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A horrible lack of appropriate rags for partying for those under 35?

babygreenspots

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Or just going out...

Most of the people I know who care somewhat about their appearance prioritize looking good when they are at the house party, the restaurant, the art opening, or the new club. What they wear for work is comparatively less important. Showing up in the same suit all week does really go unnoticed in most places. Besides, wearing something interesting can be interpreted as being a bit too uppity in the work place.

Either way, most people want clothing that they can wear when they go out. For most, it can be difficult to look comfortable and relaxed while wearing a suit, no matter how fitted the cut and how slim the tie. Jackets with texture or in the brown family can seem a bit too mature, country, or rough, and many things with texture are too thick for wearing indoors anyway. Cord and velvet jackets can also be too thick.

Orphaned suit jackets with jeans are irritating to most here. A lot of dark jackets can look too much like jeans.

What is the best option here?
 

Fuuma

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Is there a dress code or specific norms you want to conform to when you go out? Otherwise just wear what you like...
 

wetnose

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For jackets, it depends on the cut of the jacket. Armani tends to have nice soft rounded shoulders and it looks beautiful for casual wear.

If suit jackets are out of the question, then I'd go with a nice pea jacket or a nice leather jacket. If they're made of nice materials and cut beautifully, they'd look great for any casual situation. I like leather jackets done in a scooter style or a car jacket style in either black or dark brown. Couple that with a soft V neck sweater in a neutral color and you're good to go.
 

TheFoo

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Why do you think it's that hard to be appear comfortable in a suit?
 

Modernist

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Well, if you feel like wearing a suit when going out, kid mohair blends are a good option. They are usually lightweight, kid mohair wears cooler than a similar all wool fabric, and the sheen makes the suit look considerably less business-like than an all wool one. Plus they look good in colours like RAF blue, light grey, shades of green, which are less business-like than the classic charcoal or navy.
 

Augusto86

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
Why do you think it's that hard to be appear comfortable in a suit?
nph_himym.jpg
 

Marc-OS

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I gotta say, Barney Stinson does make wearing a suit everyday look casual and comfortable. Also, How I Met Your Mother is probably the funniest show on TV.
 

babygreenspots

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
Why do you think it's that hard to be appear comfortable in a suit?
Well, in an environment where everyone is either wearing 1. hip tee-shirts and other casual attire or 2. pieces by obscure designers, a traditional suit can look a bit stuffy and unimaginative. Clearly other shades, mohair, and fabrics like very lightweight cords, cotton, linen for summer are all options. Still, on the whole, I feel like many people are really looking for something more exciting. The emphasis in going out clothing is being original.
 

johnny_flapjack

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Originally Posted by babygreenspots
Well, in an environment where everyone is either wearing 1. hip tee-shirts and other casual attire or 2. pieces by obscure designers, a traditional suit can look a bit stuffy and unimaginative. Clearly other shades, mohair, and fabrics like very lightweight cords, cotton, linen for summer are all options. Still, on the whole, I feel like many people are really looking for something more exciting.

The emphasis in going out clothing is being original.


Do you see how you contradict yourself here? So the everyone that you metion (who are wearing one of two things) are the ones being original? Good stuff.
 

babygreenspots

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Originally Posted by johnny_flapjack
Do you see how you contradict yourself here? Good stuff.
This way of speaking is inevitably grating. The second person singular is one of the great problems with English that is intensified on the internet. My ability to express myself apparently does not stand up to the challenges of posting. Let us not take things so literally. The goal is to look original. Yes? This does not mean that the person really is succeeding in being original but that is the emphasis. And, well, wearing an obscure designer than no one has seen or heard of or a cut, fabric, or color that is fresh might be considered wearing an "original" outfit. I don't know. Thrift stores, consignment shops, etc. are other options. Traditional western attire - regardless of how precious the patterns and fabrics are and how innovative the mixing and matching - can seem a bit scruffy an tired. Just like taste in music, the emphasis in dressing in many circles is to wear something fresh and exciting. Maybe "original" was the wrong word.
 

Modernist

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What you're asking depends greatly on the scene. For instance, last year Justice's D.A.N.C.E t-shirts (sold at Collete) were huge in Europe. Every wannabee dj that even pretended to be part of the whole nu-rave/electro-pogo/disco-punk/f**k-I've-run-out-of-words scene claimed to have one.

Now, if you have the right attitude and the right haircut, I believe that anything goes.
 

otc

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Originally Posted by Marc-OS
I gotta say, Barney Stinson does make wearing a suit everyday look casual and comfortable. Also, How I Met Your Mother is probably the funniest show on TV.

+1 to barney (although the 4th season of how I met your mother is really falling down on itself)
 

babygreenspots

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Originally Posted by Modernist
What you're asking depends greatly on the scene. For instance, last year Justice's D.A.N.C.E t-shirts (sold at Collete) were huge in Europe. Every wannabee dj that even pretended to be part of the whole nu-rave/electro-pogo/disco-punk/****-I've-run-out-of-words scene claimed to have one. Now, if you have the right attitude and the right haircut, I believe that anything goes.
Well, I guess, I'm thinking about a typical, educated white collar fellow that is fairly cultured but also wants to wear something stylish and unique when going to dinner, drinks, a cocktail hour, a bbq at his designer friend's studio, an art opening, etc. He's read the classics, wears a nice suit to the office, but wants something more interesting than a sport coat for going out. Obviously, some tee shirt that is currently the rage is not special enough, even if it is selling at Collete. I think they offer other products that might be more exceptional. I guess what I am getting at is that the traditionalist demands of styleforum are somewhat at odds with the sartorial demands of stylish people going out in a modern city. I was at one of my friend's design studios the other day and thinking about how impossible it would be for me to wear any of his stuff because of how weird and untraditional it is. Several of my other friends, who are interested in fashion, found the designs quite appealing and perfect for creating a unique look while going out (these are all one-off pieces though they fit in with the design aesthetic of the creators). Part of the problem may be that we tend to view "fashion" as conformist, when in fact the whole objective is to showcase one's originality. I feel that for most people, it is a bit difficult to look fresh while following the dictates of western traditional style.
 

Fuuma

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Just tone down the dressy part if you wanna wear a suit. For example one of mine is a slim cut Helmut Lang (back when HL was there) made of black moleskine. I often wear it with a white tee, white pocket square and white Repettos.
 

LabelKing

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Recently, I wore a pinstriped suit, red striped cutaway collar shirt, loud paisley tie and boutonniere with Cuban-heeled chelseas, suede trench and an angora trilby to a house-party and then into a divey drag bar. The drag queens loved it.
 

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