Help for Fashion Disaster

[Tyrrellica]

Greetings all!
I'm new on this forum, and really love what I have found here - just great stuff so far! I've been reading through the forum and have tried to stick with the #1 forum rule of "Search Twice, Post Once" but have not found anything yet to help this poor soul graduate from fashion victim to upstanding Gent. Any help would be much appreciated!

Basically, I get up on the weekends, get dressed, and look at my wife. She normally vomits in her mouth and mutters "You're wearing THAT to go shopping?" Yeah, pretty bad. I mean honestly, if you're wearing pants do your socks really need to match? That's sort of a joke, but you get the drift of my issue. So, I am looking at some quick tips to help me bridge the gap.

1) Casual Wear - what are a few staples of a wardrobe I need to dress casual on the weekends and avoid sweats and t-shirts? I don't wear shorts often, and I enjoy casual slacks. Type of shirt? What would be a good weekend casual look.
2) Work - I work in a Business Casual environment, so I normally have Khakis and a button down (un-tucked) on. I'd like to match the daily business look of the Golden Era - what do you suggest at a minimum.
3) Hats - I have about 90 BB hats right now. Got to kick this habit. I have a cheap-o Fedora and two caps. When to wear which would be my question.
4) Watch/Jewelry - I wear a wedding ring and a lodge ring. I also carry a Hamilton RR watch. That's it - I think I am good there.
5) Shoes - I wear slip-on leather dress shoes to work, what should I have for casual/weekend foot wear?
6) Don'ts: as far as the fashion topic, what are some things I should avoid at all costs? My worst right now is sandals with high socks, guess that needs to stop. Remember, I am a walking billboard for the worst style in fashion, so maybe some tips as to what to avoid at a real low level. There is absolutely no common sense or matching ability available through my current brain setup, so even something super obvious would be news to me.

Thanks in advance! Any tips would be appreciated.

Matty

 

[HudsonHawk]

Rule #1: tuck your shirt in.

 

[cchgn]

IMO, if you look at your dresser and closet, toss everything and fill it with classic duds and you can never go wrong.

Classic being white shirts, ties, blazers, a nice bomber jacket, slacks of wool, corduroy, tweed, cotton and yes jeans.

Going with name brands is good- Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Pendleton, YSL, etc.

Watch classic movies with Clark Gable and Cary Grant, read GQ and Men's Health fashion, look at men that you consider dressed well and see what they're wearing.

I peruse the thrift stores for classic clothes, for pennies on the dollar. I only wear Levis 501 jeans and found several for $10(regular $80). Classic Marino wool sweaters($100) for $8, etc.

 

[Feraud]

Rule #1: tuck your shirt in.

Great start...

Rule#2- keep your pants hitched up!

 

[Historyteach24]

I love outlets because the prices are lower and you can get good gear. Hagar and van huesen have good quality clothes at outlet prices. Got three dress shirts, sweater, chinos, and a pack of handkerchiefs for 70 bucks today at van huesen

 

[Historyteach24]

As far as rules I keep different colors of chinos and dark jeans as my staples. Every man needs at least two good sports coats as well. Also skinny ties are the devil IMO

 

[HeyMoe]

Brother-

One thing I did when I started hanging out here was to look at the "what are you wearing today?" Thread. It helped me decide on a "look" and gave me some ideas when out shopping.

Fraternally
HeyMoe
Summit# 104

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Spend your money on the shoes: you can wear them every day and they're the first things women look at.

 

[Historyteach24]

Shoes are very important. Make sure you have the basics first; don't go out and buy white/black two-tone before you have basic Cordovan, Brown and Black

 

[johnnycanuck]

try this. it may help.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/12/15/dress-code/

or head on over to "ask Andy" and check out the trad posts.

johnny

 

[Tyrrellica]

Thanks all, I appreciate it! It will take a bit, but I am determined to my style in place. Extra High-five to HeyMoe, I'm from Mosaic #218 in California.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

What? No secret handshake? ;-)

The tips so far are not bad. I would add that in your position it might be easier to play it save and go for a clean and conservative look. No loud pattern and colors (maybe on some ties, if you wear them)
For shirts oxford cloth and chambray in basic muted colors like blue, white/cream and grey are a good basis. Chinos are ok. You could add grey wool trousers or maybe corduroy for the weekend. You could also wear plain colored wool sweaters in the colder days. Just keep it simple and kinda puristic. Less logos and stuff. Oh and tuck in your shirts if you want to come nearer to the classic look.

