2011 Clothing Insights / 2012 Clothing Plans

2011 insights:

- (Same as 2010 insight.) It is all about the staples. Staples are 95% of what makes a wardrobe great.

- It can take a few years to get to know something and get the most from it.

- Everything you wear can be upgraded. Even shorts for the beach.

- The less I wear ties, the more I need dark jackets. And buttondown collars.

2012 plans:

- Maintain and upgrade.

- One thing in, one thing out. I am out of crap to discard so also: find good homes for things going away.

- Lose a little weight. I've gained eight to ten pounds in the last four years and gone up a jacket size. I would like to be five pounds lighter twelve months from now.

Thanks for creating the new thread!

2011 Insights:
- It feels good to have refined my personal style even more and feel increasingly more natural/comfortable with what I wear.
- I wear my navy blazer more than any other clothing item.
- If I like something, I should buy it. Who cares about the label or construction. If it fits well and I'll like it, I'll wear it (this is a nod to my Hugo Boss loafers that I love)
- Real MTM is better than online MTM. No more modern tailor for me.
- Zegna Milano fits me great.
- Who cares about black being non-sf approved. Black looks good on me.

2012 Plans:
- Venture into Bespoke. This means sport coats, suits, trousers and shoes. First item: bespoke navy blazer. Second Item: bespoke suede cap toes. If I like the tailor I plan on using, Third item: bespoke black tie and/or tons of trousers
- Join a gym and get into shape. Enough skinny fat.
- Travel more
- Perhaps try to get dress shirts in different colors other than blue, white or pink. I have so many blue and white shirts. What other colors work on me?

Since we seem to be converging on this thread now, I'll copy over from the other one:

2011 insights (far too many to mention, as I finished grad school in the spring, joined SF at the beginning of the summer, started work and dressing like an adult in the fall, but I will try to hit the highlights):

- If you can wear a tie and pocket square and look at ease with yourself and relaxed at the same time, you have entered the domain of elegance
- To be stylish, you must be comfortable.
- High quality footwear is a beautiful thing. Shining, polishing, and conditioning these items is an intense pleasure for those indoctrinated into the fetishism of shoes. With this care, the beloved shoes will look better and better over time.
- Texture is every bit as important as color and pattern in putting together a refined fit.
- I shouldn't wear black, especially during the daytime.
- The fit on most of my pants could be greatly improved.
- There are many jacket cuts. Some will never fit no matter what size you try or how much you spend on alterations.
- There are no items, rules, or stores that are stylish. Only individuals can be stylish.

2012 Plans:

- Somewhat inspired by an earlier SF thread, commission a velvet blazer for evenings out (currently thinking a deep blue, peak lapels)
- Nail a trouser fit and start rebuilding trouser collection from there
- Evening footwear (currently I mostly wear some zipup boots when black shoes are called for in the evening...I'm thinking of going to either G&G Kent or splurging for stingray wholecuts)
- Mid-grey flannel suit
- Continue reading books, blogs, and fora to learn more. Particularly about fabrics.
- Continue posting to my Tumblr, mostly as record-keeping for myself so I can go back and look at progress
- Sell old items that I've realized don't work for me
- Find more occasions to wear suits and ties
- (more minor projects: add one or two sweaters and/or sweatervests, continue growing sock collection, continue adding shirts with rougher weaves and tattersalls to complement my mostly fairly tweedy, textured SC collection)

2012 will be a lean year for me... especially as I advance through the SF Noob Cycle.

2011
-In: Notable: 5 pairs of AEs, Filson Mackinaw Cruiser, a vintage silk robe, linen jacket and linen pants.
-Out: about 100lbs of various clothes including most of my vintage Florsheims and most of my pleated pants.

Insights:
-Good shoes get compliments are are noticed by more than those who vocalize their opinion.
-Shoe trees are essential.
-The more square and duck billed the shoes, the uglier.
-Be patient, save for better rather than pay for mediocre: thus the cash will be there to snap up the true values.

