Only shopping at Goodwill can work very well. That is my favorite place to get clothes, and they can be really snazzy. I think the problem there is not having a sense of style, or not caring, or wanting to shock a bit.
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Help Transitioning Up!
- Thread starter masterecon
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Only shopping at Goodwill can work very well. That is my favorite place to get clothes, and they can be really snazzy. I think the problem there is not having a sense of style, or not caring, or wanting to shock a bit.
scottyrocks
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Kevin, excellent clothing-care primer. :eusa_clap
Undertow
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Yes, good points!
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Flat Foot Floey
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Nice list. Not sure about the non-wool slacks. If it is good and rather heavy wool it doesn't need to be cleaned and pressed as often as poly-blend slacks. They often look crumbled and used after some hours of wear. My wool slacks get a lot of wear and still look fresh.
I just speak from my own experience. I don't know about more expensive non-wool slacks. Maybe they are as good and washable
I just speak from my own experience. I don't know about more expensive non-wool slacks. Maybe they are as good and washable
Ditto. As for cleaning, unless I have acquired a stain of some sort that can't be removed at home I don't dry clean but once a season, usually before storage (moths don't like clean clothes
).Yeah, wool pants don't really require all that much maintenance. I unfortunately only have a few pairs, but they do not need to be cleaned all that often unless you get something on them. Now if I wear them in the summer they will get cleaned more often for sweat, but in the fall and winter its about once or twice a season depending on the amount of wear they've seen.
anotherkevin
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As someone who works in an office in Denver I say don't wear a tie. Here, if you call 'em "cow town" they all flip out because it's a sophisticated metropolitan center, but if you wear a tie, they act like, well, "cow towners". Other than the CEO, who apologizes for wearing a tie at company events, I'm the only one, so I rarely wear one. For this reason, I wear button down collars, because they stand up better without a tie. I get my tweeds from Goodwill, I'd say try to accumulate from there first. Department store, even during significant sale events, still has lower quality clothing. I agree on the good quality shoes, and shoe care. I have been unable to find good shoes at thrift stores, so that's my concession to store shopping. I learned quite a lot from this place, and from "dressing the man" by Alan Flusser. Especially the "business casual" chapter.
Why give in to the prejudices of the anti-tie contingent?
This is the right attitude to wearing a tie.dhermann1 said:
MikeBravo
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Engineers don't count! They are a breed all their own (no offence to any engineers on FL)
I do nearly all my shopping at goodwill/op shops and I have some very nice suits, shirts and slacks. Not many vintage styles around, though I have some nice late 60s/early 70s slacks. I never pay full retail, darling.
Suits need leather shoes, end of story.
Kevin Popejoy
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Thanks. I've had good experience with non-wool slacks. They're a far cry from the cheap polyester of my youth, yikes. I work in IT/Telecom so I'm alternately crawling around under counters or climbing a ladder. I'm fairly hard on slacks so I stay away from high thread count wool at work. If I were riding a desk I might feel differently. My suits are a different story but those don't normally go to work.
Well, the OP (who is requesting advice) is in fact deskbound so I think wool would be a good choice for him.
Zemke Fan
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MeB a Mephitis mephitis Gardenpartyis
Okay. Wading in with some (hopefully) constructive criticism.
BTW, while I love my fellow FL pals, be aware that vintage can sometimes come off as costumey. Be very, very selective in working these things into your daily wardrobe. Just by taking it up a notch you're going to be standing out (by stepping up). For now I'd stay with modern items.
Okay. Wading in with some (hopefully) constructive criticism.
- Get thee to a good clothier. I presume you're in Manhattan, so drive to the Nordstrom store in Overland Park. (Or one of the two Brooks Brothers in KC.)
. - If you regularly travel to MSP, go see Marty Mathis (a FL guy). Marty Mathis Clothiers
. - Go to the men's department (suits) and ask for the manager on shift (or in Marty's case, ask for Marty!). Ask him/her about the stylist with the best eye.
. - Get THAT stylist to help you pick out: (1) two odd jackets; (2) three or four pairs of pants (at least one being dark wash designer jeans); (3) several (at least five) collared shirts; (4) one or two ties; (5) two half-zip or v-neck merino wool sweaters; and (6) two pairs of dress shoes.
. - Cough over the dough and take a deep breath, because this ain't gonna be cheap. (I'd wait until the day after Christmas and hit the KC Nordies for their semiannual men's sale.)
. - Pay VERY close attention to the BRANDS that you're buying because from here on out you'll be buying many of these same brands through DISCOUNT channels, such as Nordstrom Rack, eBay, Sierra Trading Post, etc.
