The Fashion Thread

[iamshack]

Ok fellas, I know this ins't everyone's cup of tea, but with all you young guys looking to enter the workforce or turn the ladies' heads, I think it's high time we need a thread dedicated to clothing, style, and man's efforts to look his best.

 

I suggest we cover topics such as:

 

-What is suitable to wear for a job interview

 

-What is suitable corporate attire, whether that is a suit 4-5 times a week, a shirt and tie, or business casual

 

-What does a single man wear to impress a woman

 

-What does a married man wear to cause other women to be jealous of his wife

 

-What does a man wear and do to generally look his best

 

I'll start...my job is generally a business casual affair, however, I've always taken pride in my appearance and dressed for the job I want, not the job I have. As my career has developed, and my salary has increased, I have stepped up my wardrobe a bit, first improving the quality of my staples (which was a huge undertaking), and then adding some trendy pieces every now again. At the moment, I'm trying to find a few really incredible, but conservative suits, and building around those color schemes. Shoes are also a very important piece of the puzzle.

 

I generally started out with most of my pieces from Banana Republic. They offer fairly decent quality shirts, and offer a wide-range of solid pants and sweaters. Their suiting isn't bad for the price either. One can find these pieces at 40% off pretty constantly, with the exception of their blazers and suiting.

 

I usually would buy Cole Haan shoes from Nordstroms or the like, but have become disappointed with their quality.

 

About 18 months ago, much to the chagrin of my bank account, I discovered Tom Ford. Been addicted every since...I must say, while it is incredibly expensive, I have found that the concept that fine menswear serves as a man's "armor" to be very accurate. I'm confident at work when I am in meetings with top executives, and it has allowed my career to develop along an arc which is very much ahead of where most men are at in my company at my age.

 

Anyways, I think we should share thoughts on where to buy nice shirts, ties, suits, shoes, grooming products, etc. Many of you guys are new to the workforce and would benefit from being able to ask the advice of some of the older gentleman that read this forum.

 

I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts.

[StrangeSox]

I really like banana republic, that's about the top of the price category I'd spend. A nice pair of pants,a dress shirt and a sweater is really dressy for my workplace typically, and half the time I'm more likely to be in carhart, so I only have two suit jackets.

[iamshack]

So the rule of thumb is your first suit should be navy, and if you really, really don't like navy, charcoal. Your second suit should be the color you didn't choose between navy and charcoal for your first suit. Your third suit should be a conservative pattern.

 

I've found that I've often ignored these rules as I have purchased suits throughout my life; often times I have gone with patterns first, because I've found navy and charcoal to be dull choices.

 

Going back to basics now. Already own a navy pattern and a gray (is it gray or grey? Jeesh, I don't even know), but have decided to step up my game and went with a navy first. Contemplating a charcoal now. It just seems sooooooo dull to me...every ambulance chaser/car salesman wears a charcoal suit. I think I am going to trust the rules and take the plunge, however.

[RockRaines]

I get all my suits and shirts custom made because I wear suits often and I like the look and style of getting something made for me. I am not the type of guy that likes to get one suit off the rack at Men's Warehouse.

 

My first run was a navy, a dark gray and a black sportcoat with light gray pants. Those are probably the three staples of any suit inventory you should have. After that you can start to play around with when you wear the suits, what season, occasions etc, then start to add things like accent shirts etc. If you are ok with buying shirts off the rack this can save you some dough.

 

I could really go into detail of which suits for what occasion etc, as well as patterns per season if anyone really wants to. I think one of the more important pieces of a wardrobe is also your "dress casual" selections like very nice jeans and some sweater/shirt options as well as grown up shoes.

 

If you are interested in custom wear there are probably tons around you that you can check out. I started with Astor&Black (pretty large well known brand) but they kind of went under so I switched to Elevee http://www.eleveefashion.com/

 

I dabble in trunk club for some of the dressy-casual stuff like jeans, sweaters etc.

Edited February 17, 2015 by RockRaines

[iamshack]

I get all my suits and shirts custom made because I wear suits often and I like the look and style of getting something made for me. I am not the type of guy that likes to get one suit off the rack at Men's Warehouse.

 

My first run was a navy, a dark gray and a black sportcoat with light gray pants. Those are probably the three staples of any suit inventory you should have. After that you can start to play around with when you wear the suits, what season, occasions etc, then start to add things like accent shirts etc. If you are ok with buying shirts off the rack this can save you some dough.

