50 year old wants to change wardrobe.

[buckster13]

I am a 50 year district sales manager (5'9"-180) work in the industrial market.
I want to upgrade my wardrobe from what I feel is a casual look to something more professional and dressy. Help get me started.

 

[VMan]

It would help if you posted a little more about what you wear now, the requirements for dress in your workplace, budget, what you like and dislike, etc.

 

[buckster13]

Usually wear Hagger pants and dress shirts (have some BB) and am willing to spend some $$$ but don't really know what I am looking for in the way of quality and an overall "look". Generally like a simple look, thought Clooney looked really cool in "ocean's eleven", white shirt, maybe blue, grey jacket, etc.

 

[Taxler]

If you want simple and elegant, I would stick with solid colors and smooth worsted wools in year-round weights. Don't buy any expensive clothing until you're sure of what you want and how you want it to fit.

 

[buckster13]

Give me some examples of decent worsted wool pants that aren't off the chart expensive. I assume I just stick witht the basics in color (navy, black,grey,taupe).

 

[thefashionist]

Be your self and always wear clothes that make you feel good....some inspiration in www.thefashionist.se Ciao

 

[buckster13]

I agree, just need some direction as to some quality.

 

[marc237]

I suggest you do considerably more searching and reading on this forum. There are plenty of threads on reasonably priced brands and many forum members sell in the buying and selling sub-forum.

A reason you are getting so little assistance is that your question is general to the point of meaningless. It is like telling us you have been riding a bike and now want to know what car to buy.

You need to research and compare choices, articulate price points since your idea of reasonable and our will vary widely, and express preferences before any serious assistance can be offered.

 

[buckster13]

BTW ....I do want to buy a car...thanks, I'll do some more reading.

 

[philosophe]

Buckster, you might see if Brooks has some slimmer dress pants. BB pants are an excellent basic. Right now, I believe that the BB shirts are on sale at good price, too, though they can be baggy. If you have outlets, the Nordstrom Rack, NM Last Call, and Saks Off Fifth housebrand pants are mostly made by Ballin. At about $80 a pair, they're a decent deal. They're not as trim as the European makers, but they wear well and might be a good way starting to build your wardrobe.

Checking the buying and selling forum here is always a good idea. You'll find higher-end pants from Incotex, Luciano Barbera, Canali, Valentini, and others at a fraction of retail, usually for $100-180 per pair.

 

[buckster13]

Thanks, lots

 

[Grayland]

Check out the thread, What are you wearing today? - located at the top of the Mens Clothing section of the forum. You'll see outfits you like and outfits you dislike, but that's a start.

Pick up one of Alan Flussers' books. You'll learn so much.

Start with a few pairs of decent shoes. You'll probably think black first, but you'll wear brown more often. Burgundy shoes are very versatile. Plenty of threads on that.

Think versatility when making your initial purchases. Blues and grays and tans go with a lot of colors. While a brown suit with cream pinstripes can be nice; how often can you wear that without it being obvious that you're wearing the same suit? On the other hand, a navy or charcoal suit can be worn twice in the same week by simply wearing a different shirt and tie.

Don't buy a whole new wardrobe in the first few months. Take your time and really find your style. The most expensive clothes are those you never wear.

 

[designprofessor]

If you own /wear tassle loafers, throw them out NOW!
On the budget side, I've had some good deals for fit and cost from Land's End and Nordstrom's shirts.

 

[mr. magoo]

Buckster, first let me congratulate you on taking a step to improve your outward appearance and, I believe, the inner man as well. It's hard to learn new tricks.

I would say the first thing to do is try to learn what fits your body and looks good. As a general rule, most men wear their trousers too long, their shirts too big and jackets simply don't fit. It makes them look fatter and shorter than they are. The Flusser books are a great way to start to learn this. Sometimes they veer into some stuff you don't need to know about (how to pick white tie vs. black tie), but there's some good stuff in there.

The other aspect that's not easy is remembering to dress your age. It's easy to say "I need to update" and end up buying clothes a 19 year old wears. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" did this in spades. But it sounds like your model is good -- Clooney dresses like an adult in the Oceans films.

In addition, tend towards the basic colors to start: white, tan, gray and navy. But learn how to mix and match.

Once you have the fit down and look in your head, remember you can dress well spending $10 or $10,000. The trade off generally comes from how much effort you want to put in to clothes. You literally can dress very well buying from ebay, the Salvation Army and discount stores; but you have to dig. Or you can walk into a luxury department store or boutique and get fitted out. But having the above knowledge will be key.

If you're on a learning curve, I'd stay away from catalogs and websites for a while. You need to get a sense of how things are supposed to fit and what looks good and that's hard from a web photo. Instead, go to stores that you trust. I would generally recommend going to an old world store in your town or city where some old guy knows how to fit a jacket, as opposed to a 21-year old who doesn't. But that's just me.

For brands, I would say that Brooks is a decent brand at a semi-high price point. You're rarely getting a real steal, but rarely are getting something terrible. Polo is trickier, and you're paying for advertising. Department store brands can be very good deals as well.

Also, don't be afraid to post pictures of yourself and ask for critiques. It's tough, but it's helpful. There's a well known old-time poster on here who started doing that when he first joined and his clothes, well, sort of sucked. Now he sometimes posts his bespoke clothing and it look vastly better. He sought criticism to improve and improve he did.

Good luck.

 

[buckster13]

No tassle loafers, and will check out L/E shirts. How about some pleated wool pants?