Mens Fashion

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KRUMPn
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2021 8:55 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by KRUMPn »

Has anyone had any luck using accessories as a cheap way to add variety/flair to the more simplistic outfits? I pretty much stick to denim pants and shorts (in blue/black/khaki) and a henley tee or a tank top. I've been using shoelace belts lately, mostly starting since I think they are way more comfortable than my thick leather belt, but I'm starting to realize that the bright colors might be a cheap way to keep things interesting. My nephews think they're the greatest thing ever, but I don't know how they would play out as an actual "fashion" piece. Doesn't need to be specifically shoelace belts, that's just what works best for my style. Socks, ties, pocket squares and watches come to mind. Maybe even swapping out the strings in a hoodie to give it a fresh look, but that may be more time consuming than it's worth.

davebarnes
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:41 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by davebarnes »

Cargo shorts are always in style.
Costco has them for under $20.

Jin+Guice
Posts: 1280
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Jin+Guice »

Ok, good news guys!

I know y'all have been waiting around like "when is J+G going to become obsessed with suits so he can finally tell us what's up?"

Well, it finally happened!!!!

My goal was to get: 1) A bespoke suit; 2) A MTM suit; 3) an off the rack suit (OTR); 4) a suit from ebay; 5) a vintage suit and 6) a thrift store suit.


I'm in the process of getting a "bespoke" suit (should be done in about a week). I'm on the fence about MTM (bespoke ends up being a lot more like MTM). I'm *probably* not getting an OTR suit. I've gotten a suit from ebay. I'm still planning on visiting a vintage store and hopefully picking up a suit. I've gotten a thrift store suit.


Getting the bespoke suit was fucking expensive. It was something I always wanted to do. I was able to locate a local designer who works for himself, which was the only thing that made the process worth it.

True bespoke means that you are measured and everything is cut by a tailor in house and hand stitched. There is one operation in New Orleans that does this. I showed up looking like a guy who couldn't afford a suit and the salesman was like "listen, that's honestly just an experience rich ppl want to have. Just go custom dawg." The "custom" option, which is made overseas and combines machine and hand sewing is less than half as much. He showed me a bespoke and custom suit of similar cloth and cut and was like "can you tell the difference?"


So I went with a custom suit, but from this other dude who works out of his house. This ended up being a great choice bc I researched the shit out of suits beforehand and showed up with a ton of questions and the dude was like "this is awesome, everyone just wants me to pick everything, I am so thrilled you are into this." Then he takes me into his closest and I see his DJ and synth setup and I'm like "bro...." Anyway we are now friends and he is my inside dude on suits.


So he was like "hey, you have a really normal body type, you can just be buying OTR." I asked him about quality and he was like "the cheapest high quality suit is J Crew, if you want slim fit, which I'm guessing you do based on your skinny af jeans."


I asked for some quality identifiers for buying OTR and thrifting. He was like "natural fiber, non-plastic seeming buttons, not giant shoulder pads."

I've refined this list a little based on internet research.


J+G's definitive ERE suit buying guide, a work in progress:

The most important thing when buying a suit is fit.
The next most important thing is the fabric the suit is made out of.
The next most important thing is suit construction.

If you are relatively in shape and not a weird shape or unfortunately limbed person, you can basically buy OTR.

Your pants size is your regular pants size.

All you need to do is figure out your jacket size. The easiest way to do this is go try on a bunch of jackets. Also, if you are (all my sizes are AMERICAN, happy 4th of July freedom lovers) under like 5' 10" you are a short, over like 6'3" you are a long otherwise you are probs a regular.

Jacket length is very important bc it is very difficult to alter. You want the jacket to be between the two knuckles on your thumbs when you stand straight with arms at your side. This should also cover most but not all of your ass.

Here is the guide I use to see what is easy and hard to alter.

Once you know your jacket size, you can start looking on ebay and in thrift stores for suits.


*The most important thing is to look at yourself in a bunch of suits* I've found I can go 2 suit sizes up and 2 sizes down. I also like slim fit suits and suits that are slightly underfit so, even though I'm a regular, I still try on short sizes as well.

One advantage I have is that I'm not in a social circle that is into suits. Having a suit that is half an inch or an inch off in any dimension isn't going to cost me any social cache. This gives me a lot more flexibility in the suits I wear.

Determining fit when thrifting is relatively easy since the clothes can be tried on.