2012 Plans:
-In: AE Kenilworths and a good formal shoe, rebuild my fitted shirt supply, jeans, new watch, and MOAR TWEED. Oh and laundry detergent.
-Out: some of the remaining ebay-able clubwear and shoes, bowling shirts, the rest of the out-rotation horrid shoes that survived the 1st purge.

- 2011 Insights

- Placing Achillus and Reevolving under my protection calmed the MC forum down considerably.

- Moo still missing.

- One giant dressing room a big improvement.

- White tie and top hat at Starbucks was not all that; did not save time in line or ensure barrista got order correct.

- Good dressers still pretty sore at bad dressers.

- 2012 Plans

- Consider joining the Put This On Gentleman's Association because of the cool blazer patch.

- Will suggest to SF owners that they migrate to the Huddler platform.

- Stock up on CVS cloth tape.

- Might place iroh under my protection, but don't want to stretch resources too thin.

- Start a Tumblr without nudity.

2011 Insights

 

• Joined SF and started following various tumblr blogs on style and fine clothing

• Realization on how good people can actually look

• Starting to re-evaluate my own wardrobe (much to my personal horror)

 

2012 Plans

 

• Buy myself some Allen Edmonds' 

• Custom shirts and trousers 

• Learn more about fabric and fit

• Buy a quality navy suit from a fellow member and have it altered to fit

• New watches

 

 

 

2009-2011:
Filled up my closet to the max with suits.
Have a nice collection of ties
A large amount of well fitting shirts

2012 plans:
After several interviews with CEO/COO of a start up, I'm tempted to join
BUT:the entire office wears polo shirts and jeans/shorts/flip flops they also prefer people to wear polo's for company culture

probably commit suiticide

 

Will be stalking your B&S when you join that company!
 

 

2011 -
Focused on fit and replaced ill-fitting shwag with better fitting, better quality shwag.
Added 6 new MTM shirts, 4 pairs of shoes (dark chocolate semi brogue, walnut brogue, dark brown dub monk, sand chukka), 1 glen plaid grey suit, 2 SCs (grey tweed, brown herringbone), 3 wool ties (first time non-silk), various better fitting casual shirts.

2012 -
Need to add a charcoal or grey pinstripe suit, 1 or 2 year-round plaid/checked SCs, black wingtips, couple of additional shirts.
Continue to dial in fit with MTM sites, seek out new lines to find items that match my body type.

(groundbreaking eh?)

2011 Insights
A MTM suit is definitely worth it. People definitely notice. They may not consciously know why you look good, but they'll think you look good and treat you accordingly - like you're somebody. Got mine from Martin Greenfield. Can't believe I didn't do this years earlier. If all my clothes got burnt in a fire, the first thing I'd replace would be the suit. Major revelation - despite everybody here talking about it.

Dress clothes are often finer and should be worn and cared for better than the usual cheap, functional clothing one may wear. (Yes, obvious...)
Walking with a bottle of water (heavier than you might think) in a dressy outwear nylon jacket as one walks 70 nyc blocks can stretch the nylon - leading it to look awkward - and even lead to a small rip. Wearing an expensive wool sports coat underneath the nylon jacket and have that bottle of water bounce and rub that coat during the walk will lead to undesirable fabric wear and pilling. (It took me a long time to figure out why I had that strange wear on the front left bottom of my sports coat. A stupid and somewhat expensive mistake. )

Getting shit tailored is an obvious no-brainer. It should be a natural thought. "Oh, I'll just take this to the tailor." For whatever reason, that never occurred to me except for obvious things - like hemming pants.

Some tailors will not tell you to return the clothes you just bought - because of size, fit, style issues - and would like to get tailored. Some tailors will. I prefer the latter. Even if you don't agree with their opinion, it's great to hear it. The tailor who told me to return the jacket because it was out-of-date saved me a lot of money (and cost himself some - although I tipped him.)

One quality piece of clothing is much more valuable than a bunch of cheaper ones. I relearn this every year.

Your local dry cleaner can really suck at tailoring. (Again, obvious... How can somebody hem two pairs of pants and have the length be an inch and a half different!?!?)


