Australian Members

[Journeyman]

There's a few other things you're going to need:

1) Pink shirt to wear on Thursdays
2) Silver cufflinks, the bigger the better. It's also desirable that these be humourous, but not overly so. Think hot/cold taps or cricket bats.
3) Nylon backpack to wear over your suit.
4) Boot cut washed jeans for fridays.
5) Two or three polyester striped ties to keep in your office drawers for when you've got a meeting with the boss, a job interview or a date.
6) Couple of black and grey suits. Don't buy these in Australia, the best thing to do is to pick up a couple next time you're in Vietnam. I have a mate who went and he said they're a lot better than you can get in Oz but for a fraction of the price. Like I'm taling super 200s.
7) I'm not sure about those shoes, not a fan of the roundness of the toe. Ideally the point should either be 30 degrees or 0 degrees. They also look a bit shiny, scuff em up a bit.

You're all set!

That's uncanny - you don't post on Whirlpool, too, do you?!?! ;-)

 

[The Ernesto]



If you are a manager or above or simply insecure, maybe try TAG? I hear they make the BEST WATCHES IN THE WORLD.

They do.

But is has to be a really big one so people see the logo.

9) Black coat for winter. Polyester blend is good cause it keeps the rain out. And one with those flaps on the shoulders like they have in the military.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



They do.

But is has to be a really big one so people see the logo.

9) Black coat for winter. Polyester blend is good cause it keeps the rain out. And one with those flaps on the shoulders like they have in the military.

10) Pre folded and starched psychedelic pocket square protruding loudly from breast pocket.

 

[fxh]

The more of a reason to invest in a good pair With regular care and rotation your shoes will last a very very long time. Therefore the difference in marginal cost per wear is almost nothing.

Yes - unfortunately funds are somewhat limited in terms of buying multiple pairs of shoes at once.
Basically I'm looking to re-do my wardrobe in a simple, classic manner. Starting with the black captoe oxford.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Which other shoes would you recommend as decent business staples in Aus (Melb)? Which would be the best (read: most versatile) to start with?
I'm thinking along the lines of:

(a) Black captoe oxford
(b) Brown RMWilliams Macquarie boot
(c) Brown penny loafer
(d) Some kind of brown wingtip - ideally longwing - should this be a medium or dark brown?
(e) Brown suede (light brown or camel) string loafer (not a fan of tassels), or maybe strap loafer like the penny

Should get me fairly well set. Perhaps also look into a suede oxford or chukka... hmm.. many options

Its against the forum orthodoxy of the black captoe but my recommendations are a bit different.

The most versatile is a dark brown (city) semi brogue - closed or open laced doesn't matter except if you happen to meet a SF person on the train or somewhere they can have a forensic look at your shoes. Next a black (city) semi brogue. Then something for when off work and knocking around or sloppy fridays. DBs or suede boots or RMs in brown or a full brogue country shoe. Thats it. All the rest is indulgence.

 

[fxh]



There's a few other things you're going to need:

1) Pink shirt to wear on Thursdays
2) Silver cufflinks, the bigger the better. It's also desirable that these be humourous, but not overly so. Think hot/cold taps or cricket bats.
3) Nylon backpack to wear over your suit.
4) Boot cut washed jeans for fridays.
5) Two or three polyester striped ties to keep in your office drawers for when you've got a meeting with the boss, a job interview or a date.
6) Couple of black and grey suits. Don't buy these in Australia, the best thing to do is to pick up a couple next time you're in Vietnam. I have a mate who went and he said they're a lot better than you can get in Oz but for a fraction of the price. Like I'm taling super 200s.
7) I'm not sure about those shoes, not a fan of the roundness of the toe. Ideally the point should either be 30 degrees or 0 degrees. They also look a bit shiny, scuff em up a bit.
You're all set!

Shirt with broad pink stripes on sky blue or white ground to signal when on drugs. (perhaps thats only me)
re (6) there is some considerable debate as to whether the Bangkok 24 hour suit is better value than the HK Nathan Road 24 hour suit or the Vietnam suit. (3) the nylon backpack is an essential from what I see in the city. Best worn over neck and shoulders with dark suit and no tie. You should buy a skinny black tie and leave it in the office hanging or rolled up in drawer in case theres a office security ID photo shoot.

 

[Prince of Paisley]

 

[Oli2012]

But seriously, if you're looking to put together a basic wardrobe check out these links:

Manton's 'things needed to be well dressed'
http://www.styleforum.net/t/309783/if-you-do-not-own-the-following-things-you-are-not-well-dressed

Putthison's essential mens wardrobe
http://putthison.com/post/712103418/the-essential-mans-wardrobe-perhaps-the-most

And if you can get past his bad attitude, DR might share a link to his blog which has a pretty good review on Aussie clothing outlets/brands.

 

[cciss]

Hey babes, could anyone offer a decent OTC sock recommendation? Durability is the goal here, I've worn through all my Wood's and Pantherella and Goldtoes don't ship to Australia.

Please help, I'm close to going sockless double-monk.

 

[Journeyman]

I've never seen you post a selfie before - thanks for the photo.

Hey babes, could anyone offer a decent OTC sock recommendation? Durability is the goal here, I've worn through all my Wood's and Pantherella and Goldtoes don't ship to Australia.

