Men's fashion for dummies?

[Sea Level]

Great site, dappered.com

Seriously, name aside, it's awesome.

^This.

[Namednoname]

Fashionbeans.com is a pretty good site as well. Imo, Fit is the most important thing. If something is too tight/too loose it won't look good.

And of course if all your clothes fit you perfectly, your going to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable wearing them which is always a plus.

And I'm all for thrifting, just make sure what your buying is good quality. And of course It's easier for a tailor to make something shorter/slimmer then it is for them to make something bigger. So keep that in mind

[concretecavewoman]

1. Go to [Express | Gap | JCrew | insert your favorite non-offensive menswear store here] (as you're a teacher I would encourage JCrew)

2. Find well-dressed male clerk

3. Request 3 pairs of nice dark wash jeans, 1 pair of slacks, 3 shirts with 3 matching sweaters, 1 dress shirt and 1 dress sweater.

4. Get a black belt with a burnished buckle

5. Get one 3 season jacket

6. Rock it.

Also, one pair of casual (casual != slip on vans), slightly sporty leather shoes will work for 90% of what a guy wears, other than dress occasions.

Lastly, +a million to whomever posted the art of manliness link on proper shaving.

[Rurounii]

If you're ever near a Uniqlo don't pass up the chance to stop inside. They will cut and hem any pants in there for free, their pants all come in different types to fit body types, and can be very work appropriate.

[Oogiem]

TBut that said, is buying a reasonably well-fitting suit from a thrift store and taking it to a good tailor simply polishing a turd, or a smart use of money?

Smart use if the quality is there to begin with.

(This from a woman who buys Coach handbags and has never paid more than $20 for any of them )

[Oogiem]

I'm clueless ... I've been told that I should go to a tailor to get my suit looking it's best, but what other options should I be exploring?

Me too, I'm clueless (or rather not clueless but can't find what I need that fits) but a tailor (if you can find one) is the best investment you can make. This is why I am in the process of saving for a dress form so I can alter my own clothes to fit me.

Look at Capsule CLothing ( most of the sites I find are women focused but there are some men's version out there) where you develop your best colors, develop a base wardrobe that has classic basic styles and buy high quality clothes.

[Hannibal]

I'm in a similar boat as yourself, but a few years further down the line. I'm also an English teacher, EFL instead of ESL, but I can relate to your situation. I started reading those Art of Manliness articles on being better dressed and I've been working on implementing the advice. Some things that I've found work particularly well:

*Sport coats in winter. They keep you warm and add a touch of class. I find suits to be much too formal, and I always felt I stood out in a wrong way when I wore them. It's important not to under-dress, but you should also avoid over-dressing.

*Also in winter, a nice tie. Leadchipmunk mentioned adding a little touch that makes you stand out, for me it's my ties. I read the aforementioned Dressing the Man, which gave me a much improved sense of color and patterns. I got the different styles of knot down, and now I'm often complimented on my ties.

*No jeans! Slacks are much more comfortable in my opinion and look nicer. Plus, you're an ESL teacher. I don't know where you live or work so I can't guess where most of your students are from, but in most of the world, or at least where I've been, jeans are not really considered appropriate for work. It'll make a much better impression on your students, even if only subconsciously, if you leave the denim for the fishing trips and yard work.

*I agree with the shoe comments made; get yourself a nice pair of leather shoes.

Wear shirts with collars, slacks, nice shoes, and maybe a jacket in the winter, you'll been seen in a much better light than your co-workers in jeans or polo shirts. Plus, dressing better will make you more confident. When I first started changing my appearance I felt uncomfortable, like I was wearing a costume, but I'd think to myself, "I'm dressed for the part, I might as well act it." In time, it became much more natural, and I grew into the part.

Bottom line: dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

PS, I know polo shirts have collars, but you know what I mean.

[TheOtherScott]

Out of curiosity, what size clothing do you wear? I have quite a few odd jackets that are on their way out; I'd be more than happy to send you a few if you'd like?

That's a very generous offer, thank you! But I'm up in Canada (about an hour from Buffalo NY), so shipping might be a little pricey. That said, I'm somewhere between a large and a medium with long arms (I'm 6'1)

[AuroraNorth]

I'm in a similar boat as yourself, but a few years further down the line. I'm also an English teacher, EFL instead of ESL, but I can relate to your situation. I started reading those Art of Manliness articles on being better dressed and I've been working on implementing the advice. Some things that I've found work particularly well:

*Sport coats in winter. They keep you warm and add a touch of class. I find suits to be much too formal, and I always felt I stood out in a wrong way when I wore them. It's important not to under-dress, but you should also avoid over-dressing.

*Also in winter, a nice tie. Leadchipmunk mentioned adding a little touch that makes you stand out, for me it's my ties. I read the aforementioned Dressing the Man, which gave me a much improved sense of color and patterns. I got the different styles of knot down, and now I'm often complimented on my ties.

