Dressing help for portly gent

[carsnoceans]

For my first post on StyleForum, I will start with a quick intro/disclaimer and a thankyou note.

Disclaimer - I am somewhat of an illiterate to nice dressing. Despite of my high profile profession/industry, I never deeply cared about my dressing sense or keeping an impressive appearance. Now being in early 30's, I recently went through an epiphany of sort and making an effort on my appearance (in more than one ways). Hopefully the style guru's can teach me how to dress like a man.
I have been using Styleforum as a guide to matching ties/ shirts/ slacks all year and have learned a great deal but I understand refinement comes with time and practice.

To put it crudely, I am overweight. At 6' and 210+lbs, some may call me slightly big but I am not build with heavy muscle and broad shoulders. Taking care of that is another topic (and an important one) but for now problem at-hand. The basics where I need help...

Shirts - I have been recommended Charles Trywhitt trim fits by a French colleague but the "trim fit" best suits trim guys. I have a few Geoffery Beene shirts in the wardrobe (satin fabric ones), which do alright. None of my shirts are a fit that complement my upper half. Smaller sizes show-off my unflattering curves and bigger ones just make me look bigger with ill-fitted, loose garment. I have also noticed that none of the nice shirt makers have pockets.... have I been doing it all wrong??

Slacks - I have couple of woolen slacks and few Dockers D3 never iron. I understand these are the dressiest pants but they do the job without having to keep expensive dryclean bills.
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/dockers-pants-d3-never-iron-essential-fancy-classic-fit-flat-front?ID=587527
Not sure, if its got to do with my body type or clothing but my shirts keep coming untucked all the time and it looks terrible. I have tucking them in everytime I have to get out of the chair and go for a meeting or walk over somewhere. I do wear pants high (under the bellybutton) and not at the hips.


I really need an overhaul in the wardrobe. Help much appreciated!

 

[koolhistorian]

Here is the advice I gave to another fellow in misery - even if I've lost a lot of weight :
"Some tips from a "rotund" fellow: MTM is the real option - go bespoke if you have the money ! Avoid like hell baggy clothes - go as fitter as you can, a little bit of structure in tailoring will be better; A coat will elongate and slim you more than you can tell - so avoid the khaki - OCBD - tie combo; either go tieless + SC (with a nice Pocket Square) or just wear a SC+tie, if it will not be seen as overdressed; You will need a two seasons wardrobe - one for Fall/Winter, one for Spring/Summer - or just experiment with layering in Winter. If you can afford, cashmere is your best friend in winter(i.e. look for a higher content of cashmere in your sport coats, sweaters, overcoat, but not in pants); Linen is great in summer, and you will get ironing skills Do not invest in suits if you do not need suits! Having a coordinated wardrobe of coats and pants can carry you a lot longer than a closet full of suits that you do not wear; Invest in good quality shoes, and take care of them - at least the ladies will be pleased; Keep yourself in good trim - nice haircut, if you wear a beard keep it trimmed; Avoid the fat, dissolved look - be on the border of military upkeep of your wardrobe; Try to improve posture; Do not be ashamed of yourself. My 2 euro cents."

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Patterned dress shirts disguise mediocre fit better than solids do, and of course dress shirts can be tailored. Slim fit will not work. Maybe try Brooks Brothers if there is a store nearby? MTM, yes, could be a solution. Without pictures, location, and some idea of the work dress code, advice-giving is limited.

 

[Slippybee]

You allude to making other efforts in terms of your appearance. Without wishing to pry would these other efforts include dieting/weightloss?

If they do then I'd strongly advise leaving any major revisions to your wardrobe until your weightloss has plateaud. It won't do you any harm to add some staples as you progress and get these tailored as your body shape changes but in the period while you're dieting/ exercising more I'd suggest spending this in investigation rather than acquisition mode and, once you've reached an optimum weight and body shape then look to do most of your updating and spending.

If I've misinterpreted then please accept my apology. Good luck regardless.

 

[joeman]

^ He does makes sense. I fyou're planning to lose a few pounds it's best to hold off in completely changing your wardrobe unless you've maintained an ideal weight, then you can plan on going for mtm or bespoke tailoring.

 

[MyOtherLife]

If you have a large belly a 4" wide tie can help disguise it somewhat. I would also recommend a dark coloured sport coat but avoid patterns like window pane or Glen check at this time. A well fitted sport coat will hide a multitude of sin and give you nicer lines. If you have a large butt, beware of how a jackets side venting rests on your backside. As you have not stated your location, do some research to find clearance centres in your area. Don't try to buy an entire wardrobe in one day. Buy off-season to save money. More research now means less purchase regrets later. Welcome to Styleforum.

 

[carsnoceans]

You allude to making other efforts in terms of your appearance. Without wishing to pry would these other efforts include dieting/weightloss?
If they do then I'd strongly advise leaving any major revisions to your wardrobe until your weightloss has plateaud. It won't do you any harm to add some staples as you progress and get these tailored as your body shape changes but in the period while you're dieting/ exercising more I'd suggest spending this in investigation rather than acquisition mode and, once you've reached an optimum weight and body shape then look to do most of your updating and spending.
If I've misinterpreted then please accept my apology. Good luck regardless.

You make a lot of sense good sir. Now here is the thing... last year, I dropped over 50lbs being involved in sports and races. I was nowhere near a "trim look" but I was well on the way. Then, I had a sports accident that rendered me useless for months. No workout routine, dietary disruption etc... a lot of the weight came back quickly.

I am trying to achieve the optimal weight again but I don't want to dress like a slob until then. I don't plan on going out buying 10-15 shirts and suits overnight. Just here for some guidance so I can start switching some of my older shirts into better dress shirts. If I "shrink" too much over next few months, I will go get new stuff.

How much do bespoke suits cost? I have friends/family in Asia (garment manufacturing factory of the western world). Would it help if I can send measurements from a tailor here over to them and ask them to stitch to the specified measurements?

 

[CrAz3D]

are you currently working to drop weight?

I am, and I've found that to be a problem. I used to wear size X, but now wear size Y, but keep losing weight, so I'm on the way to size Z, it seems. Thus, buying nice and new doesn't make sense, but it'd also be expensive to alter old stuff for tons of cash. I figure buying acceptable quality garments for the interim is legit.

What do you do? The career seems important. For example, a doctor/lawyer should dress better than a used car salesman.