Building a wardrobe from (somewhat) scratch: What to add?

[TK90]

Hi!

I found myself becoming increasingly interested in the world of men's style earlier in the last few years, and have been slowly building a new wardrobe for about six or seven months – in conjunction with a healthy weight loss. For the last couple of months, I've found myself struggling to allocate my budget to the most (cost)effective thing. That is, I spend money on things that I'm probably not going to use that often.

Maybe you who've been on the journey for longer can give some guidance?

I work for a marketing agency in a Scandinavian country and became a partner earlier this year. There's really no office dress code to speak about. Most guys are wearing a casual shirt with chinos and a pair of white sneakers. When meeting a client, you might see an odd sports jacket and/or a white button-down shirt. I'm rarely participating in any formal events outside of work either, and I don't think I've been in a situation where a suit is expected since before the pandemic.

I'm in my early 30's, 6"3, quite narrow (not skinny) and somewhat disproportionate, having long legs and a shorter torso. I tend to like longer shirts, jackets, and sweaters. My legs are quite slim, while my hips are a bit wider. I've found that slim-fitted pants fit better than regular-shaped ones. The same goes with shirts, albeit it tends to get too tight around my waist. I'm quite fair-skinned, like most Scandinavians, with green eyes and dark-blonde hair (the remaining of it that is). I don't like black, "hard" white, or too flashy colors, as I feel washed out wearing it.

I don't have too many style icons I look up to per se, but I do fancy the James Bond look on the more formal side and Jason Statham on the casual side (if that makes any sense). As many do, I find the 20's and 30's style really interesting. I like Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders for more than the plotlines. I guess the British style is more attractive to me than the Italian style. The climate up here is also more similar to Britain than Italy.

My wardrobe consists of about :

1. 7 dress shirts: Mostly light-blue and non-iron, but with a couple of oversized linen shirts.
2. 10 flannel shirts: Most are either too large or washed out.
3. 10 t-shirts: No logos, plain colors.
4. 2 pairs of jeans: One grayish and one mid-blue distressed.
5. 5 pants: Off-the-rack but with a "tailored" fit, all in different shades of gray and a polyester/cotton mix.
6. 4 sweaters: All crew neck, in gray, green, and off-white. One cheap cashmere, the rest are cotton/polyester mix.
7. 1 sports jacket in dark gray.
8. 3 pairs of formal shoes and boots: Santoni monkstraps, Loake Nene (Chelsea boot), and a pair of gray suede derbies.
9. 1 tie: Silk and burgundy.
10. 2 jackets/coats: A brown leather jacket for spring and summer, and a navy overcoat for winter (100% wool).
11. 1 pair of leather gloves and 2 scarves (monochromatic orange and a tartan with gray and blue).

I realized that this post became way longer than intended. But what I'd really appreciate is some guidance on what items, brands, or other things I should look into researching for my next buy – so I can spend my money wisely. I do know it's a matter of personal preference, and it's hard to give strong advice based on a post alone, but I do appreciate every reply. Thanks!

To add to the information overload, here are some of my criteria:

• Off the rack, as I can't afford to splurge too much money at this point. That is, I can spend $300 - $500 on an item, but not much more than that. Buying secondhand is an alternative, but it's a small market and it's hard to come by anything worth the money (even at goodwill, clothes are marked at least 30 - 40% of retail prices).
• Classics or historical brands (I.e a western shirt from Wrangler, Levi's 501, or a pair of aviator sunglasses). This adds so much value to my experience.
• Quality trumps quantity: I don't like the buy-and-throw-away-mentality, and I take good care of everything I buy.
• Flexibility is key: Can be dressed down or up, easily mixed and matched, and/or be worn in all seasons.

 

[TheIronDandy]

First of all: welcome to the site. Fellow scandinavian here, so I can relate a bit to the kind of clothes you need to last year-around here.

In my experience, the most impotrant thing to do if you're moving towards a more classic wardrobe is to think about fit. The quality and cut of the clothes doesn't matter at all if they fit poorly. Most people who are accustomed to RTW clothes today tend towards far too tight and short clothes. I made a LOT of mistakes with that, buying fairly good clothes that fit me terribly because the only reference I had were modern stuff. If you look at the 20s and 30s for inspiration, you probably won't fall into that trap, though.

For the situation you describe, I would simply try to step up the fit and quality of the pieces you have. Well-fitting shirts can be had MTM from several brands (such as Eton, Stenströms and my go-to brand shirtonomy), and they won't be much more expensive than good off-the-rack shirts. Good oxford cloth buttondowns can be worn with a suit and tie, or with jeans - it's probably the most flexible shirt out there. I think I average paying $135 for mine at Shirtonomy.

For trousers, jeans and chinos are the obvious choices. Regardless of if you want the slimmer fit, I really suggest you get a higher rise. Few grown men look good in low-rise trousers. Swedish brands Berg and Berg (currently have a 50% sale on most jeans) and Rubato make good quality jeans in a more classic, but not "re-created", style. Not super cheap, but the Berg and Berg ones are a good deal on sale. I would stay away from most Levis as (in my experience) their quality does not match their legacy - all the jeans I got from them (and I use to get a lot, because they kept wearing out, and I didn't know any better...) were pretty poor. They do have a line that are supposedly made "the old way", but honestly I'd just go Berg and Berg at this point. I would stay away from distressed jeans at all costs, but that's my opinion. For chinos, I don't really have any suggestions that are "slim", I'm afraid. I'm a big fan of Rubato chinos, but they are a more straight cut.

