Bald and slim, struggling with clothes

[Thomas84]

Hello,

As the title mentions I'm a guy who lost his hair. I had medium dark hair before losing it, and - although not dressing very well - I didn't have that much trouble finding clothes back then.

Ever since going bald, I struggle with clothes. I have low to medium contrast in my face now, which means I'm unable to wear a black suit with a white shirt without looking ill. I need to go with lighter colors and less contrast.

I know what I like when it comes to clothes, but for some reason I still remain a bit clueless. I've noticed that I purchase items that are good looking as a single item, but when creating an outfit with those items, they don't really work altogether.

In the past years I've been spending too much money on clothes without actually wearing them. I sold a lot of it, and that's the reason I'm now almost scared to buy something new. I just don't know if it's going to be a waste again.

Colors
What I currently wear these days is simple and boring: it's mostly blue. Casual button down and straight fit jeans. My jackets are blue and brown, just like my shoes.

When it comes to colors, I know what I can wear: teal, steel-blue, medium to dark brown. What helps as well is the so called melange fabrics. All good, untill you go on the hunt for (for example) a new coat; they're all black, grey, navy or olive. None of those colors really suit me. Finding fabrics (for a bespoke coat) in the right colors wasn't as easy as I expected; navy and antracite are available everywhere, teal or steel-blue aren't.

Now that summer is around the corner, the blue and brown look makes my outfit scream as if I want it to be winter again. Light colors don't work on me that well, because they make me look pale. On the other hand, dark colors don't work either; I should be wearing medium tones.

Slim build
I'm a slim build as well and I'm struggling (or maybe just very picky) finding jeans that suit me. My legs are more heavy build compared to my waist. To give you an idea: 501's are perfect for my legs but I drown in the high rise. For some reason I always end up buying 501's though, but I'd prefer a mid-rise and a slight taper at the hem. The straight fit jeans make it look like I'm wearing bootcut jeans, but a tapered model is often too much tapered.

APC New Standard is a good fit, but I'm still looking for some pre-washed jeans as well, because the raw indigo color is quite dark for me. Besides that, it still needs a little taper.

Bespoke casual clothes?
I like the idea of wearing suits, but I work in a casual outfit sector, which means a casual shirt and jeans are fine. (You can even get away with sneakers, distressed jeans and a sweater.)

What I mean by that is that I like the idea of a bespoke suit, where you get to choose the color, fabrics and the fit. I 'need' to stick to the more casual outfits though, because I simply can't pull off wearing a suit all day with my 'lifestyle'.

Allright this is getting nowhere. I'm basically struggling with my wardrobe, mostly because of being bald, having a low to medium contrast face meaning a lot of colors don't suit me. Also, I'm slim. Wearing slimfit jeans make my legs look like matchsticks. Tapered jeans are often too much tapered.

Sorry for the rant. Any advice is appreciated.

p.s. English isn't my native language, so my apologies for any grammar and spelling mistakes.

 

[paxonus]

Try getting away from jeans and going with chinos. Take at look at these. They are designed with extra room in the thigh and a moderately tapered ankle:

https://epauletnewyork.com/collections/sandow-chinos

 

[bc78]

Can you grow a beard? I think that may help.

Also google "carole jackson color theory" or something to that effect

 

[jaxenro]

Completely bald? Or just the top?

 

[maxalex]

Many blogs and menswear books assign way too much importance to skin and hair color when choosing clothes. If you look at pictures of stylish men you will notice all these immutable rules get broken, all the time. The truth is that stylish men can pull off any color palette at all, so long as they are confident in their choices.

What builds confidence? Mostly experience, and learning to trust your eye. Take the advice of Bruce Boyer (also bald), who says he simply wears colors he likes, and the hell with his “skin palette.”

As Boyer could attest, baldness is no sartorial handicap. Besides the fact that many beautiful and sophisticated women find baldness attractive, it is also conducive to striking fashion statements. For example, check out the look of political columnist and pundit Kevin Williamson. I despise his viewpoints and pretty much everything he stands for but he dresses well and knows how to pull off a killer bald-guy look.

Also see the writer Michael Wolff, who has gone fully shaved-head for years and wears sharp bespoke clothes. Here too, a lot of it is confidence, which comes from experience.

 

[Thomas84]

Try getting away from jeans and going with chinos. Take at look at these. They are designed with extra room in the thigh and a moderately tapered ankle:

https://epauletnewyork.com/collections/sandow-chinos

Thank you for the advice. I own one pair of chinos and the fit is great. Having said that, I'm more of a jeans guy. Chinos create a too much preppy or 'behaved look' for me. Maybe 5-pocket trousers made from chino fabric would do the trick.

Can you grow a beard? I think that may help.

Also google "carole jackson color theory" or something to that effect

Well my beard looks patchy so I keep a one week 'stubble'. I understand what you're saying though.

Thanks for mentioning that color theory. Went to a color-consultant once and she told me I'm a spring type, but it was difficult for her to see. After seeing Carole Jackson's color theory I think I'm in between a spring and autumn type. What I've noticed after diving into these theories, is that I feel the urge to go shopping in a Lacoste store for some polo's.

The reason I'm saying this is that I only see black, white, grey, navy and sometimes olive when it comes to mens clothing. The colors mentioned by color consultants are often feminine or 'sporty' compared to what's available for men.

Though I'm not wearing suits, a coloured tie could do the trick. Other than that, I don't really know how to implement more colors into my wardrobe. For example, I'm unable to pull something like this off.

Completely bald? Or just the top?

Just the top, but I keep the rest of it buzzed.

Many blogs and menswear books assign way too much importance to skin and hair color when choosing clothes. If you look at pictures of stylish men you will notice all these immutable rules get broken, all the time. The truth is that stylish men can pull off any color palette at all, so long as they are confident in their choices.

What builds confidence? Mostly experience, and learning to trust your eye. Take the advice of Bruce Boyer (also bald), who says he simply wears colors he likes, and the hell with his “skin palette.”

As Boyer could attest, baldness is no sartorial handicap. Besides the fact that many beautiful and sophisticated women find baldness attractive, it is also conducive to striking fashion statements. For example, check out the look of political columnist and pundit Kevin Williamson. I despise his viewpoints and pretty much everything he stands for but he dresses well and knows how to pull off a killer bald-guy look.

Also see the writer Michael Wolff, who has gone fully shaved-head for years and wears sharp bespoke clothes. Here too, a lot of it is confidence, which comes from experience.

Thank you for your point of view. It surely helps me to not focus too much on the colors of my skin and hair. You're the first who's not mentioning Jason Staham or Stanley Tucci by the way. Good to see some more 'average' looking faces (and bodies!) pull off a great look.

 

[jaxenro]

“Just the top, but I keep the rest of it buzzed.”

Same here lost the top shave the rest I just ignore the skin color thing.

 

[MyOtherLife]

Bald or not, a nice Panama hat on a summer day is a great look for all ages. (LV plug unintentional).