Blog Action Day: do your part to end poverty

Today is "Blog Action Day" a day set aside for bloggers all over the globe to speak out about a single issue, this year that issue is poverty. So, at this point you're probably muttering to yourself something like, "what can I do to eliminate poverty... this guy is crazy." Well, while I may be a bit off from time to time, I do have some good ideas on how we can do our part and best of all they can be fun. 

One way you can help involves eating. First figure out what you normally spend on dinner each night. Then take one week and see how cheaply you can eat and simply donate the difference to a local food bank.

Another idea involves shopping. Step one is to go through your closet and weed out all your old clothes. Next donate them to a homeless shelter or charity. Now shop for new stuff and fill that closet back up.

Maybe you're more of a social person? Get a group of friends together and donate an evening to a soup kitchen or other charity. This is also a great idea for a group date night.

OK, so those are my three ideas but you might have even better ones. So, I challenge you to come up with three realistic ways you can fight poverty and then... follow through with them!

Socks, Ties, and Everything Nice: to match or not to match

I have gotten a few questions regarding the proper way to match socks and ties with other articles of clothing. The goal here is to create a complete look so that all clothing components "go" or coordinate with each other. So let's start with socks.

In a conservative outfit socks are supposed to act as an extension of the pant leg not the shoe. Therefore they should be the same color or slightly darker than the trousers you are wearing. Matching your socks to your pants helps create a longer vertical line and makes you appear slightly taller than you would otherwise. If you work in a conservative environment or you are interviewing this is a good rule of thumb. However, if you have some freedom or are one of those fashion forward types you can push this a bit, with lighter colored or patterned or even brightly colored socks as long as they compliment your overall outfit. They can pull some color from your shirt and some from your pants, they can even coordinate with your tie. This look is a little more risky but it can actually make you look more fashionable if done correctly. This should go without saying but, never wear athletic socks with anything other than athletic wear, and please tell me you don't wear jeans to the gym.

Ties, on the other hand, are designed to pull your entire outfit together. They should use color and pattern to "tie" your shirt to your pants or suit. This can be done with highlight colors found in your other clothes or by contrasting the color of the tie with both your shirt and pants. The problems begin to arise when you go too far and pick a tie that has no connection to your other clothes. Another common mistake is to match too closely your shirt and tie. If your shirt and tie combination creates a "hidden tie" effect you need to start over. 

Try following these tips to make sure you complete the look the next time you dress up.