For buying suits from ebay or other internet sites, one has to rely on several measurements. This relies on the accuracy of measurements from the seller as well as yourself.

While it's good to get a feel for your measurements, a strategy I've been using is finding a brand that fits you well and buying that brand. Most cities have suit retailers for the major brands, so it's possible to go to the store and try on their suits.

Here's a good article on buying suits from ebay.


Knowing your size and measurements will save money on tailoring. Finding a brand and cut (or ideally several) of quality mass market suit that fits you well will also aid in online and retail searches.


The next thing to look at is suit material. Legally all garments must have a tag which says their material content. Get 100% natural fibers. Wool is the most common (next are cotton and linen), but there are several. Don't buy a polyester suit, there are just too many non-synthetic options. Other parts of the garment can be made from synthetics (bonus if they're not though), but the "shell" should be at least 97% natural.

The next thing to look at is suit construction. The options are full-canvas, half-canvas and fused-canvas. Full is the best, but half is good for warmer climates and more practical. Fused is the worst as the fabric is glued to the canvas (a layer between the inner-lining and the outer part of the jacket to give it shape). "Unstructured" jackets mean they don't have this layer, which is good for warmer climates, but makes the suit less durable, give it a more casual look and also effect the drape (it doesn't hold shape as well).

It's best to avoid fused, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. The biggest problem is quickly determining if the jacket is fused or not, since it doesn't say it anywhere on the jacket. There is a pinch test, but I find it hard to perform. If the suit is still actively made, googling the suits advertising will give you a good idea. half and full canvas construction are usually advertised loudly. No mention probably, but not definitely, means fused. Mens style forums are also a good resource here.

Overall I think ebaying OTR suits is the cheapest option for building a suit warddrobe quickly and cheaply. Thrift stores are very hit and miss. If you've got a decade and a lot of time, thrifting will probably work and for less money, but otherwise ebay + tailoring is the way to go.

I haven't yet gone to a curated vintage store. Suits in these stores are much more expensive than ebay, but I have high hopes that they have a better selection. I'm looking for colorful suits, and I think that finding them in vintage stores will be easier. For black, brown, grey and blue, cream and seer sucker suits (and there are lots of shades of these) I think ebay is the way to go.


Getting a custom suit is an expensive option. I learned a lot from the process, but I also got lucky with the person I found to make mine. Overall, I will probably do it again, but I don't think it's necessary to get a great suit. It's also possible to get these suits in other countries where they are 8-20x cheaper.




Suit separates:

It's a lot easer to find separate jackets as well as cotton and even wool pants then complete suits, particularly in thrift stores. If you know the brand and the exact color (down to the shade), it's possible to re-match the suit, but it's otherwise difficult. I've also rematched a wool navy suit with navy cotton chinos from a different brand.

Additionally "sports jackets" which are meant to be worn with mismatched pants are usually more colorful and interesting than suits.

It's def a fashion faux pas to mismatch suits or buy "orphaned" jackets or match cotton pants with wool suit jackets. But if you're not worried about that, it's possible to massively expand your warddrobe with these options. The major thing to avoid, which anyone will be able to spot are a slightly mismatched pair of pants and jacket (like similar color, but slightly different shade). If you can't find the right color to match, it's much better to go with a complimentary color rather than something too similar.

One final thing to do is use women's pants as chinos. Women's pants are often cheaper (though also cheaper made), but any 100% cotton pants will work as chinos. Women's pants also generally come in more color options than mens.

User avatar
Ego
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Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Ego »

Great post! Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I will start watching for second-hand J. Crew suits.

Jin+Guice
Posts: 1280
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Jin+Guice »

1-year update:

I've become somewhat obsessed with fashion in the last year.

It's also interesting interacting with fashion. In its current form fashion is almost the least ERE thing in existance. This gives an ERE fashionista almost unimaginable leverage. Prior to this the only thing I'd bought en masse was musical equipment. A piece of musical equipment is generally worth about 2/3 of it's original price. That's actually still sort of insane. Like it loses 1/3 of it's value once taken off the lot. There are also venerated classics which are worth far more than they originally sold for.

Clothing is far more volatile. Price is more dependent on venue than quality. Thrift stores sell clothes for very cheap. The difference between thrift stores (on a percentage, but not absolute basis... i.e. $3 vs $10) is also high.

Retail is so expensive it's basically made up.

