A Plea for Help - Wardrobe Creation

[TimTheEnchanter]

With shirts, first you need to have the correct neck size. Then, make sure it fits well across your shoulders, no rolling up under your collar. Then make sure the sleeves are long enough that they ride up your arm when you bend your elbow. These three things need to be excellent / perfect.

Once those criteria are met, it doesn't matter how baggy / billowy the shirt is otherwise because any alterations tailor can slim down the torso, sleeves and armholes quite easily. Sleeves can even be shortened if need be.

This is incredibly useful info. Thanks!

I suggest you don't buy all the shirts at once. Buy two. Wear them. WASH them. Dry them. They'll shrink a bit naturally. Then bring them to the alterations tailor as I suggested above.

Light grey and a black V neck sweaters are wonderfully versatile. Get the thinnest merino wool ones you can find. One of each. You won't regret it!
http://www.amazon.com/Braga-V-Neck-...&refinements=p_n_size_browse-vebin:2343349011

PLEASE do not rush out and buy all of that in 3 weeks.

Purchase some staples. Work around that. Then add gradually.

This. You will regret haste. Instead buy one or two pieces at a time and wear them. Trust me, your experience will almost certainly inform your next purchases, especially with similar items. If you buy a truckload of clothes at once you forgo this process and risk a metric ton of buyers remorse.

Try browsing this thread: http://www.styleforum.net/t/312363/mistakes-you-made-when-updating-your-wardrobe

My new plan is to get enough stuff to get me through, then build much more slowly. I don't particularly LIKE this plan, but I see how it's total folly to try to jam everything into a condensed period. Thanks for the advice, and thanks for the link! Somehow I missed that thread, or read it a while ago and forgot about it.

For every shirt you buy, probably try on 10. It's the only way you'll find a proper fit. Same with suits. I could try on ten of the highest recommended suits on this forum and #11 would be the fit I should buy. Find someone who understands fit as well. Not many people do. Then worry about fabrics. Also, keep notes on clothes. Maybe a list that you have in your phone. I can look back for about 3 years, find brands that fit or not, shopping lists, notes on fabrics and colors, etc that keep me focused and helps me remember my mistakes. Go to Brooks Brothers, Uniqlo, Lands End, Kamakura, J Press, and your local men's store--just to buy one OCBD.

Thanks for this. I tend to get really defeated after hitting a few stores, trying stuff on, and repeatedly failing. Having the 10-to-1 number in my head will help. Thanks!