help the LAST BOOMER? 59 y/o, style-challenged, which stores are trustworthy for quality, stylish clothing?

[rockwind1]

i was born a month and a half before the boomer generation ended.

I'm getting older, body is spreading out a bit despite best efforts. never was a fashion clothes horse, blue collar job and all that. but I can finally afford some clothes. my SO is also clueless when it comes to picking clothes for her man, so it is up to me. my current style is Costco white t-shirt 6 pack with kirkland jeans in 34x34. during summer, it is any Costco pair of loose fitting shorts with zippers on the pockets so I don't lose my keys and wallet while walking.

I recently tried stepping up my fashion game by purchasing the COLORED t-shirts at costco, like blue or green or grey and a pair of nicer jeans, lucky brand 329 classic straight, which fit ok but tend to slide down, so now i have to wear a belt (which is even worse)

unfortunately, the 10+ lbs i gained curing covid wound up at the bottom of ******. it's not as bad as i make it sound. but the new style jeans that are skin tight DO NOT make my figure look better.

are there any slightly older fashion experts on here? what jeans do you buy? what brands and stores to you look for?
how can you tell good denim from crappy denim? i love the new stretchy stuff. my hiking pants from rei are nice and stretchy. love whatever that stuff is.

 

[TimothyF]

Small steps, small steps. Focus on better fit, form, then quality, in that order

1. Look at fuller cut, high rise jeans and khakis/chinos. Avoid skinny/slim fits with lower rise at all costs!
2. Start wearing COLLARED shirts (not just COLORED) when you leave the house
3. For "good" denim from budget brands, look for thick material with minimal washing. Either a uniformly dark "rinse" wash, or better crunchy raw. The best supposedly denim material is selvedge, from specialty makers usually costing $100+, and typically made in 1st world countries like Japan, Europe, US or Canada

 

[notdos]

i was born a month and a half before the boomer generation ended.

I'm getting older, body is spreading out a bit despite best efforts. never was a fashion clothes horse, blue collar job and all that. but I can finally afford some clothes. my SO is also clueless when it comes to picking clothes for her man, so it is up to me. my current style is Costco white t-shirt 6 pack with kirkland jeans in 34x34. during summer, it is any Costco pair of loose fitting shorts with zippers on the pockets so I don't lose my keys and wallet while walking.

I recently tried stepping up my fashion game by purchasing the COLORED t-shirts at costco, like blue or green or grey and a pair of nicer jeans, lucky brand 329 classic straight, which fit ok but tend to slide down, so now i have to wear a belt (which is even worse)

unfortunately, the 10+ lbs i gained curing covid wound up at the bottom of ******. it's not as bad as i make it sound. but the new style jeans that are skin tight DO NOT make my figure look better.

are there any slightly older fashion experts on here? what jeans do you buy? what brands and stores to you look for?
how can you tell good denim from crappy denim? i love the new stretchy stuff. my hiking pants from rei are nice and stretchy. love whatever that stuff is.

This is going to require you treating it as, “important”. Dial in your sizes via rtw (ready-to-wear), then style and fit. Trust me, it’s more fun than it sounds, and the rewards are valuable.

Phillip

 

[rockwind1]

This is going to require you treating it as, “important”. Dial in your sizes via rtw (ready-to-wear), then style and fit. Trust me, it’s more fun than it sounds, and the rewards are valuable.

Phillip

thanks Phillip, I will! so as far as rtw,,, any brands you recommend for folks who are as not tall and thin like they used to be.,, was 6' 2" 175 lbs solid muscle ,, now, 6' 1" ish and 200 lbs,

 

[rockwind1]

Small steps, small steps. Focus on better fit, form, then quality, in that order

1. Look at fuller cut, high rise jeans and khakis/chinos. Avoid skinny/slim fits with lower rise at all costs!
2. Start wearing COLLARED shirts (not just COLORED) when you leave the house
3. For "good" denim from budget brands, look for thick material with minimal washing. Either a uniformly dark "rinse" wash, or better crunchy raw. The best supposedly denim material is selvedge, from specialty makers usually costing $100+, and typically made in 1st world countries like Japan, Europe, US or Canada

thank you Timothy. i will defintely avoid skinny jeans at all costs, i have learned that already! my favorite pair of jeans from about 15/20 years ago was a pair of Versace jeans that i got as a gift. they were soooo comfy and lasted forever. can you recommend a high quality, rtw jeans brand you like?

 

[shoefan57]

thank you Timothy. i will defintely avoid skinny jeans at all costs, i have learned that already! my favorite pair of jeans from about 15/20 years ago was a pair of Versace jeans that i got as a gift. they were soooo comfy and lasted forever. can you recommend a high quality, rtw jeans brand you like?

I’m , ahem , chunkier than I once was and only a bit older than you. I wear Levi’s 501s but notice that Wrangler Arizona jeans are cut generously.

 

[Thin White Duke]

My quick take on this -
First well done for making the effort to step up a notch or two when the entire western world appears to be moving in the opposite direction. The day you get your first compliment from a stranger or co-worker is a day to remember as an important step on your journey, that your efforts have been noticed.