My fascination with being a fashionista was a success of WOG thinking. I realized:

1) Fashion involves intellectual capital. The fashion industry had convinced me otherwise. However, there is quite a lot to learn between color combinations, prints, materials, construction, cuts and weaves.

2) Fast fashion diminishes intellectual capital while giving the illusion of enhancing it. You can do some nerd shit on fashion. Most people are uneducated. Most people are susceptible to trends. Most people try to fit in. Classic fashion is mostly boring.

I don't know much about investing in stocks, but 3 hours of internet research + willingness to take some small social risks is the fashion equivalent of finding a time machine to go back and put it all in FAANG in 2001.

Imagine competing with people who can't read a balance sheet and the only metric the news reports is the last 3 weeks earnings, plus people with excess inventory because buying a stock makes them feel good.

Like fuck, my god, the edge you can have on just about everyone by embracing a mid-blue.

3) Fashion is art you wear on your body combined with the art of how people perceive you. Make no mistake, fashion is not fashion week. Fashion is learning kindergarten level aesthetics so you can spend <$100 to create a wardrobe in any style you want.


Mens fashion is also boring so I've been having a lot of fun fancy designer suits for $5-$12 in thrift stores (quality suits are different than popular brands so thrift stores don't recognize them) and stenciling them. I've also been getting J-Crew suits from ebay as well as white chinos and jeans (much easier to get women's), white t-shirts and blazers (also easier to get women's) and dying them. I'm hoping to start embroidering suits soon.

This is really nice for me because I am not talented as a visual artist in any way. I have terrible handwriting. It's nice to use a stencil. It's nice to mess up pretty badly and have people ask me how I got my stencils so consistent (the secret is literally that I didn't).

I'm also hoping to get a sewing machine so I can alter clothes to fit better.

None of this is necessary though. There are so many extra clothes out there that one can get virtually anything they could possibly want for very cheap.



Tl;dFASHION:

This has been stated many times, but if you don't want to think about fashion and your masculine and want a minimalist wardrobe, learn to find pants and a t-shirt that fit and get some descent shoes. Personally I would only own a pair of nice blue jeans, one pair of black jeans* (I use a version of this look and those are the actual pants I own). Then get only black or gray shirts, v-neck or crew, whichever looks better on you (hint, it's probably. v-neck), 100% cotton and some black and gray socks. Black belt.

* Buffalo Exchange or a curated thrift/ vintage stores for mens pants. They are too popular for regular thrift stores. Poshmark, Ebay or Buffalo Exchange/ Curated Thrift Store for shoes. Everything else you can get from a regular thrift store.

clark
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:30 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by clark »

I happen to be a "a weird shape or unfortunately limbed person." Broad shoulders, very short arms. Nearly everything I wear needs to be tailored. My current strategy is to wear hand-me-down suits that are slightly too big because I don't want to pay for a bespoke suit, and it can be rather expensive to have every piece tailored. What would you suggest for someone with my physical situation?

Jin+Guice
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Jin+Guice »

@clark:

That depends on why you are wearing suits. Is it a necessity for work? If not, suits are a luxury, so not the most ERE thing. I really enjoy them and I like modifying them myself (through dyeing and stenciling/ embroidery/ bedazzlement). I'd like to learn more about tailoring. So I admit that I spend more of my life in the salt mines to spend money on a need I could meet with less money and time, but I've enjoyed learning about them and I can talk about knowledgeably with others and easily customize them to be unique. In other words, it fits into my WOG.

If you don't need to wear suits and want to optimize for cost and time, I think a good t-shirt/ jean/ sneaker or boot combo is best for men. Aside from suits and the above look (which was what I did when I was optimizing for cost/ time but wanted clothes that fit) I also have several colorful pants/ t-shirt/ tank top combinations, which were much easier to learn about and cost a fraction of what suits cost. T-shirts/ jeans/ dress pants are also a bit less sensitive to body type (though still learn what fits you the best).


Getting something tailored is basically always cheaper than going up a level. In other words, tailoring is relatively cheap compared to the cost of a suit. This may not seem to be true if you are good at thrfiting, as very high quality suits can be had for $5-$10 plus the time invested in finding them. This means you spend more on tailoring than the cost of the suit itself, but keep in mind you're using your knowledge to acquire something that initially sold for >$800.