 

[Shangas]

Greetings all!
I'm new on this forum, and really love what I have found here - just great stuff so far! I've been reading through the forum and have tried to stick with the #1 forum rule of "Search Twice, Post Once" but have not found anything yet to help this poor soul graduate from fashion victim to upstanding Gent. Any help would be much appreciated!

1) Casual Wear - what are a few staples of a wardrobe I need to dress casual on the weekends and avoid sweats and t-shirts? I don't wear shorts often, and I enjoy casual slacks. Type of shirt? What would be a good weekend casual look.

I'd avoid T-shirts. T-shirts are handy as singlets to keep warm, or as work/workout clothing, but beyond that, I wouldn't be wearing them regularly. If I had to (perhaps where you live has really harsh summers, for example) they'd be simple, plain T-shirts or polo-tops. Single-colour. No logos or outlandish pictures or patterns.

2) Work - I work in a Business Casual environment, so I normally have Khakis and a button down (un-tucked) on. I'd like to match the daily business look of the Golden Era - what do you suggest at a minimum.

Keep your shirt tucked in, and wear a belt. Or, buy braces/suspenders, and wear a jacket or sportcoat over the top.

3) Hats - I have about 90 BB hats right now. Got to kick this habit. I have a cheap-o Fedora and two caps. When to wear which would be my question.

If by caps, you mean 'baseball caps', then the answer is: Never. If the caps are flat-caps/panel-caps, then these can be worn easily with more casual outfits.

4) Watch/Jewelry - I wear a wedding ring and a lodge ring. I also carry a Hamilton RR watch. That's it - I think I am good there.

Sounds excellent. There is a watch-display thread somewhere in the forum (The Display Case board, I think). Perhaps show off your railroad watch there. I have a Ball RR watch myself, which is my regular timepiece.

5) Shoes - I wear slip-on leather dress shoes to work, what should I have for casual/weekend foot wear?

Nothing wrong with slip-on leather dress-shoes. So long as you take care of them, that is. Clean them regularly and keep the tops clean, polished and if possible, free of scuffs/scratches. For summer, you might want to get a pair of nice, leather sandals. I need to get myself a pair of those - my sandals are falling apart.

In my opinion, every guy should have a pair of wingtips. They're just classic style. I have one brown pair, and one black dress-pair.

6) Don'ts: as far as the fashion topic, what are some things I should avoid at all costs? My worst right now is sandals with high socks, guess that needs to stop. Remember, I am a walking billboard for the worst style in fashion, so maybe some tips as to what to avoid at a real low level. There is absolutely no common sense or matching ability available through my current brain setup, so even something super obvious would be news to me.

Sandals and Socks have been illegal since Egyptian times.

Thanks in advance! Any tips would be appreciated.

Matty

A few other points...

Go through your wardrobe. Throw out anything that you haven't used in at least two years, and which you aren't keeping for some special occasion. Check the condition of all your clothes. Shirts which are fraying or missing buttons etc, throw them out. Anything that doesn't fit properly, throw it out. Check the crotch of every single pair of pants you own. Any fraying or holes? Chuck it out, unless your wife is a wizard with a needle.

If possible, repair any clothes worth repairing. Every guy should at least know how to sew a button back on.

Any shirts or other garments with heavy sweat-stains which you might be embarrassed to wear, set them aside. When you're done, wash them.

To remove really heavy or stuck-in perspiration-stains, soak in a basin of warm water with laundry-powder, and then, using a spoon, scrape aggressively, to work the solution through the fabric to lift the stain. Alternatively, you can substitute the washing-powder with baking-soda.

 

[HudsonHawk]

A few other points...
Shirts which are fraying or missing buttons etc, throw them out...

Every guy should at least know how to sew a button back on.