. - My 30+ years of brand recommendations: (1) suits/odd jackets = Hickey Freeman; (2) trousers = Canali, Zanella, JB Richards, or BB's house brand; (3) jeans = Agave; (4) shirts BB or Nordstrom (no iron); (4) ties = Robert Talbott; (5) shoes = Allen-Edmonds, Alden, or BB's Peal & Co.
BTW, while I love my fellow FL pals, be aware that vintage can sometimes come off as costumey. Be very, very selective in working these things into your daily wardrobe. Just by taking it up a notch you're going to be standing out (by stepping up). For now I'd stay with modern items.
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Getting back into context - you mentioned that you are an Assistant Professor. Therefore, make the transition gradual. You don't want to give the impression (because you dress better) that you are better than the people who will be voting on your promotion and tenure. It is amazing how people who you thought were strong supporters can suddenly go silent during a P&T discussion for the smallest of reasons.
Starting with shoes is safe. Also, start making sure that your ensembles match in a rather conservative way. Don't start out going for flash. Upgrade your pants. A sportcoat without a tie is less of a jump than starting to wear ties when nobody else does. Gradually (over a couple of seasons) upgrade to where you would like to be. In fact, you can use seasonal changes at the start of a new term to make changes.
Also an academic,
Starting with shoes is safe. Also, start making sure that your ensembles match in a rather conservative way. Don't start out going for flash. Upgrade your pants. A sportcoat without a tie is less of a jump than starting to wear ties when nobody else does. Gradually (over a couple of seasons) upgrade to where you would like to be. In fact, you can use seasonal changes at the start of a new term to make changes.
Also an academic,
Zemke Fan
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You have to be VERY selective. Stay away from: Sears, JCP, Mens Wearhouse, Macy's. Steer towards: Lord & Taylor (especially their new Brown/Black house brand designed by Jos. Abboud), Brooks Brothers, Nordstrom, Saks.
BTW, welcome to both anotherkevin and masterecon!
Zemke Fan
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One more thing...
Check out some of Marty's store displays here:
Marty's Recent Photos Thread
One of his trademarks (which I love, BTW) is the dry fly pin on the lapel.
Check out some of Marty's store displays here:
Marty's Recent Photos Thread
One of his trademarks (which I love, BTW) is the dry fly pin on the lapel.
Undertow
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I think Fred has a point in that if you aren't familiar with what you're looking for, you can very easily make an expensive mistake.
It's worth noting that the shops listed above, which Fred recommends one should avoid, can sell nice clothes, but on the other hand, I've noticed each has some kind of abomination to men's clothing available at an attractive price. Moreover, depending on your locale, you may find that a place like Sears has NOTHING worth buying while across town, another Sears has some half-way decent cotton dress shirts (I say half-way, because much of what's offered in those places is akin to One-size-fits-All S/M/L sizing).
So yes, avoid those places for now because you might end up with some kind of baggy, short-armed polyester/rayon/spandex/cotton Frankenstein nightmare.
1961MJS
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Hi
You're in Kansas, I assume that since you state large state university, you teach at either KU or K-State, not WSU, Fort Hayes, or Emporia. Anyway, I moved to Wichita in 1983 and have lived here most of the time since them. (I flop back and forth between here and Huntsville AL). First of all, don't make big changes all at once. Any change in this fashion unconscious state will cause starring and pointing, even if you switch FROM wearing clown shoes, an orange prison jumpsuit, and a clown mask to wearing Khaki pants and a plain white shirt with deck shoes.
I suggest that you shop for a sport coat, either a nice heavy navy blue blazer or a tweed sport coat, or possibly both. Wear those with basic white shirts and matching pants for the Spring semester. Wear matching (black with blue, probably brown with the tweed) shoes and socks. Yes, I know I sound condescending, but I work with Engineers who have worn flip flops and a t-shirt to Critical Design Reviews. One thing that looks odd is to wear a blazer under a winter coat showing the blazer. You can either leave the blazer in the office and swap when you get to work, or buy a long overcoat.
When it gets warm enough to make a difference, you'll have to lose the blazers and possibly swap to a linen one. I've never done that here, it's probably still too hot for Kansas. For Spring and Summer, buy a panama hat or two from Panamabob.com, you probably have a bit of a walk to the car and keeping the sun off your ears and neck is a good thing. Personally, I'd stick with the Polo shirts, Khaki pants, and deck shoes or other casual shoes for the Kansas summers. My younger professors wore shorts in the summer, others didn't.
