Wardrobe Staples/Essentials - New to SF

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by SpooPoker

Best first 14 posts to a n00b thread I have seen in recent times here.

Well done chaps.

 

[DStew]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

Definitely the first thing to do is invest in two pairs of good shoes. They will be a bit expensive, but having two pairs with shoe trees and rotating them, conditioning and polishing will make them last and instantly imrprove any outfit 10 fold. Good shoes make a cheap outfit look expensive, but bad shoes can ruin the best of suits. Look for Crockett & Jones, Alden, Church, Allen-Edmonds. You can often find deals on them. As far as color and style, that is where your personal taste comes into play. I would get one oxford and one derby to start with.

I'll vouch for this. For me, finding a tailor and making everything fit had the largest impact but shoes was a close second. Buying a couple nice shoes and taking care of them completely changed my existence.

The flip side of course is that I went from 2 pair to 7 pair of dress shoes (and searching for more).

 

[jrd617]

Originally Posted by NYliGuy

I work at a Fortune 500 company in Corporate Finance. The execs and director level wear suits, but below that level it's business casual and most dress in pretty sloppy business casual attire.

I went ahead a few days ago after some research here, and bought a used pair of AE LLoyd wingtips in Burgundy...I don't know what slacks to match with the shoes.

On weekends I would like to start throwing sports coats into my wardrobe.

Currently my work attire is dress shoes, slacks, dress shirts and sweaters. I normally wear express slacks, banana slacks and sweaters from both these stores. Certainly would like to start upgrading my style with better brands, although I currently get banana at 50% discount.

Makers off the top of my head:

Slacks: A ton of brands that range from fairly tight (Mabitex, Incotex) to "trad" (Brooks Brothers, J. Press). All based on personal preference

Sport coats: get a navy blazer and a gray blazer, maybe tweed. Look around eHaberdasher, Yoox, Malford of London, Gilt etc.

Sweaters: I dislike cashmere sweaters. They're too delicate. You can find merino and lambswool just about anywhere. Uniqlo, J. Crew, and Lands' End/Lands' End Canvas make decent ones.

Shirts: I'm about to go MTM (CEGO in New York). Honestly, I wish I had done this earlier. A lot of my shirts are just okay in terms of fit. I prefer mid-spread collars

Shoes: Crockett and Jones benchgrade from Pediwear or Bodiley's (P. Lal no longer ships to the USA), Alden, Allen Edmonds "classic" collection (stay away from their other lines), Herring, Barker, Cheaney. A lot of these shoes can be found at substantial discount on eBay or the B&S forum. Just be sure to know your exact size before you buy anything, or you could get blisters.

 

[deveandepot1]

I suggest you find out your true sizes. Get your feet measured with a Brannock device.
Remember your length and width. Then pick up the only 3 dress shoes you need:
Allen Edmonds PA in Black
AE Fifth Avenue in Burnished Brown
AE McAllister, MacNeil, or Strand in Walnut

 

[mk.ultra]

 

[jrd617]

^^^^^ The dress shoes in that picture are pretty awful

 

[acecow]

Originally Posted by jrd617

^^^^^ The dress shoes in that picture are pretty awful

The chukkas are nice.

 

[jrd617]

Originally Posted by acecow

The chukkas are nice.

Those are Alden's. They're kind of meh.

 

[Twotone]

A good start. Assuming this chart is for business wear. I would substitute a nice pair of slip-ons/loafers for the white sports shoes. Casual/weekend clothes are another list entirely.

Originally Posted by mk.ultra

 

[andrew96]

2 good pairs of shoes and a blue blazer. I would recommend Johnson and Murphys, check out the deals and outlets, I just got some for $50.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

I suggest you find out your true sizes. Get your feet measured with a Brannock device.
Remember your length and width. Then pick up the only 3 dress shoes you need:
Allen Edmonds PA in Black
AE Fifth Avenue in Burnished Brown
AE McAllister, MacNeil, or Strand in Walnut

disagree with that^^. but that is either here nor there. every shoe maker/style won't fit the same. so if you are a 9.5 and order online or buy instore, they may fit like a 9 or 10. you really need to always try on a shoe to confirm fit/size. also, disagree with the only 3 dress shoes listed above. but that is also here nor there.

OP should def start with 2 pairs of quality shoes. that is the nucleus around a solid wardrobe!

 

[YoungAmerican]

I should mention that I wrote the essential wardrobe guide quoted above, though I didn't pick the pictures or make that photo illustration. You can read the whole thing here. It's targeted at most men - ie: don't wear a suit every day, do need to wear something nice sometimes.