These two statements seem contradictory. I'm assuming you're not really advocating throwing out shirts because they're missing buttons, right?

 

[Shangas]

Well shirts with buttons that you can't sew back on, or replace. If you can, then it's sort of expected that you can handle a needle and thread. But shirts with serious issues (fraying, tears, irremovable stains) should be either thrown out, or modified and used for something else.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

I would say that there are two types of shirts you want to get. First is a couple of nice dress shirts. You really can't go wrong with men's dress shirts - they're extremely versatile in that you can dress them up or down either by buttoning the collar and adding a tie or bowtie, or you can wear them with an ascot underneath, or open collar with no tie. The second, for much more casual wear, is the polo or golf shirt. Like a t-shirt, but generally of better quality with a collar. They're extremely comfortable, but look nicer than a t-shirt. Most of the time I say stick with dress shirts.

Do yourself a major favour and find yourself a competent tailor and ask them to take and record all your measurements. Most are willing to do this for a nominal fee. That way you always know exactly what you're looking for when you hit the thift stores and outlets.

Once you start getting into tailored clothing, especially if you frequent thrift stores like I do, take some time to find out what can be done by an alteration place, and what can't. Generally speaking, you can let out or take in a jacket by about 2 inches or one size. Taking in pant hems and sleeves is usually possible, but letting them out is almost always a no-no because of the crease it will leave behind. In a very select few cases, however, depending on the fabric, construction, and the age/condition of the garment, you MAY be able to get away with it. As a general rule, try to avoid having to do any alterations, but if you really, really love the jacket or suit it may be worthwhile.

Oh, and the most important aspect of jacket fit is the shoulders - if the shoulders don't fit, don't bother because it's nigh impossible to fix.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Start by buying Dress for Success by John T Molloy. Hard to beat for basic advice on clothes, colors, fit, accessories and so on.

 

[Strapped-4-Cache]

Shoes are very important. Make sure you have the basics first; don't go out and buy white/black two-tone before you have basic Cordovan, Brown and Black

Here's a tip I for picking up inexpensive wingtips: Look for golf shoes at thrift stores. A cordovan pair I found recently at Goodwill are all leather, leather lined and they only cost $5.99. The cobbler commented to me as I picked them up that I am now the proud owner of the cheapest pair of $200+ shoes he's ever seen, and they'll last a lifetime. Replacing the sole cost $60, but now I have some REALLY nice brogues. I'm on the lookout for some black ones now.

 

[Shangas]

Surprising deals can be picked up at thrift-shops and other such places.

I have two pairs of wingtips. One black dress pair, made by a very well-known local company, and one brown pair of wingtips made by Florsheim's.

The pair of blacks was completely free. I didn't pay a bent penny for them. They showed up in our shoe-cupboard one evening and no-one knows HOW they got there. I never bought them, they didn't belong to my dad, and they're too small for my brother (who's a good six inches taller than I am). We speculate that some visitor purchased them while staying at our house, and forgot all about them. But even then, we don't know who on earth that might be. One of my cousins, probably.

Either way, I was left with a pair of first-rate black leather wingtips in literally brand-new condition.

Then my brown Florsheim wingtips I purchased at a local thrift-shop for just $7.00. And they fit me perfectly. My exact size.

So good-quality classic shoes for dirt-cheap prices are out there. And they can be found. But you must have patience.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Surprising deals can be picked up at thrift-shops and other such places.

I have two pairs of wingtips. One black dress pair, made by a very well-known local company, and one brown pair of wingtips made by Florsheim's. . . .

So good-quality classic shoes for dirt-cheap prices are out there. And they can be found. But you must have patience.

Last year I found a pair of black wingtip Alden shoes in my size, grand condition, at a local store that actually has men's used clothing rather than only women's stuff. And a year before, I scooped up a pair of Ferragamos at an animal-benefit thrift store. Didn't expect any such thing, but because I'd been reading here for several years, I recognized the brand names.

And Matty, please don't let your belt buckle and the tip of your tie show below your suit coat. I keep seeing that in modern catalogs and on TV, on people who ought to know better, and can certainly afford to do better. They look as though they're wearing their little brothers' confirmation suits.