An alternative would be to learn how to tailor yourself, which is for sure not the optimizing for money answer, but is perhaps the optimizing for your WOG answer... or not. If you know how to thrift suits and put in some time to find quality, you could still be wearing $800-$2000 suits for $10 at a thrift store plus $20-$40 in tailoring. This is a WL4 deal option, but wearing luxury clothing is a consumer endeavor.

I personally like underfit suits. That's just the style I enjoy. I think slightly large suits look frumpy and baggy. This is not the opinion of everyone though and larger fitting suits have been in vogue in several different fashion eras. I particularly think the 1940s (which is also probably the baggiest) looks the best, but the 1950s were still relatively large as well as the 1980s and 1990s. So look up pictures of people from those eras and then try to match what they are doing if slightly large suits are what is working for you and you don't want to spring for tailoring.


If you need more info for your particular situation, then I need more info. Mostly why are you wearing the suits and what if any interest do you have in them? Thanks for the question and good luck on your sartorial journey!

berrytwo
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:45 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by berrytwo »

J+G I too have found a lot of fun experimenting in how to combine ERE and fashion. I think that it is a lot easier as women honestly. I get 90% of my clothes from clothing swaps or free piles and then I give clothes that don't work for me to clothing swaps and it becomes this really cool revolving library of clothes. Have you ever checked one of those out?

Dave
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:42 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Dave »

Jin+Guice wrote:
Wed Oct 04, 2023 2:28 pm

This has been stated many times, but if you don't want to think about fashion and your masculine and want a minimalist wardrobe, learn to find pants and a t-shirt that fit and get some descent shoes. Personally I would only own a pair of nice blue jeans, one pair of black jeans* (I use a version of this look and those are the actual pants I own). Then get only black or gray shirts, v-neck or crew, whichever looks better on you (hint, it's probably. v-neck), 100% cotton and some black and gray socks. Black belt.
What a coincidence, this is where I'm at with fashion :). I don't understand the theory well like you, but to me seems to be a nice balance of pretty decent looking and super easy. DW wishes I wore collared shirts on dates (I have 1) and other colors (might cave on maroon), but I stick with black and navy. Also have some nice sweatshirts in the same colors.

I filter clothes through 3 lens: comfort, function, and fashion, all non-negotiable. I've enjoyed this thread as folks like J&G have helped me learn a bit more to help me piece together a slightly more aesthetic wardrobe that also meets my other criteria. I'm not styling by any means, but I can walk 10 miles and do pullups in my outfit while being comfortable and wearing clothes that fit me well, work together, and complement my "season".

Thanks all!

clark
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:30 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by clark »

Thank you J + G! It's very kind of you to provide so much information. I have a couple of specific questions about my particular situation, but I will ask you that privately, rather than mucking up the forum with questions that don't necessarily have application to the broader group of forum readers.

Jin+Guice
Posts: 1280
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Jin+Guice »

@Dave:

Does your wife have a preference for polo vs. long-sleeve button down vs. short sleeve button down? Black pants will pretty much go with any color and dark jeans or navy pants will go with most colors. Polo shirts fit the same as a t-shirt.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Hristo Botev »

Fun thread; I can't believe I haven't engaged with it before.

FWIW, here is where I ultimately came out on the men's fashion thing in my mid 40s after having obsessed about it too much in my 30s:

My every day wear is: a pair of jeans (Levi's 501 STF "rigid"); a Brooks Brothers non-iron dress shit (blue or white with a blue pattern of some sort with a button down collar); Wolverine 1000 miler boots or camp mocs (Rancourt) in the summer; a navy blazer (Sid Mashburn high twist wool or in the summer a cheap LL Bean mostly unstructured linen that I had tailored to not look cheap); and a dark grey Brooks Brothers sweater/pullover.

This outfit gets me to work (whether virtual or in the office), virtual court hearings and depositions (once I throw on a tie), church, and just about every social situation imaginable. This outfit also pairs well with my EDC: concealed carry Glock with extra magazine, Leatherman multi-tool, wallet/phone, keys, Casio A168.

I'll switch out the jeans for shorts and the dress shirt for a t-shirt or a OCBD (tucked or untucked) when appropriate (e.g., sitting on the sideline at a kids' weekend soccer game during the summer).

When jeans are not appropriate I have a couple pairs of grey slacks (Sid Mashburn and Brooks Brothers; oxford and charcoal), black cap-toe Aldens, and a couple grey Sid Mashburn suits (oxford and charcoal; though you really only need one suit, either charcoal grey or navy blue).