*No jeans! Slacks are much more comfortable in my opinion and look nicer. Plus, you're an ESL teacher. I don't know where you live or work so I can't guess where most of your students are from, but in most of the world, or at least where I've been, jeans are not really considered appropriate for work. It'll make a much better impression on your students, even if only subconsciously, if you leave the denim for the fishing trips and yard work.

*I agree with the shoe comments made; get yourself a nice pair of leather shoes.

Wear shirts with collars, slacks, nice shoes, and maybe a jacket in the winter, you'll been seen in a much better light than your co-workers in jeans or polo shirts. Plus, dressing better will make you more confident. When I first started changing my appearance I felt uncomfortable, like I was wearing a costume, but I'd think to myself, "I'm dressed for the part, I might as well act it." In time, it became much more natural, and I grew into the part.

Bottom line: dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

PS, I know polo shirts have collars, but you know what I mean.

Yep, this. All of this, especially the bolded.

[airen123]

A tailored suit does help to make a person look good. I can attest to that. If you are a teacher you can get by with the basics, khakis, black slacks, button down shirts and dark blue jeans. Mix and match those with some brown or black shoes and you should be able to have a complete wardrobe with about 13 items. (4 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 2 pair of shoes, and two belts).

my husband is a teacher and this is his standard uniform.

[KAllen]

The kilt is one of the only true men's garment!!! Pants are bi-gender.

Celtic Croft ( www.kilts-n-stuff.com )

USA Kilts ( www.usakilts.com )

Stillwater Kilts ( www.stillwaterkilts.com )

Since you're Canadian

Freedom Kilts ( www.freedomkilts.com )

[ducatisteve]

If you want a really fantastic resource that also supports NF, I'd take a look at Primer Magazine. Their Dispatch is like a men's RSS for leveling up in life:

http://www.primermagazine.com/dispatch

If I could add my own personal advise:

eBay is your friend. There is so much in the way of REALLY nice clothes for extremely cheap (not just used stuff, but things like new old stock from a few seasons ago). You can save a search with your sizes and have eBay email you every now and then with updates on what's available. It's also a no brainer for accessories like ties (we're talking pennies on the dollar for high end stuff).

Don't get sucked into buying a suit you like that's a killer deal if it doesn't fit your shoulders and chest exactly. You should save about $100-150 of your budget to have it tailored well, but while they can add things like waist suppression, they can't really change things like chest size.

Shirts are not like pants, there's a lot less fabric to work with. Tailors can only take away material, not add it. So they can't make your sleeves longer or your collar bigger. If you're buying shirts, make sure the neck fits, the sleeves are the right size, and if you can make sure the hole where the arm meets the torso isn't huge (having low arm holes limits mobility and untucks your shirt when you lift your arms). Then spend the $15-20 to have the shirt tailored (most off the rack shirts are in desperate need of 6-8 inches taken out of the waist). That's one of the big "secrets" to dressing like Don Draper, George Clooney, or Ryan Gosling. Even if you're rocking a muffin top, if your shirts don't you'll look a LOT slimmer. Also, your shirts will stay tucked in better.

Get cedar shoe trees for your shoes and learn how to polish them. Nicer shoes are made with better leather and will always look better with a shine. A $250 pair of Allen Edmonds will last a couple decades if taken care of. Even factoring in the cost of recrafting every 3-4 years (AE has their own amazing service for this) it's lot cheaper than spending $50 a year on cheap shoes, and you'll look and feel a lot better. Use a shoe horn.

If you get a shirt without a button down collar and wear it without a tie, get some Wurkin' Stiffs collar stays. Yes, they're expensive, but it's a one time purchase and you will look a LOT better without a splayed out 70's collar.

Hang dry your dress shirts and keep them pressed. The dryer is fine for t-shirts and underwear, but most will eventually destroy your clothes.

If you like jeans, buy raw denim and wash them only a couple times a year.

Wear white dress shirts more. It ALWAYS looks good. If you can see your white undershirt through your dress shirt try wearing a light grey undershirt. It blends in with most skin tones better than stark white.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

[ducatisteve]

One more thing, if you're building a wardrobe, clean out your closet and start with the basics.

1 charcoal suit, 1 navy suit, and 1 black suit for funerals.

I say rent your tuxedos unless you're in them a lot.

2-3 pairs of pants in basic colors. Grey, navy, tan.

I'll say it again, buy white shirts and have them tailored. When you have 5 of those then get some light blue ones. You can build a lot off of that (with ties and whatnot) and always look good.

Brown leather > Black leather, unless you're in a formal/funeral setting and in the black suit you seldom wear.

Businessmen match their socks to their slacks, gentlemen match their socks to their mood.

