The Official Affordable Swag Thread - Page 13

Which is why I bring up the "handicap" issue.

When people look at WAYWT thread, even with the internet and online shopping, we often forget that some people just have an easier access to what is available can make better judgement on fit, quality, style, etc. by walking into a store vs. reading reviews, asking questions, and seeing stock photos online.

I want to say that sometimes things are the way it is and it really is out of your hand. That's why I assume some people say start slow and experiment with products before blowing a full load on everything that is hyped.

I will admit I blow all my money on uniqlo this holiday season, mostly on basics and 4 suits =\

(Sorry, boss, couldn't help it.)

on the subject of ocbd's, have you dudes tried rugby's university oxford? pretty insane price/quality.

Looks nice, but I bought a shirt from Rugby before and the fit was just off.

Between Uniqlo and Gant Rugger, which to kop for basic oxfords?

Heutchy footwear is another good brand to look at, especially since it's on Gilt every so often and sales on their website drop everything to about 50% off (so boots for about $200). I checked out some of their stuff in person for the first time at Project No 8 in NYC and I was really impressed with what you get for the price. The shape was nice, leather was good, sole was good. I may actually pick up a pair.

A lot of good advice in this thread but I think we're straying away from the original point of this thread. The responses seem to be similar to a lot of "I'm new to clothing what should I cop I won't spend more than $40 on a pair of jeans" and then people trying to convince the newbie why a certain purchase is justifiable.

This thread seems to be more about OP knowing what he wants and what he looks for in style but not having the money to buy that stuff. I was in that mood a while ago (just before Black Friday) and after looking really hard for deals I found out with patience, it isn't that hard to build a wardrobe out of more mid-ranged brands like WvG, BoO, APC, Gant Rugger, EG, etc., I've been wanting to get some Brooks Brothers ESF Oxfords after months of forcing myself to wear my Uniqlo oxfords rolled up all the time because their sleeve length was too short, and I finally got them at around $40 a shirt.

If I could do it over, I would still go quality over quantity. Luckily the quantity that most of us accumulate and realize are mistakes can usually pass off as beater clothes.

But to help the OP... Where you live REALLY affects the availability of 'Affordable Swag'. One summer I came back to Hong Kong and I see a lot of people wearing clothes that look straight out of a Nigel Cabourn or White Mountaineering lookbook. This other day I went into this little mall thing and all I see is clothing that fits that aesthetic for really affordable prices. Quality is probably completely shit, but they achieve the look they were going for.

Other things... Uniqlo is a godsend. The +J collection is the probably the thing that meets the needs of this thread the most, but +J is almost gone. I'm happy I got the duffle coat because that thing is awesome. If you live near a MUJI, that place is pretty amazing too and is a pretty good change from Uniqlo. Picked up a pair of cords (quality didn't feel that great on the cords) but their knits (at least for this season) is a few steps above Uniqlo. I got a cable shawl cardigan and I'm really impressed with it.

Other than that, you'll just have to get lucky at thrift shops, have a good eye and sense to make something happen from the pickings of discount stores like Nordstrom Rack. There's also Urban Outfitters and ASOS which are the closest thing to the weird disposable fast fashion places I see in Hong Kong, and again, if you have a good enough eye and sense of style, you can definitely make something work from those pickings.

RL stuff, with the exception of RRL which fits me perfectly, has too much room in the belly.  I think it'd be good if you were a 34 waist +.  Gant is too short on me, but for anyone under 6 feet it's probably solid.

really ? i tried one pair of chunky wedge sole boots, they did look ok but i felt the leather was somehow thin but still stiff. probably not bad on deep discount

yup i said this a whiiiile back anyway ...

Yeah I think Uniqlo and Gant suits shorter people like me better. RL custom fit fits me decent, never had experience with RRL.

I like H&M because it allows me to play with trends like all my girlfriends. My purple pants from like three years ago are finally out of commission, they have a nice pair of burgundy ones I have to get my hands on.

got an awesome wool toggle coat at old navy for 26 bucks today 

So do you guys generally agree that its better to cop a grail piece such as a TOJ leather or a nice pair of shoes rather than spend it on basics? My dilemma is that I want to rebuild my wardrobe because I'm starting to see how badly some of my shirts fit me, the problem is that I don't have enough green to rebuild my wardrobe and purchase leather or wool, I also live in Texas so I don't even know how many months of the year I'm going to be able to wear a leather jacket. I've been debating about this back and fourth in my head but I can't decide, maybe someone here could sway me one way or the other.

why don't you rebuild your wardrobe with some simple basics first?

how many tees do you need? in what colors?
how many knits do you need (sweaters (crew/vneck/t-neck), cardigans etc.)? what colors?
what type of shirts do you need? colors?
etc.

stick with the basics then once you have covered the essentials, save and blow your money on the grails.

as someone mentioned, why would you spend your money on outerwear (TOJ) or baller shoes when you do not even have a nice shirt/sweater to wear/layer underneath? get the idea?
the other way of thinking about it as what the intention of this thread was, is to look at an aesthetic that you think will fit your personal style/character and then mix it up with grail and cheap basics, AND still end up looking great. i think the latter is more sf approved, but i have chosen personally to go with the former. the latter idea allows you to buy a few simple basics, then mesh it with great designer pieces, and based on your experience and knowledge, you should be able to put together a concurrent outfit that flows rather than looks choppy.

of the two, you also have to think about what your scenario is like?
i think the latter is a better idea for say a college student because it really limits IMO the amount of outfits you can put together. i mention college student though because honestly, it's college and you should be worried less about how many outfits you can rotate in a week. find one solid outfit that you can change up 1-3x and just put it on repeat. should be constant swag sauce you know?

on the flip side, if you have a job, the opposite idea applies. unless you work for yourself or for a really 'lax company, i highly doubt wearing the same thing everyday is approved. but hey, this is sf, who needs peer approval when you got approval from the internet

I've learned more from reading this thread than I have from my whole time lurking sf, thanks toasty.

^ For me I just pretty much built from basics up. Lucky for me, I got access to Uniqlo. I know I could spend $500 on a TOJ outwear, or I could just buy a +J coat for $150. I chose the latter since I am pretty financially challenged. Now that I got my basic down, I will invest in more high-end pieces knowing that I can be patient/picky with my basics down