Please help, I'm close to going sockless double-monk.

You can get good socks from Australian member Henry Carter - he sells a selection of Bresciani at decent prices.

Otherwise, you can get Viccel socks from Turkey at decent prices.

For plain socks, I quite like Uniqlo. I don't know what their Australian pricing is like, but in Japan you can get three sets of Supima cotton socks for the equivalent of $10. They're quite thin, nice and soft, they wear well and they don't feel dry and fragile quickly (unlike my experience with Pantherella).

 

[fxh]



Its against the forum orthodoxy of the black captoe but my recommendations are a bit different.
The most versatile is a dark brown (city) semi brogue - closed or open laced doesn't matter except if you happen to meet a SF person on the train or somewhere they can have a forensic look at your shoes. Next a black (city) semi brogue. Then something for when off work and knocking around or sloppy fridays. DBs or suede boots or RMs in brown or a full brogue country shoe. Thats it. All the rest is indulgence.

Having said that I had a quick squiz at that spanish site you linked to.

The Oxford legate Ref. 9550-40 Precio Final: 99,90 € ASTHON & ALLEN @ $140 aud - (perhaps $120 after VAT?) and the Oxford full-brogue Ref. 9564-ZU Precio Final: 99,90 € ASTHON & ALLEN seem like great value at around $140 aud.

And remember you'll get a chance to try them on = priceless. (just ask foxy and few others about that)

You wont get a similar shoe for anywhere near that in aus - probably double. If you like them - I'd suggest buying up while you are there, even on CC, and can try them on and look at them in real life. Get a brown and black business pair and a brown pebble grain long wing (Blucher pala vega Ref. 7686 Precio Final I saw there for casual. Hell remember that long lost diminutive guru Foo wore almost exclusively a similar long wing black for all occasions.!!

Hell for $420 (or maybe around $300 with no VAT?) you'll have 3 pair of very decent shoes THAT FIT! Theres no way you could get near that value here.

 

[fxh]



Hey babes, could anyone offer a decent OTC sock recommendation? Durability is the goal here, I've worn through all my Wood's and Pantherella and Goldtoes don't ship to Australia.
Please help, I'm close to going sockless double-monk.

Oh dear - emergency emergency - code black, brown and orange!!!!

Occasionally Lands End have had OTC thickish cotton socks on sale for $10 or less for 2 pair. Often not great colours but they wear well. But LE doesn't seem to have them much, or at all, lately. Viccel are fine but get the heaviest weight cotton if you are concerned about wear. They must like their socks sheer like stockings in Turkey, I know many do, but their thickest aren't what I'd call thick. Their bi-coloured cotton the ones with stripes and dots - not sure how to describe them - seem to be a much stronger tougher weave to me. I don't have any of their (new) plain super heavy cotton - so I don't know how if it is heavier.

 

[deingesicht]

Can anyone comment on the quality of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts?

I recently walked into the store while in London and was surprised and their range of sleeve length. I have very long arms and have always used overseas MTM (if I stay with MTM, I'll probably choose Jantzen) as no other shirts fit me (unless I get a tailor to take in the sides). While the cost difference between a couple of shirts is immaterial, I'm looking at 10+ for my next order.

Any feedback would be great.

 

[The Ernesto]

Falke socks are good.

Marcoliani as well.

 

[Journeyman]

Can anyone comment on the quality of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts?

I recently walked into the store while in London and was surprised and their range of sleeve length. I have very long arms and have always used overseas MTM (if I stay with MTM, I'll probably choose Jantzen) as no other shirts fit me (unless I get a tailor to take in the sides). While the cost difference between a couple of shirts is immaterial, I'm looking at 10+ for my next order.

Any feedback would be great.

Charles Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin (another, very similar business) make good shirts for the prices that they charge.

As you say, their real strength - particularly for their pricepoint - is the ability to specify cuff type (barrel or double cuff) and sleeve length. You can also usually choose either classic or slim fit and sometimes also an even slimmer fit.

The only downside is that in the shirts that I've seen, the fusing in the collars and cuffs is a bit too stiff for my liking.

However, for $50 a shirt (as they usually have a four-for-$200 deal or something similar), both CT and TM Lewin are very hard to beat if you need to build up a business wardrobe.

As an aside, I've got a few pairs of their cotton trousers and their corduroy trousers and they're good value, too, particularly on sale.

 

[nabilmust]

Quote:

QFT. I think Matt has hit the nail on the head here. I find it a great platform for sharing my photos - better than Flickr or Instagram. It's not the platform I'd use for gaining exposure for a business.

As a photosharing / moodboarding platform I think Tumblr still has some mileage left in it. At the end of the day, it's also about using different platforms uniquely. I like how WatchAnish differentiates his three platforms - his website, his instagram account and his tumblr. Doesn't get boring.

And because of him, this motherf*cker got reblogged more than 5000 times:

Hey babes, could anyone offer a decent OTC sock recommendation? Durability is the goal here, I've worn through all my Wood's and Pantherella and Goldtoes don't ship to Australia.

Please help, I'm close to going sockless double-monk.

Falke, Bresciani (off Henry Carter). Plus, socks will wear out after 6 months or so. With a good rotation, maybe a year.