Clothing for the 40yr old - Page 4

40 trumps 20.

Lots more money and no peer pressure.

Lots of 20-something's here who are still Mommy and Daddy's little bitch.

Why give up tee shirts - they are completely ageless.

If it's really f*cking hot, then a plain white tee is fine if you're just hanging out. I like the one's from Alternative Apparel and have a few. I also have a nice blue & white nautical striped tee and white & blue nautical striped tee from J.Crew, so if I have to go out in a tee, I can do so with a bit of style. Otherwise, there are better options ... particularly if you're a grown-up.

If it's short of 90 or so, a tight-fitting, well made polo is just as cool and looks a bit better. As does a linen short-sleeved shirt.

In SW&D, sure, but not in the office.

Only on a site where guys routinely request 36 R suits would 6 ft., 170 be considered chunky. If you're any thinner than that, I'm not sure you can be considered a grown-up.

I've always thought of cords as fall/winter wear. Am I wrong about this?

This is amusing.

And even on SF, a blanket statement like that guy made is full of 'tard. I am that tall, and actually a few pounds over 170 and I bet I'm leaner than the guy who made that remark.

Do´s and Don´ts at 40+: You can wear lots of SF-beloved items that a 16-year old living with his parents would look silly in according to his own friends. So, forget about Abercrombie & Fitch muscle t-shirts and flip flops every day. But, forget about grandpa jeans, double-pleated khakis and plastic shoes, too. Do go for: - classic style (rather than fashion). Throw in a dash of color or pattern (eg, patterned socks, pocket square). - good fit (slim fit if you can do it). - Incotex and Mabitex pants (both cotton for play and wool for dressing up) - sports coats - leather-soled blutchers. - subtle shirt patterns (checks and stripes). - classic v-neck sweaters. - classic minimalist selvage jeans (eg, APC) for casual.

I reserve my cords for fall/winter, and replace them with khakis and linen for spring/summer.

You can find some pretty light-weight needle cords that work in the spring and fall pretty well. Just got a pair from Maus & Hoffman. I like wearing pants with some texture whenever possible so they beat the alternative red cottons in my book.

My 40-ish rule would be: WWJBD (What Would James Bond Do?) Daniel Craig was 38 when he played James Bond in Casino Royale and 40 in Quantum of Solace. In both films the character wears a lot of age-appropriate casual wear and looks fantastic doing it. Study those films and you'll see a lot of ideas for types of clothing (polos, shawl cardigans, etc) and also brands (Ted Baker, Sunspel, Tom Ford when you can afford it).

Another might be "WWCGD." Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief is nothing but age-40 casual.

+100 but let's not forget that the absolute key element for those clothes to even begin to work was Daniel Craig's physical condition. The average American 40 year old (going by the latest obesity statistics) would look ridiculous dressed like him.

Nobody says you have to get to the point of Ronnie Coleman. But as another poster already said, the key to having shape is to lift, which is how you sculpt a human body (besides plastic surgery but let's not go there). The increased lean mass also has the effect of increasing your base metabolic rate, which slows down naturally as we age.

And polos can look absolutely fantastic on the older man, but only if you have the body to pull it off, and you're not going to get it just by staying "fit and thin enough via moderate aerobics."