Spring and Summer semester's passing is also probably long enough that you could start wearing ties. Buy basic patterns, paisley, regimental stripes (in your school colors), and solid colors. Ties are to add color to an otherwise dull suit, but you don't want to seem to vibrate when someone looks at you. For the 2010 fall semester, I suggest buying another blazer and wearing ties with your previous ensemble.
For the Spring 2012 semester, buy a couple of suits like was suggested earlier, don't buy many, but buy good ones. You can still wear the blazers etc you've already started with.
If you want a a fur felt fedora for winter, I suggest driving up to the Stetson outlet in Saint Joseph MO. Ask to see the colors and styles of fedoras in your size. Ask to see a Temple (Indiana Jones, a fellow professor). I bought one for $70.00 and its pretty nice. Note use of the term ASK. They don't keep everything out on display.
4500 Stetson Trl
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 233-8031
Later
You're in Kansas, I assume that since you state large state university, you teach at either KU or K-State, not WSU, Fort Hayes, or Emporia. Anyway, I moved to Wichita in 1983 and have lived here most of the time since them. (I flop back and forth between here and Huntsville AL). First of all, don't make big changes all at once. Any change in this fashion unconscious state will cause starring and pointing, even if you switch FROM wearing clown shoes, an orange prison jumpsuit, and a clown mask to wearing Khaki pants and a plain white shirt with deck shoes.
I suggest that you shop for a sport coat, either a nice heavy navy blue blazer or a tweed sport coat, or possibly both. Wear those with basic white shirts and matching pants for the Spring semester. Wear matching (black with blue, probably brown with the tweed) shoes and socks. Yes, I know I sound condescending, but I work with Engineers who have worn flip flops and a t-shirt to Critical Design Reviews. One thing that looks odd is to wear a blazer under a winter coat showing the blazer. You can either leave the blazer in the office and swap when you get to work, or buy a long overcoat.
When it gets warm enough to make a difference, you'll have to lose the blazers and possibly swap to a linen one. I've never done that here, it's probably still too hot for Kansas. For Spring and Summer, buy a panama hat or two from Panamabob.com, you probably have a bit of a walk to the car and keeping the sun off your ears and neck is a good thing. Personally, I'd stick with the Polo shirts, Khaki pants, and deck shoes or other casual shoes for the Kansas summers. My younger professors wore shorts in the summer, others didn't.
Spring and Summer semester's passing is also probably long enough that you could start wearing ties. Buy basic patterns, paisley, regimental stripes (in your school colors), and solid colors. Ties are to add color to an otherwise dull suit, but you don't want to seem to vibrate when someone looks at you. For the 2010 fall semester, I suggest buying another blazer and wearing ties with your previous ensemble.
For the Spring 2012 semester, buy a couple of suits like was suggested earlier, don't buy many, but buy good ones. You can still wear the blazers etc you've already started with.
If you want a a fur felt fedora for winter, I suggest driving up to the Stetson outlet in Saint Joseph MO. Ask to see the colors and styles of fedoras in your size. Ask to see a Temple (Indiana Jones, a fellow professor). I bought one for $70.00 and its pretty nice. Note use of the term ASK. They don't keep everything out on display.
4500 Stetson Trl
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 233-8031
Later
FinnSpinn
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A few more tips:
- If you get some nice leather shoes (and do!), always put wooden shoe-trees in them.
- Invest in a tailor made suit. It's not cheap, and usually a long wait, but worth it. But before you get one of those, get yourself an opinion about what fabrics you like, and what styles, because you can choose from a lot. The advantage of a tailored suit is that it forces you to think about what you really like. Second advantage is that you not only get something that really fits, you also get a better view on what 'off the rack' clothes also fit. A point of reference. And it is also a very pleasant experience.
- If you get some nice leather shoes (and do!), always put wooden shoe-trees in them.
- Invest in a tailor made suit. It's not cheap, and usually a long wait, but worth it. But before you get one of those, get yourself an opinion about what fabrics you like, and what styles, because you can choose from a lot. The advantage of a tailored suit is that it forces you to think about what you really like. Second advantage is that you not only get something that really fits, you also get a better view on what 'off the rack' clothes also fit. A point of reference. And it is also a very pleasant experience.
MikeBravo
One Too Many
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There is another option that I don't think has been mooted. Treat it like pulling off a band aid!
After the next long break between semesters return to work wearing a suit and tie, appropriate to the season of course, and whatever articles of clothing you find that you like (comfort is paramount for this "shock and awe" approach, as well as confidence), and of course a tasteful hat.
Thoughts?
After the next long break between semesters return to work wearing a suit and tie, appropriate to the season of course, and whatever articles of clothing you find that you like (comfort is paramount for this "shock and awe" approach, as well as confidence), and of course a tasteful hat.
Thoughts?