Eventually, you might want to get some wool trousers; grey flanel is great for scandinavian winters as they are warm, comfortable and the stains from snow slush doesn't show up too much on grey My tailor Götrich&Co in Stockholm will actually make you bespoke trousers that are well within your budget. Keep in mind, bespoke trousers do need to be dry cleaned, though. Put them in the machine and you'll probably ruin them.

Since you're working in an environment where sportcoats aren't that common, good quality knitwear becomes a staple. I'll tell you what I tell everyone: cashmere from Luca Faloni is one of the better high-end deals you'll get. Their sweaters are under $300 and the quality is good. I'd get a crewneck and maybe a turtleneck if it's your style. Cashmere is great in the fall and winter, and it's luxurious without being formal. You might want to check out John Smedley, especially the sales, for cotton knitwear. I have one of their polos that's really nice. The cardigan I have from Colhays is also very good (and their customer service was very nice when I had a broken button), but they don't come cheap.

One of the best things with Scandinavian weather is that we get lots of use for our outwear. Sadly, quality outwear usually costs a bit more, though I picked up a nice Monty duffel coat at a sale from Tweed in Stockholm, that would be within your budget. Sadly their website isn't updated that often... I really like Private Whites approach to outwear, especially their collaborations with menswear blogger Simon Crompton - those pieces have been very classic British, but less formal than tailored coats. They go way over your budget, though. I guess I'm saying I really don't have much to say when it comes to outwear?

For shoes, you already have Loake, which I consider a good "entry level" shoemaker for higher end shoes. Other options in Scandinavia is Myrqvist, Skoaktiebolaget (they have their own thread on styleform classic menswear forum), Skolyx and The Noble Shoe (also very active on styleforum). Sorry, to lazy to link them all! I'm finding myself wearing more and more loafers when I'm dressing casually - my suede tassel loafers from Skoaktiebolagets house line Lööf and Tung are probably my most worn shoes this summer. Penny loafers work with chinos and oxford shirts (a touch of Ivy style) and with jeans and polos.

I would not worry about sport coats for now. Sport coats are quite expensive if you buy quality (but see below), and you don't seem to be wearing one frequently, so it might be better to invest your budget in high quality staples to get started.

You might want to check out Pete and Harry for pre-owned. They specialise in classic menswear, and the owners are true clothing nerds. They also sometimes buy up surplus stock of new clothes, and in those cases you can find some real bargains on unworn pieces.

Sorry for the massive post

 

[TK90]

Thanks for some great advice, and I'm truly appreciative that you took the time to write an amazing response! As I'm Norwegian, my knowledge of Swedish brands has been somewhat lackluster (besides what you find in most retail stores, like Oscar Jacobsson and ToS). I've gone through some of the links and added them to my newsletter list. Loved Tweed In Stockholm. Looks like I'm going to get myself a new coat before Christmas 😅

 

[rjc149]

I'm assuming you're not including heavy winter wear in this wardrobe list (ie. heavy down parkas, winter boots, etc) which I imagine is simply a given for Scandinavian life.

Your current wardrobe looks pretty adequate and comprehensive. I would add a dark charcoal or navy blue suit for formal occasions, and more of a tie selection. I wouldn't categorize linen shirts as 'dress shirts' -- my definition of a dress shirt is a shirt intended to be worn with a suit and tie. Also, maybe add a pair or two of wool dress slacks (worn with a crease).

I noted that you're missing polo shirts and casual button-up shirts. I would get some nicer button-up shirts hemmed to be worn untucked, since tucking your shirt in on weekends (or into shorts) is a very preppy, old-money look that also communicates you're the type of man who needs to put a toilet seat cover down to take a dump at the office. Or you're a middle-aged dad. That could be completely meaningless to you -- at the end of the day, your style is your own.

How about some shorts? Maybe it doesn't get hot enough to wear them where you are.

Or a nice wool sweater? I like cardigans because they are versatile, practical and comfortable. You may not like the 'old man' vibe, but I kind of do since I am perennially youthful-looking and it's an interesting contrast. I recommend Irish Aran sweaters, but I may be biased since I'm half Irish. Regardless, they are heavy and can be worn as light jackets. Shawl collar cardigans work with pretty much any kind of shirt and build up the shoulders for a more masculine appearance.

I recently purchased a pair of Grant Stone longwing gunboat shoes which I am very happy with. GS has an affiliate thread on this forum. Dialing down the fit will take some exchanges and returns. If you have wide EEE feet and the sleek (read: narrow) European/Italian styling doesn't work for you, I would look at GS.

 

[Leiker]

A chore coat is a very versatile casual item.

 

[breakaway01]

some good advice here.
I agree with several recommendations here to upgrade your knitwear, especially given your climate. Think about texture here. So often people have plain 'smooth' textured sweaters. A Shetland sweater or a more chunky knit is good for a more casual look that can also be layered, for example.
Other suggestions: an overshirt or two. A waffle-knit long sleeve T or henley. 5-pocket trousers in something with some texture, like corduroy or moleskin.

 

[TK90]

Thanks for the good advice and recommendations all of you! It's extremely valuable getting other perspectives, as I've been stuck in my own head for a while. I actually don't own a wool sweater, decent warm trousers, or any nice knitwear – and I didn't even think about it. That will obviously add value to my wardrobe (and my well-being when the thermostat inevitably shows 10°F).