from every state in the Union as well as 140 countries out of 195 in the world. As of this writing there are 49 followers. I consider that quite an achievement.

Of course there could be improvements, both in the quality of the postings and the variety of medium used. I've discussed with a couple influential folks about the use of video in this blog and they have been positive toward the idea. Video, of course, means more time and effort to plan, set up, film and edit and therefore possibly means even more time from post to post. But video utilizes both visuals and speech to convey a message. In this way a moving picture is worth well more the 1,000 words.

Another area of improvement is drawing you the reader into the discussion. While getting and responding to comments beneath each post is good, I'd like to do a post every so often that comes directly from the readers. One way to do this is to answer questions from readers.
So, please use the email link on the right side of the window to send me questions you'd like to see answered in a post. Or if you want to see something of interest. Or want something researched. Any number of things would work, so let me know!

A few other things.
Like any good capitalist I wanted to make a little money off of this blog project of mine. This can be done by adding advertisments to the blog that somehow relate to the topics about which are being posted. However, with commercialism slowly creeping further into our lives (as Christmas so blindingly displays each year) I've decided not to go this route. I've decided to keep the Houndstooth Kid uncluttered, so you don't have to worry about flashing ads and confusing layouts for as long as I can foresee. Rest assured.

The appearance of the blog might change though, we'll see.






And now, onto the main event.
As a 'thank you' for getting us up to 100,000 visitors in roughly two years, I'm having a contest.

To enter merely email me using the link on the right side of this window and tell me:

What is style? Is style timeless? Does style change? What is your personal style? Does vintage play a role in your personal style and how?

You can answer these questions however you want: via a written essay, photos with commentary and/or a video, etc. The length and content is up to you. Send your entry via email by January 15th and we'll pick and announce the winner by January 22nd.

What good is a contest without some loot?
The winner will have their essay/photo commentary/video posted on this very blog as well as receive several very nice vintage ties dating from the 1930s-1950s, free of charge or shipping costs. Contestants must live in the Continental United States, sorry, no entries from out of country.

May the most stylish and well spoken man win!

Esquire BDRM Finalists- Soaring Eagles or Black Sheep?

Here are the 5 finalists for Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man contest. Sorry to say I didn't make the final cut but there's always next year.

Still, it's a good feeling to know I'm one of the 25 best dressed real men in America, at least according to Esquire. Especially since most of my wardrobe comes from thrift shops.

So, what are your thoughts on these finalists? Are they anything to write home about or has Esquire gone down the tubes? Which of the finalists do you put your money on?

It's interesting to note that all of the finalists are very young, the oldest being 33 years of age. Each year in the past an older gentleman or two have been in the running. Does this mean recent definitions of stylish and fashionable include only the youthful or were there just no stylish older men this year?

Huh...

Somehow out of hundreds of candidates I've made it into Esquire's top 25 finalists for it's "Best Dressed Real Man" contest.

Anyways, Check out my profile and vote often! Also check out the other candidates, there are several fellow vintage enthusiasts who have made it to the top 25.

Vote for Me!

Help me win the Esquire "best dressed real man" contest!
Go to my profile and click on the stars (don't forget to vote multiple times!).
http://www.esquirebdrm.com/WilliamM/212

Thanks,
Billy