14 and dressing well?

[Ae2600]

Hey guys,

Ill be short with it. Im 14, Ive recently purchased a few blazers and sports coats, and I own a good two piece suit. Im just curious, How can I Work these pieces of clothing into my wardrobe, with out being too over the top. I attend a public school, but grow tired of hoodies and sweatpants. I have a tan camel hair blazer and a nice Van Huesen Sport coat in blue. How do I go about tackling this? Any Ideas?

Thanks, Garrett

 

[Maljunulo]

Hey guys,

Ill be short with it. Im 14, Ive recently purchased a few blazers and sports coats, and I own a good two piece suit. Im just curious, How can I Work these pieces of clothing into my wardrobe, with out being too over the top. I attend a public school, but grow tired of hoodies and sweatpants. I have a tan camel hair blazer and a nice Van Huesen Sport coat in blue. How do I go about tackling this? Any Ideas?

Thanks, Garrett

Since we have no clue where you are, it is a bit more difficult to comment.

 

[madhat]

Hey guys,

Ill be short with it. Im 14, Ive recently purchased a few blazers and sports coats, and I own a good two piece suit. Im just curious, How can I Work these pieces of clothing into my wardrobe, with out being too over the top. I attend a public school, but grow tired of hoodies and sweatpants. I have a tan camel hair blazer and a nice Van Huesen Sport coat in blue. How do I go about tackling this? Any Ideas?

Thanks, Garrett

Wear your pieces with jeans and an OCBD or similar, as if they are light jackets. Above it right though, without some idea of your environment it makes it harder to determine the best solution.
You need to focus on what makes you comfortable and confident.

 

[Ae2600]

First tine posting, im new to this stuff, i attend school in manistee Michigan, which is fairly small town, with lots of fairly impoverished kids, only a few dress nicely day to day. Today i sported my camel hair with a gray button up underneath, with gray khakis, and my brown Clark's. I though it looked nice.

 

[johng70]

First tine posting, im new to this stuff, i attend school in manistee Michigan, which is fairly small town, with lots of fairly impoverished kids, only a few dress nicely day to day. Today i sported my camel hair with a gray button up underneath, with gray khakis, and my brown Clark's. I though it looked nice.

Tough situation. In all honesty if the majority of your classmates are impoverished, you showing up in that style of dress is definitely going to lead to some issues. There will be those that feel you are flaunting your "perceived" affluence. So, you need to expect that. It's impossible for us here to tell you how those feelings will manifest. But, to me, your stated situation is very different than being in an upper-middle class school district and we're just talking about stylistic differences. I don't know what your social situation is and what the other students are like but I would guess from what you wrote here that while you think it looked good, others might have a very different opinion. The "should you care" discussion is an entirely different one though.

 

[Anachronist]

If I may add, depending on if you're not hooked on dressing in a classic style, you can experiment with the garments to create some new smart looks that you could just get away with even at your school. What would help would be some pics of the jackets (on a hanger if you prefer to keep it anonymous) and we could give some hints. I've seen some combinations of sweaters/cardigans and even hoodies with more casual jackets that looked pretty relaxed and cool without appearing over the top.
In general I agree however with what was already mentioned above. You'll need to try out styles carefully and judge how far you can go between your look being accepted as part of your individual style and sticking out like a sore thumb. Jackets with a more casual cut (single breasted, one or two buttons, narrow lapel) and more relaxed materials (corduroy, tweed, cotton) will probably be a safer bet.

 

[JLibourel]

Boys can be pretty cruel toward perceived sartorial eccentricity. I went to prep school (boarding). I can recall one boy who had his bright red blazer literally torn from his body. However, he was otherwise hated by nearly all his classmates, for good reason.

I think a lot of what you can "pull off" when outdressing your schoolmates will depend on how big and tough you are, I regret to say.

Another story that comes to mind is one fellow who had a Cowichan sweater. This is a coarse woolen sweater made by First Nations people in British Columbia. They are prone to pilling. The same bully who was ringleader in tearing up the red blazer used to annoy the owner of the Cowichan sweater by pulling off the pilling. Finally, he challenged the bully to a fight. Although he was a much better athlete than the bully and had won some sort of fighting tournament at his previous school, he proved no match for the much larger bully. At least two other boys who had been tormented by the bully had to spend some time in mental institutions. One of them received several visits during a period of confinement in the psycho ward from the unctious, hypocritical bully!

 

[maxalex]

Pay no attention to what others think of your clothes. Wear what you like, what makes you comfortable, and what expresses who you are. Do the same with all of your passions and interests in life, disregarding the opinions of the crowd. Do not hurt others in the pursuit of your choices but do not be intimidated to conform. This is how creative people live. You are on the right path.

 

[JLibourel]

Just a further thought: While I think it is commendable that you are interested in dressing well, you are only 14 and still growing. It might be wise to limit purchases of good tailored menswear until your growing has, if not stopped, at least stabilized.