Salathor
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Location: California, USA

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Salathor »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Tue Oct 17, 2023 10:24 am
This outfit gets me to work (whether virtual or in the office), virtual court hearings and depositions (once I throw on a tie), church, and just about every social situation imaginable. This outfit also pairs well with my EDC: concealed carry Glock with extra magazine, Leatherman multi-tool, wallet/phone, keys, Casio A168.
Hey I also wear an A168. We're men of taste!

Hristo Botev
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Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Hristo Botev »

Salathor wrote:
Tue Oct 17, 2023 11:04 am
Hey I also wear an A168. We're men of taste!
Admittedly, I also have the Casio DW5600, cuz how can you not.

jacob
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Re: Mens Fashion

Post by jacob »

I gifted DW an LA670 (the smaller version of the A168) a few years ago. Some youngling asked her what kind of smartwatch it was. Well, it's the kind that's always on and tells time on the wrist, starts countdowns by touch without having to look, and lasts years without a battery charge. GenZ-mind blown ...

Much respect and appreciation to Casio for not trying to reinvent great ideas and keeping what demonstrably works in production. There are but a few companies like that.

(Currently wearing a grey F-91W with a grey/black striped NATO strap.)

Salathor
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Location: California, USA

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Salathor »

I considered the f91 before going with the a168, but my other watch is a black faced plain-dialed citizen eco drive on NATO straps so I wanted something retro to mix it up.

EDIT: Not retro. They're both retro. I was looking for the cheesy 80s metallic look.

Salathor
Posts: 394
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:49 am
Location: California, USA

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Salathor »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:21 pm
Admittedly, I also have the Casio DW5600, cuz how can you not.
I considered the dw5600 as well but all the g-shocks I've seen are huge and I'm a small-wristed guy. I was hoping my brother would get one so I could try it on ;-) They look pretty great.

Dave
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:42 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Dave »

Jin+Guice wrote:
Tue Oct 17, 2023 9:57 am
@Dave:

Does your wife have a preference for polo vs. long-sleeve button down vs. short sleeve button down? Black pants will pretty much go with any color and dark jeans or navy pants will go with most colors. Polo shirts fit the same as a t-shirt.
Long sleeve button down, then polo, then short sleeve button down (unless Hawaiian shirt...lol).

So far I've stuck to dark blue jeans, but have been curious about trying black, too. Do black pants go with navy/dark blue shirts? I've heard mixed things, thus my inertia. My button down is a checkered navy/light blue, with >90% of the material being navy.

ertyu
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Re: Mens Fashion

Post by ertyu »

Dave wrote:
Fri Oct 20, 2023 7:35 pm
If you're dressing to be attractive your wife, why not ask her*? She's a girl, go out shopping and have her comment on outfits**, girls like that :D

* about the navy shirt/black trousers combo, but not just.
** might be the height of consumer experience, but if it gets you a solid couple of pieces of good quality that combine well with each other and are likely to last you a while -and- make you attractive to your spouse, why not? gotta consider the whole range of benefits to an activity, not just the monetary outlay

Dave
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:42 pm

Re: Mens Fashion

Post by Dave »

ertyu wrote:
Sat Oct 21, 2023 2:47 am
If you're dressing to be attractive your wife, why not ask her*? She's a girl, go out shopping and have her comment on outfits**, girls like that :D

* about the navy shirt/black trousers combo, but not just.
** might be the height of consumer experience, but if it gets you a solid couple of pieces of good quality that combine well with each other and are likely to last you a while -and- make you attractive to your spouse, why not? gotta consider the whole range of benefits to an activity, not just the monetary outlay
I have! She is not an fan of black pants and navy shirts, thus my approach of blue jeans + navy shirt/black shirt (for some reason it's OK in this order, which baffles me ;)). But neither of us naturally has a fashion interest or eye, so I'm curious in learning more here - maybe it's the particular shades of black, or styles, etc. that I'm missing, and the combos I had picked in the past were just the wrong ones.

To your asterisks, I don't dress purely for her - while it is a major influence, I also dress for myself and am interested in learning more here beyond what our particular tastes are. With the mall outing, we have done this with each other many times, trying things on for each other! Agreed this is a positive experience - who said malls are pure evil? :lol: It can be surprisingly fun to try on goofy clothes and be silly about it.

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