 

I could really go into detail of which suits for what occasion etc, as well as patterns per season if anyone really wants to. I think one of the more important pieces of a wardrobe is also your "dress casual" selections like very nice jeans and some sweater/shirt options as well as grown up shoes.

 

If you are interested in custom wear there are probably tons around you that you can check out. I started with Astor&Black (pretty large well known brand) but they kind of went under so I switched to Elevee http://www.eleveefashion.com/

 

I dabble in trunk club for some of the dressy-casual stuff like jeans, sweaters etc.

Very cool, Rock. I was hoping you would contribute to this thread.

 

So let me ask you this...your shirts and suits...are these made-to-measure or truly bespoke? I've never gotten anything mtm or bespoke - have always gone Off the rack and then had it tailored. The idea of choosing my own fabrics and having something made particularly for me is intriguing, however.

 

 

[StrangeSox]

[RockRaines]

Shoes- A whole other ball of wax.

 

There are really two schools of thought in dress shoes:

 

1. Buy some really nice pairs and find a shoe shop or cobbler that can repair and resole these for years. Very common ones I see are Ferragamos, Crockett and Jones, Gucci etc. Most of the well dressed men I know swear by Ferragamos. Keep in mind these are going to run you about 600 bucks MIN. Most informed shoe salesman will narrow this all down from you and it gets quite confusing. How many seams do you like, do you like a toe cap etc. You will walk out spending a grand on shoes that hopefully will last you 15 years at least. You WILL have to care for these, you WILL have to wear protectors in the winter and you WILL resole this shoes with an expensive repair shop. These are timeless, classic and look like money.

 

2. Go to DSW, buy whats in fashion, wear one season, discard, buy again. You can get Kenneth Coles, etc for 60-100 bucks, they look great, they wear easily, but you can keep them looking nice if you get a shoe shine frequently and do not drag your feet too much when you walk. This can fit almost anyone, they look nice enough with an expensive suit and only the gayest or snobbiest man out there will know you arent wearing 1,000 italian leather loafers.

 

You should really have 3 pairs of "nice shoes".

 

1. Classic black leather-work, weddings etc. Get em shined and they will treat you right

2. Brown suit-quality or khaki quality dress shoes. DONT buy square toes fellas, this isnt 2001. Get a nice brown leather shoe (not docs) slightly different from your black shoes and you can pop em on with your blue suit, gray suit or kahkis

3. Casual-dress shoes. Something you can wear with nice jeans and sport coat or sweater as well as sockless with nice shorts for a dressy-casual event. something akin to this varvatos shoe:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/554...gMYqqyATWmICQDg

 

 

[RockRaines]

Very cool, Rock. I was hoping you would contribute to this thread.

 

So let me ask you this...your shirts and suits...are these made-to-measure or truly bespoke? I've never gotten anything mtm or bespoke - have always gone Off the rack and then had it tailored. The idea of choosing my own fabrics and having something made particularly for me is intriguing, however.

They are totally custom made from the sizing (they come to your house) of every bit of your body including how thick your watch is, down to the fabric cut, placing of pockets, color of the seams etc. At this point the factors (in LA) has all of my measurements and I can completely design what I want and they will even send me a rough make and I can give them tweaks. All of my suits have little touches depending on what my target market is for that suit. Summer ones are lighter material with more colorful touches while work suits tend to be muted with very small custom tweaks.

 

It can get very detailed, for example some of my new suit coats have a custom sized iphone 6 pocket kind of hidden in the inside since I dont like to put a giant phone in my pocket.

Edited February 17, 2015 by RockRaines

[LittleHurt05]

I own two suits, only used for weddings and funerals. I change into a uniform at work, so I can wear whatever I want to work, weather permitting. At least 75% of my new clothes come from holiday/birthday gifts from my wife.

 

This thread is probably not for me.

[iamshack]

Shoes- A whole other ball of wax.

 

There are really two schools of thought in dress shoes:

 

1. Buy some really nice pairs and find a shoe shop or cobbler that can repair and resole these for years. Very common ones I see are Ferragamos, Crockett and Jones, Gucci etc. Most of the well dressed men I know swear by Ferragamos. Keep in mind these are going to run you about 600 bucks MIN. Most informed shoe salesman will narrow this all down from you and it gets quite confusing. How many seams do you like, do you like a toe cap etc. You will walk out spending a grand on shoes that hopefully will last you 15 years at least. You WILL have to care for these, you WILL have to wear protectors in the winter and you WILL resole this shoes with an expensive repair shop. These are timeless, classic and look like money.