2012 Insights
Stop buying clothes/shoes. I have enough. Find something better to do with time than looking online for clothing tips and deals.

Lose weight. Goes on so damn easily - it's crazy. Go to the gym consistently. Bike more in Central Park in the a.m.

Look out for nicer shoes to replace the stable of Allen Edmonds. (Refer to 2012 insight #1 whenever I think this. Allen Edmonds are good enough. But those santonis/gravatis/stuarts/grensons look so nice...)

Get better fitting pants.

Figure out how to maintain ties so they aren't wrinkled.

Get shining shoes down to a quick, easy, and common process.

Try to always look presentable when leaving the house. Make an effort.

Get a new job.

2011 Insights
Most major style mistakes I’ve made result from disregarding the advice of tailors.

Just because a tailor claims he can do something. That doesn’t mean he can do something. Never push a tailor out of his comfort zone. If they are reluctant to do something, back off.

I still own too many clothes

Suede shoes don’t work in Seattle but they are winners in Charleston South Carolina.

Clothes too loose are better then clothes too tight.

I don’t like the long chisel toe shoe lasts like CJ 348.

On me, trousers look much better with braces then belts

I rarely wear anything but white and blue shirts nowadays (occasionally a pin stripe blue on white)

The famous Ben Silver Mens store in Charleston is a disappointment. On the other hand, three blocks down King Street is Grady Ervin – one of the best men’s stores I’ve ever seen.


2012 plans
2012 is the year of the suit. I’ll make one more attempt to tweak my MTM pattern. If that doesn’t fix the gaping lapels, I’ll brave the fury of my wife and go bespoke.

No more sport coats. I’ll keep a couple, but the rest are headed to B&S forum. I’ve developed a real distaste for the sport coat/odd trousers look. I hate to say it but, that’s the impact of WAYWRN, Sartorialist, et al.

Add suspender buttons to all my suit trousers

A couple years ago I loved Grenadine knits. Now, they look too uniform and tedious. I’ll sell the Grenadines and replace with raw silk or Panta Cashmere tie.

Now that I live in S Carolina, I need more hot weather clothing:
Try an unlined shirt collar
Try a 3-fold, unlined linen tie – Maybe Sam Hober has an appetite for experiment

Cull my wardrobe my 50%. This time, I really mean it.
But it’s hard to let go of your children, even the ugly misshapen ones.

2011 Insights:-

- Joined SF this year and learned heaps from the informative threads here. Got inspired by various posts & went on mad shopping spree.
- A little late but gathered quite a bit of knowledge on suits - went on frenzee hunts to search on ones that fit me.
- Realised that in Australia, spending $1K on locally made suits = getting cheated. A few hundred more can get me better made suits with greater attention to detail.
- Z Zegna fitted me best for RTW without much alterations.
- Not until I discovered Tom Ford & became such a brand whore.
- Line of work does not involve suits at all but knowing I have them for special occasions seems enticing.
- Surgeon's cuffs has ideally become a must for sports jackets/suits - having them just makes it a lot more special.
- Shoes, shoes & more shoes - bought shit loads of shoes. Many hasty decisions due to bargains & realising that I don't wear them after buying them.
- Year of pocket squares & quality shirts.
- Discovered P Johnson - never quite made the plunge. Yet.


2012 Plans:-

- Need more quality shoes that I actually appreciate & wear. Planning to check out G&G, Carmina.
- On a hunt for a peak lapel midnight blue/ black Tuxedo from Tom Ford.
- MTM Tom Ford shirts.
- Plan to commission a suit/shirt/pants from P Johnson.
- Cashmere, cashmere, cashmere.
- Rid of items that I no longer appreciate - tons of them!!
- Enrich myself on history of tailoring, exploring different fabrics & possibility of bespoke.
- Need more white shirts.
- Cufflinks.
- Invest on a good camera.
- Another year of keeping fit to maintain my current wardrobe.
Edited by Quarks - 12/30/11 at 5:47pm

ftfy?