[jjhatch]

I know this isn't really related to the OP, but I've been looking at these sites you guys recommend, and looking at the "casual" styles they recommend for guys in my age range (20's), and I've gotta say... I've never seen anyone around here in that age range wearing any of these clothes, and I wouldn't be caught dead wearing these "casual" clothes. Around here, these so-called "casual" clothes would be considered VERY preppy. There's a few wardrobe ideas on Primer that would work, but not much.

[ducatisteve]

"Casual" is something that's definitely open to interpretation, depending where you are. The sites listed here (Primer, Dappered, AoM, etc) definitely cater towards those that wish to dress "nicely" all the time. But there are definitely sites that talk about denim, skaters, the Ed Hardy/Affliction crowd, and tons others. There's an entire forum on styleforum.net for Streetwear.

[jjhatch]

"Casual" is something that's definitely open to interpretation, depending where you are. The sites listed here (Primer, Dappered, AoM, etc) definitely cater towards those that wish to dress "nicely" all the time. But there are definitely sites that talk about denim, skaters, the Ed Hardy/Affliction crowd, and tons others. There's an entire forum on styleforum.net for Streetwear.

Checking over that forum, it's still pretty far out there, at least in terms of price ranges. I mean, half the threads are about clothes that are over $100. I want to look good, but I don't want to break the bank doing it.

[ducatisteve]

Checking over that forum, it's still pretty far out there, at least in terms of price ranges. I mean, half the threads are about clothes that are over $100. I want to look good, but I don't want to break the bank doing it.

Unless you have a penchant for high fashion, you should be able to do so with any type of clothing. Regarding dress clothes, I'd keep an eye on Dappered. They always have posts about sales, lots of retailers have coupons through them, and they really seek out the best deals in retail (they're big fans of Target for things like dress shirts).

Also, the easiest way to look good for cheap is to keep it simple. If you're a jeans and tee kinda guy, then get one or two good pairs of jeans (I like Levi for cheap raw denim) and a bunch of solid color t-shirts. If you need to be dressier than that at the office then grab a couple pairs of slacks, a pair of chinos, and a few white and light blue shirts. Even after tailoring you're still coming out pretty cheap.

[Josh_C]

Learn the difference between "fashion" and "style."

Read Dressing the Man.

Buy expensive shoes. Seriously, one pair of Allen Edmonds will last you longer than ten pair of...whatever Target sells...as long as you take care of them. It's an investment.

Likewise, buy custom shirts. Same price as off the rack at Dillards, but made just for you, usually with superior materials. Related: friends don't let friends wear yellow shirts.

A charcoal grey suit is always appropriate, as is a navy blue suit. I personally prefer a three piece for versatility reasons.

Pants should hang from the shoulder. Belts are for batman. Have your tailor fit bracer buttons on the inside of your waistband. Much more comfortable, much more dignified.

Barber. Shop. Not stylists, BARBER...SHOP.

How am I just discovering this thread?? +1 to all of this. I wear belts more often than I'd like, but that's because I need more pairs of suspenders/bracers. I think they look good on everyone.

[epaleocookbooks]

Art of Manliness has some really nice articles and links that will help you find a good classy look for you.

Definitely check out artofmanliness. It just has some all-around good info.

This is a good article too.

The most important thing is to pay attention to details. As women, we notice small details more than you think we do.

When you see a tailor, have him explain what fit you are (athletic/slim/etc) and dress accordingly. If your suit has detail, like pinstriping, wear a simple tie. If the suit is plain, wear a tie with some classy detail. Something about the outfit needs to stand out. There's some contention about the issue, but as a female, I dig a guy who wears cufflinks and/or pocket squares. Those little accessories are like jewelry for straight men, and they say that you care about your appearance enough to make the extra effort. It won't be considered vain. Do you how much time we spend picking out accessories?

Wear nice shoes! They don't have to be expensive, just look nice. Sneakers don't go with everything. And when buying dress shoes, get a pair in black and a pair in brown. You can wear both with a button-down shirt and jeans and look great.

Never pop your collar. Ever. Same goes with wearing skinny jeans.

On your off days, because you're here and you clearly workout, there's nothing hotter than a guy in a plain fitted tee (no logos, no stains, no holes) and some nice jeans.

[ducatisteve]

On your off days, because you're here and you clearly workout, there's nothing hotter than a guy in a plain fitted tee (no logos, no stains, no holes) and some nice jeans.

I just thought....I also recommended solid color tees, but the NF shirt is a smashing deal at $22 shipped

[ETFnerd]

Never pop your collar. Ever. Same goes with wearing skinny jeans.

whaaaattt..!!! the whole jerk/dougie movement is based on this... hahahaha...

and you know pop your collar has an alternative meaning right...? ;-)