 

2. Go to DSW, buy whats in fashion, wear one season, discard, buy again. You can get Kenneth Coles, etc for 60-100 bucks, they look great, they wear easily, but you can keep them looking nice if you get a shoe shine frequently and do not drag your feet too much when you walk. This can fit almost anyone, they look nice enough with an expensive suit and only the gayest or snobbiest man out there will know you arent wearing 1,000 italian leather loafers.

 

You should really have 3 pairs of "nice shoes".

 

1. Classic black leather-work, weddings etc. Get em shined and they will treat you right

2. Brown suit-quality or khaki quality dress shoes. DONT buy square toes fellas, this isnt 2001. Get a nice brown leather shoe (not docs) slightly different from your black shoes and you can pop em on with your blue suit, gray suit or kahkis

3. Casual-dress shoes. Something you can wear with nice jeans and sport coat or sweater as well as sockless with nice shorts for a dressy-casual event. something akin to this varvatos shoe:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/554...gMYqqyATWmICQDg

Great advice!

 

I dumped about $1800 into shoes last year, including a black cap toe, a burnished dark brown loafer, a pair of chestnut oxfords, and a pair of burnished burgundy loafers.

 

3 of the 4 are very high quality, with the exception of the chestnut oxfords, which are Cole Haan's that I wear more casually/regularly.

 

I very much agree with what you say about investing in high quality shoes and caring for them, as well as getting them repaired when needed.

 

Next on my list is a pair of very high-quality burnished honey oxfords.

[bigruss]

I'm a bigger guy, so my choices get limited pretty quickly.

 

I typically buy my button down work shirts from Polo online, they have regular sales that make them affordable and I find they fit better and are better quality than what Kohls will offer.

 

I definitely struggle more in the shoe department, 14 extra wides are pretty damn rare out there. I usually end up buying Durhams (owned by New Balance) on Amazon, usually buy a pair or two a year as they are my everyday work shoes.

[RockRaines]

I am pretty young but I have been trying to improve in this department. I have two full suits that are both off the rack but tailored to my fit. I have a navy pin-striped Michael Kors suit and a black Calvin Klein. I guess I am happy with them until I start bringing in more money but I need help in the shoe game. Is there any mid tier shoe brands that I should direct my attention to? Spending ~600 on Ferragamos isn't really in the picture at this point.

I'm surprisingly in the #2 camp of hitting up DSW and grabbing something in the 65-85 dollar range to wear for a year or so. If you have access to a shoe shine place they can look great for 3 years or so before you wear them out depending on how often you wear them. Personally I like spending my footwear dough on athletic shoes.

[Y2HH]

I own two suits (one grey and one charcoal pinstripe), but I only wear one of them these days, and I rarely wear it at that. But it is quite nice, it's a BB Golden Fleece.

 

As for shoes, depends on my mood -- I'm a big believer in "dressing the part", so I can be just as comfortable in any environment.

 

These are my latest boots, however: http://www.amazon.com/Marc-New-York-Andrew...+new+york+boots

 

I will state that I'm the guy at your office (there is always one of us), that seemingly gets away with wearing whatever he wants, even if its against dress code. Today, I'm wearing Solomon Speedcross 3 off road sneakers, along with dress pants and a sweater type nice shirt...because I felt like it.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Y2HH

[iamshack]

I am pretty young but I have been trying to improve in this department. I have two full suits that are both off the rack but tailored to my fit. I have a navy pin-striped Michael Kors suit and a black Calvin Klein. I guess I am happy with them until I start bringing in more money but I need help in the shoe game. Is there any mid tier shoe brands that I should direct my attention to? Spending ~600 on Ferragamos isn't really in the picture at this point.

Cole Haan's aren't bad, and you can get them fairly affordable if you pick them up at Nordstrom during their semi-annual sales. Allen Edmonds are really nice too and you can get them on sale quite often as well.

 

One of the big keys is simply putting shoe trees in them. You can pick some up on amazon for $20 and make a pair of $150 dollar shoes last a lot longer by simply keeping shoe trees in them.

[iamshack]

They are totally custom made from the sizing (they come to your house) of every bit of your body including how thick your watch is, down to the fabric cut, placing of pockets, color of the seams etc. At this point the factors (in LA) has all of my measurements and I can completely design what I want and they will even send me a rough make and I can give them tweaks. All of my suits have little touches depending on what my target market is for that suit. Summer ones are lighter material with more colorful touches while work suits tend to be muted with very small custom tweaks.

 

It can get very detailed, for example some of my new suit coats have a custom sized iphone 6 pocket kind of hidden in the inside since I dont like to put a giant phone in my pocket.

That is very cool...what do they charge you generally for shirts?