First I agree with the above poster - round neck T shirts are for the house, the beach or the gym. Just moving up to polos is a notable move. You can also look at button down collar shirts or knitted polos for the cooler weather. V necks of an extra layer is needed?

I would also move away from jeans as much as you can. Let’s face it - EVERYBODY wears jeans and they are boring AF. Nothing wrong with having a decent pair of two once you dialled in your most flattering fit but look at alternatives - chinos, five pockets, even wool (or linen for hot weather) and go for bolder colours than beige /khaki.

Think about your shoes. Loads of options here but if you step up your clothes you need decent shoes to match. No need to persevere with crappy New Balance running shoes! Take a look at ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ for some amusing scenes where Ryan Gosling tries to school Steve Carrell on how to find his forgotten style mojo!

 

[rockwind1]

My quick take on this -
First well done for making the effort to step up a notch or two when the entire western world appears to be moving in the opposite direction. The day you get your first compliment from a stranger or co-worker is a day to remember as an important step on your journey, that your efforts have been noticed.

First I agree with the above poster - round neck T shirts are for the house, the beach or the gym. Just moving up to polos is a notable move. You can also look at button down collar shirts or knitted polos for the cooler weather. V necks of an extra layer is needed?

I would also move away from jeans as much as you can. Let’s face it - EVERYBODY wears jeans and they are boring AF. Nothing wrong with having a decent pair of two once you dialled in your most flattering fit but look at alternatives - chinos, five pockets, even wool (or linen for hot weather) and go for bolder colours than beige /khaki.

Think about your shoes. Loads of options here but if you step up your clothes you need decent shoes to match. No need to persevere with crappy New Balance running shoes! Take a look at ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ for some amusing scenes where Ryan Gosling tries to school Steve Carrell on how to find his forgotten style mojo!

thanks Duke! any particular brand of polo's? I assume Izod is out? or is it back in? I guess my biggest obstacle is when shopping, some polo's have short sleeves and some are longer,,, and then the material,, i've seen shiny, reflective polyester types and then more historically normal looking polo's. can i ask, do you generally shop online once you know your sizes and brands,, or do you go out on foot, into the malls, on a weekend quest of trying stuff on?

 

[Thin White Duke]

thanks Duke! any particular brand of polo's? I assume Izod is out? or is it back in? I guess my biggest obstacle is when shopping, some polo's have short sleeves and some are longer,,, and then the material,, i've seen shiny, reflective polyester types and then more historically normal looking polo's. can i ask, do you generally shop online once you know your sizes and brands,, or do you go out on foot, into the malls, on a weekend quest of trying stuff on?

I have a ton of polos mostly split between Lacoste and Fred Perry with a handful of others (Polo, Hilfiger) thrown in. I never pay full price only ever get them on sale. You don’t have to spend a fortune there are perfectly decent polos out there in 100 percent pique cotton throughout the whole price range spectrum. I’d avoid anything shiny or polyester you don’t want to look like you came straight from the golf course!

I like to shop in person but where I live there isn’t a lot of options and in Florida you’re considered ‘dressed up’ if you have long trousers on! Once you know your sizes it’s fairly easy for things like polos to order online. I get some stuff from End Clothing in England which seems to have fast delivery and a flat $10 fee for shipping including import duties. Theres plenty to be found on eBay too if you know how to avoid knock off gear. At this time of year most of the department stores like Dillards, Macy’s etc will have long sleeve polos in knitted cotton or merino. Uniqlo and Charles Tyrwhitt do them too. Think Connery sneaking around at night in Thunderball!

 

[comrade]

Re Polos: LL Bean makes long wearing polos in generous cuts.

Men's Polo Shirts | Clothing at L.L.Bean

Free Shipping with $75 purchase. Shop L.L.Bean for Men's polo shirts for premium comfort and style.

www.llbean.com

 

[cantoryakov]

Suggestion for OP: check out this web site

Dappered – Affordable Men's Style

Affordable Men's Style

dappered.com

It will have a lot of helpful and reasonable suggestions for beginners, and even non-beginners, including both style suggestions and where to procure decent clothes for reasonable price.

 

[William Kazak]

I have Lands End pique polos in both long and short sleeves. They have some interesting colors

 

[jellyroller]

OP, are you near a major metro area? Asking because it may make more sense for you to go in person to stores and try on clothing than play the online order guessing game with your change in sizing etc...

 

[rockwind1]

OP, are you near a major metro area? Asking because it may make more sense for you to go in person to stores and try on clothing than play the online order guessing game with your change in sizing etc...

I am, I am in Las Vegas, NV. we have the forum shops at ceasars palace,, and nordstroms, and the summerlin mall, and some slightly less upscale malls like the meadows mall and the fashion show mall on the strip. the last 2 both entail significant risk these days, as far as violent crime. but fingers crossed. I will be at walking around at defcon level 3 if i go.

 

[rockwind1]

I have Lands End pique polos in both long and short sleeves. They have some interesting colors

I will check that out! thanks