[RockRaines]

That is very cool...what do they charge you generally for shirts?

s*** I dont know, I'll have to check the itemized bill. Probably just a bit south of $200.

[clyons]

I'm a bigger guy, so my choices get limited pretty quickly.

 

I typically buy my button down work shirts from Polo online, they have regular sales that make them affordable and I find they fit better and are better quality than what Kohls will offer.

 

I definitely struggle more in the shoe department, 14 extra wides are pretty damn rare out there. I usually end up buying Durhams (owned by New Balance) on Amazon, usually buy a pair or two a year as they are my everyday work shoes.

 

Banana Republic (mentioned earlier in this thread) has extended sizes available on their web site that are not sold in their stores. They have 30 to 40% off sales every couple of weeks. If you get on their email list, they will let you know when.

[bigruss]

Banana Republic (mentioned earlier in this thread) has extended sizes available on their web site that are not sold in their stores. They have 30 to 40% off sales every couple of weeks. If you get on their email list, they will let you know when.

Thanks I'll definitely check them out then.

[iamshack]

s*** I dont know, I'll have to check the itemized bill. Probably just a bit south of $200.

That's not too bad, honestly. I pay more for OTR most of the time.

[RockRaines]

That's not too bad, honestly. I pay more for OTR most of the time.

I like customizing it for how I will wear the shirt as well as the material. I have some thinner shirts for summertime and I get some cut a bit short in case I want to wear untucked.

 

 

Another sleeper item that is pretty valuable-metal collar stays. Throw away those plastic flimsy pieces of s***.

[clyons]

Thanks I'll definitely check them out then.

 

Actually, they are having a 40% off sale today!

 

For shoes (I wear 15) have you tried Nordstrom Rack? They have a decent selection year round, but have a "large size" shoe event twice a year that I always try to check out. Again, you can get on a list and they'll let you know when.

 

I have also had some good luck with shoes at 6pm.com. I was hesitant to buy shoes on the internet, but they have a pretty good return policy.

[StrangeSox]

Thanks I'll definitely check them out then.

BR is part of the Old Navy/Gap brand of stores. They all offer "tall" sizes for most of their clothes as well as 36" inseams if you need that (I do).

[pettie4sox]

Thank god I'm a scientist. But seriously, I have extremely wide feet so I can't shop for dress shoes like most. I generally don't need to dress to impress in my field as you are in a lab coat, slacks, and a nice polo most of the days. I would like to invest a nice pair of shoes and a good suit, but my weight is fluctuating these days (mostly downward) so I'm afraid of making a huge investment like that.

[Jenksismyhero]

I wear suits 2-3 times a week and while it sounded awesome as a kid, I f***ing hate it now, especially in the summer. I own 7 suits - (in order of purchase) navy (#1 purchase no matter what for any interview), dark gray, dark gray pinstripe, light gray, light gray pinstripe, black and a white/black checkered patterned one that I rarely wear. Haven't yet jumped into the tan and browns yet. I also have three sport coats, two navy and one light tan to go with jeans. All purchased at Mens Wearhouse/Joseph A. Bank. My cheap suits there ("buy ONE get THREE free!") last every bit as long as the real expensive stuff, which is a waste of money IMO.

 

I buy cheap ass dress shoes. 40-50 dollar kenneth coles on amazon. They last 1-2 years and then I buy again. I go through dress shoes too quickly to buy anything nice. I bought a nice pair a few years ago, like 200-250 and they were basically done after one year and the cost to repair them was like 100 bucks. f*** that jazz.

 

I own a ton of white collared shirts, and more collared shirts with some shade/pattern of blue than I care to admit.

 

I have a decent tie selection/collection, although the ties I bought 10-12 years ago (at age 20) are now out of date. I'm officially old.

 

I despise clothing. I despise "fashion." Not that I don't enjoy looking nice or seeing my wife in a gorgeous outfit, but frankly for all the money and comfort and everything it's just not worth it. If it were socially acceptable I would wear the same thing every day.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Jenksismybitch

[Jenksismyhero]

Thank god I'm a scientist. But seriously, I have extremely wide feet so I can't shop for dress shoes like most. I generally don't need to dress to impress in my field as you are in a lab coat, slacks, and a nice polo most of the days. I would like to invest a nice pair of shoes and a good suit, but my weight is fluctuating these days (mostly downward) so I'm afraid of making a huge investment like that.

 

I feel ya. I'm down 15 lbs on a trek to get down about 40. When i'm done i'm going to need a whole new wardrobe. Not looking forward to that.